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Possibly going to visit with husband for 3 nights as a long weekend getaway.
Never been to this area and done a little bit of research on places to go, but not sure. There seem to be so many neighborhoods
What do the locals think? any suggestions?
These are the things we enjoy:
independent book stores
specialty shops and handmade items
historical museums- not so much art galleries
vegan or vegetarian food
walking/hiking/ beautiful parks
new age type shops
farmer's markets
flea markets
festivals
anything strange/haunted/ off the beaten path/ creepy- you get the point
Things we don't care for:
nightlife
anything related to sports
high end retailers
If you are staying in Chapel Hill, you could head down to Pittsboro for an afternoon. It's not huge or anything, but has a nice small-town vibe and hasn't been taken over by the art gallery/brunch culture the way some towns have. There's an old fashioned soda shop that's beautifully decorated, a few restaurants for lunch in the town area (Angelina's Kitchen probably has the most veggie options), you may like to peek in on the Woodwright School if they have a class in session (traditional hand-tool woodworking run by Roy Underhill of PBS fame... if there's a class, feel free to poke in and take a look, if you like historic & handmade you will love it!), a new independent book/record shop, etc. A bit outside downtown Pittsboro, Oakleaf restaurant is fantastic for dinner. It's located in an old mill, focuses on farm-to-table and they have a couple vegetarian options on their normal menu and are doing a four course vegetarian (vegan optional) menu on Tuesdays I believe.
There are some nice greenways that connect to downtown Chapel Hill, check out Battle Branch park & the greenway that connects to it. For casual vegetarian food in downtown Chapel Hill/Carborro, try Spotted Dog, the Mediterranean Deli, and Elmo's Diner. There are quite a few cool shops, if you are into radical politics check out the Internationalist Bookstore. A bit outside Chapel Hill proper is Sage Vegetarian Cafe if you like Persian/Mid Eastern food (if you're not sure if you like it, give it a try.... a seriously great restaurant!). It's in a little shopping center that has a few good restaurants, a normal movie theater, and a theater that shows more independent movies.
In Raleigh, Irregardless Cafe is a great vegan/vegetarian cafe. Really nice vibe, they sometimes have live music.
Not sure if this helps.... I've only lived here a year, but no one else had posted so thought I'd chime in!
Sounds like you guys would enjoy downtown Durham. Brightleaf square has several little boutiques, restaurants and even a rare book store. There is a flea market a little outside of downtown on Saturdays and Sundays, called the Durham Green Flea Market (Durham Green Flea Market). As for the vegan/veg food options, almost every restaurant in Durham has a vegan or vegetarian section on the menu. There's also Ninth Street Bakery (coincidentally NOT on ninth street) which focuses on Vegetarian/Vegan food. They have typical cafe food, soups, salads, sandwiches.
You may like to go for a walk in Duke Gardens, a lovely spot in Durham. Other spots for easy, nice walks are Lake Lynn, Yates Mill, and Lake Johnson (all in Raleigh).
For new age shops, I recommend Dancing Moon in Raleigh. And Raleigh has a very nice independent bookstore in Quail Ridge Books. I personally prefer it to the Regulator in Durham, but that's a good one, too.
Flyleaf Bookstore in Chapel Hill
Women's Arts and Crafts Co op in Eastgate in Chapel Hill
lots of things right up your alley in the entire area-enjoy the trip.
I highly recommend downtown Durham. Ninth street in Durham has a coffee shop, Elmo's (great diner food), a kitchy store with yarn as well, a book store, and a great little shop called Vaguely reminiscent with TONS of entertaining things to explore...this area is a very short drive (or long walk) from Duke Gardens. They have a small food and crafts market Saturdays downtown Durham on Foster street with Daisycakes and the Piedmont just there as well for coffee and food.
There are so many great things about this area...we hope you enjoy your weekend!
Farmers Market lake wheeler rd - shopping, good food
Pullen Park, near above - picnic
The Rose Garden , Everette Ave - hidden gem
Devil's Tramping Ground ,siler city - to freak you out
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