FINDER 2019-2020

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a guide to the triangle BY

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FINDER . 2019-20

Find Yourself Here Perhaps you’re new here, trying to figure this place out: what restaurant will impress your Tinder match or what museum will entertain your kid, what this east-west barbecue debate is about or why you can’t find a happy hour. You’re not alone. Between 2010 and 2018, the Triangle’s three main counties—Wake, Durham, and Orange—added eighty-six people a day, a quarter-million in total.

This magazine is for you.

Perhaps you’ve lived here your whole life—long enough to see Raleigh transform from a big Mayberry into a little Austin, and Durham from a place defined by crime, blight, and Duke basketball to a pulsating city of top-notch restaurants, tech companies, and, well, Duke basketball—and you’re searching for new adventures in your own backyard and new culinary delights around the corner.

This magazine is also for you.

Or perhaps you’re like me, somewhere in between. You’ve been here too long to be a rookie, but not long enough to be a veteran. You’ve learned to navigate the treacheries of I-40 and properly use the word y’all. You’ve watched Durham’s first legit skyscraper go from nothing to twenty-seven stories and John Kane’s The Dillon reshape an entire block of Raleigh’s Warehouse District. You’ve protested HB 2 and cheered when Silent Sam came down. (Please note: If you did neither of those things, maybe South Carolina is more your speed.) You’ve swum in the Eno, danced the night away at Arcana, attended poetry readings and concerts galore, and hit up every brewery you could find. But you can’t shake the feeling that there’s more out there yet undiscovered.

Don’t worry; there is. And this magazine will help you find it.

FINDER is designed to make newcomers feel like locals and locals feel like newcomers. Our goal is to provide newbies and old-timers alike with an insider’s guide to all things Triangle—a veritable encyclopedia of what you need to know to begin exploring: where to eat, where to drink, where to shop, where to play.

Publishing FINDER every year reminds me that what makes the Triangle special isn’t just the killer restaurants or world-class breweries, the miles of greenways or verdant state parks, the too-good-for-our-size performing arts scene or surfeit of festivals, the thriving startup sector or transformational research universities, the steel and glass downtown centers that give way to bucolic farmlands, the Southern gentility punctuated by fearless progressive activism—it’s all of these things, yet more than these things.

What makes the Triangle special is its intrinsic sense of community— the smart, diverse, creative, sometimes strange, always welcoming people behind these restaurants and breweries and theaters and startups and protests and festivals.

People live here—people want to live here—because the Triangle is more than the sum of its parts.

The Triangle is a place to find yourself.

The Triangle is home.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey C. Billman Editor in chief

WE maDe THis Publisher Susan Harper

Editorial Editor in Chief Jeffrey C. Billman Culture Editor Brian Howe Associate + Copy Editor Sarah Edwards Staff Writers Thomasi McDonald,

Sara Pequeño, Andrea Rice, Leigh Tauss, Cole Villena Interns Hannah Horowitz, Julia Masters Contributing Writers Curt Fields, Jedidiah Gant, Chika Gujarathi, Corbie Hill, Allison Hussey, Layla Khoury-Hanold, Richard Meeker, Courtney Napier, James Michael Nichols, Michael Venutolo-Mantovani, Charlotte Wray

Design Creative Director Annie Maynard Graphic Designer Rudi Petry Staff Photographer Jade Wilson Archival Photography: Alex Boerner, Kim Brown, Eric Bruniche, Justin Cook, Justin Kase Condor, Adam David Kissick, Jeremy M. Lange, Ben McKeown, Caitlin Penna, Eamon Queeney, Andrea Rice, Brett Villena Cover Photo: Jade Wilson

Business Director of Sales John Hurld Raleigh Sales Manager MaryAnn Kearns Marketing Executives Sarah Schmader,

Hanna Smith, Amanda Blanchard Circulation Brenna Berry-Stewart Distribution Berry Media Group FINDER is published by INDY Week.

P.O. Box 1772 • Durham, N.C. 27702 Durham office:

320 East Chapel Hill Street, #200, Durham, N.C. 27701 | 919-286-1972 Raleigh office:

227 Fayetteville Street, #105, Raleigh, N.C. 27601 | 919-832-8774

Contact us: editors@indyweek.com advertising@indyweek.com Contents copyright 2019 INDY Week.

All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without permission.

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OR A NGE DURHAM

116 Hillsborough

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table of

contents YOU LIVE HERE

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essentials

8 How We Got Here: A Triangle Timeline 10 The Triangle’s 10 Best Restaurants 11 The Triangle’s 10 Best Breweries 12 How to Eat Like a Southerner 13 How to Do Triangle Parenting Right 14 Your Guide to Local Sports 15 Your Guide to Local LGBTQ Nightlife 16 Your Guide to Local Festivals 17 Where to Find the Best Live Music 18 How to Get Around Without a Car

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35 Glenwood South & Five Points

neighborhoods [see map]

19 Wake County

64 Durham County 99 Orange County

WA KE

121 Chatham County

44 East Raleigh

START explorIng HERe > FINDER is divided into two sections:

ESSENTIALS, an overview to life in the Triangle, and NEIGHBORHOODS, an insider’s guide to nineteen specific areas.

Each NEIGHBORHOOD is introduced by an essay, written by a NEIGHBORHOOD EXPERT, describing an ideal day in that area.

Neighborhoods are divided into four CATEGORIES: EAT, DRINK, SHOP, and PLAY. Each CATEGORY has a PICK, our choice for the best of that CATEGORY. Each NEIGHBORHOOD has a MUST, one thing you absolutely must do while you’re there.

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Welcome, Newcomers Seven tips for getting started in the Triangle

By Jeffrey C. Billman When I moved to the Triangle almost five years ago, I knew almost nothing about it.

I’d spent three nights in Raleigh in my life—one as a college student, two for a job interview. My understanding of Durham was based on hazy recollections of a decades-old baseball movie, and I was aware of Chapel Hill’s existence only from watching college basketball.

Needless to say, I had a lot to learn.

And I’m still learning. But that, I discovered, is one of this region’s charms, and its greatest assets—you’ll never run out of things to explore.

So here are seven quick observations, suggestions, and things you should know to get started.

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1. The Triangle could (should?) be its own state.

The Triangle’s combined statistical area— Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, plus the surrounding rural counties—comprises 5,510 square miles and more than 2.2 million people. In other words, we’re geographically larger than Delaware and have a larger population than fifteen states.

2. Never, ever say “Raleigh-Durham.”

The only acceptable use of that term is if it’s followed by the word “airport.” Raleigh and Durham are two very different places, separated by twenty-eight miles geographically and a good deal more culturally. Raleigh is a large small town trying to become a big city. Durham is a small big city with arts and culinary scenes that punch well above their weight; it somehow imported its politics from Berkeley.

3. You’ll find smart people here.

Thank the universities, or Research Triangle Park, or a startup culture that has blossomed in the last decade, or all of the above—but chances are, if you strike up a conversation with someone in a bar or coffee shop, it will be interesting.

4. You’ll find nice people here.

That person you strike up a conversation with will also probably be infallibly polite—maybe unnervingly so if you’re coming from the Northeast. Southern hospitality is a thing, y’all.

5. Explore.

The Triangle is roughly equidistant from the mountains and the ocean—about a two-anda-half-hour drive to Topsail Beach and maybe three hours or so west to the mountains.

So when you need to get away for a bit, you have options.

6. Eat everything.

For being a collection of midsize municipalities, the Triangle has a big-city collection of award-winning chefs: Ashley Christensen, Cheetie Kumar, Andrea Reusing, Matt Kelly, Scott Crawford, Vansana and Vanvisa Nolintha, to name a few. But the excellence of our food scene extends beyond the big names.

So eat up. And if you gain a little weight, we don’t judge (see number 4).

7. Go outside (when possible).

There’s a meme on Facebook about North Carolina’s seasons that I find mostly accurate.

Per the meme, we don’t have four. We have twelve: Winter, Fool’s Spring, Second Winter, Spring of Deception, Third Winter, The Pollening, Actual Spring, Summer, Hell’s Front Porch, False Fall, Second Summer, and Actual Fall.

The truth: Summer sucks; it’s like a hot, humid blanket of hostility is draped over the region.

Winter usually sucks, too, though it’s a coin flip; you might get beautiful snow, or gross ice storms, or slushy rain. But the transitional seasons—spring and autumn—are perfect. I mean, perfect. When they come, take advantage of them: hike, bike, kayak, go to the Duke Gardens. Whatever your thing is, do it.

Churros from Cocoa Cinnamon (photo by Alex Boerner)

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How We Got Here (A Triangle Timeline)

By Jeffrey C. Billman -1800 1000 BCE

About 30 tribes of Native Americans permanently settle in North Carolina.

1584–85 CE Sir Walter Raleigh sends shiploads of people to Roanoke Island to establish the New World’s first English colony. The colonists return to England the next year.

1587 John White establishes a second colony at Roanoke. Virginia Dare, the namesake of Dare County, is born, the first English child christened in America. By 1590, the so-called Lost Colony has vanished.

1655 What is now North Carolina gets its first permanent European settler, Nathaniel Batts.

1663 King Charles II issues the Carolina Charter, which gives the Carolinas to the Lords Proprietors, eight of his closest supporters during the Restoration of 1660. The Lords Proprietors offer additional acreage for every enslaved person brought to the Carolinas during the first five years of white settlement.

1898

The state charters the University of North Carolina, the oldest public university in the U.S.

Armed white supremacists, fueled by Raleigh’s News & Observer, overthrow the Fusionist government of Wilmington—then North Carolina’s largest city—the only coup d’état in American history. At least 60 black men are murdered, and black businesses are destroyed.

1792 Raleigh is established as the state’s “unalterable seat of government,” thanks to its proximity to Isaac Hunter’s tavern, which was popular among delegates to the Hillsborough Convention.

1800-1900 1826 The legislature bans free blacks from entering.

A decade later, they lost their right to vote, preach in public, sell liquor, own a gun without a special permit, and attend any public school.

1849 Dr. Bartlett Durham, for whom the Bull City will be named, donates land for a railroad station that would later become vital to the tobacco industry. As the story goes, store owner William Pratt was approached first but asked for too much money. At the time, Durham was called Prattsburg; Pratt’s store had developed a rep as a place for “evil-disposed persons of evil name and fame and conversation to come together.”

1853 The first N.C. State Fair is held near Raleigh.

1861 North Carolina is the last Southern state to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy. Over the next four years, 40,000 residents would die in the Civil War, including Henry Lawson Wyatt, said to be (but not) the first Confederate to fall in action. You can find his monument on the State Capitol grounds.

1865

1776

1868

North Carolina becomes the first state to vote in favor of the Declaration of Independence.

North Carolina is readmitted to the Union.

Delegates to the Hillsborough Convention decline to either ratify or reject the U.S. Constitution. North Carolina officially remains out of the union until November 1789, when a second convention in Fayetteville ratifies the document.

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John Merrick founds the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company in Durham, today the largest African American-owned life insurance company in the U.S. By the early 1900s, Parrish Street had become known as Black Wall Street.

1900-2000

1903 The Wright brothers fly a plane in Kitty Hawk.

The new State Capitol is completed.

The Carolinas split into two royal colonies.

At the time, North Carolina has 6,000 enslaved people; South Carolina, 32,000.

1788

1898

1840

Washington Duke begins producing pipe tobacco out of a converted corn crib in what is now Durham. Eventually, the American Tobacco Company would become the largest tobacco manufacturer in the world.

1729

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1789

1869 Durham is incorporated.

1889 The North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts—later N.C. State—opens.

1892 Trinity College relocates from Randolph County to Durham, it’s renamed Duke University in 1924.

1910 James E. Shephard founds North Carolina Central University. In 1939, the state will establish a law school for black students there.

1915 North Carolina opens its firs state park, Mount Mitchell.

1917–18 Camp (later Fort) Bragg opens. The armed forces buy the entire production of roll-your-own Bull Durham tobacco for troops in World War I.

1919 The General Assembly sends a telegram to Tennessee lawmakers pleading with them not to ratify the 19th Amendment, which will give women the right to vote. Tennessee does so anyway.

1935 Two years after the repeal of the 18th Amendment, North Carolina ends the prohibition of alcohol, but to this day, the sale of liquor is still controlled by a state monopoly.

1942 Duke hosts the only Rose Bowl ever not played in Pasadena, California. The game, which takes place less than a month after Pearl Harbor, is moved out of fear of Japanese attack.

1949 In his book Southern Politics in State and Nation, famed political scientist V.O. Key sets North Carolina apart from the rest of the Deep South, saying the state “enjoys a reputation for progressive outlook and action in many phases of life, especially industrial development, education, and race relations.”

1951

1975

2002

Durham elects two white women to the city council. Two years later, it elects its first African American.

Elizabeth Dole becomes the first woman to represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate.

1955

Construction begins on Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street Mall, which, in retrospect, was a spectacularly bad idea that shut down vehicular access to downtown’s main drag and led to businesses closing.

UNC-Chapel Hill admits its first three African American freshmen.

1977

1956 The General Assembly passes a constitutional amendment to circumvent a 1954 Supreme Court ruling outlawing school segregation by letting school districts pay white parents to send their kids to private schools.

1956 The North Carolina Museum of Art opens.

1957 Seven African Americans are arrested while protesting segregation inside the Royal Ice Cream parlor in Durham. The state and U.S. supreme courts reject their appeals; they pay $433.25 in fines.

1957 Jesse Helms is elected to the Raleigh City Council.

Raging against the civil rights movement and liberals as an editorialist for WRAL, he is later elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, where he serves until 2003.

1958 Durham launches a commission to oversee urban renewal. The plan leads to the decimation of the black community of Hayti.

1959 Research Triangle Park opens in between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, laying the groundwork for the region’s tech economy.

1960 The first sit-in to protest segregation takes place in Greensboro.

1961 John Winters becomes the first African American elected to the Raleigh City Council.

1972 North Carolina Senator Sam Ervin is selected to head the committee that will investigate the Watergate break-in.

1973 Clarence Lightner becomes the first—and, so far, only—African American mayor of Raleigh. He loses his re-election bid in 1975.

Retired library worker Isabella Cannon—the “little old lady in tennis shoes”—becomes the first female mayor of Raleigh and of any major North Carolina city. She loses her re-election bid two years later.

1982 Michael Jordan hits a game-winning jump shot against Georgetown to secure UNC’s second NCAA championship. A year later, N.C. State upsets Houston to win the NCAA title. Since 1982, a Triangle team has won the title eleven times.

2004 U.S. Senator John Edwards of North Carolina is John Kerry’s vice-presidential candidate.

A few years later, he runs for president; let’s just say it didn’t end well. Edwards still has a law firm on Raleigh’s Glenwood Avenue.

2005 Governor Mike Easley signs HB 392.

Known as Pop the Cap, it lifts the limit on the alcohol by volume of beer that could be sold in North Carolina from 6 percent to 15 percent and, in the process, kickstarts the state’s craft-brewing industry.

2006 Under Mayor Charles Meeker, Raleigh reopens Fayetteville Street, kicking off a wave of downtown redevelopment.

1982

2008

Fresh off serving eight days in jail for protesting a nuclear power plant, Steve Schewel founds The Independent Weekly, which publishes the next year.

This is indisputably the most consequential event in Triangle history.

The Durham Performing Arts Center opens.

1988 The movie Bull Durham is released, making the Durham Bulls the most recognizable team in minor league sports.

1989

2011 For the first time since 1898, Republicans regain control of both branches of the General Assembly and promptly gerrymander the state’s legislative and congressional districts.

Two years later, they’ll claim the governor’s office and radically reorient the state’s government in a conservative direction.

2016

Chester L. Jenkins becomes the first African American mayor of Durham, having previously served on the city council for eight years. He loses his re-election bid two years later.

The legislature passes HB 2, the so-called bathroom bill. Republican governor Pat McCrory then loses his reelection bid. North Carolina nonetheless votes for Donald Trump. Sigh.

1991

2017

Dan Blue of Raleigh becomes the first African American House speaker in North Carolina history.

Demonstrators topple a Confederate monument in downtown Durham. A year later, protesters do the same with Silent Sam, a Confederate monument on the UNC campus.

1993 Sylvia Kerchhoff becomes the first woman mayor of Durham. She serves for two terms.

1997 The Hartford Whalers relocate to Raleigh and rebrand as the Carolina Hurricanes, the region’s first major professional sports team.

In 2006, the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup. After years of awfulness, they make it back to the finals in 2019 (and get swept).

20002001

Capitol Broadcasting Company purchases the nearly abandoned American Tobacco Campus as part of a plan to redevelop downtown Durham. It adjoins the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in 1995.

2017 Steve Schewel, who founded humanity’s greatest newspaper, becomes mayor of Durham.

2018 Downtown Durham’s 27-story One City Center high-rise opens, as does the city-block-size The Dillon in Raleigh’s Warehouse District.

2019 Durham celebrates its 150th anniversary.

The day she announces her departure, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt has Silent Sam’s base removed, ensuring we never have to talk about the damn thing again.

Raleigh’s Ashley Christensen wins the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef, then opens a pizza joint that is every bit as good as you’d expect. Everything is going swimmingly.

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Clockwise from left: Papa Shogun’s panzanella (photo by Jade Wilson); Bida Manda's pumpkin curry (photo by Alex Boerner).

Champs de Cuisine The ten best restaurants in the Triangle right now. (According to us, anyway.)

Garland Bida Manda Laotian Restaurant and Bar 22 South Blount Street, Raleigh 919-829-9999, bidamanda.com

Brewery Bhavana may be the one making national headlines—and with good reason—but our hearts belong to Bida Manda, Vanvisa and Vansana Nolintha’s original restaurant. Bida Manda specializes in Laotian cuisine, but what might seem foreign manages to be both ultracool and approachable. Don’t miss the signature crispy pork belly soup in a rich, milky coconut curry broth and the crispy rice lettuce wraps. The green papaya salad is to die for—get it extra spicy—and the pad Thai, as cliché as it might seem to order, is the best in Raleigh. Didn’t make a reservation? Have one of forty beers on tap next door at Brewery Bhavana while you wait.

Crawford and Son 618 North Person Street, Raleigh 919-307-4647, crawfordandsonrestaurant.com

Despite its all-star staff and a menu that reflects Scott Crawford’s impressive culinary pedigree, this Person Street joint strikes a balance between casual and fancy. Anything from the “raw” section is a sure bet, but don’t miss the gold-standard beef tartare, and be sure to save room for one of pastry chef Krystle Swenson’s clever desserts. Can’t get a table? Put your name in and grab a drink around the corner at Jolie, Crawford’s recently opened French bistro, while you wait.

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4 West Martin Street, Raleigh 919-833-6386, garlandraleigh.com

James Beard Award semifinalist chef Cheetie Kumar’s Garland shares space with the live music venue Kings—co-owned by her husband, Paul Siler—which makes sense given Kumar’s musical past as a guitarist for the rock band Birds of Avalon (Siler is also a member). The self-taught cook has earned national praise for her contemporary spins on Indian and Asian cuisine. Sure, you can find tandoori chicken in lots of places, but you won’t find it garnished with chicken skin pappadum and served with Punjabi-style house-made pickles on any other menu in town. Start with the pakora chaat, a bird’s nest of veggies crisped up in a spicy chickpea batter served with chaat masala, tamarind, and cilantro-mint chutneys, and a side of raita for good measure.

Lantern 423 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill 919-969-8846, lanternrestaurant.com

Gocciolina

This Chapel Hill fixture, helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef Andrea Reusing, seamlessly imbues North Carolina ingredients with Asian-inspired fare such as pea shoot and scallion dumplings, crispy local okra with hot tomato chutney, and tea-smoked, pasture-raised chicken served with pork and shrimp fried rice and kale. Sit in the dining room of the modern storefront space or grab a seat under a red lantern in the cozy bar. There’s also a beautiful back garden that’s ideal for sipping an inventive seasonal cocktail.

3314 Guess Road, Durham 919-973-4089, gocciolina.com

Mateo Bar de Tapas

Gocciolina isn’t stuffy or pretentious, but it is very good, consistently rated the best Italian restaurant in the Triangle. Chef Aaron Benjamin’s house-made pastas—don’t miss the Carbonara with house-cured pork belly, pecorino, egg, and loads of black pepper, or the spaghetti all’amatriciana with country bacon, chili flakes, zesty tomato, and pecorino—are as good as you’ll find anywhere, but start with any of the antipasti. For just $9, you can open your meal with three small plates—say, meatballs, spicy chickpeas, and crispy fried eggplant with Boxcarr robiola.

Save room for desserts like the chocolate almond torte or tiramisu cannoli.

109 West Chapel Hill Street, Durham 919-530-8700, mateotapas.com

Chef Matt Kelly’s flagship restaurant, Mateo, is always packed, but there’s no better spot around for cocktails and tapas. Order the boquerones, pickled Spanish white anchovies served with potato chips, and choose from six different types of jamon like iberico or serrano, with a side of patatas bravas, which are as good as any you’ll find in Barcelona.

(Kelly’s excellent seafood restaurant, the nearby Saint James, would also be on this list were it not temporarily closed following a tragic gas explosion in April 2019 that killed two people and injured twenty-five more.)

M Sushi 311 Holland Street, Durham 919-908-9266, msushidurham.com

M Sushi is the best sushi spot in Durham— and perhaps the best in the Triangle.

Chef-owner Michael Lee will put on a grand omakase show for you at the sushi bar, slicing and dicing a curated selection of the freshest cuts he’s got. The nigiri and sashimi will practically melt in your mouth like butter—especially the uni. What more could you want?

Hops and DrEams

Papa Shogun

111 Seaboard Avenue, #118, Raleigh 919-977-1247, papashogun.com

Papa Shogun is the Triangle’s only restaurant for Itameshi, a fusion of Japanese and Italian that began surfacing in Japan toward the end of the nineteenth century. For his first solo venture, chef-owner Tom Cuomo, a transplant from New York City whose impressive culinary background includes wd-50 and Carbone, features whimsical small plates such as beets Siciliana with shiso salsa or yaki onigiri, fried rice patties oozing mozzarella and roasted red peppers.

Fresh-pulled mozzarella with kombu garlic bread and udon vongole are excellent choices for sharing—as are most dishes— but you’ll want to slurp every drop of the smoked tonkotsu broth in the standout carbonara ramen yourself.

Royale 200 East Martin Street, Raleigh 919-977-3043, royaleraleigh.com

Oh God, the burger—served on a lightly toasted Boulted Bread English muffin with melted gruyere and au poivre aioli, the genius creation of chef and co-owner Jeff Seizer (a member of the Stanbury Four). Just don’t ask for ketchup; it’s unnecessary. But you’ll start with the burrata, an ooey-gooey delight with baked heirloom tomatoes and pistou, served with (more Boulted Bread) toast points. Or the mushroom tartine featuring local ’shrooms accompanied by ricotta and toasted almonds. Both raw and fried oysters on the half-shell are available, and you can add caviar. There’s a gritty elegance to this French-American bistro, and often a rotation of hip-hop bumping over the speakers.

Stanbury 938 North Blount Street, Raleigh 919-977-4321, stanburyraleigh.com

Chef Drew Maykuth offers an ambitious and constantly evolving assortment of small plates—and large plates, too, for those who prefer not to share. The roasted bone marrow achieves pure excellence, and the crispy pig will only disappoint if you take the dish’s name too literally. There’s not a ton of vegetarian dishes here, but a couple of standout vegetable plates are usually available, like roasted beets with citrus, chopped hazelnuts, mint, and a dollop of cream. Always get the cheese plate, and always stay for dessert.

Bond Brothers’ Long Division double IPA (photo by Caitlin Penna)

The Triangle’s ten best breweries and cideries

Ancillary* Fermentation ancillaryfermentation.com

This isn’t actually a brewery—not one with a permanent address, anyway.

Instead, it’s a side project from the minds behind Bond Brothers (see below) and Fortnight Brewing that debuted in 2018—a themed, once-a-month pop-up that benefits a nonprofit. Despite the low profile, the beer is getting national buzz.

Bond Brothers Beer Company 202 East Cedar Street, Cary 919-459-2670, bondbrothersbeer.com

Among the most acclaimed breweries around, Bond Brothers excels at a wide variety of styles, from IPAs and sours to saisons and brown ales.

Botanist & Barrel 105 Persimmon Hill Lane, Cedar Grove 919-644-7777, botanistandbarrel.com

You probably haven’t tasted a cider like Botanist & Barrel’s before. Blurring the lines between cider, sours, and wine, B&B leans on whole-fruit fermentation, eschewing additives or forced carbonation. The adjuncts it does use—for instance, aging in tequila or port barrels—add to the flavor profile rather than overwhelming it.

Brewery Bhavana 218 South Blount Street, Raleigh 919-829-998, brewerybhavana.com

This brewery—also a dim sum restaurant, bookstore, and flower shop—is sometimes overshadowed by its sister elements, but it shouldn’t be. The beers, from the basic session IPA to the mango peppercorn saison, live up to the high standards set by Bhavana’s much-heralded food.

Bull City Ciderworks 305 South Roxboro Street, Durham 919-237-2357, bullcityciderworks.com

It didn’t take long after Bull City Ciderworks opened in 2013 for it to become a Durham favorite. The Off Main, its signature cider, is a mainstay on taps all over the city, but Bull City is big on seasonal offerings and experiments, too.

Crank Arm Brewing 319 West Davie Street, Raleigh 919-324-3529, crankarmbrewing.com

A bicycling-culture-focused brewery in the Warehouse District, Crank Arm makes high-quality, always-unfiltered beers that are painstakingly produced and never disappointing.

Durty Bull Brewing Company 206 Broad Street, #104, Durham 919-688-2337, durtybull.com

IPAs put asses in the seats, but Durty Bull is really focused on sours and barrel-aged ales produced with old-world techniques. That’s a mixed blessing, as Durty Bull makes some mighty fine IPAs that aren’t always in production.

Lynnwood Brewing Concern 1053 East Whitaker Mill Road, Raleigh 919-424-7533, lynnwoodbrewing.com

In 2017, Lynnwood was ranked the thirdbest brewery in the country (and the best in North Carolina) in the U.S. Open Beer Championship, and was awarded a gold medal for its Hop on Top IPA, Hop Sauce West Coast IPA, and Once You Go Black IPA. Not too shabby.

Steel String Brewery 106 Greensboro Street, Carrboro 919-240-7215, steelstringbrewery.com

Like its hometown, Steel String loves to get weird, using local and sometimes foraged ingredients to produce taste-budpoppers like the Obvious Child, a sour, mixed-culture saison made from local malts and midsummer herbs including honeysuckle and ginger.

Trophy Brewing Company 656 Maywood Avenue, Raleigh 919-803-1333, trophybrewing.com

Trophy ranks among the most prolific IPA makers around, and might make the cleanest, tastiest session IPA—Trophy Wife—in the state, as well as stouts and pilsners galore. And that’s just the beginning of Trophy’s myriad concoctions.

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How to Eat Like a Southerner There’s more to life than barbecue Layla Khoury-Hanold Living in the South has taught me a few absolute truths: Southern hospitality is real, barbecue is revered (and contentious), and Duke’s mayo rules. I’ve also discovered that while dishes such as fried chicken and biscuits remain a vital part of the South’s foodways, the definition of Southern food—and what it means to eat like a Southerner—is evolving along with the diversity of the people contributing to it. Let’s dig in.

Barbecue North Carolina barbecue typically means pork, though you’ll see differences between the western and eastern parts of the state. Western-style ‘cue favors slow-cooked pork shoulder and sweet, tomato-based sauces, while eastern favors a whole-hog approach and vinegar-based sauces.

In Durham, Bullock’s Bar-B-Cue (bullocks-bbq.com) has served pulled and chopped pork ‘cue to locals and celebs since 1952 (the fried chicken is very good, too). At Picnic (picnicdurham.com), feast on locally sourced, whole hog ‘cue (save room for banana pudding). At Backyard BBQ Pit (sweetribs.com), west meets east with hickory-smoked pork shoulder and a vinegary sauce. In Raleigh, hit up Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque (clydecoopersbbq.com), a downtown joint that has served pork shoulder ‘cue since 1938, or The Pit (thepit-raleigh.com), which serves whole hog, pit-cooked ‘cue in the Warehouse District (there’s a Durham location, too).

Biscuits Biscuits have been a Southern breakfast staple long before it was a trendy 12

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Bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit from Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen (photo by Caitlin Penna)

Brooklyn brunch thing. N.C.-born chains like Biscuitville (biscuitville. com) and Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ’n Biscuits (bojangles.com) have their place, but we’re partial to local spots.

Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken (risebiscuitsdonuts.com), a chainlet with locations across the Triangle, and Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen (sunrisebiscuits.com) in Chapel Hill are consistent standbys. In Raleigh, don’t miss Mandolin’s (mandolinraleigh. com) Sunday brunch-only buttermilk biscuits. In Durham, True Flavors Diner’s (trueflavorsdiner.com) biscuits and mushroom gravy are a modern classic, and Monuts’ (monutsdonuts. com) biscuits make an excellent base for a build-your-own breakfast sandwich. In Carrboro, Neal’s Deli’s (nealsdeli.com) pastrami-topped biscuit gives

country ham a run for its money. Acme Food & Beverage Co.’s (acmecarrboro. com) Angel Biscuits, served warm in a cast iron pan, are a great brunch opener.

Fried Chicken, Seafood & Meat-and-Three In Durham, tear into ripping-hot, juicy fried chicken at The Chicken Hut (chickenhutnc.weebly.com), a meatand-three that’s been around since the 1960s. (For the uninitiated, a meat-and-three is just what it sounds like: pick your protein—say, fried chicken—plus three sides and cornbread to mop up your plate.) Choose your own fried-chicken-and-waffles destiny at Dame’s Chicken & Waffles (dameschickenwaffles.com) with endless combos and flavored schmears (there’s a Cary location, as well).

In Raleigh, all-star chef Ashleigh Christensen’s Beasley’s Chicken + Honey’s (ac-restaurants.com/beasleys) golden, fried birds star on biscuits, salads, and sandwiches (if you like heat, get the Carolina Reaper). For less than $10 at downtown institution Mecca (mecca-restaurant. com), you get two pieces of fried chicken, rice, and gravy, plus two sides, a roll, and a glass of sweet tea (Southern iced tea is really sweet, so ask for it “half-and-half” to dilute it). In Chapel Hill, don’t miss Lula’s (lulaschapelhill.com) cast-iron-fried chicken.

For top-notch seafood, chef Ricky Moore’s two Saltbox Seafood Joint (saltboxseafoodjoint. com) locations are ace. A basket of fried, seasonal N.C. seafood with potatoes and slaw is a sure bet, but don’t sleep on whole-fish dishes such as griddled croaker. Pair with an order of hush honeys, Moore’s genius take on hush puppies.

The Global South Eating like a Southerner means recognizing the diversity of the people who live here and embracing their influence on the Global South’s foodways.

At Zweli’s Piri Piri Kitchen (zwelis.com) in Durham, chef Zwelibanzi Williams’s Zimbabwean-inspired sides—peanut butter collards, fried curry cabbage—are mostly vegan, which is how Southerners, particularly enslaved Africans who had limited access to meat, have been eating since before veganism was a thing. In Raleigh, chef Cheetie Kumar seamlessly melds local ingredients and Indian flavors at Garland (garlandraleigh.com), with dishes like N.C. shrimp marinated in green coconut chutney, served peel-and-eat style with charred okra and onions.

The words “Hola Y’all” on Jose and Sons’ (joseandsons.com) doors sum up chef Oscar Diaz’s cooking style, reflected in dishes such as braised collard green tamales or N.C. snapper ceviche with sweet potatoes at Diaz’s other Raleigh restaurant, The Cortez Seafood + Cocktail (cortezraleigh.com).

The sculpture garden at the North Carolina Museum of Art (photo by Jade Wilson)

Mom Wins How to do parenting right in the Triangle

By Chika Gujarathi The Triangle has plenty of family-fun sure bets that will never go out of style, like the Marbles Kids Museum (201 East Hargett Street, Raleigh) and the Museum of Life and Science (433 West Murray Avenue, Durham).

But if you or your fussy little ones are looking for something new but no less adventurous, here are four, well, maybe not hidden gems, but places that foster free play and imagination (and, eventually, naps!) in the little ones, but that are also gratifying for the adults (and not just because of the naps).

Moore Square 226 East Martin Street, Raleigh raleighnc.gov

This newly reopened—after a years-long, $13 million facelift—four-acre urban green space in downtown Raleigh is big, has an interactive water feature, a restaurant (Square Burger), a weekly farmers market, and an events calendar that will keep you coming back (think story time, game nights, concerts, jazz, and more). Kids can play to their hearts’ content, and it’s an ideal place to bring a picnic, people-watch, and meet up with all those friends you don’t have space to invite to your home.

The Honeysuckle Farm & Gardens 8871 Pickards Meadow Road, Chapel Hill 919-903-9131, thehoneysuckle.org

Honeysuckle’s farm has quickly climbed onto our favorites list because of the folksy wooden play structures (swings, seesaw, sandpit, etc.), hammocks, farm fields, herb garden, mandala garden, and a tea house that also serves mead and kid-pleasing smoothie bowls and pastries.

The namesake Honeysuckle Cafe and Bar, about a ten-minute drive away, serves a more extensive menu that includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

North Carolina Museum of Art 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh 919-839-6262, ncartmuseum.org

In addition to its extensive permanent art collection and the awe-inspiring temporary exhibits you expect from a museum of this caliber, NCMA also has an outdoor museum park littered with sculptures and art that kids can touch, climb, and have fun with. A calendar of events chockful of concerts, family tours, campouts, movie nights, family workshops, and festivals round out the offerings. Make sure to ask for your free Tour in a Tote or the Park Pack with games and activities.

Gregg Museum of Art & Design 1903 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh 919-515-3503, gregg.arts.ncsu.edu

N.C. State’s Gregg Museum dates back to the 1970s, but it was the grand reopening in August 2017 at the Historic Chancellor’s Residence on Hillsborough Street that made the difference. The museum, which collects objects and art pertinent to the university and the state, is compact enough to explore with children but doesn’t feel like an education trip.

The outdoor spaces, which include a lush lawn, water features, a formal garden, historic trees, and a stylish patio, have made this museum a well-loved space for our family. Being well-connected to the Theatre in the Park, Pullen Arts Center, and the eateries on Hillsborough Street is an added bonus.

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Play Ball!

Get up to speed on the local sports world, which goes far beyond the court

By Michael Venutolo-Mantovani

FINDER drops in fall, which is the second-best time to be a sports fan in the Triangle. The best time, obviously, is March, assuming things go the right way for whichever shade of blue you prefer.

For now, let’s talk about college football. None of our local squads will be playing for the championship come January, but you don’t have to squint too hard to see light on the horizon.

Out in Chapel Hill, Mack is back. Mack Brown, probably the greatest coach in University of North Carolina history, has returned to the UNC sidelines, and his tenure kicked off with thrilling wins over South Carolina and Miami—followed by losses to Wake Forest and App State, then a painfully close miss against Clemson.

In Raleigh, the N.C. State Wolfpack also hit the gridiron strong, thumping Eastern Carolina and Western Carolina before dropping a game to Ball State. Duke, meanwhile, hung in with Alabama for the first half of a game, which is something. The N.C. Central Eagles struggled in their first three games, but they’re a marquee program among HBCUs, and O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium is always a good time no matter their record.

You know who might be playing for a title this year? UNC’s women’s field hockey. They’re the reigning champs,

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after all. Also, UNC’s women’s soccer program, which has won an astonishing twenty out of twenty-seven ACC championships and twenty-two out of thirty-six possible national championships since the program started in 1979. Down the road, the Blue Devils’ women’s soccer team isn’t bad, either.

Speaking of women’s soccer: Our professional women’s soccer team, North Carolina Courage—which had several members on the team that won the World Cup—just clinched their third-consecutive National Women’s Soccer League Shield, an award given to the team with the best regular-season record. As this magazine goes to press, the Courage are set to host a semifinal match on their home field in Cary—where the NWSL championship will be held, as well. The Courage were the NWSL’s runners-up in 2017 and the champions in 2018.

Their male counterparts, North Carolina FC, didn’t qualify for the playoffs in 2018, their first season in the USL Championship. The 2019 season saw improvement; headed into the final weeks of the regular season, NCFC appears on pace to make the postseason.

Though the nearest pro football team is two hours west of here, we’ve got plenty of other professional sports in our neck of the woods. Start with the Carolina Hurricanes, our local hockey team, which went largely ignored— hockey isn’t a traditional Southern thing—until our Bunch of Jerks came out of nowhere to earn a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2019. (They were promptly demolished by the Boston Bruins, but let’s ignore that.)

Then there’s minor league baseball, most notably the Durham Bulls, made famous by the movie Bull Durham.

The Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Bulls are one of the most successful teams in the minors, having won three International League Governor’s Cups in the last decade (they lost the title series in 2019). Out in Zebulon, the single-A Carolina Mudcats—best known for either a cameo in Space Jam or giving up Michael Jordan’s first homer, or perhaps for their quirky merch and weird logo—offer nights of family fun on the cheap.

The Raleigh Rugby Football Club (raleighrugby.org) has both men’s (the

Vipers) and women’s (the Venom) teams. The Venom have placed second in USA Rugby’s Senior Women’s Division I South in 2017 and 2018. The Vipers play in two different leagues, both of which run from late September through April. And if you’re into nontraditional rough-and-tumble sports, check out Carolina Roller Derby, a Raleigh-based nonprofit with three teams—the Chapel Thrillers, Durham Crash, and Raleigh Ruckus—of local skaters who compete to join two inter-league teams that vie against skaters from other cities. You won’t find a banked track or staged theatrics here; just hard hits, solid blocks, and lots of strategy and precision.

If you’re more a doer than a viewer, you’re never far from a pickup hoops game, and flag football abounds on weekend mornings at N.C. State’s Centennial Fields and Cary’s Mills Park facilities. And if your athletic hunger is better sated by something more esoteric—say, Ultimate Frisbee or kayaking—check out meetup.com, which is often the best option for finding like-minded athletes. If you’re into rock climbing, check out the indoor facility at one of the Triangle Rock Clubs. If you’re a runner, there are a ton of running clubs, too; check out Bull City Running Co. (bullcityrunning.com) or the Raleigh Distance Project (raleighdistanceproject.com/ raleigh-running-guide) to get started.

See, there’s plenty happening that’s not NCAA basketball. But since you’ve stuck around this long, we’ll talk basketball, particularly the two local men’s basketball goliaths.

In March 2019, you might recall, the loaded-for-bear Duke team lost to Michigan State by a point in the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils lost superstar freshmen Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett to the NBA, but, as they do, they reloaded, and they’re ranked third in the preseason polls.

UNC, meanwhile, lost in the Sweet Sixteen to Auburn. Headed into the 2019–20 season, they’re ranked thirteenth.

We’re Here.

We’re Queer.

Come Hang with Us. Your guide to the Triangle’s LGBTQ nightlife.

By James Michael Nichols As North Carolina grows and evolves, the Triangle has become a haven for LGBTQ folks seeking support and safe spaces in which to explore their identities. Raleigh and Durham, in particular, play host to thriving LGBTQ communities that offer opportunities for queer people to find one another and connect in meaningful ways.

This overview in no way encompasses all of the places LGBTQ people mingle, but it’s a wonderful starting point.

Bars have historically been central gathering spaces for queer folks, and this list reflects that. For folks seeking alternatives to bar culture, check out resources like the local Queer Exchange groups on Facebook.

DURHAM

The Pinhook 117 West Main Street 984-244-7243, thepinhook.com

Vivica C. Coxx preforms at The Pinhook (photo by Jade Wilson).

The Bar

RALEIGH

Legends Nightclub 330 West Hargett Street 919-831-8888, legends-club.com

A classic gay bar and dance club in the heart of downtown, Legends is a massive complex with multiple, intersecting components, allowing for more small-scale gatherings throughout the week and debauched dance parties on the weekend. In addition to a regular roulette of well-known Raleigh drag performers, Legends offers themed evenings like College Night, Burlesque performances, and amateur drag competitions. If you’re looking for a quintessential gay club experience a la Queer as Folk, this is the closest you’ll find in The Triangle.

and physical space for trans folks and queer people of color. Check out Ruby’s The Body Party, monthly Drag King Competition, and karaoke nights—or just pop by after midnight on the weekends for a packed crowd and a who’s-who of the Raleigh downtown scene.

Flex 2 West South Street 919-832-8855, flex-club.com

Ruby Deluxe

Another staple in the downtown nightlife scene, Flex is a basement dive bar that caters to a predominately cis, gay male clientele.

Most nights, customers can expect a karaoke experience, but Thursdays play host the venue’s iconic Trailer Trash Prize Nights, a drag review with prize giveaways throughout the evening. Cheap drinks and a fairly predictable night—Flex is always a decent time.

415 South Salisbury Street 919-900-8194, rubydeluxeraleigh.com

The District Raleigh

Raleigh’s response to a need for an intimate, queer-oriented bar, Ruby Deluxe bills itself as a place for everyone—as long as you’re not an asshole. It’s operated by Tim Lemuel and functions as a sister space to his other businesses, local dive The Night Rider and music venue The Wicked Witch (both at 416 West South Street). Ruby is an inclusive LGBTQ bar that intentionally facilitates programming

The Pinhook has been around “since forever,” according to its website, but actually more like 2008, when owner Kym Register opened it as a DIY music venue and community center. But it’s grown into perhaps the best-known LGBTQ space in the Triangle. What you can expect depends on the night—the bar plays host to smallscale concerts and dance parties and packed drag performances.

317 West Morgan Street, #117 919-977-5440, thedistrictraleigh.com

We wouldn’t say The District is an LGBTQ restaurant, per se, but it’s certainly frequented

by Raleigh’s LGBTQ community and provides a welcoming atmosphere for queer folks of all generations. Stop by on a Sunday afternoon for a friendly “come as you are” atmosphere—and try the chicken quesadilla.

711 Rigsbee Avenue 984-244-7117, thebardurham.com

Durham’s other LGBTQ bar, The Bar, is nestled next to local fixture Surf Club.

With a massive dance floor and huge backyard, The Bar is perfect for both dancing the night away and smoking cigarettes on the patio while shooting the shit with friends. It’s been around for over two decades and bills itself as the “OG Bull City LGBTQ Home Base.” An important space for queer folks of color in particular, The Bar has always been there for us.

CHAPEL HILL

Nightlight 405 1/2 West Rosemary Street 919-960-6101, @nightlightclub

Chapel Hill spaces dedicated to the queer community are few and far between. Nightlight, however, is a gem that regularly hosts live bands, dance parties, and karaoke nights for the arts community. Best-known for its weekend-long experimental noise showcase Savage Weekend, Nightlight provides an intimate setting for a diverse array of artists, many of them LGBTQ, to showcase their work and experience community.

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GeT LouD Whether you realize it or not, you’re smack-dab in the middle of one of the East Coast’s most fertile stomping grounds for both local and big-name musical artists. And whether you prefer huddling up in sticky-floored dives or stretching out on a picnic blanket at an amphitheater, your live music options abound.

Let’s start with the big ones: Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek (3801 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh) and the PNC Arena (1400 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh)—which the Carolina Hurricanes and N.C. State’s men’s basketball team also call home—both have a capacity of about twenty thousand. There, you’ll see some of the biggest stars in the music industry; in recent years, they’ve hosted the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Kenny Chesney, and Bruno Mars.

Carrboro’s famous Cat’s Cradle (300 East Main Street) remains the crown jewel of iconic rock-plus nightclubs, and its complementary Back Room is a smaller space for more intimate shows. You can find up-and-coming indie acts in those rooms and at spots like Raleigh’s Kings and Neptunes (14 West Martin Street) and Lincoln Theatre (126 East Cabarrus Street); Chapel Hill’s Local 506 (506 West Franklin Street); and Durham’s

Motorco Music Hall (723 Rigsbee Avenue) and The Pinhook (117 West Main Street). The Pinhook is also an excellent spot for bump-and-grind dance parties and drag shows.

Don’t forget to make the trek to the farthest edge of the Triangle. Out in Saxapahaw sits the Haw River Ballroom (1711 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road), a gorgeous converted textile mill that now hosts artists like Gillian Welch and The Mountain Goats.

And if you’re more into experimental music, keep an eye on Imurj (300 South McDowell Street), Ruby Deluxe (415 South Salisbury Street), and The Wicked Witch (416 West South Street) in Raleigh.

If you want to enjoy more music in the great outdoors, there’s Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater (500 South McDowell Street), which leans toward upper-midlevel bookings like Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver, and Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre (8003 Regency Parkway), which often hosts the North Carolina Symphony and mild-mannered fare from a wide range of performing artists.

But if the great indoors are more your speed, the Durham Performing Arts Center (123 Vivian Street, Durham) and its nearby neighbor Carolina Theatre (309 West Mor-

gan Street, Durham) are both terrific options, too, with world-class talent coming through on the regular.

Raleigh’s best bigger seated venues are all housed in one building at the edge of downtown. Meymandi Concert Hall, Memorial Auditorium, and Fletcher Opera Theater all share the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts (2 East South Street). You can most frequently find the N.C. Symphony at Meymandi from the fall through the winter, while Fletcher hosts much more than opera, including a surprising number of folksy acts that benefit from the quiet room’s acoustics.

In Raleigh, The Maywood (658 Maywood Avenue) is always good for metal and alt-rock shows, and you can find more of the latter plus plenty of jam bands at The Pour House (224 South Blount Street).

And finally, there are the special, teeny-tiny spaces that are essential to the local music ecosystem. Slim’s (227 South Wilmington Street, Raleigh) proudly bills itself as “Raleigh’s premier music hallway,” while The Cave (452 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill) is a cozy subterranean spot; both hold fewer than a hundred people.

If you’re feeling really adventurous (or you’re looking for a good dance party), Chapel Hill’s Nightlight (405 1/2 West Rosemary Street) is the best spot to see stuff like free jazz and experimental noise and electronic music.

To keep track of who’s playing where when, make sure to check out the INDY’s music calendar, in print and online at indyweek.com every week.

Your Guide to the Triangle’s Festivals

FebrUary

APriL

Hayti Heritage Film Festival

Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

Where to see the best live music in the Triangle

By Allison Hussey

We’re not here for a long time. We’re here for a good time.

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(Durham, hayti.org)

For more than twenty-five years, this festival has brought the films of the African American South together in a historic church building.

(Durham, fullframefest.org)

MARcH

Founded in 1998 by Pulitzer-winning photo editor Nancy Buirski, Full Frame has grown into one of the top annual events in the country for documentary fans and creators. For four days, it fills the Carolina Theatre with classic docs, hot premieres, and visits from big names.

NC Comicon

Dreamville Festival

(Raleigh, nccomicon.com)

(Raleigh, dreamville.com)

Geek Christmas comes twice a year, thanks to NC Comicon, which brings top comics creators and vendors to Raleigh each spring, and then to Durham each fall.

This hip-hop and R&B festival helmed by rap star and Raleigh resident J. Cole made a triumphant debut in Raleigh’s Dix Park in 2019; no confirmation yet, but here’s hoping for year two.

May

Moogfest (Durham, moogfest.com)

This electronic-music festival treats the term loosely, folding in everything from experimental to dance and pop in downtown Durham for several tech-forward days and nights of brainy, body-moving programming.

Artsplosure

Lazy Daze (Cary, townofcary.org)

Cary’s annual arts-and-crafts festival features hundreds of makers, music, kid stuff, and more on the Town Hall campus.

September

Hopscotch Music Festival (Raleigh, hopscotchmusicfest.com)

The works of dozens and dozens of curated local artists and artisans line Fayetteville Street, with live music, food, and more, for two days each May.

The Triangle’s signature music festival just celebrated ten years of bringing national talent—an array of indie rock, heavy metal, hip-hop, experimental music, etc.—to a walkable selection of DTR venues for three days of revelry.

Out! Raleigh

The Art of Cool Festival

(Raleigh, artsplosure.org)

October

Click! Photography Festival (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, clicktrianglephoto.org)

Each October, this photography festival brings the works of top local practitioners, esteemed visitors, and touring exhibits to galleries across the Triangle for a whole month.

West End Poetry Festival (Carrboro, westendpoetryfestival.org)

Carrboro provides the area’s only fully annual poetry festival, with a mix of locals from the area’s robust poetry scene to national talent.

(Raleigh, outraleigh.org)

(Durham, aocfestival.org)

Festifall Arts Festival

This all-inclusive, family-friendly day festival supports the LGBT Center of Raleigh, drawing tens of thousands to City Plaza for live entertainment, food and drink, and good times.

Art of Cool began as a homegrown downtown jazz festival with a smattering of hip-hop, but that ratio flipped this year under its new ownership. The line-up looms with names like Run-DMC, Jill Scott, and Ari Lennox.

Chapel Hill’s annual community festival features a large arts and crafts market, an open-air studio where artists strut their stuff, and a special kids zone.

Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival

(Chapel Hill, chapelhillfestifall.com)

(Raleigh, ibma.org/world-of-bluegrass)

Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance

June

Billed as the largest free urban bluegrass festival in the world, this eight-stage downtown Raleigh shindig, courtesy of the International Bluegrass Music Association, brings Grammy winners and roots-music legends to town.

Get your bare feet into some bucolic Pittsboro mud and dance around at this eclectic, crunchy, roots-music-and-thekitchen-sink festival.

American Dance Festival

(Carrboro, carrboromusicfestival.com)

(Durham, facebook.com/bimbe-cultural-festival)

This nationally recognized Durham parksand-rec festival has a fifty-year history of celebrating African and African American history, culture, and arts.

(Durham, americandancefestival.org)

Along the lines of Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts, this modern dance festival is a national institution that has existed in various forms since 1934; it’s where you’ll get your Paul Taylor and Martha Graham favorites alongside premieres from the brightest young choreographers. Runs through July.

JuLy

Festival for the Eno (Durham, enoriver.org/festival)

Every Fourth of July weekend, the park grounds at West Point on the Eno host two days’ worth of rootsy music and family-friendly eco-fun, the largest annual fundraiser for the Eno River Association.

AUguST

Women’s Theatre Festival (Raleigh, womenstheatrefestival.com)

Independent theater largely produced, performed, written, and focusing on women fills out the productions and workshops of this relatively new summer tradition.

OutSouth Queer Film Festival (Durham, carolinatheatre.org)

The North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival broke gay-rights ground in Durham in the 1990s, and while its 2019 outing was its last, it promised to return in 2020, rebranded to expand its scope, as OutSouth.

Check the Carolina Theatre’s website.

Wide Open Bluegrass

Carrboro Music Festival Free, laid-back, vibrant, and compact, this festival is just like its namesake town. It’s a place to discover the local bands that are going to be popular, rather than the ones that already are.

SPARKcon

(Pittsboro, shakorihillsgrassroots.org)

NC Dance Festival (Durham, danceproject.org)

The American Dance Festival is where to see famous companies, but if you want to know what’s going on in North Carolina’s robust modern and contemporary dance scenes, this fest takes their temperature.

(Raleigh, sparkcon.com)

Zine Machine Festival

This “open source” pan-arts festival, administered by VAE Raleigh but put together by a huge ad hoc committee of local musicians, artists, dancers, theater makers, cirque stars, fashion designers, and more, overtakes the Warehouse District with grassroots creativity.

This idiosyncratic fest brings together zine-makers and other printed-matter-mavens for a weekend at the Durham Armory that makes it feel like the internet never happened.

CenterFest Arts Festival (Durham, centerfest.durhamarts.org)

The Durham Arts Council’s long-running fall arts festival is a community staple that brings families and all types of people downtown, where they enjoy arts and crafts, performances, food, and community.

Fiesta Del Pueblo (Raleigh, elpueblo.org)

The nonprofit El Pueblo’s annual celebration of local Latinx culture features music on a City Plaza stage as well as a wide variety of cultural performances, vendors, and crafts.

(Durham, zinemachinefest.com)

November

Carrboro Film Festival (Carrboro, carrborofilm.org)

In its fourteenth year, this homegrown indie film festival is both dropping its competitive structure and focusing exclusively on Southern cinema, aligning with the homey, inclusive vibe of its namesake town.

NC Comicon (Durham, nccomicon.com)

Like the one in March, except in Durham, and in November.

Pride: Durham (Durham, pridedurhamnc.org)

This spiffy new version of Durham’s storied NC Pride Festival preserves the tradition of its famed parade (and lots of live music) for the next generation of LGBTQ people and allies.

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nO CaR? No ProBLem. The skinny on mass transit (and other ways to get around) in the Triangle

By Leigh Tauss and Cole Villena

BUS

CYCLING

TRAIN

In 2015, the Triangle’s regional bus authority merged with bus systems in Raleigh, Durham, and Cary to create GoTriangle. What this means for commuters is that bus passes for travel around the Triangle’s cities can be purchased through one source, either online at gotriangle.org or on any GoDurham, GoRaleigh, GoCary, or GoTriangle bus. (Chapel Hill Transit has not adopted the “Go” branding but is also the only member system that does not charge a fare.) Each of these transit systems has slightly different rates, but those interested in traveling through the Triangle will want a regional pass ($4.50/1 day, $16.50/7 days, $76.50/31 days).

GoTriangle offers express routes from Apex to Zebulon and every major town in between, with many of the most popular routes running through one of three major stations. GoRaleigh Station sits at Moore Square, in the heart of downtown Raleigh and a five-minute walk from the city’s new Union Station (more on that later). Durham Station is similarly close to downtown Durham, with American Tobacco Campus just half a mile southeast.

The Regional Transit Center is both a hub for buses and a vital connector to RDU International Airport—take the GoTriangle #100 route from the RTC to either of the airport’s two terminals.

Quality local shops, a thriving local community, and the simple addition of bike lanes on popular roadways mean that the Triangle’s cycling scene grows every day. Downtown areas are, predictably, the most popular spots for bikes, but leisure riders can check out the twenty-two-mile American Tobacco Trail that runs from western Wake County to downtown Durham, as well as the Raleigh’s Capital Area Greenway System, twenty-eight trails that comprise more than one hundred miles.

Bicycles are vehicles in the eyes of North Carolina law, meaning that cyclists can share the road except on highways. It also means that cyclists should follow some basic safety guidelines, most of them obvious:

Raleigh Union Station opened in 2018, giving the Triangle a taste of what its future might look like when Wake County’s transit plan, which includes a thirty-seven-mile commuter rail system, comes to fruition.

For now, Amtrak holds the key to traveling the state by train. The service isn’t exactly practical everyday travel—there’s only one station each in Raleigh, Cary, and Durham, and buses have the edge in affordability and reliability—but the Piedmont, Silver Star, or Carolinian trains can provide a novel change of pace for weekend trips around the state.

REGIONAL

RALEIGH

Regular One-Way Fare $2.25 regional/ $3.00 express

Single Ride $1.25 Day $2.50 7-Day $12.00

Regional Day Pass $4.50

31-Day $40.00

Regional 7-Day Pass $16.50

Single Ride $1.00

Regional 31-Day Pass $76.50

7-Day $12.00

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DURHAM Day $2.00 5-Day $8.50 31-Day $36.00

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• Stop at red lights • Travel with traffic • Signal before turning • Have both front and rear lights at night • Wear a helmet (not required but still smart!)

• And yes, you can get a DUI on a bicycle

ALTERNATIVE TRANSIT Some less conventional forms of transportation have found their way onto the Triangle’s urban streets, offering everything from a convenient ride to work to a cartoonish jaunt through downtown.

Bird and Lime’s dockless electric scooters suddenly appeared last year, sparking a debate over whether the two-wheelers were the perfect solution to public transit’s so-called last-mile problem or a public safety nightmare. Durham mostly embraced them. It currently has about eight hundred scooters from the companies Bird, Lime, Gotcha, and Spin on its streets. To use a scooter, download the respective app and look for a nearby scooter. Then, scan the scooter’s QR code. Riders are charged $1 to start $0.15 for each mile. Once you’re finished, leave the scooter near the sidewalk but not blocking the public’s right-of-way. (Seriously, don’t be that guy.)

Raleigh, on the other hand, hasn’t been as amenable. After it enacted strict regulations on scooter companies, the scooters all but disappeared in the summer of 2019. While city officials say Gotcha is going to launch downtown, its scooters have yet to materialize as this magazine goes to press. In early October, Gotcha tweeted that it was experiencing “challenges with our technology” that were causing delays.

Hopscotch Music Festival 2019 (photo by Jade Wilson).

