Discovering Orange County, NC


Sunday Evening Jazz Comes to West End Wine Bar


Harry’s Market at Whitecross


Renee Montague Studio Gallery


East 54


State High School Basketball Championships


Welcome to Hillsborough


Founded in 1754, Hillsborough was first owned, surveyed, and mapped by William Churton, who for all his effort got the main drag through town named after him. The town was named after the Earl of Hillsborough in 1766, the British secretary of state for the colonies. History was made here and history has been preserved. For more information, visit the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough’s new tourism website at Visit Historic Hillsborough.

A Small Triangle Town Doing Big Things in a Down Economy

Life is good in Historic Hillsborough, NC

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – Throughout the state the economy is expected to grow slowly – or even contract – in the first half of 2010. But some Triangle towns, like Hillsborough – located in Orange County, NC – ten minutes from Chapel Hill – are doing just fine. In addition to growth in commercial enterprise, new retail and an organic market, Hillsborough, (population 6,600) in central North Carolina, has seen a rise in newcomers seeking high quality of a life.

“It all comes down to quality of life,” says Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens. “Hillsborough has thriving local businesses, a downtown full of vitality, friendly and safe neighborhoods, and distinctive arts, historic, and natural amenities – it’s a great place to work, to play, to live, or simply visit.”

Last year, a new organic grocery store, Weaver Street Market, opened downtown. Adjoining the Market is a 409-space – privately owned – parking deck. Weaver Street Market’s Food House relocated to Hillsborough, marking the beginning of a new era for locally grown food and for handcrafted baked goods.

Orange County government opened a new 46,000 square foot office building downtown. A 26,000 square foot Library will open in January, in the heart of downtown. Renovations are underway inside the existing courthouse, and a large addition has allowed a much-needed expansion of the County’s judicial functions and Sheriff’s department. Hillsborough recently saw the opening of a new Senior Center and the renovation of the Triangle Sportsplex arena with ice-skating, swimming and fitness center.

The arts are thriving in Hillsborough. The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts recently doubled their size downtown; Churton Street Gallery, featuring NC artists exclusively, recently opened; the Hillsborough Arts Council has expanded its space, budget and mission; and bookstore Purple Crow has opened.

Leland Little Auction House recently opened a 10,000 square foot gallery facility. An overwhelmingly positive reception has propelled them to fast track their expansion plans. The Depot at Hillsborough Station is a new flexible art gallery and meeting space on the western edge of downtown that is now hosting special events.

A proposed train station is being fast tracked with Hillsborough planners meeting monthly on that possibility. Land for the station already has been purchased. The Piedmont Food and Agricultural Facility, a 20,000 square foot center, is now under construction. The University of North Carolina has applied to the town of Hillsborough to build a $228 million hospital. Finally, just last year, Durham Technical Community College opened a 19.6-acre campus to better serve residents as they pursue lifelong learning.

“For its size, Hillsborough has a high concentration of residents who are nationally-known authors,” the mayor notes. “Our strong creative class adds to the quality of life we enjoy in Hillsborough.” For more information on Hillsborough, visit http://www.historichillsborough.org/ or call 919-732-7741.

SOURCE Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau

Last Fridays in downtown Hillsborough feature music, food venors, craftspeople, a pie eating contest and more. See art demonstations and visit exhibition opening night receptions during the Art Walk. Many businesses, galleries, studios, restaurants, museums and historic sites remain open and offer special events. Enjoy Last Fridays from 6-9pm, from April through September. Visit http://www.hillsboroughartscouncil.org for all the details.




Chapel Hill


The Southern Part of Heaven

Come visit Chapel Hill and see why it’s special. There’s almost an incomparable mystique about this place. Home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, our town holds fond thoughts for those who attended the university or lived here. We are certain that after visiting, you’ll keep those same great memories.

