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My boyfriend and I need a little vacation but we don't want to go out of town. I thought it would be fun to spend next weekend (March 5-7) pretending we are vacationing in the Triangle. He grew up here, so it's not easy to find stuff that's new to him. I told him I'd plan everything and I think it will be quite the challenge!
I think it would be most fun to stay at a bed & breakfast, but I've decided that I don't want us to spend the money on that.
So here's my framework:
1. Vacation will begin Friday after work and end Sunday evening
2. We'll be sleeping at the house (in Garner)
3. Hanging around watching movies, doing chores or cooking will not be allowed
4. I want to limit our travel to the triangle, so Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Durham are in, Wilmington is out
5. We have plans to see some concerts/shows in the near future, so we're not interested in doing that
6. We want to do stuff we wouldn't normally do, so I don't want to go to the Imax, go hiking, or go shopping
My boyfriend is a history buff, so while it's interesting to visit downtown Raleigh with him, he's always the one touring me around. I'd have to dig pretty deep to make that fresh and new for him.
What do you think? What do you think would be fun to do as a tourist to our home area? We're 40 (wow, that sounds old... I don't feel old though!) and fun and we like to eat good food and drink good drink, and see new things but we're not late-night or club people.
Why not visit Old Salem and then stop for lunch in Hillsborough or Durham? Or go to Pinehurst for the day. Perhaps horse riding, or antique shopping, and then lunch at the Pinehurst hotel.
Why not visit Old Salem and then stop for lunch in Hillsborough or Durham? Or go to Pinehurst for the day. Perhaps horse riding, or antique shopping, and then lunch at the Pinehurst hotel.
Except that she specified "limiting it to the Triangle".
Jenny, do a day in Smithfield/Selma, especially since you're already in Garner so on that side of the city anyway. I was down there recently and Smithfield has the Ava Gardner Museum, which I didn't get to visit this time but it's kinda funny stuck right there in the middle of "old downtown" Smithfield. Walk around the downtown area and you'll feel like you're in an old downtown like "the Music Man", etc. Then keep on down Market St/70 east and you'll hit the Pottery outlet place (you can't miss all the hotels, steakhouses, etc...it's right by Hwy 95). Continue up the little service road that parallels 95 into Selma, which has become known for its many antique stores. I recently spent a whole afternoon in just a few of them! one in particular (the first one you see coming the way I described) is basically a warehouse of vendor booths, chock full of fascinating stuff from decades gone by. When I say "antiques" I do not mean fancy "Louis XIV furniture" so much as just "old stuff" like toys from our childhoods, vintage clothes, knick knacks of every description, glassware, etc. If he likes history, he would love it, and if either of you collects anything, you will surely find new additions there. The actual downtown area of Selma, a few blocks away, has more antique stores and I didn't even get to all of them in a 5-hour lazy afternoon.
Come back via Smithfield and eat at the Cinema Cafe on, I think, 3rd St. Some friends of mine recently ate there and said it was very good and QUITE underpriced. He was actually concerned that they won't survive because the prices are SO low.
I was recently in a play at the little community theatre in Smithfield, and despite growing up in Raleigh, had never spent any time in that town. But I've really come to love it and the Smithfield folks I met there. It really is like "old NC" before the growth and sprawl transformed nearby cities (and within 20 years will probably reach Smithfield, too).
Another day-trip in a different direction would be to Hillsborough...also a historic area and I think there are antique shops there, too. MANY artists and writers live in Hillsborough for its combination of down-hominess and intellectual. Check calendar listings; I suspect there is often something "artsy" going on there.
this isn't exactly in the mode of 'vacation' - but it is rewarding....sorting cans at the NC food bank - ever wonder where those cans go? you can help sort.... Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina (http://content.foodbankcenc.org/getinvolved/volunteer/volunteer.asp - broken link)
If your husband likes history, check out Bennett Memorial Place in Durham.
Duke Gardens is great if you haven't been there.
Bennett Place is very unique and I always recommend it and have taken several out-of-town guests there. You might want to check out the Duke Homestead too.
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