WAKE

C ount y

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hours in

dOWNtown RaLeiGh

x

by Leigh Tauss Landmark: The State Capitol Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: 42 & Lawrence Where to Visit with Friends: Moore Square Where to Walk Your Dog: Dix Park Where to Spend the Night: Guest House

Despite some of our city council members’ best efforts, downtown Raleigh is no longer the sleepy Southern town of yore, back when Fayetteville Street was a pedestrian mall and most everything shut down after dark.

And that means, to burn through a proper day, I’m going to need coffee.

I’ll begin at The Morning Times and grab a seat at a table outside on Hargett Street—for my money, one of the best people-watching locales in DTR. In the Times’s upstairs room, you’ll find students clacking at keyboards and professionals having meetings most mornings, but out here, there’s serenity in watching urban life go by.

I think I’ll have a second cup.

Now, I’m seeking low-key stimulation, which means a trip to the North Carolina Museum of History is in order. The museum is pretty terrific; it includes relics from the pirate Blackbeard’s ship, which I learned crashed off the coast three centuries ago.

The Museum of Natural Sciences is just across the street, so I can make an educational morning of it and check in on some dinosaur bones.

By now, it’s about noon, and I’m craving a beer and some dumplings. There’s really only one option: Brewery Bhavana. If there’s a wait, and there is, I can grab a book from the library and hang out at the bar until my table is ready. The jiaozi dumplings fill me with bliss, which I follow up with some lo mein washed down with Glean, a peppercorn saison.

I love cute and useless things, so I stop by Deco Raleigh to grab custom Raleigh postcards to send home to my folks. I could spend way too much money here. Deco has all of the Raleigh

swag you never knew you wanted or that existed, and it also a nice collection of novelties.

Since I’m planning to paint the town tonight, I’m going to need something to wear: The Art of Style to the rescue. If black is your color, this is your store. Casual but chic, it will give you that New York-but-not-really look you’ve been not quite getting right forever.

OK, the big night out. Since I’ve been saving my coins and thinking ahead enough to make reservations a few weeks ago, Death & Taxes it is. Chef extraordinaire Ashley Christensen was recently given the top prize at the James Beard awards, and this is her fine-dining spot, so you can say excellence is a foregone conclusion.

I start with the summer squash and burrata and a serving of okra fried in buttermilk. For the main course, I’ll nom on the grilled poulet rouge.

Having thoroughly stuffed my face with fancy food, I head to Watts & Ward for some fancy cocktails—specifically, the U.S.S. Maine, with bourbon, smoke-tea-infused Dolin rouge, cherry brandy, and absinthe.

Now I’m full and smiley and ready to melt into the leather couches. But it’s not even midnight yet, and I’m only thirty, not dead, so before I call my Uber, I walk over to Isaac Hunter’s Tavern to dance off some calories. (The original Isaac Hunter’s tavern was a favorite of the delegates to the 1788 Hillsborough Constitutional Convention. Later, lawmakers deemed that North Carolina’s seat of government had to be near it. Hence, Raleigh.)

Cheap beers and good times. What better way to end a night downtown?

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EAT

Bella’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tapas

Big Ed’s City Market

411 West Morgan Street bellaswoodfired.com

220 Wolfe Street 919-836-9909, bigedsnc.com

A Place at the Table

Located in Morgan Street Food Hall, Bella’s serves Neapolitan-style, lightly charred pies and a handful of tapas.

DTR has changed a lot in the last few years, but Big Ed’s has stayed the same. Since 1989, Big Ed’s has served Southern breakfast and lunch options like pimento cheese sandwiches, fried catfish, salty country ham with red-eye gravy, fatback biscuit, and grits—all Southern, all the time, and all on red and white checkered plastic tablecloths.

300 West Hargett Street 919-307-8914, tableraleigh.org

Community is at the core of this pay-what-youcan breakfast and lunch cafe in the Warehouse District. Pay for your own meal or donate to feed someone less fortunate.

Barcelona Wine Bar 430 West Martin Street 919-808-5400, barcelonawinebar.com

Here you’ll find elegant tapas, prepared simply but with quality ingredients and striking flavors, accompanied by one of the largest Spanish wine programs in the U.S.

Beasley’s Chicken + Honey 237 South Wilmington Street 919-322-0127, ac-restaurants.com/beasleys

Chef Ashley Christensen drizzles fried chicken with honey in this modern lunch and dinner spot. Lines stretch down the block for Sunday brunch, so get there early for classics like chicken and waffles, mac and cheese custard, and red beans rancheros. Top it off with Frank’s hot sauce and a cocktail (or dessert) served in a mason jar.

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Benchwarmers Bagels and Coffee 500 East Davie Street, #107 benchwarmersbagels.com

A member of the Transfer Co. Food Hall gang, Benchwarmers—a collaboration between Josh Bellamy and Sam Kirkpatrick of Boulted Bread and Andrew Cash of Jubala Coffee—prides itself on giving equal attention to both coffee and bagel.

Benny Capitale’s Pizza 121 Fayetteville Street, #121 919-239-4173, bennysva.com

Just imagine the biggest damn slice of pizza you’re ever going to see, and then add a third.

Bida Manda 222 South Blount Street 919-829-9999, bidamanda.com

Siblings Vanvisa and Vansana Nolintha opened one of the few Laotian restaurants in the U.S. as an ode to their parents’ cooking.

Community helped build the space and continues to be a core part of Bida’s mission.

Classic homespun recipes like papaya salad, crispy pork belly soup, and pho Lao are filled as much with heart as flavor.

Boulted Bread 614 West South Street 919-999-3984, boultedbread.com

The smiles that greet you at Boulted’s counter are as healthy as the milled-in-house organic grain used to create these indelible wood-fired baked goods and loaves of bread. Around the holidays, ask to special order dark chocolate and apple pies.

Brewery Bhavana 218 South Blount Street 919-829-9998, brewerybhavana.com

This combination of flower shop, bookstore, brewery, and dim sum restaurant is the most metropolitan spot in the city and was voted one of the top ten restaurants in the world (!)

by Forbes.

Brewery Bhavana (photo by Jade Wilson).

Must Poole’side Pies 428 South McDowell Street 919-803-8660, ac-restaurants.com/ pooleside

Ashley Christensen’s long-awaited pizza joint, which is both adjacent to Poole’s Diner and themed like a swim club—hence the name—is exactly as good as you’d expect, maybe better. It opened on Friday the 13th (of September), but read nothing into that. The Neapolitan-inspired dough is cooked in a Marra Forni wood-fired oven, perfectly charred and chewy.

The mushroom white pizza with caramelized onions and chimichurri explodes in a zesty, lemony mouthgasm. The menu will feature a rotating cast of pizzas, with small plates like macaroni and three-cheese frittatine and chicken wings saltimbocca. And Cappie Peete, the beverage director, has designed a pizza-pairing program that includes Italian wines, refreshing cocktail spritzes, and other frozen delights. Expect a wait. Expect it to be worth it.

Carroll’s Kitchen

City Market Sushi

19 East Martin Street 919-670-3622, carrollskitchen.org

315 Blake Street 919-322-1987, citymarketsushi.net

Calling itself a nonprofit social-enterprise restaurant, Carroll’s empowers women through restaurant jobs with a mission of ending women’s homelessness. If that’s not enough reason to give them all your money, the sandwiches, wraps, and salads are quick lunch options.

City Market Sushi has a long list of specialty rolls (spicy tuna dynamite!) and appetizers (garlic edamame!), but the main stars are the adorable wooden, portioned lunch boxes with a combination of sliders, salad (that dressing!), panko shrimp, various nigiri, and sushi rolls.

Centro

327 South Wilmington Street 919-832-7614, clydecoopersbbq.com

106 South Wilmington Street 919-835-3593, centroraleigh.com

Caffé Luna 136 East Hargett Street 919-832-6090, cafeluna.com

Caffé Luna features one of the most gorgeously appointed interiors of any restaurant downtown. It also features a first-rate Italian culinary experience.

Capital Club 16 16 West Martin Street 919-747-9345, capitalclub16.com

CC16 feels like an extension of chef Jake Wolf’s family home. The atmosphere, German-inspired food, and uniquely curated events are what make the restaurant an integral part of downtown’s culture. Enjoy bratwurst with curry ketchup, daily catch sandwiches and soup, or one of the many vegetarian options while drinking a stein full of Hofbrau Lager, all while singing along to soccer match chants on the telly.

Owner Angela Salamanca puts her love of Mexican culture and cuisine into this creatively colorful restaurant. From hosting Day of the Dead road races in the city to the locally sourced ingredients for tacos, enchiladas, sopa de pollo, and classic Mexican desserts, Centro is a large part of Raleigh’s culinary heart.

Che Empanadas 500 East Davie Street cheempanadas.com

A Raleigh food truck fave that took up residence in Transfer Co., Che makes empanadas from a family recipe—ham and cheese, sweet beef, veggie, whatever you’re feeling.

Chuck’s 237 South Wilmington Street 919-322-0126, ac-restaurants.com/chucks

Burgers have names like Bear in Heaven, Dirty South, and La Tortuga, giving unmistakable visuals for their flavor profiles. Fries come with your choice of ten sauces, and the milkshakes are packed full of coffee, chocolate cake, or booze.

Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque Clyde’s is one of the state’s oldest BBQ establishments, selling vinegar-drenched, grass-fed ’cue, ribs, and fried chicken since 1938. You’ll get Brunswick stew, hush puppies, fried okra, and Cheerwine baked beans on the side.

Cocoa Forte 411 West Morgan Street 919-679-1816, cocoafortedesserts.com

What started as a local couple’s hobby six years ago has blossomed into a versatile business, including a food truck and retail space at Morgan Street Food Hall. Satisfy your sweet tooth with some delicious (and colorful) dipped cheesecake skewers.

Cousins Maine Lobster 411 West Morgan Street 919-867-6203, cousinsmainelobster.com/ restaurant/raleigh-nc

A national food truck chain that has set up shop inside of Morgan Street Food Hall, selling lobster rolls, lobster tacos, lobster tail, and, yes, lobster tater tots topped with cilantro lime sauce.

Cow Bar 411 West Morgan Street 919-834-2720, cowbarburger.com

Burgers, franks, and fries with a side of class, Cow Bar offers unique items like a truffle burger with smoked gouda and a Kim JongYum hot dog with kimchi and wasabi mayo.

Crawford and Son 618 North Person Street 919-307-4647, crawfordandsonrestaurant.com

Scott Crawford has built a culinary career around innovative dishes that change the conversation about how Southern food can be cooked and prepared. His first solo restaurant is one of Raleigh’s finest, offering beef short rib, braised octopus, and pork cheek with grits in a modern yet cozy interior.

Dank Burrito 500 East Davie Street 919-917-7521, dankburrito.com

Transfer Co. is home to the latest brickand-mortar for this N.C.-based burrito joint, which also has a food truck and three locations across the eastern part of the state.

Try the ginger-soy pork, carne asada tacos, or lose the wrap and go for a burrito bowl.

Death & Taxes

Raleigh Union Station (photo by Jade Wilson).

105 West Hargett Street 984-242-0218, ac-restaurants.com/death-taxes

In 2019, Ashley Christensen took home the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef. Her fine-dining restaurant features an open kitchen, expanding the energy of the meticulous food preparation from the wood-fired oven to the tables. Starters include charcuterie, octopus, and N.C. softshell crab fritto misto, while mains include layered Southern-inspired meals such as pork chop with house-cured bacon, green beans, roasted peppers, and chicharrones.

The District 317 West Morgan Street 919-977-5440, thedistrictraleigh.com

The District invites patrons to “come as you are” to its casual dining atmosphere, offering a selection of small plates in addition to flatbreads, burgers, subs, and wraps.

Falafel & Co. 1000 Brookside Drive, #119 919-977-1004

Deep in Mordecai is a corner store that’s been converted to a Mediterranean restaurant, market, and bottle shop. The huge patio, with picnic tables outside and the long bar inside, is typically crowded with friendly neighbors enjoying local beers on tap.

Hummus, muhammara, zatar fries, and, of course, the falafel are standouts.

Fiction Kitchen 428 South Dawson Street 919-831-4177, thefictionkitchen.com

Chef Caroline Morrison has created a special vegetarian restaurant based on many of the classic Southern recipes she grew up eating, but she adds a bit of Mexican, Indian, and Asian flare. The “slow and low” cooked 24

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soy-based eastern BBQ rivals any pork ’cue in the state, while many of the vegetarian entrees and desserts rotate seasonally depending on local ingredients.

x Garland 14 West Martin Street 919-833-6886, garlandraleigh.com

Chef Cheetie Kumar also shreds as a guitarist in the local rock band Birds of Avalon, giving you a sense of the energy that goes into her recipes. She learned to cook while watching her mother and grandmother while living in India as a child. This family-rich tradition comes through in delectable appetizers such as the bhel puri or cauliflower 65, as well as in the beef and noodle salad, pork tacos, bo ssam pork belly with sticky rice, and corn cake and greens. The interior floor is a recycled and remixed basketball court, and the bathrooms have penny-tiled floors. Garland satisfies all the senses at once.

Gravy 135 South Wilmington Street 919-896-8513, gravyraleigh.com

The titular gravy refers to Italian red sauce.

Here you’ll get Italian-American classics— gnocchi, ravioli con pollo, chicken parm—that draws heavily from local farms.

Gringo A Go Go 100 North Person Street 919-977-1438, gringoraleigh.com

Stepping into Gringo is like entering a disco taqueria set in an abandoned gas station near the Mexican border. Listen to outlaw country music while enjoying Tecates and tacos on a patio that’s as lush as a South American jungle.

Happy + Hale 443 Fayetteville Street 919-307-4148, happyandhale.com

It started on a trike and golf cart a few years ago, and it’s now one of downtown’s busiest lunch spots. Poke bowls, protein-rich salads, cold-pressed juices, and smoothies are all worth the wait that typically stretches out the door.

Humble Pie 317 South Harrington Street 919-829-9222, humblepierestaurant.com

Whether it's date-night cocktails and tapas or Sunday brunch and Bloody Mary’s, Humble Pie is a great choice in the Warehouse District. The large canopy-covered patio is perfect for big parties or enjoying drinks with friends at the tiki bar.

Irregardless Cafe 901 West Morgan Street 919-833-8898, irregardless.com

Serving vegetarian dishes since the seventies, Irregardless was one of the first farm-to-table restaurants in Raleigh. Duck, lamb chops, and steak frites share a menu with veggie fare like spanakopita, eggplant parm, and woodland pie.

Jolie 620 North Person Street 919-803-7221, restaurantjolie.com

Scott Crawford’s second Oakwood restaurant is this recently opened French bistro, a place that serves such gluttonous creations as foie gras parfait and beef cheek bourguignon. Stay for dessert.

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Clockwise from left: City Plaza during Hopscotch; chef Tom Cuomo of Papa Shogun (photos by Jade Wilson); birthday cake macarons at lucettegrace (photo by Ben McKeown).

Jose & Sons

Manhattan Cafe

Morgan Street Food Hall

327 West Davie Street, #102 919-755-0556, joseandsons.com

320 South Wilmington Street 919-833-6105, manhattancafenc.com

411 West Morgan Street 919-307-4481, morganfoodhall.com

The industrial vibe of a refurbished train station serves as the setting for this adventurous Mexican comfort-food spot. Chicarron and waffles, shrimp ceviche, a plantain sandwich, and barbacoa braised in Crank Arm beer are only a few of the many examples of the restaurant’s unique dishes. #HolaYall.

The interior of this deli is splashed with a mural of Sir Walter Raleigh sporting a boombox surrounded by abstractions of Raleigh’s downtown skyline. If you need more convincing, there’s a build-your-own salad bar and a wide selection of sandwiches and wraps.

Locals Oyster Bar & Seafood Market

13 East Martin Street 919-832-5714, mecca-restaurant.com

Raleigh’s first large urban food hall has changed pedestrian activity in the Warehouse District, drawing all manner of curious eaters with its collection of culinary entrepreneurs. Ice cream, lobster rolls, fish and chips, smoothies, Mediterranean dishes, wood-fired pizzas, and poke bowls share warehouse space with indoor-outdoor bars and a large patio with shipping-container restaurants.

500 East Davie Street 919-594-1459, localsoysterbar.com

Another addition to Transfer Co., Locals is all about fresh N.C. seafood, both from its raw bar and in its dining room: the tuna burger, the blue crab roll, ceviche, oysters and clams (steamed or raw), blackfin tuna tartare, smoked scallops, you get the idea.

lucettegrace 235 South Salisbury Street 919-307-4950, lucettegrace.com

From the playful window decorations and interior décor to the friendly service that greets you at the pastry counter, lucettegrace immediately wins you over. Then you try the colorful array of macarons, indelible pastries, and curry chicken sandwich, and you’re in love for life.

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Mecca Restaurant Downtown’s oldest restaurant. Mecca has been a beloved Raleigh mainstay since the thirties, serving fried chicken and the locally famous Glorified Jumbo Hamburger. Here’s hoping Mecca—now in the hands of local restaurateur Greg Hatem—will celebrate its hundredth anniversary in style.

Oak City Fish & Chips

Mofu Shoppe

Oak City Meatball Shoppe

321 South Blount Street 919-301-8465, mofushoppe.com

180 East Davie Street 919-714-9014, oakcitymeatball.com

The women behind Mofu were also behind one of America’s most popular dumpling and pho food trucks. Trading in the traveling eatery for a beautifully renovated car dealership with roll-up garage doors, the brick-andmortar serves pork dumplings, udon noodles, honey sriracha brussels sprouts, and tom yum braised chicken.

Choose your balls (traditional, spicy pork, buffalo chicken, chicken, veggie), choose your sauce (tomato, meat sauce, parm cheese, blue cheese cream, mushroom, pesto), choose your side (spaghetti, ziti, sauteed spinach, fettucini, smashed potato, etc.).

Sometimes, simplicity is the best.

411 West Morgan Street morganfoodhall.com/vendors/oak-city-fish-chips

Fried fresh seafood, sprinkled with unique, proprietary spice blends, makes this an essential addition to the Morgan Street Food Hall, connecting the UK to the South.

Oakwood Cafe

Pizza La Stella

The Remedy Diner

300 East Edenton Street 919-828-5994, oakwoodcafenc.com

219 Fayetteville Street 984-200-2441, pizzalastella.com

927 West Morgan Street 919-835-3553, theremedydiner.com

The candle-lit atmosphere suits the cafe’s authentic Argentinian and Cuban cuisine.

The ropa vieja and pulled pork are delicious staples, while the homemade hot sauce, chimichurri, and empanadas are among the best in the city.

La Stella dishes single-serving wood-fired pizzas, wings, and salads on Raleigh’s main drag. You can go with the classic pepperoni or sausage, but you’ll be much happier adventuring out with the Ratatouille with brussels sprouts, artichoke, and pistachio pesto.

Vegetarians, vegans, and carnivores intermingle at this quirky local restaurant. The soy buffalo chicken will make you want to go veg forever.

Oakwood Pizza Box

Pizza Times

610 North Person Street 919-594-1605, oakwoodpizzabox.com

210 South Wilmington Street 919-832-4411, raleightimespizza.com

Owner Anthony Guerra knows pizza and has lived it all his life. Simplicity is key, both with the black-and-white interior and the entire pizza and drink menu, which fits on a five-byseven-inch card.

Pop in for a quick slice and salad in this small counter space carved out to accommodate a short line of hungry downtowners looking for a quick bite between meetings.

This hot-dog-only joint, which boasts the “Greatest Tasting Hot-Weiner Chili Dogs on the Planet,” has been around since 1940, and owner “Hot Dog” George mans the small counter every day. No ketchup allowed. Hear that? NO KETCHUP ALLOWED.

O-Ku

426 South McDowell Street 919-832-4477, ac-restaurants.com/pooles

Poole’s Downtown Diner

The Roast Grill 7 South West Street 919-832-8292, roastgrill.com

Royale 200 East Martin Street 919-977-3043, royaleraleigh.com

Parkside

This revamped classic diner is home to one of the South’s finest restaurants. Ashley Christensen’s first restaurant is home to her famous mac and cheese (technically, macaroni au gratin), but much of the modern comfort food menu, written on a blackboard, changes daily.

This French-American bistro makes for a classy night out on the town. Sit at the bar and order oysters by the half-shell along with irresistible fried brussels sprouts and a perfectly topped endive salad. Or enjoy the best burger in Raleigh and handmade cocktails in the city-corner-lit dining room.

301 West Martin Street 984-232-8969, parksideraleigh.com

411 West Hargett Street 919-792-3777, okuraleigh.com

A high-end sushi chain that just moved into the Warehouse District. Trust the chef’s specialties.

Raleigh Raw Juice Bar and Cafe

Rye Bar + Southern Kitchen

A restaurant across from Nash Square, at the entrance to the Warehouse District, Parkside does burgers, meat-and-threes, salads, nachos, and so on.

7 West Hargett Street 919-400-0944, raleighraw.com

500 Fayetteville Street 919-227-3370, ryeraleigh.com

Raw juice. Raw salad ingredients. Raw vibe.

Raleigh Raw wears its culture on its sleeve.

Papa Shogun

Raleigh Times

A seasonal Southern restaurant, Rye Bar gets you started with a bread board that includes housemade pickles and honey butter. The fried green tomatoes are a must.

111 Seaboard Avenue, #118 919-977-1247, papashogun.com

14 East Hargett Street 919-833-0999, raleightimesbar.com

For his first solo venture, chef Tom Cuomo explores the intersection of Italian and Japanese cuisines with a menu of whimsical small plates. Fresh-pulled mozzarella with kombu and garlic bread and udon vongole are excellent choices for dipping, but you’ll want to slurp every drop of the smoked tonkotsu broth in the standout carbonara ramen yourself.

As downtown became an urban destination, the Raleigh Times was the center of the energy. Obama had a PBR there.

Oakwood Pizza Box (photo by Jade Wilson).

The Pharmacy Cafe 702 North Person Street 919-977-3805, pharmacycaferaleigh.com

This breakfast and lunch cafe was once occupied by a century-old pharmacy deli counter, but it’s been transformed into a hip local neighborhood hangout. Owner Daniel Whitaker brings in local farm ingredients for sandwiches, soups, and inventive daily specials.

The Pit 328 West Davie Street 919-890-4500, thepit-raleigh.com

Get within a quarter-mile of the Warehouse District, and the air fills with the smells of whole-hog Eastern N.C. pit-cooked BBQ. The Pit does elevated Southern cooking, from ’cue, fried chicken, and Western N.C. brisket to fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese balls, and fried mac ’n’ cheese. Top it off with a nip or sip from the wide array of bourbon and tap beer.

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Square Burger in Moore Square (photo by Jade Wilson)

Transfer Co. Food Hall 500 East Davie Street 984-232-8122, transferfoodhall.com

Raleigh’s newest food hall, Transfer has everything from bagels to beer to burritos to burgers (and those are just the b’s).

Treat Ice Cream Scoop Shop 305 South Blount Street 919-307-9390, treatraleigh.com

Partnering with Maple View Farm—as well as Videri Chocolate, Benelux Coffee, and Cheerwine—Treat features all kinds of deliciousness, from sorbets to ice cream, caramel sundaes to a sundae for your dog (it has bacon bits and a dog biscuit).

Trophy Brewing and Pizza Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern 330 Hillsborough Street 919-829-3663, second-empire.com

Old Raleigh at its finest, Second Empire is fine Southern dining in the Dodd-Hinsdale house, built in 1879. Grab a beer at the tavern and then enjoy seafood paella, duck breast, or veal chop with a glass of wine.

Sitti 137 South Wilmington Street 919-239-4070, sitti-raleigh.com

Empire Eats owner Greg Hatem and the Neomonde-owning Saleh family teamed up to bring this Lebanese restaurant to one of DTR’s busiest intersections. Start with the smoothest hummus in Raleigh, followed by red wine-braised lamb shank, kabobs, falafel, and lamb bacon dates.

St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar 223 South Wilmington Street 919-332-0359, strochraleigh.com

Chef Sunny Gerhart has cooked in many of the best local kitchens, from Poole’s to Watts Grocery (RIP). St. Roch brings his love of New Orleans fare and oysters to downtown. From beignets and Belgian waffles at brunch to pimento N.C. oysters and BBQ crawfish at dinner, there’s not much like it around.

Stanbury 938 North Blount Street 919-977-4321, stanburyraleigh.com

Sosta Cafe

With Stanbury, a trio of college friends has assembled a world-class restaurant rooted in the local community. Much of the bread, cheese, and meat come from Raleigh or surrounding farms. The menu changes regularly with seasonal ingredients, but one thing never does: the dedication to creating unique, flavorful cuisine.

130 East Davie Street 919-833-1006, sostacafe.com

The Station at Person Street

827 West Morgan Street 919-803-4849, trophybrewing.com

Trophy’s pizza and beer have become a mainstay of downtown culture. The Morgan Street building is adorned with colorful murals outside and lines of local residents’ trophies inside. The Daredevil Pizza with ghost pepper salami, sriracha, and jalapeños is one of the most inventive pies around.

Trophy Brewing Table + Tap 225 South Wilmington Street 919-424-7817, trophybrewing.com/tap-table

Here you’ll find Southern-inspired food and Trophy beers on tap. Loaded tots are among the most beloved plates downtown, and the full menu includes burgers, short rib tacos, and shrimp and grits. The upstairs patio is a delightful space to watch the sun go down.

Two Roosters Ice Cream 215 East Franklin Street 919-803-9369, tworoosters.com

Sosta feels like a European cafe in all aspects.

The foosball table, local art, and chess board all complement the delicious sandwiches, salads, and espressos. Come for the mains but stay for the couscous and chickpea salad.

701 North Person Street 919-977-1567, stationraleigh.com

Located in an old gas station in the Person Street District, The Station has one of the busiest patios in the city.

Owner Jared Plummer won the hearts of Raleigh residents by driving a bright blue trailer to events and serving addictive scoops that use local Slingshot coffee, lemon mascarpone cake, and Sola Cafe’s mini donuts. Try the Blackberry Hibiscus and Cheerwine float. It’s North Carolina in a cup.

Square Burger

Sweetwater New York Ice Co.

Vic’s Italian Restaurant

200 South Blount Street (in Moore Square) squareburger-raleigh.com

17 East Martin Street sweetwaterices.com

Greg Hatem says Square Burger wasn’t inspired by Shake Shack, but they’re a lot alike: burgers, fries, shakes. Good food at reasonable prices in the city’s recently overhauled downtown park. Square Burger is also the only spot currently serving alcohol in Moore Square.

A pop-up shop that sells Italian ice, Sweetwater can also deliver pints of lemon or cherry or whatever your heart desires; it also caters.

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Tonbo Ramen 211 South Wilmington Street 919-977-3625, tonboramen.com

At this cozy ramen restaurant and izakaya, start with a pork belly bun and follow it with a Shoyu shredded pork ramen bowl with a soy-marinated egg and homemade dumplings. Be sure to get all the spicy extras to mix into the broth.

331 Blake Street 919-646-8167, vicsristoranteitaliano.club

Before Raleigh’s recent pizza renaissance, there was Vic’s, an Italian restaurant with classic pasta dishes, massive slices, and salads. It feels like New York.

Virgil’s Original Taqueria 126 South Salisbury Street 919-833-3866, virgilstacos.com

Virgil’s serves chunky guacamole and tacos ranging from carnitas and cheesy chorizo to Negra Modelo Pescado Frito (aka beerdipped fish). Take your tacos upstairs and play classic video games while you eat.

You’re a neighbor, not a number.

Shawn Cockerham

5518 NC Highway 55 Durham • (919) 316-3276 shawn@shawncockerham.com

Pam Herndon

LUTCF, CLU, ChFC 104 S Estes Dr., Ste 105 Chapel Hill • (919) 240-0155 pam@pamherndon.com

Teri LaRocca

6406 McCrimmon Pkwy, Ste 200 Morrisville • (919) 462-8411 teri@terilarocca.com

Leslie Robinson

105 W NC Highway 54, Ste 263 Durham • (919) 206-5096 leslie@mydurhaminsurance.com

INDY WEEK

29

Whiskey Kitchen

Bittersweet

Cold Off the Press

201 West Martin Street 919-803-3181, whiskey.kitchen

16 East Martin Street 919-977-3829, bittersweetraleigh.com

416 West South Street, #100 984-444-9006, coldoffthepress.com

Before Whiskey Kitchen came alone, there wasn’t much of a connection between Fayetteville Street and the Warehouse District. Now, Whiskey, with its sleek interior and luscious patio space, has created a hip corner of DTR that offers creative cuisine, cocktails, and, of course, a large supply of beautiful brown liquor.

