Things To Do

Fridays on the Front Porch at The Carolina Inn

"There’s no shortage of great live music venues in the area, but once the glorious warm weather arrives, none can compete with the shady front lawn of the Carolina Inn. Every Friday evening from April through late October, the historic red brick hotel on the western edge of campus celebrates the start of the weekend by hosting “Fridays on the Front Porch” amid the oaks and magnolias. This free music event draws a festive crowd in sundresses and seersucker who mingle near the inn’s colonnaded porch while the air fills with live bluegrass from North Carolina bands like Chapel Hill’s own Big Fat Gap."

Carrboro Farmers Market

"There are two compelling things to know about the Carrboro Farmers’ Market. The first is that everything for sale comes from within a 50-mile radius. The second is that, unlike many farmers’ markets these days, the farmers and producers themselves work the stalls. So when you have a question about produce from Brinkley Farms, ask the Brinkleys. Or if you’re not sure what to do with the lacto-fermented vegetable preserves at Two Chicks Farm, talk to the twosome, Audrey Lin and Debbie Donnald. Over 60 vendors typically set up at the market, so start with a slice of Louise Parrish’s poundcake and meander from there."

Carolina Basketball Museum

"The recent passing of Dean Smith, the beloved former coach of the University of North Carolina men’s basketball team, was deeply felt in these parts. Pay your respects by visiting the Carolina Basketball Museum (free admission), next door to the Dean E. Smith Center, or the Dean Dome, as the arena where the team plays is casually called. The museum has interactive exhibits replaying great moments in the program’s illustrious history and a fascinating collection of Tar Heel memorabilia, including Coach Smith’s typewritten notes suggesting areas for improvement to a player named Michael Jordan, then an undergraduate."

Dean E. Smith Center

For more information, please call the Smith Center Administrative office at: (919) 962-7777. For ticket information, please call (919) 962-2296 or (800) 722-4335. Please call the Smith Center Administrative Office prior to your visit to make sure the building will be open.

Culture: North Carolina Botanical Gardens

"Follow winding paths through landscaped gardens focused on the diverse flora of the Carolinas, and past a giant chessboard with toddler-size pieces fashioned from recycled metal. Then hike the Piedmont Nature Trails in the surrounding woods."

Culture: Coker Arboretum

Culture: UNC Morehead Planetarium

"Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is one of the oldest and largest planetariums in the United States having welcomed more than 7 million visitors by its 60th anniversary in 2009. "

Culture: Ackland Art Museum

Culture: The Varsity

The only movie theater in downtown Chapel Hill and a true classic. Be sure to get a full bag of popcorn!

Sites: Old Well

Brewery: Carolina Brewery

Brewery: Beer Study

"A laid-back bottle shop with a small bar whose 18 taps pour craft brews like Haw River Farmhouse Ales from nearby Saxapahaw."

Brewery: Steel String Brewery

"Steel String Brewery has grown from home-brewing roots into Carrboro’s pre-eminent craft brewery. The on-site taproom reflects the brewery’s musical motif with a bluegrass-themed mural and a bar shaped like a guitar body. Sample the rotating selections on tap — with luck, the Manzanita Black IPA and Rubber Room Session Ale — by ordering a flight ($6) to sip on the patio."

Restaurant: Elaine's On Franklin

Continuously voted one of Chapel Hill's best restaurants! A favorite of ours. Make sure to grab a reservation.

Restaurant: Lantern

"Quiz locals about the best spot for a memorable meal and chances are they’ll direct you to the dining room of Lantern, an Asian-inflected restaurant owned by the James Beard Award-winning chef Andrea Reusing. That answer gets half-credit. Full credit requires a stipulation that you seek out the restaurant’s hidden back-room bar, where the same farm-focused menu is served in a more seductive space lit by votives and red paper lanterns. When ordering, consider the smaller plates — they tend to be the highlights. Recent favorites included juicy pork-and-chive dumplings ($7.50), warm kabocha squash salad with dates, lentils and seared paneer cheese from Chapel Hill Creamery ($12), and a superb sundae of pawpaw frozen custard, passion-fruit caramel and brown-butter mochi ($9). If the bar’s packed, try the cozy new patio with wood-slab tables and ivy-covered walls."

Restaurant: The Pig

In need of BBQ? Look no further than The Pig. A short drive from downtown Chapel Hill. "Despite an unassuming shopping-plaza location, the Pig serves exemplary hickory-smoked, whole-hog barbecue made with local pasture-raised pork and vinegar-based, eastern-Carolina-style sauce. Try it in a sandwich with coleslaw and a side of hush puppies."

Bar: Pantana Bob's

Bobs. Need we say more? Likely the site of the unofficial wedding after party.

Bar: He's Not Here

A Chapel Hill legend and the site of the famous "CHAPEL HILL" mural. indoor / outdoor bar with a minimalist menu of beer, champagne, and cider. Fair warning: everything is served in the famous "Blue Cups" (visitors to Courtney & Scott's apartment will recognize these) and poured at the top of a pair of perilous stairs. Why is it called He's Not Here? No one really knows, but after a blue cup, no one cares either. A must for your instastories.

Bar: The Baxter Arcade

"College basketball is not the only game in town anymore. In October, the Baxter Bar & Arcade opened as a grown-ups’ playroom with an expansive collection of vintage pinball and arcade games — all playable. Have a beer and try to get your name on the chalkboard of high scores for Galaga, Pole Position, Space Invaders, a 1981-edition of Frogger or dozens of other classics. "

Bar: The Crunkleton

"State liquor laws require bars that don’t serve food to function as private clubs. Strictness on this point varies, but don’t be surprised if a nominal membership fee (usually $5) is charged at the door. It’s worth it at the Crunkleton, a handsome clubhouse with taxidermied beasts on the wall, a well-stocked bar, and leather armchairs that invite civilized socializing."

Brewery: Vecino Brewing Co.

Beautiful outdoor patio with beer, games, and an expansive inside.