Get caught up in the magic of Franklin Street in the heart of Chapel Hill with its eclectic boutiques, fantastic restaurants and Tar Heel memorabilia shops. Stroll the historic campus and mingle among the lively students. See a star show at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center or visit the North Carolina Botanical Garden, the largest natural botanical garden in the southeast. While away an afternoon at one of our many museums or make plans to see a play at PlayMakers Repertory Company or take in the ballet at the newly renovated Memorial Hall. Fun family festivals abound throughout the year.

Play a round of golf at the award-winning Finley Golf Course. Or cheer on the North Carolina Tar Heels at one of dozens of sporting events throughout the year.

Whether your visit brings you to Chapel Hill for business or pleasure, you’ll find Chapel Hill a special part of North Carolina and truly the Southern Part of Heaven.

Balanced Movement Studio


Carolina Fitness


Morehead Planetarium & Science Center


PlayMaker’s Repertory Performs Oscar Wilde Play


UNC Spring Commencement 2010


NC Comedy Arts Festival is Back for a 10th Year


The British Are Coming to Hillsborough


WINTER = Shopping, Sports, Festivals and Weekend Getaways in Chapel Hill…


Carolina Basketball Celebration of a Century


Carr Mill Mall


Chapel Hill..A great combination of charm, excitement and art


Top Ten to do List for 2010


Digital festival to draw on Triangle resources


What’s New on Franklin Street


UNC Men and Women’s Basketball in High Gear


Star of Bethlehem at the Planetarium


Nutcracker on Ice


A Christmas Carol Returns to Hillsborough


Hillsborough Arts Council Gallery


Chapel Hill Food Lover’s Guide Now Available


New Chapel Hill Food Lover’s Guide Published


Spirit of Chapel Hill Holiday House Tour is Dec. 12-13


A Small Triangle Town Doing Big Things in Down Economy


Take a Winter Owl Prowl


Hillsborough Holiday Weekend is December 4-6


An Evening With Mark Twain in Hillsborough


Gala Book Launch and Signing by Chapel Hil Food Lover’s Guide Moreton Neal


Holiday Events Calendar


Chapel Hill Food Lover’s Guide Debuts December 6


Carrboro Film Festival is November 22


Ooh La La! Ladies’ Night Out is November 19 in Downtown Hillsborough


Be in Kenan Stadium for the Last Home Football Game


Historic Hillsborough Candlelight Tour is December 6


Top Ten reasons to visit Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough during the holidays.


Holidays in Chapel Hill


Siena Hotel


Sheraton Chapel Hill


Residence Inn by Marriott


Holiday Inn - Chapel Hill


The Franklin Hotel


Courtyard by Marriott


The Carolina Inn Holiday Packages


Chapel Hill Gears Up for UNC-Duke Homecoming Game


Preservation Society Begins New Historical Cemetery Tour


UNC vs. Duke is November 7


Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau to Set Fans “A Glow” for the UNC-FSU Football Game


Enter the Fourth Annual Hillsborough Gingerbread Contest


New Orange County Food Lovers Guide will be published just in time for the Holidays


UNC Hosts Florida State on Thursday Oct 22 in Kenan Stadium


Welcome Tar Heel and Eagles Fans to Kenan Stadium


Fall (in love) in Orange County


Carrboro’s West End Poetry Festival


Late Night with Roy Williams is October 16


Cup-A-Joe


Johnny’s Cafe


Cluck University Chicken


Boogalou Green Ultra Lounge


Artichoke Basil


Butternut Squash Restaurant


Welcome Tar Heel and Cavalier Fans to Kenan Stadium


37th Annual Festifall is October 4 in downtown Chapel Hill


13th Annual Orange County Art Open Studio Tour is First Two Weekends in November


Welcome Tar Heel and Pirate Fans to Kenan Stadium


Jim’s Famous BBQ


Chapel Hill to Host Gay and Lesbian Travel Symposium During North Carolina Pride Week