Owner Kim Hammer created a vibrant dessert, cocktail, and coffee lounge that serves birthday cake lattes, Shark Weekthemed cocktails, and delicious desserts.

Bittersweet is ideal for a date or hanging out with friends after work.

A local, raw, cold-pressed juice bar whose products are organic and GMO-free.

Wye Hill Kitchen + Brewing 201 South Boylan Street 984-200-1189, wyehill.com

Taking over the former Boylan Bridge Brewpub, Wye Hill is a new craft brewery that focuses on quality bar food. It still has the same exquisite view of downtown.

Yellow Dog Bread Company 219 East Franklin Street 984-232-0291, facebook.com/yellowdogbread

Anchoring the corner of the Person Street Plaza, Yellow Dog is one of Raleigh’s best bakeries. The large loaf selection, scones, cinnamon rolls, and a variety of topped focaccia slices are baked daily and are typically gone by seven each night.

BREW 111 Seaboard Avenue, #116 919-322-0470, brewcoffeebar.co

Tucked into Seaboard Station, this neighborhood coffee shop sports local art, coffee drinks with Raleigh Coffee Company beans, and a wall dedicated to displaying and storing the mugs of regulars.

Boba Brew 411 West Morgan Street 919-538-3041, bobabrewnc.com

Making bubble tea and smoothies, Boba uses only authentic Boba Tea products from Taiwan, the birthplace of bubble tea, and its smoothies have no GMOs or added sugar.

Budacai 120 East Martin Street 919-803-4005, facebook.com/budacairaleighnc

Crank Arm Brewing 319 West Davie Street 919-324-3529, crankarmbrewing.com

Owner Adam Eckhardt started homebrewing as a hobby, and now his work has turned into one of Raleigh’s most popular breweries.

Paired with Crank Arm’s rickshaw company, the brewery and taproom is a hangout for beer and cycling enthusiasts alike. The Rickshaw Rye is an award winner.

Drink Drank Drunk 905 West Morgan Street 919-803-0744, drinkdrankdrunk.rocks

Small, friendly, lots of regulars—there’s good beer in the cooler, on the handful of taps, and on the shelves, with a few seats inside and more on the patio out back. Also: nice name.

Flex Nightclub 2 South West Street 919-832-8855, flex-club.com

One of Raleigh’s oldest gay/straight/whatever bars and dance clubs, Flex hosts drag shows, karaoke, and go-go dancers on a nightly basis.

42nd & Lawrence

Budacai features Asian-inspired dishes as well as an assortment of teas brewed with or without alcohol. Downstairs are floor-to-ceiling windows and colorful murals; upstairs are lighted cubes to sit on, a selfie station, and a foosball table.

134 East Martin Street 919-322-1668, 42lawrence.com

x Burial Beer Co.

A beer-loving, UFO-curious chain operating in six states, Flying Saucer has a legitimately ridiculous quantity of brews on tap.

500 East Davie Street, #170, 919-617-1314, burialbeer.com

Foundation

DrInk This modern, urban coffee-counter extension of Raleigh-based Larry’s Coffee is the perfect spot to grab a quick nitro coffee on tap or sit with a dollar cup of joe and watch city life fly by.

The Anchor Bar 207 Fayetteville Street, #100 919-977-3714, anchorraleigh.com

A (loosely) nautical-themed craft-beer and craft-cocktail bar that won’t judge you for ordering a Bud Lite, Anchor is usually packed on weekend nights.

Apéro Aperitif Bar & Restaurant 309 Blake Street 919-803-7475, aperoraleigh.com

Apéro is a French happy-hour concept focused on vermouth and an array of eclectic small plates.

Bad Cat Coffee, Crepes & Bagels 411 West Morgan Street badcatcoffee.com

Exceptional local coffee, savory and sweet crepes, and high-quality bagels—Bad Cat has made an excellent addition to the Morgan Street Food Hall for the morning Warehouse District crowd.

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FINDER . 2019-20

One of Asheville’s most prized exports, Burial Beer opened its second taproom in the Transfer Co. building as its own space in early 2019. Only a few months later, the space was so popular, Burial doubled its size.

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium 328 West Morgan Street 919-821-7401, beerknurd.com

213 Fayetteville Street 919-896-6016, foundationnc.com

Circa 1888

Literally dug out of a basement full of dirt when its building was renovated, this subterranean bar is home to some of the best cocktails and night vibes in the city. It’s also home to lots of bourbon.

412 West Davie Street 919-307-4597, circa1888raleigh.com

Fox Liquor Bar

Circa 1888, a billiard bar with beautifully finished red-felt tables, exposed brick walls, and large booths, is hidden on the backside of the Warehouse District, facing the railroad tracks, in a historic warehouse space that feels as casual as it does classy.

Coglin’s Raleigh 226 Fayetteville Street 919-794-7304, coglins.com

The line stretches down the block to get onto the dance floor on the weekends, and nostalgic eighties and nineties music and décor provide a backdrop for a place that is happy to serve as your blast-from-the-past party bar.

237 South Wilmington Street 919-322-0128, ac-restaurants.com/fox

Under an unassuming pale green canopy is a door to stairs that will take you down to one of the city’s best bars. The entrance may be subtle, but the drinks and space are anything but. Craft cocktails (from Fox originals to bar classics) are made with uniquely carved ice to fit the specific cocktail’s glass.

Gallo Pelon Mezcaleria 106 South Wilmington Street 919-835-4729, gallopelon.com

Travel up the side stairs of Centro, and you’ll discover a wonderful modern rustic mezcaleria, full of uniquely crafted cocktails and an intimate atmosphere. Flights of mezcal and mezcal dinners pair well with the beautiful interior and a second-floor patio engulfed in a playful skeleton mural.

The Green Light 108 East Hargett Street 919-833-4949, architectbar.com/the-green-light

After checking from the street to see if the (ahem) green light is on, walk up a long staircase, turn the corner, and enter behind the bookcase. Revealed is a tiny, luscious lounge with big-city charm and cocktails.

Clockwise from left: A dachshund at Trophy Brewery + Taproom; bikers cross Boylan Bridge (photos by Jade Wilson).

The Haymaker 555 Fayetteville Street, #115 thehaymakerraleigh.com

Unassumingly located in the back corner of an office tower in City Plaza, The Haymaker is one of the most relaxing and swanky cocktail lounges downtown. Modern baroque décor is only topped by the massive punch bowls and hip music selection.

Heirloom Brewshop 219 South West Street 919-297-8299, heirloombrewshop.com

Between the one-of-a-kind coffee, tea, and sake drink menu, eye-catching ceiling, and artfully placed pink accents throughout the room, Heirloom is simply bewitching. Inspired by its founders’ Laotian and Taiwanese heritage, the Brewshop—which opened on the bottom floor of The Dillon in 2018—is relaxed and sophisticated, serving inspired concoctions like the five-spice brown sugar latte.

a safe space and community hub for the LGBTQ community, hosting drag shows, talent contests, movie nights, and a variety of community-focused events. There’s a massive outdoor patio and a cash-only bar.

The London Bridge Pub 110 East Hargett Street 919-838-6633, thelondonbridgepub.com

Isaac Hunter’s Tavern

London Bridge is a sports bar, but only if your sport is soccer, in which case it’s the sports bar in DTR. It’s also a good place to grab a pint, hang out on the back patio with friends, and hit the dance floor when the weekend DJs do their thing.

414 South Fayetteville Street 919-996-9484, isaachunters.com

The Outpost

Named for the bar that, quite literally, put Raleigh on the map, Isaac Hunter’s has good drinks, good beer, good dancing, good prices, and good people running the place.

Landmark Tavern 117 East Hargett Street 919-821-9865, landmarktavernraleigh.com

The kind of bar that seems like it’s been here forever, Landmark is dark and cozy. You’ll feel like you’ve known the bartenders for years.

They’ll pour you a stiff drink.

Legend’s Nightclub 330 West Hargett Street 919-831-8888, legends-club.com

DTR doesn’t have enough dance clubs, but Legends has been a consistent dance party since the early nineties. It’s also served as

306 East Hargett Street 615-804-0558, facebook.com/theoutpostraleigh

Just off Moore Square, The Outpost looks more like a tropically decorated house than a bar. It serves coffee, smoothies, and tiki cocktails.

Paddy O’Beers 121 Fayetteville Street 919-838-0040, paddyobeers.com

Paddy O’Beers is more of a neighborhood hang and bottle shop than a bar. The small shop is packed with craft six-packs of craft, but it has a handful of well-curated taps and a sunny outdoor spot for you to enjoy patio beers (get it?).

Pelagic Beer and Wine 300 Pace Street 919-706-5955, pelagicbeerandwine.com

Families and dogs are welcome at this neighborhood bottle shop just off the Person Street drag. Pelagic serves local draft beers and six-packs from across the state in a casual and friendly atmosphere.

Person Street Bar 805 North Person Street 919-977-5953, person-street.com

Everyone knows everyone’s name (and drink orders) here. A lush back garden patio and colorful geometric mural provide a relaxing setting outside, while pinball, foosball, a pool table, modern art, and loud, chill tunes create a vibrant vibe inside.

Riddle Raleigh 314 South Blount Street 919-891-9920, riddleraleigh.com

A new bar adjacent to Moore Square, Riddle has football on the TV, corn hole, trivia, board games, darts, hatchet tossing, tiki tossing, and, if you’re hungry, alligator and elk burgers.

Short Walk Wines 123 East Martin Street 919-916-1774, shortwalkwines.com

Here you’ll find a wine-tasting counter and a curated selection of bottles perfect for an after-work drink with friends or a romantic start to a date night.

INDY WEEK

31

Sir Walter Coffee

William & Co

Father and Son Antiques

145 East Davie Street 919-322-0019, sirwaltercoffee.com

616 North Person Street 919-335-3165, facebook.com/willcobar

302 South West Street 919-832-3030, instagram.com/fatherandsonraleigh

This open-air coffee shop has become a favorite hangout and meeting spot for downtowners. Coffee, beer, bubble tea, and cocktails are all available. Check for your name on the pay-it-forward chalkboard to see if you’ve been gifted a drink.

Located between a trophy shop and a highend restaurant, WillCo has become a favorite neighborhood hang on Person Street. Enjoy craft cocktails inside the dark lounge or a nightcap Tecate on the busy sidewalk patio.

Located in a warehouse next to Raleigh Union Station, Father and Son has given the City of Oaks its premier location for vintage and modern furniture, records, clothing, and much, much more. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and their Instagram account is a hot commodity, with items flying off the shelf as soon as they press “post.”

Slim’s 227 South Wilmington Street 919-833-6557, slimsraleigh.com

ShOP

Everyone is welcome at downtown’s dive bar and sometimes rowdy music venue.

The Art of Style

State of Beer

21 West Hargett Street 919-755-3333, theartofstyleboutique.com

401 Hillsborough Street, Suite A 919-546-9116, stateof.beer

Sip on Trophy beers at community picnic tables on the street-side patio or take home a crowler full of your favorite brew. There’s also a vast selection of curated beers from across N.C. in coolers and on shelves.

Social 113 Cocktail Bar & Lounge 317 West Morgan Street, #113 919-977-5440, social113.com

Adjacent to and a sister of The DIstrict, the chic Social 113 pours innovative craft and session cocktails alongside sour ales and sparkling wines.

Tama Cafe 401 Fayetteville Street, #103 919-561-6271, tamacafe.com

DTR’s first tea cafe serves up all types of teas and tea-infused drinks: Matcha, green mint, tea smoothies, and a wall full of teas and products to purchase for your home-steeping.

Tasty Beverage Company 327 West Davie Street 919-828-2789, tastybeverageco.com

Located in an old train station, Raleigh’s first bottle shop set the tone for future stacked with spots all across the city. Tasty has one of Raleigh’s largest selections of craft beers in bottles, cans, buckets, tap, and crowlers. It’s perfect for an after-work beer, and then to grab a six-pack on your way out the door.

Trophy Brewery + Taproom 656 Maywood Avenue 919-803-1333, trophybrewing.com

Trophy started as a homebrewing project and then moved up to a nanobrewery serving pizza on Morgan Street. It’s now expanded to seven thousand barrels a day behind Les Stewart’s recipes and relentless love for beer.

Watts + Ward 200 South Blount Street 919-896-8016, wattsandward.com

This swanky underground bar has a vintage library vibe straight out of a Sherlock Holmes novel. Enjoy live jazz and craft cocktails in one of the multiple rooms outfitted with wooden furniture and leather couches or under the stars in a large outdoor space full of picnic tables.

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FINDER . 2019-20

The Art of Style is more than a modern clothing boutique. It’s a community hub. Owner Kendra Leonard has dedicated much of her life to giving others a platform for success through fashion and social entrepreneurship.

Deco Raleigh 207 South Salisbury Street 919-828-5484, decoraleigh.com

Owner Pam Blondin has become a vibrant part of the city after opening this gift shop, which sells everything from locally made products to housewares, quirky birthday cards, and puzzles. The color expands outside the store with Deco’s neon signage, façade, and sidewalk murals, as well as Raleigh’s first parklet.

Ealdwine Raleigh 412 South McDowell Street 984-242-0025, ealdwineraleigh.com

An upscale men’s clothing store that opened in early 2019, Ealdwine derived its name from an Old English word that means “old friend.”

In this case, old friends pay $600 for a pair of Alden Navy Suede hand-sewn boots, but good Lord, are they gorgeous boots.

Escazu Artisan Chocolates 936 North Blount Street 919-832-3433, escazuchocolates.com

Owners Hal Parson and Danielle Centeno have built an award-winning bean-to-bar chocolate factory selling chocolate bars, confections, drinking chocolate, and coffee drinks. The best-kept secret in Raleigh is the Escazu ice cream push-up.

Endless Grind 424 West Peace Street 919-828-5877, endlessgrind.com

Skater kids are regularly ollie-ing over construction debris outside, while inside, you can shop through a curated selection of branded shoes, skateboards, and skate clothing.

Edge of Urge 215 East Franklin Street, #110 919-827-4000, edgeofurge.com

In 2014, Jessie Williams brought her stylish women’s boutique up from Wilmington and opened a second shop in Person Street Plaza.

Since then, EOU has helped launch small independent brands, local makers, DIY goods, uncommon gifts, clothing, and street parties.

The Flourish Market 307 West Martin Street 984-202-5035, theflourishmarket.com

Several years ago, Em Sexton left her job at an investment bank to create The Flourish Market, which partners with more than fifty brands all over the world to provide jobs and fair wages to aspiring artisans in vulnerable communities.

This brick-and-mortar launched in 2016.

Galatea Boutique 10 West Franklin Street, #130 919-833-8565, galateaboutique.com

Located in a renovated warehouse in Seaboard Station, Galatea offers hand-selected clothing and accessories that, as its website describes, are “not too young and not too old, not too big and not too small, not too funky and not too conservative.”

Gypsy Jule 207 West Davie Street 919-753-7444, gypsyjule.com

The “Misfits Welcome” front-door signage gives you an indication that there’s a bit of twang in Gypsy’s step. Catering to young urban women, the shop sells rustic bohemian clothing, jewelry, and lifestyle home goods.

Holder Home 612 West South Street holdergoodsandcrafts.com

Owner Bryan Costello is an interior designer and curator of fashionable home goods and unique antiques in this retail gallery and design shop. Each object has a story, and the story makes the object.

House of Swank Clothing 119 East Hargett Street 919-413-7339, houseofswankclothing.com

Local screenprinter and fritocaster guitarist (that’s a guitar made from a Frito metal lunch box) John Pugh turns out a large selection Southern-themed t-shirts with kitschy graphics and puns.

Logan’s One Stop Garden Shop 707 Semart Drive 919-828-5337, logantrd.com

Vegetable seedlings (in the spring), mulch, maple trees, and succulents are plentiful, along with everything you need for your garden. Eat tuna salad, a burger, or a Reuben for lunch among the wildflowers at the cafe.

Clockwise from left: Wye Hill Kitchen + Brewing (photo by Jade Wilson); Slim's (photo by Justin Kase Conder).

Oak City Cycling Project 212 East Franklin Street 919-436-0527, oakcitycycling.com

OCCP is a people-focused bike shop started by a few friends that has organically grown into an integral part of Raleigh’s cycling community. You’ll find its branded riding kits in groups all over the city.

Petale 15 West Hargett Street 919-900-8066, petaleshop.com

Petale is a flower shop providing European bouquets at affordable prices.

Port of Raleigh 416 South McDowell Street 984-221-8008, portofraleigh.co

At this hip shop for modern home goods and lifestyle products, the meticulously curated products range from pastel pepper grinders and locally crafted furniture to fun baby products and a large selection of gifts under $25.

Quercus Studio 201 South Salisbury Street 919-960-1355, quercusraleigh.com

Rebus Works

x Videri Chocolate Factory

301 Kinsey Street, #2 919-754-8452, rebusworks.us

327 West Davie Street 919-755-5053, viderichocolatefactory.com

Art gallery, frame shop, and cultural icon, Rebus Works has been around DTR for over a decade. Rebus hosts bands, a Saturday food market full of local vendors, and a kids summer art camp.

Chocolatier Sam Ratto has created a chocolate factory that acts as both a tourist attraction and daily hangout for locals. Inside are lots of objects to gawk at: chocolate machinery, beautiful confections, retail shelves full of chocolate-themed gifts, and a coffee shop. Try the Hot Shot: sipping chocolate topped with locally made Vesta dry hot sauce.

The centerpieces of this jewelry studio are eloquently handcrafted wedding bands and engagement rings by metalworker Lauren Rameriz. A curated selection of bespoke jewelry from other U.S. makers rounds out the shop’s selection.

Runologie

Raleigh Denim Workshop + Curatory

So & So Books

319 West Martin Street 919-917-8969, raleighdenimworkshop.com

Having started with a pair of scissors in their apartment, Sarah and Victor Lytvinenko have been on a mission to make your ass look good in the perfect pair of jeans ever since. Every pair is sewn on classic machines and signed by the makers.

Raleigh Provisions 107 East Davie Street 984-233-5600, raleighprovisions.com

Kim Hammer, owner of Bittersweet, has expanded her love for Raleigh to local food, wine, and beer in this downtown market.

Pop-up produce stands, gift baskets, and educational tastings all complement shelves full of N.C. goods.

401 Hillsborough Street 919-664-8865, runologieraleigh.com

Raleigh’s only independent running shop sells men’s and women’s running essentials and its own line of N.C.-produced gear, 704 North Person Street 919-426-9502, facebook.com/soandsobooks

Two passionate book lovers have created a sharply curated neighborhood bookshop.

Modern art coffee table books share shelf space with music biographies, novels, bestsellers, and kids’ books.

Sorry State Records 317 West Morgan Street, #105 919-977-4704, sorrystaterecords.com

Loud punk music blares while you thumb through a large selection of curated hardcore metal, punk, garage, jazz, and hip-hop vinyl.

Owner Daniel Lupton doubles as a band member and label owner, releasing records from N.C. punk bands.

ZEN Succulent 208 South Wilmington, Street 919-916-5115, thezensucculent.com

This Durham-based plant shop expanded to DTR, selling modern terrariums and succulents. Hands-on, artist-led workshops give you the opportunity to learn more about planting.

PLay The Alamo Drafthouse 2116 New Bern Avenue 984-444-6620, drafthouse.com/raleigh

The Alamo is more than a night at the movies.

The dine-in cinema includes boozy milkshakes, pizza, desserts, burgers, and avocado toast.

Blockbusters, indie films, themed film screenings, and free DVD/VHS (!) rentals make it a perfect spot for movie lovers.

INDY WEEK

33

Artspace

Halifax Mall

The Pour House Music Hall

201 East Davie Street 919-821-2787, artspacenc.org

300 North Salisbury Street downtownraleigh.org/go/halifax-mall

224 South Blount Street 919-821-1120, thepourhousemusichall.com

Two floors of an old car dealership were beautifully renovated to fit art galleries and walk-in artist studios selling everything from paintings and sculptures to quilted art.

Hidden in the center of downtown’s northernmost municipal complex is a relaxing gem of greenspace. Halifax has played home to a multitude of events over the years, including Easter egg hunts, political protests, and a speech by then-candidate Barack Obama to more than twenty-five thousand people.

Since 1997, The Pour House has been DTR’s go-to for live music (and sometimes comedy) in an intimate space. The Local Band Local Beer series is a gem of the Triangle scene.

Popular for kids, families, and adults out for the night or Sunday funday, Boxcar’s large warehouse is packed with arcade games, from classic Ms. Pac-Man, The Simpsons, and Mortal Kombat cabinets, to a row of pinball machines, Skee-Ball, and air hockey.

A large selection of draft beers and free popcorn add to the fun.

Kings/Neptunes

Burning Coal Theatre Company

Marbles Kids Museum

The six-thousand-seat outdoor amphitheater in the heart of downtown has been the stage for funk legends Chic, country icon Dwight Yoakam, kid faves Kidz Bop, Icelandic avant-rockers Sigur Ros, and hundreds more over the past decade. The shimmer wall on the Raleigh Convention Center and the sounds of regular Amtrak and freight trains add to the sensorial experience.

201 East Hargett Street 919-834-4040, marbleskidsmuseum.org

Ruby Deluxe

Boxcar Bar and Arcade 330 West Davie Street 919-803-2796, theboxcarbar.com

224 Polk Street 919-834-4001, burningcoal.org

This small nonprofit theater in Oakwood mixes known and original plays. There are also writing and acting classes available.

CAM Raleigh 409 West Martin Street 919-261-5920, camraleigh.org

Before CAM, the Warehouse District was simply that—a bunch of empty warehouses.

Since CAM’s arrival and the injection of provocative contemporary art and cultural events, the area has not been the same.

City of Raleigh Museum 220 Fayetteville Street 919-996-2220, cityofraleighmuseum.org

Peruse historical artifacts while getting your fix of Raleigh-themed books and swag. The museum’s goal is to “preserve Raleigh’s past for the future,” providing education while programming local community events and art exhibitions.

x Dorothea Dix Park 2015 Umstead Drive 919-996-3285, dorotheadixpark.org

It hasn’t taken long for Dix has become a keystone of Raleigh’s identity. A three-hundred-acre green space now hosting themed movie nights, sunflower fields, music festivals, and adult Easter egg hunts will eventually transform into “a park for everyone, built by everyone.” Only in its infancy, future generations will be gifted a unique place that will change how our city—and its connection to nature—is defined.

Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts 2 East South Street 919-996-8700, dukeenergycenterraleigh.com

Downtown’s largest performing arts center hosts orchestra, comedy, and off-Broadway shows as well as Hopscotch concerts in a variety of venues ranging in size from the 2,000-seat Raleigh Memorial Auditorium to the 150-seat Kennedy Theater.

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FINDER . 2019-20

14 West Martin Street 919-833-1091, 919-896-7063; kingsraleigh.com, neptunesparlour.com

Upstairs is one of North Carolina’s most prominent touring band venues, downstairs is one of DTR’s liveliest nightlife spots.

Few cities in North Carolina (or the South) can say they have as special a playspace as Marbles. The two-story wonderland is full of rooms and stations to spark imaginations, expand STEM skills, explore art and construction, learn about plants, and dance around in an oversized aquarium. The IMAX theater, cafe, outdoor plaza, and color-saturated street-corner space have expanded Marbles’ playful footprint into an urban block party for kids.

Imurj 300 South McDowell Street, Suite A 919-825-1515, imurj.com

Behind Whiskey Kitchen, down a flight of stairs surrounded by colorful murals, lies a creative, collaborative space for emerging visual and performing artists. Imurj prides itself on its eclectic and inclusive nature, giving artists a platform for their talents.

North Carolina Museum of History 5 East Edenton Street ncmeseumofhistory.org

Founded in 1902, the N.C. Museum of History tells the story of our state in a local, regional, national, and international context, drawing on artifacts and other historical materials. Did you know that the first American gold rush took place in Cabarrus County in 1799? You do now.

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences 11 West Jones Street 919-707-9800, naturalsciences.org

The state’s oldest museum, the Museum of Natural Sciences focuses on the state and the South’s wildlife, agriculture, and geological history. Recently, it added an eighty-thousand-square-foot Nature Research Center to include more interactive science elements, including hands-on investigative labs, a threestory theater, and research-based labs.

Red Hat Amphitheatre 500 South McDowell Street 919-996-8500, redhatamphitheater.com

415 South Salisbury Street 919-900-8194, rubydeluxeraleigh.com

At downtown’s most animated nightlife hang, owners Tim Lemuel and Daniel Tomas have created an inclusive and lively venue that comes to life as the sun goes down. Goth nights, drag shows, and mainstay DJs LuxePosh and DNLTMS keep the sparkle dungeon alive and glittery.

VAE Raleigh 309 West Martin Street 919-828-7834, vaeraleigh.org

A four-thousand-square-foot nonprofit art gallery, VAE offers programs for emerging artists and provides a hub for the creative community.

18

hours in

gLEnwooD soUTh +FiVe pOiNtS

¨

by Leigh Tauss Landmark: Rialto Theatre Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Third Place Coffee Shop Where to Visit with Friends: Hibernian Where to Walk Your Dog: Fred Fletcher Park Where to Spend the Night: Origin Hotel (opening winter 2019)

My first night in Raleigh was in an Airbnb off Tucker Street. It’s no coincidence that neighborhood is now my home.

The proximity to downtown and the abundance of vibrant nightlife, coupled with the quaintness of small-city life and endless dining choices, have made it one of the most popular areas in Raleigh.

Everything you could want is within walking or biking distance. Even more lies just an Uber away.

A good Saturday morning begins with a bagel at NY Bagel Cafe & Deli, sipping a mimosa on the porch with the latest issue of The New Yorker. After I’ve fueled up, I hop on my bike and whip down Boylan Avenue to Dorothea Dix Park, where I can enjoy more fresh air and (if it’s the right time of year) frolic in the sunflowers. I imagine how the rolling hills and cityscape will look after the city transforms these three hundred acres into a $300 million world-class park. It’s already so beautiful here.

For lunch, I’ll catch an afternoon soccer game on the rooftop bar of Hibernian Pub, sipping an IPA and munching on a little basket of fries. It’s afternoon, and the sun is bearing down, so to escape the heat, I catch an afternoon film at The Rialto, Five Points’ vintage movie theater.

The selection is usually good, albeit sometimes a few weeks behind the major cinemas.

After the credits roll, the sun is still high, and the hardest part about dinner is the overwhelming plethora of options. Some sushi and half-price wine at Sushi Blues? Or savory barbecue at Southern Charred? I opt for some soul-warming banh mi paired with Thai iced tea at Anise Pho. The sun wanes and the nightlife awakens, the street suddenly crowded with ecstatic club-goers, young men in salmon shorts and women in sleek black

jumpers and high heels. And here’s the thing you should know about Glenwood South: It is Raleigh’s nightlife district. If that’s not your scene, there are calmer spots in the City of Oaks you should probably check out. Let the kids have their fun.

If you’re still with me, hit that Fireball and let’s get moving.

I’m whisked off fairly quickly to PLUS Dueling Piano Bar, where I’ll howl Billy Joel before stumbling over to Cornerstone Tavern for some resplendent hits from the early aughts and late-night debauchery. (No need for details; my mom might read this.)

By the time I find my way back to my cozy little duplex, my feet are sad, but my stomach is happy.

I can hear cicadas singing. I’m pretty sure they’re singing “Allentown.” Maybe that’s in my head.

Must C. Grace 407 Glenwood Avenue 919-899-3675, cgracebar.com

A burlesque-inspired basement speakeasy that is both on but seems far removed from Glenwood’s entertainment district, C. Grace serves sophisticated cocktails that transform classics into something new. Order a negroni, sink into a plush couch, and let the always-excellent jazz musicians on stage transport you to a more elegant era.

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EAT

Hayes Barton Café & Dessertery

Southern Charred

2000 Fairview Road 919-856-8551, hayesbartoncafeanddessertery.com

501 Glenwood Avenue, #101 919-758-8851, southerncharred.com

42nd Street Oyster Bar 42nd Street started in 1931 as a grocery store that served oysters; it’s since become one of the busiest restaurants in the area, serving classic sea fare from fried shrimp and hush puppies to oysters Rockefeller and grilled mahi.

Raleighites refer to this restaurant by the size of the last slice of cake they devoured. (Hint: They’re enormous and delicious.) The interior is decked out as an upscale diner with forties memorabilia, a chrome bar, and checkerboard tile. Classic American dishes (meatloaf, chicken pot pie, filet mignon) are served at dinner, and sandwiches (chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad, burger, BLT) are served at lunch.

