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Wanted to give everyone an update on our trip to the Triangle during July 5-11th. It's a long update, so grab a snack and a drink.
How lucky for us to be visiting during some of the hottest days you guys have seen! I must say though, coming from FL, the heat was very tolerable and very different from what we came home to (and are used to). Very pleased with that aspect.
We arrived late on the 5th, due to car troubles 2 hrs into our trip (4 hrs in a car dealership with a 5 yr old is not my idea of fun...) We arrived in Cary after 10pm, so we unfortunately didn't see anything but our hotel room that first night. The next morning my husband went off in search of breakfast. I was determined not to eat fast food during our entire stay, but unfortunately that was broken the first day....breakfast from Panera. We don't have one close to us at home, so I wasn't too hard on myself. After breakfast we loaded up the car and headed off with no real destination in mind. We started at the Cary Chamber of Commerce and picked up a few maps and mags. After that, we headed west (I think) and ended up in the Preston area. We were impressed with the amount of people out and about, enjoying the facilities. Kids everywhere. Nice homes as well, even if they were on smaller lots than we were looking for.
After driving around some more, we finally ended up in downtown Apex for lunch. Cute town & good food. After trying to walk off lunch, it was back in the car for more driving. We ended up at Green Level Crossings-The Manors (I think). Toured the model and was very, very impressed with their construction (and decorating). We just didn't get the "this is our community" feel. We drove around some more and then headed to our hotel in Durham.
We had a 3 night reservation at the Washington Duke, and boy am I glad we stayed there. Very impressed with the place and would tell anyone to stay there. I want to be back there now.......After a great hotel breakfast, we headed off to tour N. Durham and then eventually N. Raleigh. Our trip in N. Durham took us to Treyburn. What a beautiful community, with some very impressive homes. Maybe someone can correct me on this, but food shopping seemed a bit far away? We continued North, up to Rougemount, and drooled over the beautiful horse farms. Stopped in for gas, and was told by the attendant that it was quite a hike for grocery shopping. So our opinion on the area is that it's beautiful, but a bit too far from "civilization". Onto N. Raleigh!
After taking a detour at one of the boat launch areas of Jordan Lake, we headed through the N. Raleigh neighborhoods. Both old subdivisions and new subdivisions appealed to us there. This area seemed to be exactly what we were looking for! We drove around the area until we were ready for lunch, and had lunch at a nice little Italian place, in a grocery/shopping plaza. Friendly service and good food.
After lunch we headed towards Wake Forest and toured some home areas on our way. Wakefield Plantation caught my husband's eye due to the golf course. Lots were a bit small for me, but homes were nice. We then drove through downtown Wake Forest and headed onward to view the homes. Maybe we were tired at that point, but Wake Forest didn't have the same appeal to us as N. Raleigh did. There were some beautiful subdivisions though. After a LONG day of driving around we headed back to our hotel.
The next day, my husband played golf in the morning and then it was a day of sightseeing. We did tourist things- Toured Duke, Sara P. Duke Gardens and then over to Raleigh Museum of Life and Science. We ended the day with dinner at the Angus Barn. Great day!!
I think this brings us to Friday. Check out day. Before heading to our next destination (Chapel Hill), we drove around Cary again and Apex. We had lunch at a deli in Cary. I am sure we missed a bunch in those two towns, but we didn't fall in love with those towns like we did with the N. Raleigh area.
We arrived in Chapel Hill and checked in for two nights at The Carolina Inn. Timed it perfectly for Fridays on the Porch. Great night and our daughter had a blast. We ended the night at Top of the Hill.
The next day we drove around Chapel Hill and even ventured out to a community called The Preserve at Jordan Lake. Bigger than I thought it would be, and I loved the homes. It seemed too far away from things though, which is a shame. Drove back through Carrboro, and immediately felt out of place in our gas guzzling suv. Just not for us, but nice town. Ended the day back in downtown Chapel Hill and had a great dinner at our hotel.
We headed west after we checked out to continue our vacation in Asheville and the Highlands. We are now back in horribly hot Florida, and are so ready for the day when we can call ourselves NC residents!
So, to sum it all up, it seems that the N. Raleigh area is what we are looking for when it comes time to relocate. I am sure we missed a bunch, but overall, we are very pleased with what we did see. Thank you for sharing your state with us!
Wanted to give everyone an update on our trip to the Triangle during July 5-11th. It's a long update, so grab a snack and a drink.
How lucky for us to be visiting during some of the hottest days you guys have seen! I must say though, coming from FL, the heat was very tolerable and very different from what we came home to (and are used to). Very pleased with that aspect.