Welcome Tar Heel and Bulldogs Fans to Kenan Stadium


Holiday House Tours, Crafts Shows and More Coming to Orange County


Elizabeth Edwards Opens Furniture Store in Downtown Chapel Hill


New Soccer Complex Opens in Western Orange County, NC


12th Annual Carrboro Music Festival is September 20


Celebrate the Automobile with Car Show in Hillsborough


Touch Downtown 2009 Chapel Hill


Hillsborough Family Fun Day


Artists and General Public Are Invited to the Chapel Hill Coop Meeting


Visitor Spending Continues to Rise in Orange County, NC


Elizabeth Edwards Opens Furniture Store in Downtown Chapel Hill


Touch Downtown Chapel Hill Campaign Focuses on 2009 UNC Football Weekends


Top 10 Things to See & Do


Gay & Lesbian Travel in the Triangle


Tired of the old clichè gay vacation spots? Grab your partner and visit beautiful Chapel Hill. With a liberal arts college at its heart, Chapel Hill is truly a “college town”. Full of professors, students, and professionals from the nearby Research Triangle Park, it is also considered one of the most liberal towns in North Carolina and a great destination for the gay traveler. U.S. Senator Jesse Helms once suggested erecting a fence around the town instead of building a new zoo in Asheboro.
 
The combination of the youthful university community and the culture that comes with one of the most over-educated populations in the country provides for a visit rich with culture, clubs, southern cuisine and trees as far as the eye can see. Chapel Hill, along with the neighboring Triangle cities of Durham and Raleigh, are very gay-welcoming communities.  Chapel Hill’s gay community is as woven into the mainstream to a degree unmatched by any outside the nation’s largest metropolitan areas.




Chapel Hill is home to the oldest state university in the country, yet the area is also home to other unique “firsts.”

  • Chapel Hill was the first municipality in the state to include sexual orientation as a category under North Carolina hate crimes law.
  • The Chapel Hill town council was the first in the state to support the repeal of the North Carolina Defense of Marriage Act.
  • Chapel Hill was the first municipality in the state to elect an openly gay council member.
  • Orange County was the first county in North Carolina to elect an openly gay county commissioner.
  • Carrboro was the first community in the state to elect an openly gay mayor.
  • A Chapel Hill Presbyterian church was the first in the state to become More Light congregation.


Because of the abundant cultural attractions of Chapel Hill, the bucolic college town is the preferred place to stay for NC Pride, in Durham in late Sept, and the NC Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, in late August.
 
Here’s a sample of how gay travelers might plan their itinerary:
 
A two-day visit to Chapel Hill begins with morning coffee at the tree-draped Cafe Driade (once featured on Rachel Ray’s $40 a day).  This would be followed by shopping at A Southern Season in University Mall, a 59,000 sq.ft. Flagship gourmet emporium that is one of the largest specialty-only gourmet markets in the United States.


Next, travelers will want to drive five minutes to the centerpiece of Chapel Hill, Franklin Street, which houses a variety of restaurants, shops, theaters, clubs, and bars. Franklin Street cuts a three-mile swath through Chapel Hill and on into neighboring Carrboro, the town’s lovely sister city. Carrboro is the kind of small southern town where the past and the present seemed to have been fused into a single moment.  Many of the buildings on Main Street and Weaver Street, the two main drags, haven’t changed in half a century.  While in Carrboro, enjoy lunch and people-watching on the lawn at Weaver Street Market, followed by exploration of Carrboro’s numerous downtown galleries and shops.
 
Afternoons can be spent exploring the UNC campus with must-see visits to the Wilson Library on the campus’ main quad as well as the Ackland Art Museum.
 