Southern Charred does smoked meats and Southern cocktails, as well as skillet mac and cheese and a charred caesar salad (with hush puppy croutons).

Anise Pho

¨ Hummingbird

508 West Jones Street 919-831-2811, 42ndstoysterbar.com

222 Glenwood Avenue, #113 919-803-4539, anisepho.com

An authentic Vietnamese restaurant whose motto is “bad food is sin” and has banh mi good enough to make angels cry.

Armadillo Grill 439 Glenwood Avenue 919-546-0555, armadillogrill.com

A quick, cheap spot for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and chalupas, Armadillo is perfect for a sunny patio lunch with a cold Modelo.

The Cardinal Bar 713 North West Street thecardinalbar.com

A converted Cardinal Cab building now houses this restaurant and bar that feels like it’s been in Raleigh for decades. It does one thing—beer-braised hot dogs (and veggie dogs)—and it does them very well. Fill out the order card to add sriracha, cheese, onions, and all the typical fixins.

Char-grill 618 Hillsborough Street 919-821-7636, chargrillusa.com

Serving Raleigh since the fifties, Char-Grill still feels and tastes like the golden era of drive-in theaters, soda pop, and sock hops.

The Cortez Seafood + Cocktail 413 Glenwood Avenue 919-342-8227, cortezraleigh.com

Owner Charlie Ibarra has expanded his Southern-Mexican fusion to include more soulful Latino dishes at this seafood-focused restaurant, a sister to Jose and Sons.

The Cupcake Shoppe 104 Glenwood Avenue 919-821-4223, thecupcakeshopperaleigh.com

1053 East Whitaker Mill Road, #111 919-301-8900, hummingbirdraleigh.com

Chef Coleen Speaks brought her love of New Orleans into this small-plates restaurant and craft cocktail bar. The décor, food, and cocktail menu all reflect the rustic Southern flare of The Big Easy. Po’boys, succotash, brandied chicken liver paté, and charbroiled oysters share space on a menu that features one of the best desserts in the city: ricotta fritters with mascarpone cream.

La Santa 222 Glenwood Avenue, #107 919-720-4096, lasantanc.com

La Santa makes margaritas to order using freshly squeezed fruits and high-quality tequilas, and serves traditional Mexican dishes based on homemade Guadalajaran recipes.

Lilly’s Pizza 1813 Glenwood Avenue 919-833-0226, lillyspizza.com

301 Glenwood Avenue 919-664-8061, sushibluescafe.com

Mixing Japanese cuisine with American bluesand-jazz décor, this popular sushi restaurant has BOGO rolls daily.

Sushi O 222 Glenwood Avenue 919-838-8868, sushioraleighnc.com

An Asian fusion restaurant with an abundance of sidewalk patio seating, Sushi O is often packed with folks enjoying BOGO sushi deals or one of the many Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese dishes on the vast menu.

Thaiphoon Bistro 301 Glenwood Avenue, #190 919-720-4034, thaiphoonbistroraleigh.com

Vidrio

620 Glenwood Avenue 919-832-6799, mojoesburgerjoint.com

MoJoe’s specializes in a variety of burgers, sandwiches, and wings. Photos of folks who have completed the “pound-burger challenge” montage the walls inside, while the milkshakes and buckets of beers are perfect for the outdoor patio.

Plates Neighborhood Kitchen 301 Glenwood Avenue, #100 919-828-0018, plateskitchen.com

The Rockford

FINDER . 2019-20

Sushi Blues

MoJoe’s Burger Joint

DeMo’s Pizzeria & Deli

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At Sullivan’s, you find the classic white-tablecloth steak-and-seafood-and-martini treatment. Perhaps the finest bone-in ribeyes in the area, and among the best wine lists, too.

Vintage décor, loud music, and paper-plate kids’ art give this pizza joint its funky vibe.

Lilly’s prides itself on its organic dough, tomatoes, and fresh pizza ingredients.

Plates is a globally inspired and locally produced restaurant rooted in the owners’ travels and international food experience.

The Sunday roast pork loin special is stuffed with local peaches, garlic, carrots, and pork jus, and can be enjoyed on a lush and large outdoor patio.

Quick slices, cheesesteaks, and salad are on offer inside this small pizza joint or at the walk-up window to eat al fresco or to go.

Open until midnight on the weekends.

410 Glenwood Avenue 919-833-2888, sullivanssteakhouse.com

Tucked a half block off Glenwood South, you enter Thaiphoon through a small koi pond patio garden. It features traditional Thai cuisine, including tom yum, avocado and mango eggrolls, and a delicious grilled beef salad, along with multiple curry options.

As the name suggests, you’ll find classic cupcakes, along with coffee drinks from Joe Van Gogh. Flavors such as Oreo-laced Cookie Monster and the carrot-filled What’s Up Doc are among the dozen standards, with new ones constantly in the mix.

222 Glenwood Avenue, #121 919-754-1050, demospizzeriadeli.com

Sullivan’s Steakhouse

320½ Glenwood Avenue 919-821-9020, therockfordrestaurant.com

One of Glenwood South’s oldest restaurants, The Rockford is a casual dinner spot serving a variety of entrées, salads, and sandwiches, including a Cubano, flank steak, burger, and fish tacos.

500 Glenwood Avenue, #100 919-803-6033, vidrioraleigh.com

This upscale Mediterranean restaurant has a large selection of wines as well as cold and hot plates, including a fig flatbread, braised short ribs, and green chickpea hummus. Vidrio means glass in Spanish, which is beautifully expressed through the colorful collection of 350 glass bowls and orbs hanging in the dining room.

XOCO Mexican Bar & Grill 410 Glenwood Avenue 919-835-9010, xocoraleigh.com

XOCO is a funky Mexican restaurant with delicious enchiladas, carnitas tacos, corn maiden chowder, and margaritas. The chips and salsa train, eclectic wall decor, and jungle-like patio fill the place with a fun vibe for the whole family.

Clockwork (photo by Eamon Queeney) .

DrInk Clockwork 519 West North Street 919-307-3215, clockworkraleigh.com

The surreal interior of this Clockwork Orange-inspired bar is full of geometrically painted walls, mod furniture, and constellation light fixtures. It's an enticing spot for enjoying a cocktail and bar snack.

Clouds Brewing 126 North West Street 919-307-8335, cloudsbrewing.com

Clouds has a rotating cast of more than forty beers on tap, including some of its own making. Its claim to fame is a downpour wall that rotates ten self-serve taps each week with RFID technology that allows you to pour and pay by the ounce.

Cornerstone Tavern 603 Glenwood Avenue 919-809-5560, cornerstone-tavern.com

Dance inside, sprawl out with a beer on the patio outside—there are fire pits in the winter—and have yourself a good time.

Dogwood Bar & Eatery 610 Glenwood Avenue 919-977-3714, dogwoodraleigh.com

Like its sisters Milk Bar (below) and Anchor (downtown), Dogwood offers craft beers, quality cocktails, and, most important, a good place to hang out with friends. There’s rosé on draft, if that’s your thing.

Dram & Draught 1 Glenwood Avenue, #101 919-607-8501, dramanddraught.com

D&D has more than three hundred whiskeys from around the globe. Also: wines from the Old World and New. Also: handcrafted cocktails. Also: beer. Also: What else do you want?

Empress Room 403 Glenwood Avenue 919-899-3865, empressroomraleigh.com

Sometimes a place’s website describes it better, or at least more creatively, than we can. So what the hell, we’ll just let Empress Room speak for itself: “Empress Room, the sofa bar, is an enchanting oasis. Like Cleopatra’s barge floating down the Nile, beautifully protected, the Empress Room sits above the hustle and bustle of Glenwood South, offering the perfect escape. A romantic hideaway where comfortable couches, creative cocktails, spirited conversation, and civility reign.”

Halycon

Hibernian Pub

517 West Jones Street 919-200-3757, halcyonraleigh.com

311 Glenwood Avenue 919-833-2258, hibernianpub.com

An upscale lounge, Halycon serves premium cocktails and wines in a luxurious environment.

A two-story rustic Irish pub with all the delicious classics: bangers and mash, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, corned beef and cabbage, Black and Tan, Guinness, Guinness, more Guinness. The roof deck is the perfect perch from which to sip a cold beer and watch the nightly chaos of Glenwood South roll by.

Havana Deluxe 437 Glenwood Avenue 919-831-0991, havanadeluxe.com

Walking down the stairs is like discovering your Uncle Walter’s man cave. It’s a bit dark.

There are overstuffed sofas and chairs.

A small TV is tuned to an NHL contest.

The distinctive aroma of cigar smoke permeates. Havana Deluxe has the comfort and feel of a beloved dive while offering top-flight bourbons, scotches, ryes, and, yes, cigars.

Its unassuming, old-school vibe is best experienced on a midweek night.

Little City Brewing + Provisions 400 West North Street, #120 919-502-7155, thelocalicon.com/little-city

Since 2016, this brewery and cocktail bar has been holding its own in Glenwood.

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Raleigh Beer Garden (photo by Jade Wilson).

North Street Beer Station 521 West North Street 919-977-0825

You’ll find beers all across North Carolina (and the U.S.) on shelves and on tap at this relaxed bottle shop. Most days, the garage door is rolled up, and from the street, you can hear people laughing as they indulge in board games and video games.

The Parliament 322 Glenwood Avenue 919-444-2769, parliamentraleigh.com

The hard-to-miss red neon sign and chandelier that hang inside this craft cocktail bar give Parliament a baroque spin. Ask for a prosecco cocktail as the DJs come out and late-night dancing begins.

PLUS Dueling Piano Bar 510 Glenwood Avenue, #10 252-289-7399, plusduelingpianobar.com

It’s the largest dueling piano bar in the U.S., with a sixty-thousand-watt sound system, rotating stage, and an insane light show.

¨ Raleigh Beer Garden 614 Glenwood Avenue 919-324-3415, theraleighbeergarden.com

Lucky B’s

My Way Tavern

609 Tucker Street 919-833-1310, luckybsbar.com

522 St. Mary’s Street 919-900-8273, mywaytavern.com

The self-proclaimed “classiest dive bar in Raleigh”—can we please just let dive bars be dive bars?—Lucky B’s has been serving up good times in Glenwood South since 2005: good prices, fun atmosphere, good friends.

Of note: Owner Bates Battaglia, a former NHL player, won The Amazing Race in 2013.

Of the twenty-two beers on tap, fifteen come from North Carolina. The food here is typical bar stuff—wings, burgers, etc.—but made well.

Milk Bar 410 Glenwood Avenue, #101 919-977-3714, ncmilkbar.com

Don’t let the name and milk-jug logo fool you.

The name comes from the creamery building, but this bar doesn’t serve milk. Instead, beers and cocktails are slung to twentysomethings playing Skee-Ball, pool, or hanging out on the packed patio.

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Noir Bar & Lounge 425 Glenwood Avenue 919-706-5943, noirraleigh.com

Noir has a great patio for people-watching, but inside, you’ll find crystal chandeliers, exposed brick walls, and a gorgeous black bar—an old-school European vibe to accompany classic cocktails.

With over 350 brews on tap, this expansive beer garden holds the Guinness world record for the largest selection of draft beers available in one restaurant. Much of the building opens up, creating a blur between inside and out and a lovely outdoor space to hang with friends after work.

Tapworks 222 Glenwood Avenue, #109 919-977-0191, tapworksraleigh.com

Tapworks has more than fifty beers, ciders, and wines on tap, Order shareable plates such as stuffed soft pretzels and duck bacon flatbreads.

Third Place Coffee Shop 1811 Glenwood Avenue 919-834-6566, thirdplaceraleigh.com

Third Place, one of Raleigh’s first neighborhood coffee shops, serves sandwiches, pastries, and fresh brews. Known for its eclectic local wall art, the shop’s owner, David Benson, is also an artist. He created the iconic acorn sculpture dropped during Raleigh’s annual New Year’s Eve celebrations.

ShOP

Nofo @ The Pig

Adara Spa

Southern kitsch is on full display at NOFO’s upstairs gift shop. Kids games, gift baskets, jams, and local art round out this large collection of affordable gifts for family and friends.

608 West Peace Street 919-834-9886, adaraspa.com

A black-owned full-service spa, Adara offers everything from facials to waxing to nail services.

Azurelise Chocolate 702 North Boylan Avenue 919-946-5063, azurelisecholate.com

Unadorned yet sinfully delicious truffles, with flavors from blue tequila to orange spice to old-fashioned chocolate, are what Azurelise Chocolate does best. Custom order a box online or stop by the store and experience Azurelise firsthand.

Carter Building Shops 22 Glenwood Avenue 919-848-3869, thecarterbuilding.com

Before the trend of maker shops and coworking spaces hit Raleigh, there was the Carter Building. Since the 1940s, the interior spaces have been rented to artists, comedians, metalworkers, painters, jewelers, and creatives of all kinds. More than thirty local entrepreneurs currently call it home. Pop in and say hi; you’ll likely leave with some locally crafted goods.

DRINK 215 Glenwood Avenue, Suite C 919-296-1600, drinkraleigh.com

A self-proclaimed “wine society of friends”— not merely a wine shop—DRINK brings the taste of smaller, often family-run wineries to Raleigh. Imitating the intimacy of a living room, DRINK invites customers to stay awhile and enjoy a glass with a book or while they work, and hosts small private events and wine tastings.

Form & Function 1700 Glenwood Avenue 919-831-2838, formandfunctionraleigh.com

Located on the second floor of a beautifully renovated modern building, F&F is a wonderland of funky furniture, gifts, and home accessories, both nostalgic and modern. The owners are also interior designers, so ask for advice while you’re there.

The Hemp Farmacy 527 Hillsborough Street 919-916-5607, hempfarmacy.us

The Hemp Farmacy, which boasts that it was the first hemp dispensary on the East Coast, prides itself on only carrying products that originated from American growers. The store is dedicated to educating the public about hemp and advocating for its use.

2014 Fairview Road 919-821-1240, nofo.com

The Raleigh Wine Shop 126 Glenwood Avenue 919-803-5473, theraleighwineshop.com

A locally owned wine shop with community-focused owners, it hosts everything from events and benefits to wine-tasting classes. The staff is knowledgeable, and the wine is plentiful.

¨ The Record Krate 508 St. Mary’s Street 919-601-3131, recordkrate.blogspot.com

Artist and audiophile Kirk Adam has turned selling crates of records at local markets into a thriving record store in the back basement of a multistory building off St. Mary’s Street.

Multiple rooms are stocked full of new and used vinyl, LaserDiscs, cassette tapes, and vintage music paraphernalia.

Revolver 122 Glenwood Avenue 919-834-3053, revolverboutique.com

Owner Liz Johnson and her pup Rigsby have been a staple of the Glenwood South retail scene for a decade, selling men’s and women’s high-end consignment clothing at affordable prices.

Sound Off Records & Hi-Fi in the Carter Building 14 Glenwood Avenue, Suite B1 soundoffrecords.com

PLay Alchemy 606 Glenwood Avenue 919-424-6072, alchemyraleigh.com

Glenwood’s answer to where the party’s at, Alchemy’s high-energy DJs and fantastic drinks keep party-goers dancing all night.

Alchemy also offers a more relaxed patio with its own full bar.

Epic Axes 510 Glenwood Avenue epicfun.com/epic-axes

A twist on dinner and a show, Epic Axes allows customers to learn how to throw axes while enjoying a meal and drink from Southern Charred, its partner restaurant. For the competitively inclined, Epic Axes has a weekly throwing league.

Fred Fletcher Park 820 Clay Street 919-996-6833, raleighnc.gov/parks

One of Raleigh’s most urban parks is sandwiched in between the bustling nightlife of Glenwood South and the neighborhoods that surround it. Concerts, sports fields and courts, picnic shelters, and multiple wide-open fields are a beautiful backdrop to community events, weddings, or an afternoon alone tucked into a book while lying under clear blue skies.

Mojito Lounge 106 Glenwood Avenue 919-615-4787

A Latin-themed lounge with a relaxed atmosphere and full-throttle dance nights.

Centered on the belief that “vinyl deserves to be heard and enjoyed,” Sound Off Records caters to both newbies and vinyl fanatics alike.

¨ Rialto Theatre

The Wine Feed

This Raleigh icon and independently owned single-screen theater has shown foreign and art films in Five Points since the 1940s.

Its large red velvet curtain is as iconic as its cash-only policy and a Fridays-at-midnight interactive showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

602 Glenwood Avenue 919-374-0036, thewinefeed.com

The Wine Feed offers a world-class variety of wines in a decidedly unstuffy atmosphere.

1620 Glenwood Avenue 919-856-0111, ambassadorcinemas.com

Tin Roof 300 Glenwood Avenue 919-322-2333, tinroofraleigh.com

With live music every night, Tin Roof is a bar for musicians, music lovers, and everyone in between. Tin Roof keeps weeknights more low-key with original songwriter nights, but on the weekends, live bands take the stage.

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09

hours on

Hillsborough Street (aNd ArounD N.C. staTE)

q

by Leigh Tauss Landmark: Dorton Arena Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Cup A Joe Where to Visit with Friends: JC Raulston Arboretum Where to Walk Your Dog: The park and greenway outside NCMA Where to Spend the Night: Aloft

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FINDER . 2019-20

There’s more to the neighborhoods surrounding Hillsborough Street than N.C.State. From shopping to casual dining—and maybe a little culture thrown in—you’ll find more than enough extra-curricular activities to fill an afternoon.

To kick off the day, I chug a latte at Cup A Joe and cozy up in a booth for some light reading. It’s a chill spot to knock off a few hours and catch up with friends.

After that, it’s time to make my wallet hurt at Cameron Village. My first stop is Nadeau, which has a huge selection of unique furniture. It’s a little on the pricey side, but you’ll find one-of-a-kind stunners to warm up any room in your home in every color of the rainbow. A lime green end table? Yes, please.

Next, I slide over to Aillea to browse high-quality environmentally friendly cosmetics—and to see what they can do with my pesky eyebrows.

I’ve also been itching for new fall fashions, so I peak in Ivy and Leo to peruse cozy sweaters.

Life isn’t all about the finer things, though; sometimes it’s about fine art, too. What better way to cap off my shopping trip than with some inspiration from the North Carolina Museum of Art. This fall, NCMA is featuring an exhibit of paintings from Frida Kahlo (along with Diego Rivera), whose work truly makes me feel like a goddess.

My afternoon of zen continues at the JC Raulston Arboretum. I stroll through the butterfly garden before heading to the Japanese garden. The smell of fresh chartreuse is enough to make you feel miles away from the suburban sprawl just beyond the gates.

For an early dinner, there’s no better place to grab a burger and beer than Players’ Retreat.

The locally famous PR always bustles with a mix of college students and old-timers.

I sneak into a booth in the back under one of the televisions and order a few PBRs while noshing on cheese fries. The crowd is usually loud and can get rowdy, especially if there’s a college basketball game on.

Must North Carolina Museum of Art 2110 Blue Ridge Road 919-839-6262, ncartmuseum.com

NCMA has expanded Raleigh’s culture into an explosion of art, nature, and people that includes a 164-acre museum park with monumental sculptures, a performance amphitheater, and a connection to Raleigh’s greenway.

Outside events blend seamlessly with a beautifully designed museum that is home to more than four thousand pieces of art in the permanent collection and yearly exhibitions showcasing the works of artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, M.C. Escher, and Frida Kahlo.

EAT Abyssinia Ethiopian 2109 Avent Ferry Road, #146 919-664-8151

At Raleigh’s only Ethiopian restaurant, authentic dishes and sauces are served in mounds on top of injera bread, creating a hands-on eating experience unlike anyplace else in the city.

Ajisai Japanese Fusion 427 Woodburn Road 919-831-9907, ajisai3.com

An expansive menu of sushi, Japanese noodle dishes, and a variety of specialty seafood plates have made Ajisai one of Cameron Village’s busiest restaurants. The lush interior, dotted with modern furnishings, complements a large outdoor seating area typically packed with young professionals.

Clockwise from left: Hillsborough Street; Jubala Coffee (photos by Jade Wilson).

Baja Burrito 2109 Avent Ferry Road, #108 919-834-3431, bajaburrito.net

Baja is a strip-center California-style burrito joint serving fully packed burritos with delicious filling options like shredded beef, mole chicken, and vegetarian options.

Beansprout Chinese Restaurant 3721 Hillsborough Street 919-755-0554, beansproutchinese.com

Toward the fairgrounds, an unassuming standalone building with neon signage hosts one of Raleigh’s most popular takeout Chinese restaurants.

Cantina 18 433 Daniels Street 919-835-9911, 18restaurantgroup.com/ cantina-18-raleigh

Chef Jason Smith has assembled Southwestern cuisine with a Southern drawl in this Cameron Village favorite. North Carolina ingredients go into making a variety of tacos, enchiladas, and burritos. The pineapple jalapeño margarita is best enjoyed on the second-floor outdoor patio.

Coco Bongo 2400 Hillsborough Street 984-242-0898, cocobongoraleigh.com

An affordable Mexican spot serving California-style burritos, street tacos, and fajitas.

David’s Dumpling and Noodle Bar 1900 Hillsborough Street 919-239-4536, ddandnb.com

Chef and culinary innovator David Mao has created a pan-Asian menu focused on—as the name suggests—noodle and dumpling dishes, from pad Thai to cha chiang mein to half-fried dumplings.

Gonza Tacos Y Tequila

Mitch’s Tavern

2100 Hillsborough Street, #110 919-268-8965, gonzatacosytequila.com

2426 Hillsborough Street 919-821-7771, mitchstavern.com

Located in the Aloft Hotel, the chainlet’s Hillsborough Street location does great tacos and great tequila in a great atmosphere.

Best known for its appearance in Bull Durham, Mitch’s has become a local institution. A cup of gumbo paired with a hero sandwich and draft beer while watching sports is the exact perfect way to experience this N.C. State favorite.

Goodberry’s 2042 Clark Avenue 919-833-9998, goodberrys.com

Fresh frozen custard is a rarity for Raleigh, and Goodberry’s has the market cornered.

Grab a concrete with your desired toppings and watch as they swirl and flip it.

Hot Tomato Pizzeria 2906 Hillsborough Street 919-832-8889, hottomatopie.com

A family-run pizzeria that slings New Yorkstyle pies. Got a whole frat house to feed?

Order a party-size pie.

Jasmin & Olivz Mediterranean 2430 Hillsborough Street 919-755-9991, jasminandolivz.com

A local chainlet focusing a quick, fresh Greek and Lebanese cuisine.

Kabob and Curry 2412 Hillsborough Street 919-703-0107, kababcurryraleigh.com

An all-you-can-eat Indian and Nepalese lunch buffet for under $10 that offers a variety of chaat, a long vegetarian menu, and kids tikka options? Yes, please.

Neomonde Mediterranean 3817 Beryl Road 919-828-1628, neomonde.com

A Mediterranean buffet where you can grab a veggie lasagna, a chicken kabob entrée, or a four-side platter with a mix of cilantro jalapeño hummus, couscous, mujadarah, and chicken salad—and then wrap them all up into a pita sandwich.

q The Players’ Retreat 105 Oberlin Road 919-755-9589, playersretreat.net

A Raleigh classic since 1951, this restaurant and bar is more than a local favorite, perhaps something more than an institution. It’s hard to imagine this pocket of Raleigh without it.

Its burgers and wings are some of the best in the city, and the outdoor patio is a sea of red during Wolfpack games. Inside, there’s a pool table, a bar that spans the length of the building, and a massive single-malt scotch selection to get you screaming for the Pack.

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Taco Bell Cantina 2304 Hillsborough Street 919-803-7234

Imagine a Taco Bell near a university that serves margarita-flavored slushies and is basically a sports bar. It’s going to make a fortune.

Tazza Kitchen 432 Woodburn Road 919-835-9463, tazzakitchen.com

A rustic wood-fired kitchen and wine bar serving inventive, locally sourced cuisine.

Sausage and pepper honey pizza, cast-iron goat cheese, and brick-oven crab cakes are a small sampling.

Southern Oracle: We Will Tear the Roof Off, on exhibition at NCMA (photo by Jade Wilson)

The Village Deli and Grill 500 Daniels Street 919-828-1428, villagedeli.net

At this popular fast-casual grill, quick service leads to a short wait for your name to be called over the loudspeaker.

DrInk Benelux Coffee 402 Oberlin Road, #118 919-900-8294, beneluxcoffee.com

The Hive @ Tupelo Honey 425 Oberlin Road 919-723-9353, tupelohoneycafe.com

Tupelo is a small Southern chain serving a twist on Southern cuisine. The bar has its own culture, fusing Tupelo’s branded honey into cocktails with a honeycomb-themed backdrop.

Jubala Coffee 2100 Hillsborough Street 919-792-1767, jubalacoffee.com

This local roaster serves Belgian waffles, too, and it has a second location in the Hillsborough YMCA.

College professors, students, and hip residents alike love Jubala as a perch for meetings, hanging with friends, and enjoying Counter Culture coffee-brewed drinks.

Cameron Bar and Grill

Liquid State

2018 Clark Avenue 919-775-2231, cameronbarandgrill.com

Vintage photos of Cameron Village in its fifties heyday hang in this intimate bar, which, incidentally, has a delicious brunch serving local beers, craft cocktails, and wine.

Cup A Joe

1908 Hillsborough Street 984-200-6184, liquidstateraleigh.com

Liquid State offers locally sourced coffee, unique wines, and a wide selection of beer in a century-plus-old building. The exposed brick is juxtaposed by the experimental menu and abstract art adorning the walls.

3100 Hillsborough Street 919-828-9665, cupajoe.com

Lucky Tree Cafe and Gallery

The line of coffee drinkers chilling by the curbside reading classic novels, an assemblage of mismatched furniture, and a classic arcade game cabinet give Cup A Joe that eighties-John-Waters-film feeling. Drive by Starbucks and yell, “Corporate Espresso Still Sucks!” on your way in, and they’ll give you 10 percent off a coffee drink or smoothie.

The cafe gets its coffee from Durham, its milk from Raleigh, and its artwork from more than fifty local artists. The twin sisters who own the cafe drew their inspiration from the treehouse they shared as kids.

3801 Hillsborough Street 919-342-6688, luckytreeraleigh.com

Pantanas Pool Hall and Saloon

Global Village Organic Coffee

3112 Hillsborough Street 919-833-2900

2428 Hillsborough Street 919-828-4567, globalvillagecoffee.com

Shoot your shot and sip on cheap beers.

Ladies shoot free on Wednesdays. Pinball, too.

Just across from N.C. State, Global Village has served organic coffee, espresso, and wholeleaf teas, as well as panini and pastries, in a warm, inviting space for almost two decades.

q The Green Monkey 1217 Hillsborough Street 984-200-5682, greenmonkeyraleigh.com

Part beer bar, part bottle shop, part kitschyas-all-hell gift store, The Green Monkey is this neighborhood’s neighborhood bar.

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Raleigh Brewing Company 3709 Neil Street 919-400-9086, raleighbrewing.com

Kristie Nystedt, the first woman to own a brewery in North Carolina, has created a culture at RBC that speaks to her commitment to the local community. Darts, murals, and yoga events inside the taproom mix with food trucks and a huge covered patio outside, creating an experience that is authentically Raleigh.

ShOP Aillea 2032 Cameron Street 919-747-9030, aillea.com

Clean beauty products for babes who want to look hot and not kill bunnies. The shop also has a spa where you can get a facial or wax.

Cheshire Cat Antiques Gallery 2050 Clark Avenue 919-835-9595, facebook.com/antiquesemporium

A world of wonder awaits at this basement antique emporium. Spend a day perusing modern and antique furniture, comic books, vinyl records, china, jewelry, porcelains, and a bunch of other things you didn’t know you needed.

Cycle Logic 1211 Hillsborough Street 919-833-4588, cycle-logic.biz

Drop in to get advice on any part or repair and get your bike back on the road. There’s a great selection of fixies and custom frames.

Ivy and Leo 133 West Franklin Street, #150 984-999-4131, ivyandleo.com

This Cameron Village boutique pairs Southern charm with boho chic. Fall in love with the collection of autumn-colored dresses and not-your-grandma’s knits.

Nadeau 426 Woodburn Road 919-856-9646, furniturewithasoul.com

The selection is pricey, but where else are you going to find a vintage bamboo desk?

