Here in Chapel Hill, we like to have our cake and eat it too. That is to say, we enjoy all the benefits of a charming, Southern college town and a culturally diverse, cosmopolitan city at the same time. There are so many things to do and see, it’s tough to know where to begin…

What about Culture? Chapel Hill abounds with it. The area is ripe with activity in the arts and academia. The town of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina are historically inseparable since their beginnings at the close of the 18th century. This fact ensures that our community is constantly bustling with activity from literary festivals, to music concerts, to art exhibits, to performances of Shakespeare. There are myriad outlets to stimulate your mind and broaden your horizons.

What about Sports? Chapel Hill and the Triangle are a sports fan’s Mecca. You can catch the Tar Heels play the Blue Devils at the Dean Dome. The Triangle is generally considered ground zero for ACC basketball, but it offers lots of great college sports action in football, soccer, and baseball just to name a few. Want to watch the pros? Zip over to Raleigh’s RBC Center and catch the Carolina Hurricanes take on the NHL’s best.

What about Outdoor Recreation? Other than Tar Heel blue, the color that most defines Chapel Hill is green. It’s everywhere you look in this town of rolling hills. The soft, sprawling quads of the UNC campus are framed by centuries old, hand-placed stone walls. Play the lush fairways and greens of the renowned A.E. Finley Golf Course. Chapel Hill and neighboring Carrboro boast 25 community parks that comprise 500 acres of beautifully sculpted landscape, complete with all manner of outdoor sports facilities. Maybe bicycling is your passion? Carrboro boasts one of the most extensive on/off road bike trail systems in the state. The North Carolina Botanical Gardens are a great place to relax and see nature at its most pristine and pleasant.

What about Entertainment? Chapel Hill has an array of entertainment opportunities from the performing arts to the cinema. Take in a performance by the historic PlayMaker’s Repertory Company at The Center for Dramatic Art or The Paul Green Theatre. If music is more your speed, you’re in luck. The North Carolina Symphony and the North Carolina Jazz Repertory frequently hold concerts on UNC’s campus. If your tastes are a bit more laid back, the lawn at Carrboro’s Weaver Street Market plays host to bluegrass and old time music concerts nearly every Sunday during the spring and summer. The Cat’s Cradle on Main Street in Carrboro is the place to hear new sounds as well as tried and true classics like George Thoroughgood or The Wailers.

If you’re dying to see movies on the big screen, Chapel Hill as several good theatres offering a range of films from mainstream to more edgy independent films at the Chelsea Theater. If you prefer a 22-screen multiplex, the Southpoint Cinemas in Durham are a stone’s throw away.

What about Shopping? The Chapel Hill area offers lots great shopping opportunities from the latest fashions, to hard-to-find antiques, to quirky boutiques. A stroll down Franklin Street will prove as much. Nestled between restaurants and coffee shops, you’ll find all sorts of apparel stores, bookshops, and plenty of Tar Heel memorabilia. A few minutes to the north, Hillsborough offers several great antique dealers. Nearby Southpoint Mall should satisfy the mall rat in you, with national chains ranging from Pottery Barn to Nordstrom.

What about Restaurants? In Chapel Hill, the language we speak is things to eat. When it comes to our restaurants, the idea is diversity. We have everything from award-winning cuisine to cozy holes-in-wall eateries. We can please all sorts of taste buds with ample offerings of Italian, Indian, Mexican, Greek, Spanish, Ethiopian, Chinese, Tai, and French restaurants. Perhaps even better are the local establishments specializing in good ole’ Southern soul food like Mama Dip’s and Crook’s Corner. Looking for something a little less formal? We’ve got plenty of sports bars, pizzerias, coffee shops, and cafés to suit all appetites.

What if I want to get away? You’re in luck. The Carolina coast is just a couple of hours away, offering sandy beaches and sunshine. In the fall, it’s tough to beat the colors of the season a few hours to the west in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Washington DC is a mere four hours to the north, and Southern financial center, Charlotte is only a few hours to the south.

Local Publications
Chapel Hill News
Durham Herald-Sun
News & Observer
Triangle Business Journal

Government Websites
Orange County
Carrboro
Durham
Chapel Hill