NC Trip, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Durham, Raleigh, Carrboro, Mebane

I recently visited North Carolina to visit family and to attend a professional conference. As always, I do extensive research and visit as many places as I can. Since this was my first time visiting the state I prepared a North Carolina Itinerary and planner. I’ve gathered my recommendations and reflections on my visit here to help you plan for your North Carolina Trip. I hope you enjoy my North Carolina Travel guide!

The Triangle

In my visit, we stayed mainly around what they call The Triangle or The Research Triangle. This area is part of the Piedmont region of North Carolina and the triangle area is the space between the three major colleges of that area, Duke University, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. This area consists of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, although I visited some smaller neighboring cities as well, that are worth checking out!

My first impression of the area was that it was a very beautiful area with many tall trees, it was easy to drive around compared to Southern California. We also noticed people seemed overall very friendly. I would definitely go back!

The Details

I spent 4 days in North Carolina with two travel days and was able to stop in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham, Carrboro, Mebane, and Hillsborough.

We went in February and the weather went from rainy to sunny off and on. Packing layers was a great choice!

Where to Stay

We stayed in Chapel Hill at The Siena Hotel, an Italian-inspired boutique hotel. I really enjoyed staying here, it wasn’t right by the school but a short distance away. They had an amazing restaurant at the hotel and always had fresh hot chocolate in the lobby! The room was clean and spacious!

Other Hotels to Check Out

• The Graduate in Chapel Hill - I’ve stayed in one of these boutique hotels in Madison, they are in college towns and are super fun boutique hotels.

• The Colonial Inn - this was a cool historic Inn in Hillsborough, definitely a pricier choice but a really cool location and I can imagine it would be an experience.

• The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill - This place looked cool and it was located right at the college. it’s definitely on my list for future trips!

Chapel Hill

The vibe - This was a typical college town with a strong historic vibe.

I love college towns because they usually have good restaurants and coffee shops!

Must See Stops

• Visit the university of course! It’s the oldest public university and it is impressive to walk around. You can feel the history and I love seeing all of the architecture. On the campus, you can visit the old well, the Coker Arboretum, and Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower. I would have spent more time exploring this area but it was raining when we were there. I would have liked to check out the planetarium.

• Franklin Street - the street by the university with shops and restaurants, very walkable.

  • We hit up Epilogue Coffee a fun coffeeshop and bookstore.

  • Carolina Coffee Shop - the oldest restaurant there. The food was average but the historical aspect of it was intriguing!

Places to Eat

• Kipos Greek Taverna - a great Greek restaurant with amazing food and live music.

• Il Palio - the amazing 4 diamond Italian restaurant at The Siena Hotel

• Recommended, these were on my list but I didn’t make it to them:

  • Merritt’s Grill

  • Breakaway Cafe

Raleigh

The vibe - A typical city vibe but much more clean than what I’m used to in Los Angeles. I mainly went to attend an event at the Convention Center which was a really nice convention center.

Must See Stops

• North Carolina State Capitol Building

• Pullen Park

• JC Raulston Arboretum

• Videri Chocolate Factory

Places to Eat

• Tazza Kitchen - we went here and the food was tasty! It’s in a small shopping center outside of the downtown area.

• Yates Mill

• Jose and Sons Bar and Kitchen

• Stanbury

Carrboro

The vibe - This area is right next to Chapel Hill and has a great small-town vibe.

Must See Stops

• Carr Mill Mall - A small mall-like area made up of different boutiques and shops in a large brick building.

• The Arts Center - This is a cool recreational arts center that offers classes, theater, and events.

• Walk around and find the murals

Places to Eat

• Perennial Coffeeshop

• Tandem Carrboro

• Acme Food and Beverage Co

• Venable Rotisserie Bistro

Mebane

The vibe - Really cute small-town vibes

I only spent part of a day here and it was a Sunday so many shops were closed. I would definitely like to visit here again!

Places to Eat

• Reed’s Coffe and Art

• Filament Coffee and Tea

• 21 Twelve Seasonal Kitchen

• Muffin’s Ice Cream Shop

• Bright Penny Brewing - this place had unique pizzas and different types of deviled eggs (delicious!)

Hillsborough

The vibe - also a small-town vibe but with a more historical feeling (Many scenes from Outlander were filmed here).

Must See Stops

• Purple Crow Books

• Occoneechee Mountain State Park and Riverwalk

• Ayr Mount and Poet’s Walk

Places to Eat

• Spencer’s Tavern at the Colonial Inn

• Antonia’s

• Cup of Joe

• Radius Pizzeria and Pub

Durham

The vibe - Industrial area kind of vibe.

I walked around the Tobacco Campus which I’m sure is hopping during the summer months. It was a cool historic site but a little dead when we were there. The Burts Bee’s headquarters is here which is cool to check out.

Places to Eat

• Elmo’s Diner

• Monuts Donuts

• Beyu Caffe

It was a great trip, on my next visit I would like to spend more time in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Mebane.

Do you ave any North Carolina trip ideas? I would love to hear them in the comments!