Nice Price Books and Records 3106 Hillsborough Street 919-829-0230, nicepricebooksandrecords.com

Brian Shaw and Enoch Marchant have curated one of the Triangle’s best shops to buy used books, cassettes, movies, and vinyl records (both new and used). Check out their music-focused podcast.

Raleigh Flea Market

Mission Valley Cinema

1025 Blue Ridge Road 919-899-FLEA, raleighfleamarket.net

2109 Avent Ferry Road, #124 919-834-2233, ambassadorcinemas.com

Every Saturday and Sunday since 1971, vendors from across North Carolina have descended on the State Fairgrounds to sell collectible coins, therapeutic oils, guitars, hammocks, loose-leaf tea, and pretty much anything you can imagine.

This intimate and independently owned fivescreen theater, which shows indie and blockbuster flicks, originally opened in the 1970s and serves local beers, ICEEs, and the typical movie snacks. There are also classic arcade games and (look down!) a popcorn carpet in the lobby.

Reader’s Corner 3201 Hillsborough Street 919-828-7024

Shelves are stocked full of used books, vinyl, and comics. If you can’t find it, the friendly owners probably can.

Moroccan Oasis Cafe 3018 Hillsborough Street 919-307-8404

A hip hookah lounge with pool tables and other games that’s especially fun for a group outing.

Red Line Beer and Wine

q The North Carolina State Fair

10 Home Street, #100 919-322-8947, redlinebeerwine.com

1025 Blue Ridge Road 919-733-2145, ncstatefair.org

Go in and pick up your favorite craft beer or wine, or have it delivered right to your door in under an hour. If you live within five miles of the shop, delivery is only $3.99.

“Nothing Could Be Finer!” is the motto the fair has adopted, showcasing North Carolina agriculture, culture, and a curated musician series, featuring bands from across the state.

A cross-grounds chair lift can take you from the demolition derby to the pig races high above the neon lights, feet dangling, smoked turkey leg in hand. The fair runs for ten days every October. Mark your calendars now.

q Schoolkids Records 2237 Avent Ferry Road 919-821-7766, schoolkidsrecords.com

Once a Schoolhouse employee, Stephen Judge bought this Raleigh staple and has shaped it into his own vision. Formerly located across from State’s main campus, the shop is now near Centennial and has more space for inventory, in-store performances, parking, and beer taps. Grab a beer and peruse the constantly rotating stock of used and new CDs and vinyl.

PLay Comedy Worx 3801 Hillsborough Street 919-829-0822, comedyworx.com

Fast-paced improv comedy shows and classes featuring local comedians.

Goodnights Comedy Club 861 West Morgan Street 919-828-5233, goodnightscomedy.com

The quaint club has hosted the likes of Jerry Scienfield, Jay Leno, and Chris Rock in an intimate setting.

Gregg Museum of Art & Design 1903 Hillsborough Street 919-515-3503. gregg.arts.ncsu.edu

This free public art museum is home to over thirty-five thousand objects ranging from architectural drawings to antique North Carolina quilts.

RUSH BOWLS BLENDED FRUIT BOWLS & SMOOTHIES TO FUEL YOUR RUSH COME VISIT US ON HILLSBOROUGH STREET BY NC STATE!

Pullen Park 520 Ashe Avenue 919-996-6468, raleighnc.gov/parks

One of Raleigh’s premier parks features a large lake with pedal boats, a hundred-year-old Dentzel carousel, a cafe, picnic tables, and a miniature cross-park train. It’s a perfect outing for a family day together on the playground, a dip in the indoor pool, or a pottery class in the art center.

2811 HILLSBOROUGH ST #105 RALEIGH NC 27607

Raleigh Little Theatre 301 Pogue Street 919-821-4579, raleighlittletheatre.org

Inside is a black box community theater that puts on local renditions of famous plays, while outside is a large entertainment amphitheater and luscious rose garden, one of only three accredited in North Carolina.

Theatre in the Park 107 Pullen Road 919-831-6936, theatreinthepark.com

For more than seventy years, Theater in the Park has put on shows in Pullen Park’s indoor black box theater; they attract more than forty thousand visitors a year. The company is known for its innovative productions, ranging from Shakespeare plays to more contemporary classics like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

JC Raulston Arboretum 4415 Beryl Road 919-515-3132, jcra.ncsu.edu

An all-white garden, Japanese maple trees and a rock garden, and a desert landscape are only a few of the beautifully cultivated spaces in this ten-acre arboretum, which is perfect for a couples walk or a scavenger hunt with kids.

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11

hours in

East RaLeiGh

o

by Courtney Napier Landmark: Chavis Park carousel Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Pine State Coffee Where to Visit with Friends: Union Special Where to Walk Your Dog: Lions Park Where to Spend the Night: The Oak House (Airbnb)

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FINDER . 2019-20

East Raleigh is a solidly working-class, ethnically diverse community, and this is beautifully represented in its businesses and attractions.

Every restaurant, park, shop, and recreation center was brought into the neighborhood through the dedication of its residents, resulting in a community with an undeniable identity.

East Raleigh is a place that celebrates both its past and the city’s communal future.

Raleigh has blessed me with an incredible Mom Squad—a group of friends who’ve been together for years—and East Raleigh has everything we love to do together. So we start out the day with caffeine and pastries at Union Special, a bakeshop and cafe on Crabtree Boulevard.

Once the fuel kicks in, we’re headed to Craft Habit for one of its excellent group classes. These girls are incredible crafters in their own right, making everything from origami roses made of dollar bills to intricate seasonal wreaths, but they also love to learn new ways to create beautiful things.

Next up is lunch, because crafting is serious work. There are so many amazing places to choose from, and we’re all adventurous eaters. As an homage to the old school, we decide on the Jamaican Jerk Masters.

We each choose a different entrée and sides and spread out our bounty family-style. Curried goat, oxtails, red snapper, and more fall in a line down the center of our table. It feels like Thanksgiving because I’m sharing delicious food with women who are more like sisters than friends.

Every bite, better than the last, is punctuated by hilarious stories and unabashed laughter.

And, as black women, we take a moment to respect the business that has fought through it all to provide us this delicious meal.

We’ve eaten too much and laughed too hard, so the only reasonable next stop is the spa. We head down Rock Quarry Road to BLC Gallery Salon & Spa for manicures and pedicures. We each pick our colors and settle into our chairs. Though the salon is full and noisy, those receiving pedicures drift off to sleep, while those of us getting manicures wait our turn. We chat about what we’re going to do for dinner, and suddenly our energy returns.

After nearly an entire day away from our families, we decide that dinner requires our spouses by our sides.

We meet each other at Soo Cafe off of Brentwood for Raleigh’s best Korean fried chicken. The first thing we hear when we get inside is the sweet sounds of karaoke, and we instantly decide this has to happen. We start the night with a toast to the squad, and then another round for the city that brought us together. Servers begin appearing with plates of sticky, crispy fried chicken wings, bibimbap, and japchae noodles.

We reminisce about how the toddlers who brought us together for that first playdate are now in elementary school, and the children who didn’t exist are now growing rapidly before our eyes. Where has the time gone? We don’t know, but we do know that it’s time for one more round of shots before the first couple takes the stage.

Delicious food, awful renditions of Motown hits, and the best friends a person could ever ask for.

Celebrate good times, East Raleigh, c’mon!

EAT Frank’s Pizza and Restaurant 2030 New Bern Avenue 919-231-8990, frankspizzainraleigh.com

Families and hipsters overlap in this Italian eatery tucked into an eighties strip mall. You can order pasta or Italian subs, but the thin-crust pies are what makes Frank’s special. Ask longtime residents about their favorite pizza in the city, and you’ll hear Frank’s more often than not.

A pepperoni and spinach Sicilian Pizza at Frank's (photo by Jeremy M. Lange).

Jack’s Seafood & Soul Food 1516 New Bern Avenue 919-755-1551, facebook.com/ jackseafoodandsoulfood

Down New Bern, past all of the fast-food restaurants, in a nondescript white building with a red awning off the right shoulder of the road, is an East Raleigh favorite. Jack’s serves fried seafood, chitlins, and a selection of “Soul Food Selections” like chicken gizzards, salmon cakes, and smothered pork chops that come with two veggies—candied yams, turnips, butterbeans, etc.—and hush puppies.

Lee’s Kitchen 1100 North Raleigh Boulevard 919-521-5957, leeskitchenjamaican.com

Located next to a Food Lion, Lee’s is one of Raleigh’s few Jamaican restaurants. Curry goat, jerk chicken, and oxtail are served with rice and peas mixed with veggies, as well as plantains. The restaurant recently added a food truck, so you’re likely to see them at one of the weekly festivals downtown.

Gateway Restaurant 2411 Crabtree Boulevard 919-832-3020, gatewayrestaurantraleigh.com

Gateway will always have bragging rights as one of the oldest businesses in the now-updated Gateway Plaza. Since 1986, Gateway has been serving straight-up delicious Southern-diner-style dishes. From breakfast plates with fresh biscuits to pulled pork sandwiches, you won’t leave hungry or broke.

o Jamaica Jerk Masters 1909 Poole Road and 3110 New Bern Avenue 919-231-7697, facebook.com/jerkmasters

East Raleigh is the place to go for authentic Jamaican food, and Jerk Masters is where you get it. All the classics are there: brown stew chicken, curried goat, and the crown jewel: jerk chicken. Not in the mood for a whole meal? Grab a spicy meat patty and some cocoa bread for the road.

Oak City Fish and Chips 2822 New Birch Drive (984) 222-9140

Oak City Fish and Chips is a hometown success story: It started as a food truck in 2015, then opened a stall in Morgan Street Food Hall in 2018. In February 2019, owner Issac B. Horton IV opened a brick-and-mortar in the heart of Southeast Raleigh. Oak City serves classic fried seafood plates: shrimp, fish fillets, scallops, oysters, and fried lobster tails. And though Oak City serves fries, get the brown sugar hush puppies.

Soo Cafe 2815 Brentwood Road 919-876-1969, soocafe.food-pi.com

Soo Cafe represents East Raleigh perfectly: gritty, authentic, and diverse. This unassuming Korean restaurant was not only one of the first Korean fried chicken spots in Raleigh, but it’s still one of the best. Since it opened in 2014, it has developed a cult following. The chicken is everything you want it to be: crispy, spicy, and sweet. And if you’re a karaoke lover, don’t miss it.

Union Special Bread 2409 Crabtree Boulevard, #102 984-200-3094

Union Special opened in August 2019 to a queue down the sidewalk. The community was ready to support Andrew Ullom, Ashley Christensen’s former pastry chef.

Using high-quality, local ingredients, Ullom produces beautiful baked sweet and savory pastries, breads, and desserts. Union Special also has regular collaborations with other local chefs for some of the best weekend brunches in Raleigh. (They’re often ticketed and sell out quickly.)

Must Walnut Creek Wetland Center 950 Peterson Street 919-996-2760

Walnut Creek Wetland Center is an oasis in Southeast Raleigh. Quiet, peaceful, and ripe for exploration, it offers an exciting educational experience for children and adults alike. (It’s also a prime example of the power of collaboration between underserved communities and private and public organizations to protect and promote the beauty of the once-abused Walnut Creek basin.) You can go inside the modern and child-friendly education room for games, toys, crafts, books, or to meet the various critters that live alongside the friendly staff. And it’s all free! Don’t forget to look for colorful pieces of sea glass on your nature walk; it’s the perfect souvenir!

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DrInk

o Fierce Boutique

Historic Oak View Park

2 N Pettigrew Street, Suite C 919-670-0081, facebook.com/fierceboutique7313

4028 Carya Drive 919-250-1013, wakegov.com/parks/oakview

o Mordecai Beverage Company

Sequins? Check. Neons? Check. Bold prints?

Check. Fierce Boutique is the place to shop for the person who wants to stand out and dress their inner diva. Owner Love Small has a keen eye for the trendiest looks and high-quality local products. And Fierce Boutique throws some epic events, so always check the IG.

Williams-Wyatt-Poole Farm, now called Historic Oak View Park, is a family-friendly destination to experience Raleigh’s complex history. Originally one of the largest cotton plantations in Wake County, Historic Oak View was worked by generations of enslaved people, and then by sharecroppers after Emancipation, before being bought by the city in 1984. Here, families learn how farms like Oak View operated and how they adapted over time, while also petting farm animals (Oak View is famous for its goats) and making crafts.

2425 Crabtree Boulevard 919-831-9125, mordecaibev.co

After honing his skills as a homebrewer for over a decade, Andrew Christenbury opened Raleigh’s first combined brewery, taproom, and bottle shop at Gateway Plaza. With twenty-five beverages on tap, including wine, ciders, and local beers, it’s made an exciting addition to the neighborhood.

Juiced 3301 Rock Quarry Road 919-292-0007

This new juice bar—it’s about to open as this magazine goes to press—from the owners of BLC Gallery Salon & Spa will be Southeast Raleigh’s first, providing not just juices but also smoothies and herbal teas.

Pine State Coffee 1614 Automotive Way pinestatecoffee.com

In February 2019, East Raleigh just got its first neighborhood coffee shop in Pine State Coffee. Owner Larz Robison’s counterculture joint roasts its own beans and creates memorable coffee beverages.

Star Bar 1731 Trawick Road 919-231-3535, starbarraleigh.com

Star Bar is one of the longest-running blackowned clubs in Raleigh and is the best spot to hear up-and-coming DJs and hip-hop artists. (It also serves great soul food.) Go when K97.5 broadcasts live from the club.

Overtime Sports Pub 1030 North Rogers Lane, #149 919-255-9556, overtimesportspub.net

Overtime is a top-notch neighborhood sports bar located in the Edgewater Place shopping center. Boasting a wide variety of beers, delicious pub food, and a friendly staff, it’s home to fan clubs for the Carolina Panthers and the Hurricanes.

ShOP Beauty Supply Outlet 1637 Ronald Street 984-232-0211, facebook.com/pages/ beauty-supply-outlet

East Raleigh has some of the best beauty supply stores in Wake County, and Beauty Supply Outlet is one of them. Here you’ll find all manner of wigs, weaves, styling tools, and accessories. You’ll also come across trendy and affordable clothes, shoes, and jewelry. It’s paradise for the person who loves to get glamorous!

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FINDER . 2019-20

Craft Habit Raleigh 2423 Crabtree Boulevard 984-200-4530

Craft Habit is a high-quality craft supply store and workshop in Gateway Plaza.

Not only can you find the newest and best supplies, but it also hosts birthday parties, private crafting events, summer and trackout camps, and classes. You can even reserve time on the state-of-the-art crafting equipment. Think of it as a co-crafting space and boutique crafting shop.

PLay BLC Gallery Salon & Spa 3301 Rock Quarry Road 919-758-5051, blcgallery.com

Whether you’re looking to get your nails done, get your locs tightened, or get a relaxing massage, BLC is the place to get pampered. In business since 2011, BLC’s goal is not only to deliver high-quality services, but to do it in a family-friendly atmosphere. Though there are lots of salons in the area, few have the variety of services that BLC provides, including a master barber, hair braiders, certified massage therapists, and nail technicians. Don’t forget to pick out something from the curated products to continue your self-care at home.

Buffaloe Road Athletic Park and Aquatic Center 5900 Buffaloe Road 919-996-5600

Buffaloe Road became a dream area to raise a family after the Buffaloe Road Athletic Park added its state-of-the-art Aquatic Center in 2012. This indoor water park has everything you want: lap pools, a waterslide, poolside basketball hoops, a lazy river, a water vortex, a toddler-sized “tot area,” and “bubble benches” equipped with massage jets. Admission for Raleigh residents is $3 for children up to twelve and $6 for adults up to fifty-five (the senior rate is $5).

Brass Tap and Billiards 3316 Capital Boulevard 919-876-2382, brasstapbilliards.com

In operation for more than a generation, Brass Tap is your friendly neighborhood pool hall in every sense of the phrase. After you play pool, you can try your hand at darts, or settle in and watch the game on one of the big-screen TVs.

o John Chavis Memorial Park 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard 919-831-6989

East Raleigh’s almost-thirty-acre urban park includes a community center, an Allan Herschell Carousel, sports fields, and a playground, and it’s connected to the Capital Area Greenway. Named for the nineteenth-century free black preacher and Revolutionary War vet John Chavis, the park hosts community meetings, events, and is a gathering space for the neighborhood.

Lions Park 516 Dennis Avenue 919-996-4726

Lions Park is one of Raleigh’s biggest community parks. Largely ignored by the city during its thirty-year lifetime, the community not only rallied in 2010 to propose massive updates to its facilities, but then volunteered to install them. Lions Park has many features common to Raleigh’s parks, including a community center and gym, as well as playsets for kids. But what makes Lions Park unique is the Capital City BMX track that shares the property.

Southeast Raleigh YMCA 1436 Rock Quarry Road 919-359-9622

The Southeast Raleigh YMCA is a collaborative effort with Southeast Raleigh Promise, the YMCA, and Wake County Public Schools to invest in the people of the community. The state-of-the-art facility has a colorful and inviting exterior and a great pool area. The programming includes group fitness classes, daytime childcare and after-school care, and regular community-wide events.

Coastal Creek Union Music Park at Walnut Creek 3801 Rock Quarry Road 919-831-6400, walnutcreekamphitheatre.com

In a no-man’s land outside the Beltline way southeast of downtown is this twenty-thousand-person venue where lots of top-selling acts play when they come through town.

10 noRth HIlls hours in

r

by Andrea Rice Landmark: Regal Cinemas 14 Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Crepe Traditions Where to Visit with Friends: Midtown Park Where to Walk Your Dog: North Hills Dog Park Where to Spend the Night: AC Hotel

Ah, North Hills.

To start our Saturday in this suburban shopper’s paradise, I begin at the Midtown Farmers Market, reusable bags in tow, to stock up on local produce that I can store in my trunk for the rest of the day—as I have quite a big day in store and can’t be bothered by lugging around shopping bags.

Next up: the venerable Quail Ridge Books, wandering the aisles in search of literary inspiration until I find the perfect tome, which I then take over to Crepe Traditions for a late morning cup o’ joe brewed with Intelligentsia beans and nosh on a Nutella fruit crepe with banana, strawberries, pineapple chunks, and granola as I read the first chapter or two.

Essential weekend pampering follows. I make my way to Blown Away Blow Dry Bar for a scalp massage and blowout—with a champagne accompaniment, of course. Looking good, I text a lady friend or two to see if they’d want to meet at the greenspace at Midtown Park, where we can people watch and drink wine from plastic cups and (very respectfully) break the rules.

If we’re lucky (or unlucky, depending), a musician will take the stage before we depart for some more (now tipsy) shopping, followed by happy hour.

Liles Clothing Studio, a couture shop for men, is our first stop, where we’ll pick up a pair of snazzy patterned socks for our husbands.

Next, we waltz over to Gena Chandler and try on some Rag & Bone—and pretend that we can actually afford Rag & Bone by putting the items on our credit cards. Whoops.

By now, the munchies have ensued, so we meander to Midtown Olive Oil for an olive oil tasting that we soak up with glorious, glutenous

bread, and also select a few specialty pastas and other provisions to convince ourselves that the grocery shopping is done for the day.

By now, it’s almost five o’clock, so we strut over to Fox & Hound for a cocktail. Because there are sports playing on the television sets, however, we class it up and head to STIR for an even fancier cocktail, served with still-fancier artisanal ice. We ask our server to perform one of those critically acclaimed ice shows and order a dozen oysters on the half shell.

Now we’re really hungry—and sushi is a must. Mura is just upscale enough to suit our sophisticated vibe and palates without being overly stuffy. A bottle or two of sake later, the Lyft arrives.

Must Quail Ridge Books 4209 Lassiter Mill Road, #100 919-828-1588, quailridgebooks.com

Quail Ridge Books, North Raleigh’s favorite independent bookstore, attracts locals and out-of-towners alike. Pick up a Sunday New York Times and wander the aisles, browsing Quail Ridge’s well-curated selection. Bestsellers are, of course, represented, but you’ll discover gems you hadn’t heard of before. Founded in 1984 (at a different location), Quail Ridge also is, thanks to signings and readings on an almost daily basis, the go-to destination to see visiting authors ranging from boldface names to up-and-comers eager for you to sample their first book.

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EAT

Clockwise from left: World of Beer; Midtown Farmers Market (photos

by Brett Villena)

41 Hundred 4100 Main at North Hills Street 919-278-1478, 41hundredrestaurant.com

The Renaissance Raleigh Hotel’s 41 Hundred knows how to do a night on the town right, and the staff here is always on point. Order a shareable plate of halloumi or the tuna poke and do some people watching.

r Coquette Brasserie

Midtown Grille

4351 The Circle at North Hills 919-789-0606 coquetteraleigh.com

4421 Six Forks Road, #115 919-782-9463, themidtowngrille.com

Yeah, it’s a chain, but lots of things around here are. We were in at the “tacos + tequila” slogan.

This upscale restaurant is tres French and perfect for a special occasion. The moules frites are to die for.

B. Good

Crepe Traditions

This contemporary American restaurant is what you make it. Take a colleague for a working lunch or take a date for dinner, or, better yet, go for brunch; get either the Citrus Coconut French Toast Casserole or The Southern Benedict with its biscuit, poached egg, Johnston County ham, hollandaise, pimento cheese, and home fries.

Bartaco 4121 Main at North Hills Street 919-626-8226, bartaco.com

201 Park at North Hills Street 919-916-5410, bgood.com

If you’re healthfully inclined, grab a spicy avocado and lime kale bowl. If you’re less healthfully inclined, chow down on one of the sandwiches with a side of sweet potato fries.

CO 101 Park at North Hills Street 919-258-2070, eatatco.com

CO, which has locations dotting the Carolinas and Georgia, offers an array of Southeast Asian dishes from beef and kimchi dumplings to bun xao to five-spice pork belly.

The Cowfish 4208 Six Forks Road, #100 919-784-0400, thecowfish.com

Burgushi, combining burgers and sushi, may seem like an unwise food mashup, but it works. Try the Prime Time Filet & Lobster Roll for the concept at its shiny best. There’s a boatload of other dishes to choose from, including The Nature Boy’s Wooooo–Shi Buffalooooo–Shi Roll, Birkenstocky Shiitake Maki, the Pinky Swear Roll, and The Arnold Hamandeggar. That short list gives you a hint of the menu’s range and also Cowfish’s penchant for a convoluted naming system.

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FINDER . 2019-20

141 Park at North Hills Street 919-977-3425, crepetraditions.com

Crepe Traditions is a great little spot for a pick-me-up. Order an Intelligentsia coffee and a curry chicken crepe, or go sweet and indulge in a s’mores and ice cream crepe. Not in the mood for coffee? Try the bubble tea.

Mura 4121 Main at North Hills Street, #110 919-781-7887, muranorthhills.com

Edible Art Bakery and Dessert Cafe

This upscale sushi and Japanese restaurant has shown staying power, and you’ll know why after sampling its goods.

4351 The Circle at North Hills, #115 919-856-0604

Rosewater Kitchen & Bar

“Sweet, Southern, and scratch-made”— Edible’s slogan sums up all you need to know about its scrumptious assortment of desserts. Get there early if you want the Red Velvet cupcake (it tends to sell out), but you won’t go wrong with the Almond Amaretto.

110 Park at North Hills rosewaterraleigh.com

Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls

4242 Six Forks Road, #100, Raleigh 984-200-8614, stirraleigh.com

4121 Main at North Hills Street 984-200-1845, masonslobster.com

This small East Coast chain's rolls eschew fancification, using only combinations of Maine lobster, butter, lemon, celery, and mayo for the bulk of its selections. There are also lobster and shrimp salads, New England clam chowder, and Lobster bisque dishes available.

This newest member of the Giorgios Group restaurant empire boasts North Carolina ingredients and Mediterranean flavors.

STIR At this popular North Hills destination, you can literally watch ice not melt. There are seven different types of ice at STIR. Each one serves a different purpose related to the type of cocktail or liquor, of which there are three hundred available at the bar. There’s also a made-fromscratch menu that ranges from a raw bar to Peruvian ceviche to a spicy tuna burger.

Vivace 4209 Lassiter Mill Road, #115 919-787-7747, vivaceraleigh.com

From the zeppoli (lemon zest ricotta fritter, raspberry gelato, lemon curd) to the classic Margherita pizza, Vivace has lots of quality food options. Pair your dish with just about anything from the fine list of Italian wines, and cleanse your palate with the homemade house limoncello. Order a strong nightcap, and be sure you get home responsibly.

ShOP

PLay

Blown Away Blow Dry Bar

Kings Dining and Entertainment

201 Park at North Hills Street 984-232-8806, blownawayraleigh.com

141 Park at North Hills Street 919-600-5700, kings-de.com

Treat yourself with an appointment at Blown Away. This salon gives you a relaxing shampoo and a blowout in a variety of styles, plus champagne.

There’s bowling, but also foosball, pinball, assorted arcade games, table tennis, and billiards. It's a great, laid-back escape in the afternoon and an energetic destination at night, whether you're looking for a fun date experience or a place for the whole gang to hang out.

Copper Penny

DrInk

4120 Main at North Hills Street, #115 919-366-5000, shopcopperpenny.com

Bull and the Bear

This Raleigh location of a small string of boutiques that originated in Charleston offers designer fashion “curated with a Southern eye.”

5442 Six Forks Road 919-847-3617

Gena Chandler

Find this unassuming spot in a shopping center at the corner of Six Forks and Millbrook. Low key, friendly, and, above all, comfortable—and, really, sometimes that’s all you need in a bar.

Fox & Hound 4158 Main North Hills Street 919-781-4495, foxandhound.com

A good place to catch the game of your choice, be it hoops, football, or something else, while sipping a cocktail or one of the many craft beers available. The menu is typical—burgers, sandwiches, and the like, all competently executed. If you’re a fight fan, you definitely want to get familiar.

Level 7 101 Park at North Hills Street 984-204-7688, level7roofbar.com

4209 Lassiter Mill Road, #106 919-881-9480, genachandler.com

Founded in 2006 by N.C. natives, Gena Chandler presents women’s fashion from the likes of Rag & Bone, True Religion, Michael Kors, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Love Shack Fancy. Don’t be surprised to meet the owners, as they’re often there.

Learning Express Toys & Gifts 4209 Lassiter Mill Road 919-881-4141, lexpblog.com

You’re sure to find a gift fun enough to please the kid and educational enough to please the parents.

Liles Clothing Studio 4350 Lassiter at North Hills Avenue, #106 919-510-5556, lilesclothingstudio.com

Go for the rooftop view, stay for the craft cocktails. You’re on top of the AC Hotel in Midtown (Raleigh ’burbs Midtown, not the other one), so vistas aren’t exactly Manhattan quality. Still, Level 7 is a fun place to imbibe and a great spot to end an evening out.

For men who care about their clothes, Liles is pretty heavenly. Having exclusive rights to some labels means it’s the only place around to find certain designers. Liles also does custom and made-to-measure pieces, providing that exquisite feeling of wearing something made especially for you.

World of Beer

r Midtown Olive Oil

4208 Six Forks Road, #150 919-784-9261, worldofbeer.com/locations/northhills

4421 Six Forks Road, #105 919-510-5510, midtownoliveoil.com

If you have difficulty making decisions, let someone else order. It’s likely you’ll spend more time deciding what to drink than actually drinking it.

Sample olive oils and balsamic vinegars until you find the perfect one—or, if you’re impossibly picky, create your own flavor combination. It’ll be freshly bottled on site for you to take home. The store also has a selection of imported and gourmet foods, including specialty pastas and sauces, bread from Raleigh’s Yellow Dog Bakery, and more.

r Yard House 4208 Six Forks Road 919-881-2590, yardhouse.com

Most sports-bar aficionados prefer the dive aesthetic. Occasionally, though, you find someone who loves watching the game but is less enamored of ragged grit. On these occasions, you turn to Yard House. With 140 taps emphasizing craft and specialty brews, it’s easy to find a beer for any taste.

r Midtown Farmers Market 4191 Main at North Hills Street visitnorthhills.com/event/midtown-farmers-market-25

This producers-only market happens every Saturday morning (8:00 a.m.–noon) from April through November and features local produce and meats, homemade breads, and handcrafted items. Wander through and be inspired to grab just the right ingredients for a week’s worth of dinners.

Midtown Park 4011 Cardinal at North Hills Street visitnorthhills.com/location/midtown-park

Community events, plays, and concerts take place on this greenspace, which also includes a stage and an interactive fountain.

North Hills Dog Park 100 Saint Albans Drive

If your canine companion is tired of being cooped up, this space provides ninety-five hundred square feet of off-leash fun.