Chapel Hill’s West End is a perfect place for dinner—Gay travelers might want to try a progressive dinner—a grand meal divided among four Chapel Hill restaurants that are in close proximity—start at the bar at Lantern (423 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 969-8846, lanternrestaurant.com), which is hidden in the back of the restaurant. The bar makes specialty cocktails like the Red Geisha: fresh organic strawberries with lime, ginger and vodka. Next, walk right across the street to Tallulah (456 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 933-1177, www.talullas.com) for small Turkish dishes like yaprak dolmasi: hand-rolled grape leaves filled with rice, spices and currant stuffing. For dessert, walk next door to Elaine’s on Franklin (454 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 960-2770, www.elainesonfranklin.com), known near and far for its chocolate cake. And finish the evening with a glass of wine at West End Wine Bar (450 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 967-7599, www.westendwinebar.com).




Pool players will enjoy Tyler’s Speakeasy or the Cellar’s (under the wine bar).  If you’re here on Friday check out Blend located on the 100 block of Rosemary Street.

On the second day, visitors might explore some of the natural areas surrounding the Town—walks along the Bolin Creek Greenway. The North Carolina Botanical Garden, located in the center of Chapel Hill, is the largest natural botanical garden in the southeast, with 600 acres of nature trails, carnivorous plant collections, aquatics, and herb gardens. Hikes in the Duke Forest just north of town or canoeing on University Lake are other great options to spend a weekend afternoon.

On Saturday night, the 25-minute drive to Raleigh is worth the time.  Hargett St. in Raleigh is the center of a 3 club area—Legends for the younger set, CC’s (directly across the street) for the slightly older crowd, and Flex (2 blocks up West St.) for the Leather/Levi/bear crowd.


Hotel Best Bets

For a complete list of hotels, log on to www.visitchapelhill.org.

As part of the exciting revitalization of downtown Chapel Hill, The Franklin Hotel opened in early 2007. “A jewel in the crown of Chapel Hill’s New West End,’” (Metro Magazine, October 2006), The Franklin is the first luxury boutique hotel located on Franklin Street in the heart of Chapel Hill’s historic downtown.

The Carolina Inn, a historic hotel located in downtown Chapel Hill. Historic charm, modern amenities, gracious service, and memorable food blend beautifully here, an AAA Four Diamond Award Winner & Member of Historic Hotels of America.  The Inn is conveniently located on the doorsteps of the University of North Carolina, in the heart of downtown Chapel Hill, North Carolina.


Inspired by the beauty of Italy, The Siena Hotel will captivate you with its elegance. A Four Diamond recipient since 1987, this luxury boutique hotel adds its distinctive European character to the area. Step through the doors of this elegant Tuscan villa to discover a luxurious dècor of hand-selected European antiques, Italian marble floors and majestic columns, against a backdrop of rich colors and fabrics.


For information about Orange County call the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau toll free at 1-888-968-2060.  Ask for an Official Visitors Guide or visit the bureau’s web site at visitchapelhill.org.  When you are in town, please drop by the Visitors Center at 501 W. Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill.  The hours are Monday-Friday 8:30 am – 5 pm and Saturday 10 am – 2 pm.

Find Gay Welcoming, TAG Approved® Hotels in the Area

Gay Hotels in Chapel Hill and Gay Friendly Hotels in Chapel Hill

 

Red Window is Open in downtown Chapel Hill


Merge Records Celebrates 20th Anniversary


New West Ten Soccer Fields to Open


Go Natural Nails


UNC-Chapel Hill Alums Purchase The Franklin Hotel


Happy 20th Anniversary to Merge Records


Renovation Completed on 168-Room Sheraton Hotel in Chapel Hill, NC


Triangle Food Tour


Q Shack


Tar Heel Alumni Game Kicks off 100th Year Celebration of Carolina Basketball


Celebrate the 4th of July in Orange County


Subway Sandwiches


Hillsborough Family Fun Days


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Did You Know?

In March 2007, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Hillsborough one of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations. To read the release, see For the Media.

Chapel Hill has been described as the best college town in America by Sports Illustrated magazine, which is not surprising, considering its long history, beauty and cultural activities.