We arrived late on the 5th, due to car troubles 2 hrs into our trip (4 hrs in a car dealership with a 5 yr old is not my idea of fun...) We arrived in Cary after 10pm, so we unfortunately didn't see anything but our hotel room that first night. The next morning my husband went off in search of breakfast. I was determined not to eat fast food during our entire stay, but unfortunately that was broken the first day....breakfast from Panera. We don't have one close to us at home, so I wasn't too hard on myself. After breakfast we loaded up the car and headed off with no real destination in mind. We started at the Cary Chamber of Commerce and picked up a few maps and mags. After that, we headed west (I think) and ended up in the Preston area. We were impressed with the amount of people out and about, enjoying the facilities. Kids everywhere. Nice homes as well, even if they were on smaller lots than we were looking for.
After driving around some more, we finally ended up in downtown Apex for lunch. Cute town & good food. After trying to walk off lunch, it was back in the car for more driving. We ended up at Green Level Crossings-The Manors (I think). Toured the model and was very, very impressed with their construction (and decorating). We just didn't get the "this is our community" feel. We drove around some more and then headed to our hotel in Durham.
We had a 3 night reservation at the Washington Duke, and boy am I glad we stayed there. Very impressed with the place and would tell anyone to stay there. I want to be back there now.......After a great hotel breakfast, we headed off to tour N. Durham and then eventually N. Raleigh. Our trip in N. Durham took us to Treyburn. What a beautiful community, with some very impressive homes. Maybe someone can correct me on this, but food shopping seemed a bit far away? We continued North, up to Rougemount, and drooled over the beautiful horse farms. Stopped in for gas, and was told by the attendant that it was quite a hike for grocery shopping. So our opinion on the area is that it's beautiful, but a bit too far from "civilization". Onto N. Raleigh!
After taking a detour at one of the boat launch areas of Jordan Lake, we headed through the N. Raleigh neighborhoods. Both old subdivisions and new subdivisions appealed to us there. This area seemed to be exactly what we were looking for! We drove around the area until we were ready for lunch, and had lunch at a nice little Italian place, in a grocery/shopping plaza. Friendly service and good food.
After lunch we headed towards Wake Forest and toured some home areas on our way. Wakefield Plantation caught my husband's eye due to the golf course. Lots were a bit small for me, but homes were nice. We then drove through downtown Wake Forest and headed onward to view the homes. Maybe we were tired at that point, but Wake Forest didn't have the same appeal to us as N. Raleigh did. There were some beautiful subdivisions though. After a LONG day of driving around we headed back to our hotel.
The next day, my husband played golf in the morning and then it was a day of sightseeing. We did tourist things- Toured Duke, Sara P. Duke Gardens and then over to Raleigh Museum of Life and Science. We ended the day with dinner at the Angus Barn. Great day!!
I think this brings us to Friday. Check out day. Before heading to our next destination (Chapel Hill), we drove around Cary again and Apex. We had lunch at a deli in Cary. I am sure we missed a bunch in those two towns, but we didn't fall in love with those towns like we did with the N. Raleigh area.
We arrived in Chapel Hill and checked in for two nights at The Carolina Inn. Timed it perfectly for Fridays on the Porch. Great night and our daughter had a blast. We ended the night at Top of the Hill.
The next day we drove around Chapel Hill and even ventured out to a community called The Preserve at Jordan Lake. Bigger than I thought it would be, and I loved the homes. It seemed too far away from things though, which is a shame. Drove back through Carrboro, and immediately felt out of place in our gas guzzling suv. Just not for us, but nice town. Ended the day back in downtown Chapel Hill and had a great dinner at our hotel.
We headed west after we checked out to continue our vacation in Asheville and the Highlands. We are now back in horribly hot Florida, and are so ready for the day when we can call ourselves NC residents!
So, to sum it all up, it seems that the N. Raleigh area is what we are looking for when it comes time to relocate. I am sure we missed a bunch, but overall, we are very pleased with what we did see. Thank you for sharing your state with us!
What a great update! I love when posters take the time to update
Sounds like you had a great trip - good for you, isn't the Carolina Inn fantastic?
It's impossible to take in the all the offerings of the Triangle over a few days (or even a week) but you sure did a good job of hitting a lot of it. Sounds like you did a great job planning your trip and got a lot of great information as a result. Glad you enjoyed your visit!
You are correct that Treyburn is a bit far to shopping, etc... That's the big knock on that area and one of the reasons it is priced as competitively as it is for such a high-end neighborhood.
If you do like the pastoral setting of northern Durham county but want more convenience and a golf course nearby, you might consider checking out neighborhoods in NW Durham near Croasdaile and Willowhaven/Umstead Pines golf courses. Both are country clubs, with Croasdaile being the more upscale. I live in between the two...about a 5 minute drive or less to either of them, in a small neighborhood of upscale homes bordering a state park yet only 2 minutes to a very nice Harris Teeter grocery store and 10 minutes to downtown.
Just checking back in on this. It's been pretty hectic since we've been back home playing catch-up.
mdp_az: Thank you for the community recommendations. We didn't get out that way, so we'll have to put that on the map for next visit. The countryside of Durham is absolutely beautiful. Being on a golf course (or even in a golf course community) is not a necessity. All we know is that we would like something with at least a 1/2 acre (more preferably), in a good school area, and within a close driving distance to groceries.