Optimist Park & Community Center 5900 Whittier Drive 919-996-2880, raleighnc.gov

A covered pool and eighteen-thousandsquare-foot community center sit next to the thirty-acre park.

Shelley Lake Park 1400 West Millbrook Road 919-996-2329, raleighnc.gov/parks

The park encompasses a little over 144 acres with a pleasant two-mile walking trail circling the lake. There’s also a playground, a basketball court, structures to climb on, and enough room that, with a bit of walking, you can feel like you’re getting away from it all, despite the crowd of people doing the same thing.

Scout and Molly’s 4120 Main at North Hills Street 919-754-8430, scoutandmollys.com

Shopping at Scout and Molly’s is kind of like a few girlfriends getting together and trying stuff on. The stylists make you feel comfortable, but, like a real friend, they’ll tell you when the look you like is more “Girl, please” than “Girl, yaaasss.”

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12 noRth RaleiGh hours in

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by Andrea Rice Landmark: Lafayette Village Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Jubala Where to Visit with Friends: Sola Coffee Cafe Where to Walk Your Dog: Falls Lake Trail Where to Spend the Night: Courtyard by Marriott

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FINDER . 2019-20

The sprawling swath of North Raleigh boasts some of the Triangle’s best nature preserves and outdoor adventures, not to mention its only salt cave. But it also has plenty of specialty shops, restaurants, and bars, too.

I begin my Sunday morning here at Sola Coffee Cafe, early enough to order a breakfast sandwich— probably a smoked salmon on a bagel—from the morning kitchen. Making sure I top off my coffee to go, I drive to the Falls Lake Trail for a quick hike. The top of the Falls Lake Dam is said to have the best views around, but I’ll save that for another day.

After a solid hour or two of moderate hiking, I hit The Butchers Market on my way back to pick up some cured meats—which I immediately snack on, of course. I then stop by Fight or Flight comics, if only for the sensory stimulation.

Speaking of which, I deprive my senses next, heading to Skin Sense for some midafternoon transcendence in the Triangle’s only salt cave—sit back, relax, enjoy, and prepare for mental flight, perhaps snoozing at some point because I just went for a hike and ate a pile of cured meat.

In my state of post-meditative bliss, I treat myself to an hour-long massage by one of the on-site bodyworkers.

Because relaxation is hard work, I’m hungry again.

I drive to Zest Cafe & Home Art, where I can kill two birds with one stone. I nosh on a small plate of artichoke hummus and a slice of tomato pie before perusing the art boutique and picking up a gift for a special someone—and something for myself, too.

Happy hour is fast-approaching, so I gather a friend and make my way to Compass Rose Brewery to taste some craft brews. We sit and drink for a while, then select a few bottles to take home. But first, dinner is on the horizon, and Dante’s Italiano serves authentic Grandma-style pizza, the stuff that crispy, garlicky dreams are made of. My friend and I share the classic sixteen-incher—limited to three toppings to ensure maximum crispiness— and we each order another one to-go because we, um, accidentally ditched our partners for dinner.

Must Capital Area Greenway System Map available at raleighnc.gov

The Raleigh greenway system loops around East, South, and West Raleigh, too. But there are several locations in North Raleigh where it’s easy to hop on the trail on foot or bike. The Neuse River Trail is our favorite; you can ride it by bike uninterrupted for miles and miles without encountering a car, until your legs give out or you have someplace to be. Easily one of Raleigh’s finest charms, the greenway is an oasis that feels worlds away from the crazy-making of Capital Boulevard.

Clockwise from left: Lafayette Village (photo by Brett Villena); Sassool (photo by Ben McKeown).

EAT Big Ed’s North 5009 Falls of Neuse Road 919-747-9533, bigedsnc.com

Big Ed’s North, the sister restaurant of the original downtown eatery of the same name, showcases the same Southern cooking, featuring favorites like country ham with red-eye gravy, fried catfish, and a Cajun fried chicken biscuit.

c Dante’s Italiano 13200 Falls of Neuse Road 919-556-2146, dantesitaliano.com

This authentic Italian joint is intimate and cozy—only about twenty tables—so reservations are a good idea. Don’t skimp on bread; better yet, try the bruschette di cabra, focaccia-style bread served with parmigiana reggiano, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh oregano topped with warm goat cheese.

Dante’s square Grandma-style pizza is ultra garlicky and baked to a crisp—and is one of North Raleigh’s best-kept secrets.

Daylight Donuts 7550 Creedmoor Road 919-676-7442, daylightdonuts.com

The early bird gets the worm at Daylight Donuts, which opens at 5:00 a.m. and closes at noon. The North Raleigh mainstay has been serving donuts—toasted coconut with chocolate frosting, please—as well as muffins, eclairs, and other treats since 1990.

Gonza Tacos Y Tequila 7713 Lead Mine Road, #39 919-846-5478, gonzatacosytequila.com

The flagship Gonza is tucked away inside a small shopping center. Featuring contemporary Mexican dishes and a vast selection of tequilas, the atmosphere is fun, festive, and perfect for the kids—and the food is muy delicioso.

Margaux’s 8111 Creedmoor Road 919-846-9846, margauxsrestaurant.com

Margaux’s has been on the Raleigh scene for a quarter-century. Its menu changes frequently, but it’s consistently a fine date-night destination. If you spot the pan-fried crab cakes over polenta on the menu, order them.

Mod Pizza 2071 West Millbrook Road 919-987-3668, modpizza.com

Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken 6325 Falls of Neuse Road 984-200-5751, risebiscuitsdonuts.com

Rise, which started in Durham, has several locations across the Triangle and is spreading like kudzu. The menu features beautiful buttermilk biscuits made from scratch several times a day. Try the Spicy Chickaboom with “boom boom sauce,” pickled jalapeños, and onions.

This fast-casual chain, which started in Seattle, makes artisanal pies look easy.

Saint Jacques French Cuisine

Pho Super 9 Pho Super 9 is a casual Vietnamese spot with an excellent selection of pho. Also, try the egg roll vermicelli bowl or a Vietnamese crepe.

Way out in the ’burbs, Saint Jacques can go overlooked in local foodie circles. But for more than a decade, chef Serge Falcoz-Vigne’s restaurant has earned rave reviews for indulgent interpretations of French classics that draw on locally sourced ingredients.

Relish Craft Kitchen & Bourbon Bar

Salt & Lime Cabo Grill

5625 Creedmoor Road 919-787-1855, relishraleigh.com

6006 Falls of Neuse Road 919-872-2230, saltandlimecabo.com

There are bourbons galore at this neighborhood comfort-food spot, as well as ryes and American whiskeys. Complement your drink with pretty much anything on this Southern-inspired menu, from fried black-eyed peas to house-fried potato chips—just save room for that mac and cheese skillet.

This contemporary Mexican spot serves Baja-style fare and features not one but five different styles of guacamole, including fire-roasted tomato and goat cheese and pineapple-jalepeńo.

6401 Plantation Center Drive, #111 919-878-1599, phosuper9.com

6112 Falls of Neuse Road Phone, saintjacquesfrenchcuisine.com

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Sassool 9650 Strickland Road 919-847-2700, sassool.com

This family-owned restaurant serves Mediterranean food that’s as good as you’ll find anywhere in the Triangle. Get the four-item sampler and load it up with classics like hummus, baba ghanouj, stuffed grape leaves, and tabouli.

The Swahili Grill 3721 Sumner Boulevard, #100 919-792-0135, swahiligrill.com

ShOP

The first sub-Saharan African restaurant in North Raleigh, The Swahili Grill serves authentic Kenyan street food. Dishes such as grilled meat (choma) and flatbread (chapati) achieve a truly global experience. And be sure to get the full immersive experience by ordering a Tusker Lager, a popular Kenyanbrewed beer.

The Butchers Market 5045 Falls of Neuse Road 919-809-8914, thebutchersmarkets.com

This father-and-son team runs an impressive butchery. From quail to wild boar, elk and buffalo to rattlesnake meat, this is your go-to to get gamey.

Vinnie’s Steakhouse and Tavern

Fight or Flight Comics

7440 Six Forks Road 919-847-7319, vinniessteakhouse.com

Whether you’re dressed to the nines for a big night out or seeking a more casual evening, Vinnie’s, which has a decadent white tablecloth dining room and a dark tavern, can suit your needs. The menu is the same either way.

Zest Cafe & Home Art 8831 Six Forks Road 919-848-4792, zestcafehomeart.com

The ever-changing menu of fresh contemporary American fare at this quaint cafe never disappoints. Stop by for a small plate of artichoke hummus with marinated artichoke hearts, roasted sweet peppers, olives, and grilled flatbread, or indulge in a tomato pie with local tomatoes and manchego cheese.

But whatever you order, be sure to leave room for the coconut cake.

Jubala Coffee 8450 Honeycutt Road 919-758-8330, jubalacoffee.com

A little cosmopolitan but in no way pretentious, Jubala is dedicated to the craft of the perfect brew, serving the coveted Counter Culture beans. Pair your Madagascar vanilla latte with the liege waffle, and order the ingredients—apple cinnamon, chocolate chip, banana, blueberry—stuffed inside or piled on top.

c Lynnwood Brewing Concern 1053 East Whitaker Mill Road 919-424-7533, lynnwoodgrill.com/ lynnwood-brewing-concern

DrInk

At LBC, you’ll find award-winning craft beer brewed in the warehouse and a chalkboard telling you what’s on tap. The outdoor patio and greenspace are perfect for games, kids, and picnics, and food trucks are regularly on site.

Bottlemixx

The Pickled Onion

8111 Creedmoor Road, #153 919-615-1703, bottlemixx.com

A craft beer and wine shop in Brennan Station, BottleMixx offers regular tastings and quirky events like a beer-and-cereal pairing. Stop by after work and choose from ten craft brews on tap. Don’t leave emptyhanded; there’s a wide selection of bottles and cans available for purchase.

Compass Rose Brewery 3201 Northside Drive, #101 919-875-5683, compassrosebrewery.com

Compass Rose is situated in an industrial park area that is, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere. It’s worth finding, though. The taproom has more than fifty-five hundred square feet of space to accommodate beer lovers of all kinds.

There are usually about eight to ten beers on tap that are brewed on-site.

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10750 Wakefield Commons Drive 919-848-4161, thepickledonionrestaurant.com

Forty big-screen TVs make The Pickled Onion an ideal spot to catch the big game—which you can do every Sunday during football season—or to grab a beer with your buddies after work. The diverse pub-style fare includes late-night eats, and The Pickled Onion is open 365 days a year—worth keeping in mind when your in-laws are in town for the holidays.

Sola Coffee Cafe 7705 Lead Mine Road 919-803-8983, solacoffee.com

This family-owned cafe serves Counter Culture beans to pair with a pastry or sandwich, as well as other nibbles. There’s a slew of healthy options here, pleasantly disguised as tasty, satisfying fare. Sola offers several local craft beers on tap, too.

6675 Falls of Neuse Road 984-242-0039, fightorflightcomics.com

Fight or Flight has an eclectic mix of comics curated by its super knowledgeable owners.

They’re also incredibly helpful and willing to answer your questions. They’ve been known to dig into the troves of stacks in the back room in search of whatever you’re looking for.

Knotti by Nature Salon 7317 Louisburg Road 919-845-4888, knottibynature.com

Located in a converted ranch home, this highly rated (and cleverly named) salon has been in business for a decade. The owners have created a salon renowned for their loc work, braiding, and other natural hairstyling. They also provide waxing and nail services.

Lafayette Village 8450 Honeycutt Road 919-714-7447, lafayettevillageraleigh.com

Despite its cheeky faux-French theme, several of this quaint shopping center’s gems are worth a visit, including Crafty Beer Shop, especially when followed by a trip to Orrman’s Cheese. Round that out with a visit to Southern Craft Butchers and The Chocolate Boutique. Or hit up the rustic-chic Driftwood Southern Kitchen, which puts a modern spin on Southern classics with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.

The MOM Lounge 5959 Triangle Town Boulevard 919-605-6344, momredefined.com

Mom-preneuer Gerrikka Bunche founded The MOM Lounge, a boutique and coworking space in Triangle Towne Center. From handmade greeting cards to trendy clothing to stylish handbags, all of the products in the MOM Lounge represent local business owners who are also mothers and are hand-selected

by Bunche herself. Bunche also created a cozy lounge space in the back for busy moms to stop and take some time for themselves; it doubles as a place to network with other creative and driven parents.

Rocket Fizz

Buffaloe Lanes North

5017 Falls of Neuse Road 919-706-5142, rocketfizz.com

5900 Oak Forest Drive 919-876-5681, buffaloelanes.com

A kaleidoscope of sweet treats as far as the eye can see will make just about anyone feel like a kid in a candy store in this glucose-spiking paradise. Wash down lollipops, bonbons, s’mores, and mud pies with a handcrafted bacon-flavored or blue raspberry soda—and prepare for a major crash.

These family-friendly lanes—sorry, no alcohol— are about as old-school as it gets. You come here for the love of bowling, and maybe to relive the nostalgia of your youth. If you grew up in North Raleigh, Buffaloe Lanes was a regular high school hang.

c Stevens Book Shop 6700 Old Wake Forest Road 919-872-5995, stevensbooks.com

You could spend an entire day at Stevens Book Shop, so don’t stop by if you have somewhere to be. With thirty-nine thousand square feet of space and several hundred thousand used books—and comics, video games, DVDs, and audiobooks—the wealth of information here is almost frighteningly vast.

Taji Salon 2200 East Millbrook Road, #122 919-332-3021, tajisalon.com

Serving the community for nearly two decades, Taji Salon is not just a beauty shop but a movement and an institution. The salon also has its own handmade products.

TLC for Bikes 8480 Honeycutt Road, #126 919-324-4966, tlcforbikes.com

The folks at this bike shop will lend you their ear about all things biking, offering tips for novices and pros alike. There’s no need to be intimidated if you’re a newbie, since these folks are known for their customer service. TLC sells clothing, accessories, and, of course, bikes, and provides maintenance for your trusty steed.

Ultimate Comics 6320 Capital Boulevard 984-200-0186, ultimatecomics.com

There’s a reason Ultimate keeps growing—it’s an excellent resource for comics fans. New releases, back issues, collectibles: Ultimate can scratch any itch a comic geek might have.

The Vintage Village 9300 Durant Road 919-844-2652

If antiquing is your thing—or your visiting aunt’s thing—you should probably swing out to The Vintage Village on Saturday morning. Since 2005, the Village has been an oft-overlooked North Raleigh gem, a small community of antique shops selling all kinds of weird stuff.

PLay c Durant Nature Preserve 8305 Camp Durant Road 919-870-2871, raleighnc.gov

The city-owned preserve boasts five miles of verdant hiking trails as well as a few dedicated mountain-biking trails. The big open field is the perfect setting for a game of ultimate frisbee.

There’s also a sand volleyball court and a number of picnic zones for a friendly barbecue.

Go hiking around sunrise or sunset, and you might encounter deer.

Falls Lake Dam 11405 Falls of Neuse Road, Wake Forest

Both sides of Falls Dam are so picturesque that you might forget for a moment that you’re still in Raleigh. The address says Wake Forest, but that’s a technicality because Wakefield, a Raleigh neighborhood, is north of the dam itself. You can fish, kayak, hike, run, and bike in and around the water here. The top of the dam might be the best location around for sunset viewing.

Millbrook Exchange Park 1905 Spring Forest Road 919-996-4156, raleighnc.gov

Built in 1971, this city park has become a recreation destination for North Raleigh residents.

With basketball and tennis courts, two playgrounds, a pool, and a community center with fitness equipment, there are endless activities available to get your fitness on. There are also several large fields for softball and kickball, as well as a popular dog park.

North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre 7713 Lead Mine Road, #51 919-866-0228, nract.org

Adventure Landing

NRACT is a small community theater tucked away in a strip mall. It presents several live plays a year and also offers a variety of theater classes for kids and even adults, proving that you’re never too old to realize your dream of being onstage.

3311 Capital Boulevard 919-872-1688, raleigh.adventurelanding.com

Skin Sense

For adults and kids alike, spend a day of adventure playing laser tag or miniature golf, or blow off some steam driving go-karts or swinging in the batting cages.

6801 Falls of Neuse Road, #130 919-870-0700, skinsense.com

Sensory deprivation chambers are all the rage in New York City and Los Angeles, but North Raleigh has something unique all its own. Skin Sense has the only Himalayan salt cave in the Triangle, where you feel like you’re being transported to outer space for the duration of your meditative experience. You can also choose from any number of spa treatments. Reserve the mudroom with a friend and slather each other in different types of clay.

Bayleaf Veterinary Hospital has provided compassionate care to triangle pets since 1982. We are an AAHA accredited practice, adhering to the highest national standards of care.

10009 Six Forks Rd, Raleigh (919) 848-1926

07 nOrtHWEst hours in

RALEiGh

#

by Curt Fields Landmark: Angus Barn Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: New World Cafe Where to Visit with Friends: Lynnwood Grill & Brewing Concern Where to Walk Your Dog: Umstead State Park Where to Spend the Night: Camping at Umstead State Park

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It's late Saturday morning, and I'm in the retail labyrinth of Brier Creek Commons. There are countless stores, mostly chains, but retail therapy is not what draws me into this consumer vortex.

For me, the attraction is brunch at Brier Creek Beer Garden. Menu tweaks over the past couple of years took away one of my faves (duck and waffles), but there are usually interesting dishes to try alongside typical fare. If nothing else, a pint of candied bacon paired with a craft brew is a good place to start. I settle on the unimaginative but satisfying choice of eggs Benedict. And another beer, of course.

After fueling up, a short drive to Umstead State Park is in order. There are multiple trails to pick from, and I'm going for the easiest because, while I'm well-intentioned about my health, I'm not fanatical about it. As much as it irritates my neon-loving heart to admit, the sun and the slight breeze feels good, energizing even.

My God, what's happening to me?

After such weirdness, I need the reassurance of nestling into a comfort zone. That sends me scurrying to one of my favorite stores in the Triangle—Game Theory. Assorted tabletop games are underway, with people moving mini-figures about playfields and rolling dice clatter. I wander to the shelves to peruse the latest games and handbooks. A couple of cell phone pics ensure that I don't forget potential gifts for upcoming occasions. I linger a bit, listening in on a particularly amusing conversation occurring in a Dungeons & Dragons session at a nearby table. A wizard rolled poorly and did more

damage to her party than the goblins they were squaring off against. Damn those natural ones.

From there, it's a short drive to The Oak for dinner. The beef and bourbon sliders satisfy both my hunger and taste buds. I settle in because The Oak has an extensive bourbon list as well as a variety of bourbon flights for sampling.

Clearly, I'm going to be here for a while. As the clock ticks and I meander through the bourbon list, ordering the hand-cut fries with chipotle sour cream and malt vinegar aioli seems like a judicious move. Sigh. Looks as if I'll be heading back to the trails of Umstead again tomorrow.

Must William B. Umstead State Park 8801 Glenwood Avenue 919-571-4170, ncparks.gov/ william-b-umstead-state-park

More than twenty miles of hiking trails of all distances and difficulties weave throughout the more than five thousand acres of Umstead Park, making it perhaps the best spot in the entire city to lose yourself on a crisp fall afternoon. The Company Mill Trail runs for nearly six miles, offering views of the slopes along Crabtree Creek. The Sycamore trail goes for more than seven miles. There are also plenty of sites for camping, picnic areas, and educational programs.

EAT

DrInk

# Angus Barn

Brier Creek Beer Garden

9401 Glenwood Avenue 919-781-2444, angusbarn.com

8521 Brier Creek Parkway 919-748-3900

This is the steakhouse in Raleigh—the sort of power place that attracts national championship-winning coaches, visiting celebrities, and other notables to its dining room.

But regardless of who’s breaking bread there at any given moment, the biggest star will always be the steaks. In addition to the clockwork-perfect dining-room experience, Angus Barn also boasts the Meat Locker Smoking Lounge, where you can savor a fine cigar, and the Wild Turkey Lounge, with an atmosphere that only seems to enhance a glass of fine whiskey or a bottle from Angus Barn’s multi-award-winning wine cellar.

As the name implies, BCBG has plenty of beer to choose from. Fifty-two taps, in fact. And there’s more available by the bottle.

Azitra 8411 Brier Creek Parkway 919-484-3939, azitra.us

At Azitra, the servers are happy to help you find the right dish and the right drink to pair with it. Might we suggest the peppercorn mango lamb with a bottle of Flying Horse?

Champa Thai and Sushi 8521 Brier Creek Parkway 919-806-0078, champathaisushi.com

With a menu influenced by the cuisine of northern Thailand, Champa offers a variety of dishes to satisfy discriminating Thai fans.

Best of all, Champa’s sushi selections are well crafted, making the restaurant an excellent choice for groups divided between sushi lovers and sushi abstainers.

Dos Taquitos 6101 Glenwood Avenue 919-787-3373

This fun Tex-Mex restaurant is relatively new to this Glenwood Avenue address, but it has been serving Raleigh since the early 1990s.

It's perfect for virtually any occasion.

Lynnwood Grill & Brewing Concern 4821 Grove Barton Road 919-785-0043, lynnwoodgrill.com

Even with a rooftop patio, this place can fill up, especially on weekends. Locals know that Lynnwood has some of the best beer around, including the seasonal Big Papi Porter.

The Peddler Steakhouse 6605 Glenwood Avenue 919-787-6980, peddlersteakhouse.com

The interior has a clubby, comfortable feel, which makes sense because The Peddler should definitely have settled into its environs since opening in 1969. A popular destination for residents of nearby neighborhoods, it boasts of its aging process (all steaks are aged a minimum of twenty-eight days) and its charcoal cooking process.

Waraji Japanese Restaurant

Gizmo Brew Works 5907 Triangle Drive 919-782-2099, gizmobrewworks.com

We’ve yet to try a Gizmo brew we didn’t enjoy.

Keep an eye out for seasonals and one-offs.

# The Hideout at Lonerider Brewery 8816 Gulf Court 919-442-8004, loneriderbeer.com

Enjoy Lonerider standards such as Hoppy Ki Yay or Sweet Josie Brown Ale any time you’re there, but if possible, visit on the first or third Wednesday of the month, because that’s when the brewery releases a keg of specialty beer.

New World Cafe 4112 Pleasant Valley Road, #124 919-786-0091, newworldcafes.com

Serving Counter Culture coffee, New World has been offering everything from pour-overs to European-style lattes since 2010. There is free Wi-Fi and plenty of outlets, too.

The Oak, Kitchen + Bourbon Bar 4035 Lake Boone Trail 919-787-9100, jmrkitchens.com

The Oak features more than sixty bourbons, including some difficult-to-find bottles and an in-house re-aged bourbon that changes whenever a cask runs out. It also offers flights that help you explore the extensive list. You could say that The Oak is all about the bourbon, but that’s only partially true. Have dinner with your bourbon, and you’ll discover The Oak also takes the Kitchen part of the name seriously, too.

Sharky's Place 5800 Duraleigh Road 919-783-5448, sharkysnc.com

A relaxed sports bar that’s been around for nearly thirty years, Sharky’s features a couple of dozen TVs for catching your favorite team's game, plus darts and pool for when the score dictates seeking other diversions. There's a reasonable number of craft beers on tap, along along with a full bar in case you want something stronger.

ShOP The Bicycle Chain 9000 Glenwood Avenue 919-782-1000, thebicyclechain.com

A great bike shop with friendly folks who are happy to help you get what you need, whether you’re a serious rider or just starting out.

Game Theory 5910 Duraleigh Road 919-787-4449, gametheorystore.com

The selection of tabletop games, RPG guides, deck-building games, miniatures, and accessories alone makes Game Theory an invaluable part of the Raleigh scene. Of course, even the best game isn’t much fun if you’ve no one to play it with, and that’s where Game Theory really shines. People gather at the store on a daily basis to play and socialize. Check online to see which games are featured on which days, or join Meetup for more detailed info. Before you know it, you’ll be at a table full of people who love your favorite board game as much as you do.

Capitol Comics 5212 Hollyridge Drive 919-781-9500, capitolcomicsnc.com

This old-school shop is small, but don’t be misled by the size. Capitol has a ton of comics. New releases are along the wall on the right. Older editions are in the middle and on the left. There are also t-shirts and collectible figures. It’s easy to lose track of time searching through the back issues.

# Sweet Tea & Cornbread 4325 Glenwood Avenue (in Crabtree Valley Mall) 919-424-7515, sweetteaandcornbreadnc.com

Tonya Council—granddaughter of the late Mildred Council, proprietor of the legendary Mama Dip’s in Chapel Hill—sells homegrown packaged gourmet foods, from peanut butter to dry rub to coffee beans to grits to pecan crisp, at this mall location. She opened a Sweet Tea & Cornbread restaurant inside the N.C. Museum of History in September 2019.

PLay Cinemark Raleigh Grande 4840 Grove Barton Road 919-226-2012, cinemark.com

Comfy reclining seats you can reserve in advance, and a selection of a half-dozen craft beers on tap.

Launching Pad Trampoline Park 6421 Hilburn Drive 919-390-6700, launchingpadraleigh.com

The attractions: trampolines, a foam pit, a jousting pit, dodgeball, rope ladders, a ninja warrior course, and dunk lanes where you can hum the “Be Like Mike” theme while taking to the air. Bring your full-of-energy crew; take them home exhausted.

# Triangle Rock Club 6022 Duraleigh Road 919-803-5534, trianglerockclub.com

TRC has more than thirteen thousand square feet of Eldorado climbing walls, seven thousand square feet of bouldering terrain, areas for lead and top-rope climbing, workout areas, and many other amenities.

5910 Duraleigh Road 919-783-1883, warajijapaneserestaurant.com

For many in Raleigh, this is the go-to spot for sushi—or for a huge sake selection.

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09

hours in

caRy + aPEX + mOrRisvILlE

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by Curt Fields Landmark: Maynard-Pearson House Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: La Farm Bakery Where to Visit with Friends: Bond Brothers Where to Walk Your Dog: Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve Where to Spend the Night: The Mayton Inn

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FINDER . 2019-20

I need coffee for this. And food.

That means I need La Farm.

And so, the day begins with multiple cafe Americanos and a tomato cheddar scramble, which set me up with sufficient energy to navigate the mini-Triangle within the Triangle: Cary, Apex, and Morrisville.

From there, I journey to Cary’s Chatham Street and its assortment of shopping destinations.

Whether you're looking for high-end clothing on the cheap at a consignment shop (The Perfect Piece) or the perfect thing to tie the room together (Cooper’s Furniture), you'll probably find it there.

Lunchtime looms, and I’m off to Corbett's Burgers & Soda Bar. The family-owned joint serves only a handful of burgers, hot dogs, and grilled cheese sandwiches, embodying the quality-over-quantity ethos. The grilled pimento cheese is tempting, but I cast my lot with the Sodalicious Burger. It arrives hot, juicy, and inviting. It doesn't take long to devour.

On the way out, I stop by the wall cases of sodas and pick out a few offbeat flavors and brands for my father. Watching him alternate between delight at seeing a brand from his youth and consternation at flavors such as “sweet corn” is always fun.

With beverages for him sorted out, it's time to get some for me. Bond Brothers, here I come.

This great brewpub produces quality beers in varying styles. (Its location-less sorta-sister brewery, Ancillary* Fermentation, is just as good but a little harder to track down.) Of course, Bond Brothers beer is no secret, hence the usually buzzing taproom, with locals and beer hounds enjoying pint after pint—and, when the weather’s good, the outdoor tables.

After a sojourn there, I'm off to downtown Apex. I find a parking spot and leave the car to walk about the thriving hub of antiques shops and boutiques— mostly window shopping, to be honest, because no matter how much I may fall in love with that art deco dresser, there just isn't any space in the apartment.

While there, I pop in for a quick snack at Daniel's, an ever-popular Italian eatery. Not hungry enough for one of the menu’s pasta dishes, but wanting a bit of food before hitting my next destination, I opt for a slice of raspberry white chocolate cheesecake. Never a bad choice.

From there, it’s on to Brüeprint Brewery, which, when picking a beer-drinking spot, is also not a bad choice. The Brue Scarlet and Pale Brue Eyes both go down easily.

My decision-making skills are put to the test at Cipher Escape, where you're locked in a room with a few friends and given a time limit to puzzle your way out of it. Secret codes. Hidden locks. Trick doors.

Numerical clues. Red herrings. After several beers.

Dinner beckons at Carmen's Cuban Cafe & Lounge.

