Summertime Getaway Fun in Chapel Hill, NC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Make sure your summer vacation plans includes a visit to Chapel Hill, NC. Whether you are in town for a day, a weekend getaway, or a week's vacation, there are tons of fun summertime things you just shouldn't miss.

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In Chapel Hill, you can stroll down Franklin Street where you'll find the arts collective FRANK and the new Ackland Art Museum Store.  These art shops are part of the popular 2nd Friday ArtWalk featuring entertainment and cultural treasures.  The downtown features vintage and antique furniture, custom jewelry and hip clothing.  Cool off with a gelato at Sugarland, the Food Network-featured artisan bakery.  

Fantastic cuisine is everywhere and a special treat is the honeysuckle sorbet at Crook's Corner, a recently named James Beard Foundation "American Classic" restaurant.  Chapel Hill is also home to the winner of the James Beard "Best Chef in the Southeast," Andrea Reusing, chef at Lantern.  Don't forget the numerous weekly wine tastings throughout the area.

The Preservation Society of Chapel Hill provides guided tours the 2nd Sunday at 2 pm from the Horace Williams House.  Learn the folklore that is Chapel Hill, the home to the nation's first public university, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  You can also tour the campus as part of a guided or self-guided tour. Here you can stop at the Morehead Planetarium & Science Center, and check out a super-high-definition star show.  

Of course, this is basketball land so you'll want to tour the 8,000 square foot interactive Carolina Basketball Museum on the UNC Campus. And try to spend some time at the North Carolina Botanical Garden, the largest botanical garden in the southeast.  The venus flytraps are always popular with the kids.

Finally, plan to attend the summer Paperhand Puppet Theatre shows at the outdoor historic Forest Theatre on the UNC campus weekends in August through Labor Day.  The show is truly unique and families bring snacks and refreshments while being dazzled under the evening stars.

Farmers' Markets are big here. The Carrboro's Farmers' Market features area produce, flowers, baked goods and special summertime events including the Chefs Series, Tomato Day and Melon Tasting Day.

Also in Carrboro, some of the most progressive music can be heard at the famous Cat's Cradle.  There's also great improv at the DSI Comedy Theater, located behind Carr Mill, the town's first textile mill, which is now a charming shopping mall.  

The Chapel Hill summer features live music concerts and outdoor festivals just about every day of the week.  The Carolina Inn hosts Fridays on the Front Porch with bluegrass and food under the trees. Downtown Chapel Hill's Wallace Parking deck hosts concerts and movies on Thursdays. Southern Village will hold its Sunday Summer Music Series.  New this summer, on Thursday evenings, there's a Concert Series at University Mall featuring beach music bands.  

No visit to Chapel Hill would be complete without a stop in Hillsborough's downtown historic district, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  Hillsborough's downtown features a dozen quaint shops all within a couple of blocks.  Last Fridays is an arts and family festival in downtown Hillsborough that features music, an Art Walk, pie eating contest, crafters, food and lots of fun.  

Call the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau toll free at 1-888-968-2060 or visit www.visitchapelhill.org for more special summer itinerary suggestions.  

SOURCE Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau