Chapel Hill And The Carolina Inn
As a Christmas gift from our children, we recently had a weekend stay at the Carolina Inn in beautiful Chapel Hill, North Carlolina. Celebrating its one hundred year anniversary this year, this old colonial inn is an integral part of the town and the university.
Ideally located within walking distance to almost everything within the town, it is a good home base for those who would rather not get in and out of the car constantly. Within five or ten minutes, you can reach Franklin Street and its restaurants, cafes and shopping, and the college is just a stone’s throw away. Parking is $26/night for either self-park or valet service and the lot is attended overnight.
The UNC Campus
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dominates the town and gives Chapel Hill that old university town feel. As one walks through the grounds of the university, it is easy to see the different architectural and building styles that were adopted throughout the years.
The walkways are appointed with old style colonial lamps in many areas and in some areas it is possible to think of what it might have been like back in those times. The architectural wonders even extend to some of the fraternity houses and other ancillary buildings on the campus. The only other remarkable things of note are the massive and beautiful trees that line most of the streets, many of which probably have been around as long as the university itself.
Moorehead Planetarium
The Moorehead Planetarium is always a nice place to visit, especially if you have children. For a modest fee, you can enjoy both a planetarium show, as well as the museum, which also provides hands-on learning exhibits for younger visitors.
The most enjoyable part however is the planetarium itself. Although they were totally booked on the Saturday and we were unable to see a show with our small party of five, they did have opening for Super Bowl Sunday. So we were able to enjoy their wonderful presentation, “One Sky, Many Eyes”. Though totally automated now with computers and an updated projection system, I do miss the old planetarium projectors.
Ackland Art Museum
If you are ever in the area, I cannot think of a better place to spend a few hours of your afternoon than at the Ackland Museum. Frankly, for me it was a surprise and delight, the free admission making it even more so. Having nothing else to do on our somewhat rainy day and weekend, we decided to go after our quick stroll down Franklin Street (there are signs on the pavement on Franklin, so just follow them if you are not sure).
The exhibits are eclectic in way and a bit varied, but most somehow unexpectedly go together, perhaps owing to very good planning and the way the building splits into separate areas.
I found the mixed media video of the eyeball and voice over rather well done, strange and quite interesting. Shown on a sphere, it actually had that eyeball look.
The museum also has a nice collection of Indian, Southeast Asian and Indonesian Art. Some contemporary and others a bit older. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed it and found it to be a total surprise, not expecting too much when we entered.
Restaurants
Chapel Hill offers a wide variety of restaurants. Most of the ones that populate the small area around Franklin street, cater to the university students, so you will find them somewhat budget friendly and internet centric. The more upscale restaurants, you will find further out of the main town and on the periphery.
TRU Cafe
A small cafe down Henderson Street, it has both inside and outside seating and definitely caters to the university students.
The service is very relaxed and all orders are done via their website, which at the time of this writing, was a nightmare and terrible. However, after only several attempts, we were all able to submit our orders. We were not surprised to learn later, that some of our orders did not come out and we had to re-ordered them; so, bring your patience with you. And no, they do NOT have their own phone application and no, the service people will not take your order.
Osteria Georgi
This small restaurant is situated on the corner of a small strip mall on South Elliot street and Franklin. They have both inside and outside seating and a fairly attentive staff. We sat outside, since it was tolerably warm out and it was packed inside; we didn’t want to catch anything before traveling back to Europe in the next few weeks.
The food was good, I ordered the lasagna which was very tasty and my wife order the Pasta Vongole. The Gattinara was excellent and I would commend it to anyone willing to try something a bit different.
Carolina Coffee Shop
The Carolina Coffee Shop says it is the oldest restaurant in town and is split in two, one side does only coffee and take-out, while the other offers a restaurant experience with full staff. Wanting the sit down experience, we tried the restaurant.
The sandwiches are very good and the service was timely. It can get busy during peak lunch hour, so if you are willing to wait a bit and eat later, the atmosphere is more relaxed and subdued.
IL Palio Restaurant
One of our old-time favorites is the Il Palio in Chapel Hill. Located in the Siena Hotel, this restaurant usually features exceptional service and even a piano player while you order and eat. Unfortunately, we were there on Super Bowl weekend so the service was limited to the outside bar area and there was no music.
However, that did not prevent us from having a good time and enjoying the excellent food that is provided by the kitchen staff. Additionally, compared with other places, the prices no longer look as inflated as perhaps in previous years.
We would like to thank our children for the gift, we had a wonderful time. It was a great gift and being the travelers we are, we wouldn’t mind doing it again in a different town in North Carolina, if the occasion were to present itself.