I wish we had driven through the Hillsborough area (specifically N of downtown-St. Mary's Rd area) while there. I did an online search on some homes there, and it beautiful. Maybe it's the horse country thing that calls to me. Again though, it seems like a hike to grocery shopping?
sounds like you had a fantastic trip when here. thanks for the report back on your travels!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Equitate
I wish we had driven through the Hillsborough area (specifically N of downtown-St. Mary's Rd area) while there. I did an online search on some homes there, and it beautiful. Maybe it's the horse country thing that calls to me. Again though, it seems like a hike to grocery shopping?
i'm guessing you are referring to hillsborough the town as opposed to hillsborough street (which is downtown raleigh)?
hillsborough street is the street in downtown that heads west/northwest from the nc state capitol building downtown, passing NCSU, meredith college, & eventually changing into chapel hill road & going through cary. there's plenty of development there offering a wealth of grocery opportunities in the area.
the town of hillsborough is a quaint town off of route 86/I-40/I-85 & is certainly further out. but there is some grocery shopping in the area, depending on where you live. hillsborough, nc - Google Maps
Another subdivision you may want to consider is The Preserve at Jordan Lake which is a Davis Love III golf course community south of Chapel Hill and has larger lots than the Cary communities, but is 20 miles from RTP. Your husband would also get to play golf at the Fred Couples course at Chapel Ridge included his golf membership
Just checking back in on this. It's been pretty hectic since we've been back home playing catch-up.
mdp_az: Thank you for the community recommendations. We didn't get out that way, so we'll have to put that on the map for next visit. The countryside of Durham is absolutely beautiful. Being on a golf course (or even in a golf course community) is not a necessity. All we know is that we would like something with at least a 1/2 acre (more preferably), in a good school area, and within a close driving distance to groceries.
I wish we had driven through the Hillsborough area (specifically N of downtown-St. Mary's Rd area) while there. I did an online search on some homes there, and it beautiful. Maybe it's the horse country thing that calls to me. Again though, it seems like a hike to grocery shopping?
Beermat- we did check out The Preserve at Jordan Lake. Really pretty community. Loved the home styles. We drove there from Chapel Hill and it was a whole lot of nothing on our way there. There was more civilization when we went right out of the community, but we felt that it was a bit too far out for us. We didn't drive around too much past that area, so it's very possible that me missed a bunch that way.
LoopDeLoop: Yes, I was referring to Hillsborough the town, not the street in Raleigh. Just from looking at the real estate site- and the homes that would match my criteria, it's seems like it's away from civilization. The area that caught my attention was St. Mary's Rd and New Sharon Church Rd. It's possible I am not reading the maps right or grocery stores aren't showing up on it.....that was the case in one area we actually stopped at in N. Raleigh, it wasn't labeled on the google map, and I wouldn't have known it was there except we saw it with our own eyes.
The area of Raleigh--North of 540 is in the lead so far as far as areas we could see ourselves if we had to move today. There is just so much we haven't seen in the area. Loved the majority of it though!
I wish we had driven through the Hillsborough area (specifically N of downtown-St. Mary's Rd area) while there. I did an online search on some homes there, and it beautiful. Maybe it's the horse country thing that calls to me. Again though, it seems like a hike to grocery shopping?
Definitely check out Hillsborough next time! I grew up off of St. Mary's Rd. in Durham County and it is so beautiful out there, especially in the fall. St. Mary's Rd. is a long road, but depending on where you live on it you can get to grocery stores anywhere from 1-10 minutes. In the Churton Grove area there is a Food Lion shopping center. Hillsborough itself has two Food Lions, a Lowe's Food, Super Walmart, and Weaver Street Market, as well as a great Farmer's Market. Hillsborough is only 10-20 minutes to most things in Durham and Chapel Hill, even Southpoint Mall, maybe closer to 25 minutes from St. Mary's. It really isn't that far out and has a lot going for it. It's a great community with lots going on all the time. If you get a chance to visit again spend a day downtown and check out Churton Grove too.
LoopDeLoop: Yes, I was referring to Hillsborough the town, not the street in Raleigh. Just from looking at the real estate site- and the homes that would match my criteria, it's seems like it's away from civilization. The area that caught my attention was St. Mary's Rd and New Sharon Church Rd. It's possible I am not reading the maps right or grocery stores aren't showing up on it.....that was the case in one area we actually stopped at in N. Raleigh, it wasn't labeled on the google map, and I wouldn't have known it was there except we saw it with our own eyes.ugh
my bad. i thought your mentions of hillsborough in connection with "downtown" & "st. mary's", i assumed you were referring to downtown raleigh (which confused me when mentioned in conjunction with "horse country"). sorry for the confusion.
as for downtown hillsborough, i can't tell you much other than what i've observed when driving through on route 86 on the way to virginia.
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