I did not grow up in Florida, but I lived there long enough to consider myself at least half-Floridian—which means, among many other things, that I developed an appreciation for Cuban cuisine.

And since Cuban cuisine can be difficult to come across in North Carolina, Carmen’s is my destination whenever I need a fix. A plate of empanadas Cubanas followed by one of picadillo is more than I need but exactly what I want. An after-dinner espresso provides the energy to make it home and a satisfying conclusion to a high-mileage day.

Clockwise from left: The Cary Theater, Bond Brothers Beer Company (photos by Eamon Queeney).

Must Postmaster 160 East Cedar Street, Cary 919-378-9493, postmastercary.com

Contemporary Southern cuisine can mean a lot of things. At Postmaster, it means putting a piece of honeycomb cereal on an oyster with apple mignonette. Actually, that was a few menus ago. These days, Postmaster is offering baba ghanouj with Benchwarmers’ za’atar bagel chips and muffuletta steak tartare with burnt shallot aioli and an olive-caper relish.

Which is to say, the young restaurant from veterans of Ashley Christensen’s team might be the most adventurous eatery in a town not particularly known for adventurous cuisine. It might also be the best.

EAT

Brew N Que

Dame’s Chicken and Waffles

1222 Northwest Maynard Road, Cary 919-799-2023, brewnquenc.com

823 Bass Pro Lane, Cary 919-234-0824, dameschickenwaffles.com

Academy Street Bistro

Brew N Que is part BBQ joint, part bottle shop—and the brainchild of food truck owner Mike Markham. Start off with the Redneck Nachos or the BBQ egg rolls. Then chow down on a BBQ platter or a sandwich such as The Big Cheesy (grilled pimento mac and cheese, barbecue, sweet pickles, and sauce).

It’s a small room, so get there early or be prepared to wait.

The Cary outpost of this Durham legend takes chicken and waffles to the next level.

200 South Academy Street, Cary 919-377-0509, academystreetbistro.com

There’s a dinner menu, but check out Academy for lunch and stick with a combination of appetizers. Maybe a serving of crab cakes plus a grilled brie. On Tuesday, martinis are only $5; on Wednesday, mules (Moscow, Kentucky, Caribbean) are $6.

Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream 10120 Green Level Church Road, #208, Cary 919-822-1866, andisicecream.com

Three words for you: Lemon. Basil. Sorbet.

There are other flavors at Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream, of course—delicious varieties of ice cream and sorbet that are sure to please your palate. But we repeat: Lemon. Basil. Sorbet.

Ashworth Drugs 105 West Chatham Street, Cary 919-467-1877, ashworthdrugs.com

Where else can you fill your prescriptions and also get what Cary Magazine describes as “the best hot dogs in town”? Ashworth serves up some serious 1950s diner vibes.

Banana Leaf 1026 Ryan Road, Cary 919-468-9958, bananaleafcary.com

Banana Leaf’s quality far outstrips the picturesqueness of its strip-mall location. There are the usual Chinese-menu classics, such as General Tso’s chicken, but don’t just stick to the tried-and-true. Give the Vietnamese Triple Country Flavor Beef a try.

Carmen’s Cuban Cafe 108 Factory Shops Road, Morrisville 919-467-8080, carmenscubancafe.com

About five minutes from the airport, you’ll find generous portions of lechon asado and plantains. If you’re feeling adventurous, stop

by Tuesday evenings for salsa lessons with the Mambo Dinamico Dance Company.

Corbett’s Burgers & Soda Bar 126 Kilmayne Drive, Cary 919-466-0055, corbettsburgers.com

A straightforward, family-owned burger joint that’s not as fancy as some places you’ll find, Corbett’s can more than hold its own with selections such as the Gouda Morning Burger or the Sodalicious Burger. Even if you’re not hungry, it’s worth stopping by to peruse the cases with more than 250 varieties of soda.

Daniel’s Restaurant & Catering 1430 West Williams Street, Apex 919-303-1006, danielsapex.com

This Apex favorite has been serving pastas, pizzas, and desserts for almost a quarter-century, all in a relaxed atmosphere with prices nearly as pleasing as the food. Word to the wise: Make reservations. And don’t leave without getting the raspberry white chocolate cheesecake.

Good Harvest 1104 Ledsome Lane, Cary 919-977-3836, facebook.com/goodharvestnc

This Chinese restaurant has sisters in Flushing and Brooklyn, New York, as well as stores dotting China. Good Harvest is all about seafood, with specialties such as Golden Pepper Crisp Fish and the signature Crunch Fish Pot.

Herons 100 Woodland Pond Drive, Cary 919-447-4000, theumstead.com/dining

Five-star (from Forbes), five-diamond (from AAA) restaurant Herons, in the upscale Umstead Hotel and Spa, is a great choice for a special-occasion meal. Expensive? Of course. But you eat like a king.

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Himalayan Range Nepalese Restaurant 910 Northeast Maynard Road, Cary 919-378-9586, himalayanrangenepalirestaurants.com

Pizzeria Faulisi 215 East Chatham Street, Cary pizzeriafaulisi.com

Kathmandu Kitchen

Amber Faulisi learned to make pizza at home in an electric oven while her husband, Zach, spent nights as a chef at The Durham. In 2017, the couple upped their game with Pizzeria Faulisi’s wood-fired Napoli oven.

With flour from Boulted Bread, they produce perfectly charred crusts surrounding smooth Wisconsin mozzarella.

1275 Northwest Maynard Road, Cary 919-535-3026, kathmandukitchencary.com

Pro’s Epicurean Market + Cafe

Don’t let the low-key strip-mall setting fool you: this place brings outsize Nepali flavor in big portions. The Gobi Manchurian appetizer, with savory battered and fried cauliflower in a zesty sauce, will knock your socks off.

Triangle newcomers are sometimes surprised by the surfeit of excellent Indian and Nepalese choices in Cary. One of the newest is also among the best—Kathmandu Kitchen, which opened in August 2018. Kathmandu succeeds on the strength of its momos, noodle-dough dumplings stuffed with a vegetable- or chicken-based filling. We also recommend the olive garlic naan.

211 East Chatham Street, Cary 919-377-1788, prosepicurean.com

y La Farm Bakery

Taking a simple-is-best approach, The Provincial has a seafood-focused menu that takes quality ingredients and lets them do the work. The results are outstanding dishes like the marinated yellowfin tuna poke taco and sesame sriracha mayo.

4248 Northwest Cary Parkway, Cary 919-657-0657, lafarmbakery.com

The chance to sit and savor the smell of fresh bread and French press coffees is reason enough to visit La Farm. Of course, the excellent fruits of this authentic French bakery’s labors are another. Lunch and dinner selections range from quiches to sandwiches to seafood specials. On Sundays, it’s worth braving the crowds for brunch.

Maximillians Grill & Wine Bar 8314 Chapel Hill Road, Cary 919-465-2455, maximilliansgrill.com

Will and Margie Hennessee purchased Maxmillians in 2015 after working there for almost twenty years, serving a globally inspired, locally sourced menu. It’s difficult to suggest a dish, as the offerings change regularly.

Mithai Indian Cafe 744 East Chatham Street, Suite F, Cary 919-469-9651, mithaius.com

North Carolina’s first manufacturer of artisanal Indian confectioneries, Mithai has been making Indian and Bengali sweets since 2004. You’ll find classics like walnut chocolate burfi in addition to vegan options like matcher laddu, kaju kati, and boondi ladies.

Nazara Indian Bistro 1945 High House Road, Cary 919-694-5353, nazaranc.com

Come for dinner, stay for dessert at this upscale Indian eatery. Regulars love the lamb seekh kabab and beet tikki mango chaat. If you can’t take the heat, ask your waiter to tone down the spice; Nazara brings the fire.

In the heart of downtown Cary, Pro’s Epicurean puts a fun spin on Italian fare, from a rotating charcuterie collection to its bruschetta of the day.

The Provincial 119 North Salem Street, Apex 919-372-5921, theprovincialapex.com

Scratch Kitchen + Taproom 225 North Salem Street, #127, Apex 919-372-5370, scratchkitchenandtaproom.com

From the folks behind The Mason Jar Tavern, Scratch offers a robust tap list heavy on local brews and a from-scratch—hence the name— menu that reads like a more interesting version of pub food: street corn with truffle aioli, jalapeño cornbread, shrimp and grits with miso ginger-garlic sauce, and so on.

Smokey’s BBQ Shack 10800 Chapel Hill Road, Morrisville 919-469-1724, smokeyshack.com

Smokey’s takes the Switzerland approach to saucing, marrying—in its own words—“the tangy cider vinegar boy from the east and that sweet tomato gal from the west.” Don’t be scared off by the lines. Good ‘cue is worth the wait.

Totopos 1388 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary 919-678-3449, totoposfoodandtequila.com

All of the standard Mexican restaurant menu items are here, capably prepared. But as much as the food, the real attraction is the extensive tequila list—more than eighty of them. Flights make it easy to sample a good amount without dying.

Verandah 301 South Academy Street, Cary 919-670-5000, verandahcary.com

Verandah gets its name from a time before air conditioners, when families gathered outside to dine on fresh, local food under covered porches. The menu seeks to recreate that, from the seasonal medley of smoked tomatoes, brussels sprouts, kale, mushrooms, beets, and lentil puree, to sweet-teabrined grilled pork chop with collard greens and molasses apple butter gastrique.

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DrInk y Bond Brothers Beer Company 202 East Cedar Street, Cary 919-459-2670, bondbrothersbeer.com

Bond Brothers is a relatively young brewery, but it’s quickly become known as one of the Triangle’s best. IPAs, barrel sours, whatever style you want, they probably have a quality version of it. At the Cary taproom, there are more than a dozen beers on tap, running the gamut from Belgian strong golden ales to dark lagers to saisons to stouts to session IPAs.

Brüeprint Brewing Company 1229 Perry Road, #101, Apex 919-387-8075, brueprint.com

There are fourteen beers on tap, and you'll have to try to find one that isn't a winner.

Cotton House Craft Brewers 307 Academy Street, Cary 984-333-0500, cottonhousecraft.com

This brewery sits in a Victorian home originally built to house Cary High students; much of the original architecture is still intact.

Cotton House gets its hops from its farm in Liberty and has developed special varieties with the state Department of Agriculture.

Fortnight Brewing Company 1006 Southwest Maynard Road, Cary 919-342-6604, fortnightbrewing.com

With brews such as the Blood Orange Blonde, Coffee Amber, and a cask-only English breakfast stout, Fortnight knows exactly what your taste buds want. Using recipes inspired by owner Stuart Arnold’s native England, the brewery has created quite a portfolio.

Local Bar 2901 U.S. Highway 64, Apex 919-303-7014, localbarapex.com

One Yelp reviewer called this a North Carolina bar that can make your Cheers fantasies a reality, and, sure, that sounds about right. They have pool tables, darts, and a large outdoor area where you can grill your own dinner.

Naughty Penguin Hard Cider 1220 Copeland Oaks Drive, Morrisville 984-333-0801, naughtypenguincider.com

A nano-cidery that uses locally sourced apples to create its hard cider batches, Naughty Penguin is open seven days a week and is dog-friendly.

Pharmacy Bottle + Beverage 120 East Chatham Street, Cary 919-234-1098, pharmacybottlebeverage.com

Occupying the renovated site of a former pharmacy next door to The Cary Theater, this downtown spot has sixteen taps with the option of eight-ounce pours and beer flights.

Large sliding glass windows open up onto Chatham Street and outdoor picnic seating.

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Salem Street Pub

y Downtown Apex

Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve

113 North Salem Street, Apex 919-387-9992, salemstreetpub.wixsite.com/ salemstreetpub

apexdowntown.com

2616 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary 919-387-5980, hemlockbluffs.org

SSP owners Jenny and Jared Duckart wanted to create something like they used to frequent in their hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania. With nine local beers on tap and more brews in bottles, plus a wide array and burgers and sandwiches, SSP is an ideal spot to get together with friends.

SideBar 215 East Chatham Street, Cary 919-588-3063, sidebarnc.com

A downtown Cary neighborhood bar with classic cocktails (Corpse Reviver #2), house cocktails (Bruleed Greyhouse), staples (the sidecar, of course), and a few beers and wines.

Southern Peak Brewery 950 Windy Road, #100, Apex 919-623-0827, southernpeakbrewery.com

This brewery focuses on German styles, lagers, and IPAs. Open since 2016, Southern Peak has already turned out some award winners, including the Boxcar Belle German Lager, the Midnight Conductor Baltic Porter, and the Tropikol IPA.

Triangle Wine Company 575 New Waverly Place, #103B, Cary; 3735 Davis Drive, Morrisville 919-307-3966, 919-462-1912; trianglewineco.com

Triangle Wine Company is known for its vast array of beer and wine selections. You can also sample a pint or glass while you shop.

ShOP Alexander Eton 1251 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary 919-454-0829, alexander-eton.com

This isn’t your grandfather’s suit shop. With a blend of contemporary styles and unique patterns, Alexander Eton brings tasteful flare to menswear.

CBD American Shaman 916 Northeast Maynard Road, Cary 561-420-4834, cbdamericanshaman.com

While we wait for North Carolina to catch up with saner parts of the country and make weed legal, you can at least stock up on your CBD oils, lotions, and pet treats.

Cooper’s Furniture 820 East Chatham Street, Cary 919-467-2401, coopersfurniturenc.com

Cooper’s has sold high-quality furniture in Cary since 1929, offering a wide-ranging inventory of all the top brands. If you want it, it’s probably here.

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You won’t find a quainter, more welcoming small-town district than Apex’s. A downtown revival that began in 1995 has helped land it in the National Register of Historic Places. Today, antiques and other specialty stores make for an easy afternoon of shopping fun. Downtown Apex hosts a number of year-round events, including holiday-themed festivals, Founders Day in March, a large Pig Fest in June, and the Apex Music Festival in September.

Downtown Cary Food and Flea Ashworth Village, Cary dtcfoodandflea.com

Crafters and craft beer, food trucks and folk-singers, and assorted artisans form the foundation of this street market on the second Sunday of each month.

The Perfect Piece 200 East Chatham Street, Cary 919-460-9841, facebook.com/theperfectpiececary

If you can’t find the, um, perfect piece at this eleven-thousand-square-foot building in downtown Cary, you’re not really looking.

This home décor and gift store focuses on furniture sold through the store’s consignment inventory as well as vendors who occupy booths around the showroom.

PLay The Cary Theater 122 East Chatham Street, Cary 919-462-2051, thecarytheater.com

The town of Cary purchased and renovated the town’s first indoor theater, built in 1946.

Today, a new marquee graces its brick facade, which fronts a multi-use facility showing vintage films interspersed with live acts.

Cipher Escape 250 Dominion Drive, Morrisville 919-378-9362, cipherescape.com

What better way to discern what your friends are made of than to be locked in a room with them while trying to beat the clock and escape?

y Fred G. Bond Metro Park 801 High House Road, Cary 919-462-3970

This 310-acre suburban oasis is a sprawling jewel for pleasure-seekers of any age. Numerous trails spiral throughout the premises and beyond—renovations underway will ultimately connect the park to the American Tobacco Trail and Umstead State Park. A 1.5-mile course encircles Bond Lake, where you can enjoy fishing or spend the day on a boat, kayak, or canoe rented from the boathouse (at least in April through October). Scattered among the sweeping greenspaces are shelters to reserve for gatherings, seven athletic fields, a challenge course, an amphitheater, and a playground.

A 140-acre oasis of peace featuring roughly three miles of trails. It was created in part to help preserve the Eastern Hemlock trees located on the property.

Koka Booth Amphitheatre 8003 Regency Parkway, Cary 919-462-2025, boothamphitheatre.com

Named after a former Cary mayor, this performing arts venue sits along the north bank of Symphony Lake in Regency Park.

Perennial events such as the Fourth of July celebration, the summer Movies by Moonlight series, and the N.C. Symphony Summerfest concert series always attract a crowd.

Triangle Rock Club 102 Pheasant Wood Court, Morrisville 919-463-7625, trianglerockclub.com

Whether you’re a seasoned climber or a newbie looking to learn the ropes (see what we did there?), you’ll find the right challenge among this facility’s twenty-seven-thousand square feet of climbing walls.

Triangle Table Tennis Center 2900 Perimeter Park Drive, #200, Morrisville 919-388-0272, triangletabletennis.com

Tucked away in commercial Morrisville is the largest table tennis center in the country, with twenty-five thousand square feet of professional playing space lined with forty tables to rent. There’s a fitness area, locker rooms, and robots (robots!) to practice against. The center also houses the USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame, which we just learned is a real thing.

The Umstead Hotel and Spa 100 Woodland Pond Drive, Cary 919-447-4000, theumstead.com

The brainchild of Ann Goodnight and her husband, SAS founder and CEO Jim Goodnight, this five-star hotel is the most luxurious in the Triangle, if not North Carolina. The serene atmosphere extends to every inch of this pampered property.

Wakemed Soccer Park 201 Soccer Park Drive, Cary 919-858-0464, northcarolinafc.com

One of the best facilities of its kind in the country, WMSP boasts eight well-manicured grass soccer fields and plentiful parking.

The main stadium has a seating capacity of nearly ten thousand, and it’s home to the North Carolina Football Club and the North Carolina Courage.

07 tHe rEst of hours in

waKE cOunTy

%

by Curt Fields Landmark: Five County Stadium Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Full Bloom Coffee Roasters Where to Visit with Friends: Wake Forest Coffee Company Where to Walk Your Dog: Garner Recreation Park Where to Spend the Night: Fuquay Mineral Spring Inn

You’ve probably noticed that Wake County is not a small place. I could spend half the day driving from Fuquay-Varina to Garner to Knightdale. And as scenic a drive as that might be—or not, depending on the route—it would also make for a very boring story. So instead, I’m going to focus this adventure on two places: Holly Springs and Wake Forest. (No disrespect to you Fuquay-Varians.)

Starting in Holly Springs, I stop for food at Mason Jar Tavern. Chicken and waffles sounds like a reasonable, uncomplicated start to the day. Of course, whenever I find myself at Mason Jar Tavern, there is one thing I always have to order, be it the day’s first meal or the last: the fried pimento mac-and-cheese bites, delectable little explosions of happiness.

From there, I roll over—not literally, although, after that meal, it’s a possibility—to Bombshell Beer Company's taproom. Bombshell, the state’s first brewery with all women owners and brewers, makes good stuff. The Head Over Hops IPA calls to me, and I sip away, appreciating the pint’s citrus tones.

After that, a stop at Bass Lake Park, If I were so inclined, I could check out a fishing pole and try my hand at angling. But it has been a good while since I did that, and now does not seem like the time to attempt to recapture that part of my redneck past. Maybe I could pull off holding the pole over my shoulder while whistling the Andy Griffith theme as I walk along the path, but even that seems a bit of a stretch.

Canoeing is clearly beyond my ken as well (I'm more Bar Scout than Boy Scout). But a leisurely stroll near the water, taking it all in, is something I can not only handle but enjoy.

Time for that drive to Wake Forest and a wander along its main drag, White Street.

First, a bit of shopping at North Carolina General Stores for a few “made in North Carolina” products that I can send to faraway friends to show them what they're missing. I duck in and out of another store or two before my appetite directs me to Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs. Obviously, if you've been around the Triangle for a while, you know about Shorty's. If not, well, the landmark joint is one of the boxes you have to tick to actually call yourself one of us. One all-the-way with a side of cheese fries while soaking in the old-school atmosphere is sustenance aplenty.

Afterward, White Street Brewing Company beckons. What was once a car dealership in the 1930s is now a remarkably comfortable taproom.

I settle in, order a cold Relaxsession, and give myself over to the brew's not so subtle suggestion.

Ahhhh … I like the way you think, beer.

If only I didn’t have to drive home.

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Must Bodega Tapas, Wine, and Rum 110 South White Street, Wake Forest 984-235-4187, bodegawakeforest.com

Everyone is doing tapas these days. But few restaurants are doing them as well as Bodega, where chef de cuisine Doug Seeley cranks out a meat-and-seafood-focused menu that rarely fails to delight, from a ceviche that sings with the tartness of passionfruit to a spicy beef empanada delightfully sweetened by plantains. The coffee-braised lamb ribs are otherworldly, falling off the bone, the coffee adding a hint of bitterness. To accompany this delicious madness are no less than forty wines by the glass and a ridiculous assortment of rums. Vegetarians, good luck.

EAT Bodega Tapas, Wine and Rum pork belly (photo

by Jade Wilson).

Anna’s Pizzeria 138 South Main Street, Fuquay-Varina; 100 North Salem Street, Apex 919-285-2497, 919-267-6237; annaspizzeria.com

A family-friendly restaurant serving New York pies and classic Italian dishes.

The Mason Jar Tavern 114 Grand Hill Place, Holly Springs 919-964-5060, themasonjartavern.com

Friendly service, consistently good food, and a superior selection of brews make The Mason Jar a Holly Springs favorite. Whatever you do, don’t miss the fried pimento mac-and-cheese bites appetizer. Entrées to consider include the Hangover Burger (topped with a fried egg, sliced avocado, bacon, buffalo sauce, and bloody Mary mayo).

Shorty’s Famous Hot Dogs 214 South White Street, Wake Forest 919-556-8026, facebook.com/shortysfamoushotdogs

Shorty’s has been around since 1916, so clearly its methods have met with approval. There are burgers and sandwiches available, but the star is a Jesse Jones red hot dog, all the way.

Stick Boy Bread Co. 127 South Main Street, Fuquay-Varina 919-557-2237, stickboyfuquay.com

In 2001, Carson and Mindy Coatney opened the first Stick Boy in Boone. Seven years later, their former employee Katie Dies opened the second one in Fuquay with her husband. Both carry the same ethos: serve high-quality, locally roasted coffee and handcrafted, small-batch breads, pastries, and desserts in a friendly environment.

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Toot-n-Tell Family Restaurant

Black & White Coffee Roasters

903 West Garner Road, Garner 919-772-2616, tootntellrestaurant.com

314 Brooks Street, Wake Forest 984-235-0125, blackwhiteroasters.com

No frills, no trends, just good country cooking that makes you feel as if you’ve wandered in and sat down at someone’s kitchen table.

Prices are better than reasonable. Breakfast is available all day. The name will make your nine-year-old giggle.

B&W will not only pour you a damn fine cup of coffee, they’ll teach you everything you need to know about the art of the bean, with in-demand (as in, they sell out) classes on espresso, coffee origins, and brewing basics.

DrInk Aviator Tap House 600 East Broad Street, Fuquay-Varina 919-552-8826, aviatorbrew.com/tap-room

The Aviator Tap House, located in the old Varina train depot, is just a cool place to hang out. Of course, it helps that there’s a nice selection of beer to drink—and if you find a new favorite, a quick trip to Aviator’s beer shop next door lets you stock up for the trip home. If you suddenly remember you haven’t eaten in a while, no worries. The Aviator Smokehouse BBQ Restaurant next door has you covered with wings, barbecue, and the like.

Carolina Brewing Company Taproom 140 Thomas Mill Road, Holly Springs 919-557-2337, carolinabrew.com/the-taproom

Although it’s Wake County’s oldest active brewery, CBC has only had its taproom for a couple of years. You can, of course, order any of the company’s year-round beers, but the best part of pulling up a stool is the chance to try the occasional test batch and special release.

% Bombshell Beer Company Taproom and Beer Garden 120 Quantum Drive, Holly Springs 919-823-1933, bombshellbeer.com

Better appointed than your average taproom, Bombshell’s is an airy, bright space, especially when they open the roll-up door. Open seven days a week, it’s dog- and family-friendly, and there are frequent events, including live music and specialized trivia contests (How I Met Your Mother one night, Marvel movies another).

Cleveland Draft House

The Chocolate Fix

E. Carroll Joyner Park

6101 N.C. Highway 42 West, Garner 919-771-2337, clevelanddrafthouse.com

135 South Main Street, Fuquay-Varina 919-557-1233, facebook.com/chocolatefixfv

701 Harris Road, Wake Forest 919-435-9560, wakeforestnc.gov/joyner-park.aspx

There’s a sizeable menu, occasional live music, and several TVs to catch the game.

And there are several dozen taps of craft beer, with North Carolina breweries well represented. But the best part of Cleveland Draft House is the free pool you can shoot on quality tables. Even when it isn’t free, the rates are pretty good.

Sometimes, you have to give in to your cravings—and that’s why The Chocolate Fix is a Fuquay favorite.

The Cotton Company

This 117-acre park features restored farm buildings (a mule barn, tobacco barn, and chicken coop) and a log cabin, as well as a thousand-seat amphitheater, a pecan grove, and about three miles of paved walking trails.

306 South White Street, Wake Forest 919-570-0087, thecottoncompany.net

% Fuquay Mineral Spring Park

Full Bloom Coffee Roasters 141 West Main Street, Garner 919-720-4013, fullbloomcoffee.com

This local micro-roaster sources sustainable, organic, fair trade beans, and its cafe in downtown Garner—“the ideal spot between rising growth and peaceful Sunday afternoons,” its website points out—has a gorgeous, colorful mural on the outside wall.

Norse Brewing Company 203 Brooks Street, Wake Forest 919-554-4555, norsebrewingco.com

As this magazine goes to press, this Vikingthemed brewery in downtown Wake Forest is about to open, boasting “the Triangle’s finest craft beers.” Quite the promise there, folks.

Wake Forest Coffee Company 156 South White Street, Wake Forest 919-554-8914, wakeforestcoffee.com

Featuring organic, fair-trade coffees from all over South America and Africa, Wake Forest Coffee’s cafe wants to offer a communal experience—a place to do homework, to hang out with friends, to live, love, and dream.

White Street Brewing Company 218 White Street, Wake Forest whitestreetbrewing.com

This easygoing taproom has been in Wake Forest since 2012. Trivia nights, cycling club meetings, food trucks—there’s always something happening.

ShOP Ashworth’s Clothing 210 South Main Street, Fuquay-Varina 919-552-5201, facebook.com/ashworthsclothing

The Ashworth family has kept generations of Wake County residents well-dressed and well-hemmed. They sell clothes for any occasion, but Ashworth is the perfect destination when preparing for prom, weddings, or any other event at which a tuxedo is expected.

Bostic & Wilson Antiques

After serving as a cotton warehouse for local farms in the late nineteenth century, The Cotton Company building is home today to almost sixty local vendors who sell local art, pottery, soaps, and food. It’s a great place to shop for holiday gifts.

Next Consignment Boutique 210 South White Street, Wake Forest 919-554-8040, nextconsignment.com

At this downtown Wake Forest shop, you can get your hands on designer women’s clothes, jewelry, and bags for a fraction of the price of major retailers. There’s also a well-stocked selection of kids clothing.

% North Carolina General Stores 150 South White Street, Wake Forest 919-302-2289, ncgeneralstores.com

“Made in North Carolina” is the soul of the place. An array of products, from barbecue sauces to pottery, pickles to soaps, candy to photography, are available—with the one unifying theme being their point of origin.

105 West Spring Street, Fuquay-Varina fuquay-varina.org

Discovered in 1858 by Stephen Fuquay and his brother—we couldn’t make this up if we tried, spelling and all—Davey Crocket Fuquay while they were plowing their father’s farm, the mineral spring was thought to have healing powers, and people came to bathe in it, eventually helping give birth to the place we know as Fuquay-Varina. Today, that spring is commemorated within this park.

Garner Recreational Park 221 East Garner Road, Garner 919-772-4688, garnernc.gov

With twenty acres of ball fields, dog parks, playgrounds, and picnic shelters, you have tons of options for ways to spend your time at Garner Recreational Park. There are also more than two miles of mountain biking trails, so you can get a workout in while staying close to downtown.

Polar Ice House Garner 103 New Rand Road, Garner (919) 861-7465, garner.pucksystems.com

PLay

Polar Ice House offers public skating every Saturday, as well as figure skating and hockey lessons for all ages, so your kid can work on becoming the next Jordan Staal.

Bass Lake Park

Pope’s Strawberry Farm

900 Bass Lake Road, Holly Springs 919-557-2496, hollyspringsnc.us/320/Bass-Lake-Park

Want to take a kid fishing for a day, but not commit to it as a full-on hobby? Bass Lake Park is the place to go, thanks to its tackle-loaner program, which allows you to borrow a pole for free. Canoes are available for rent. If you just want some fresh air, there are trails of varying lengths, plus a garden to explore.

Carolina Mudcats Five County Stadium, 1501 N.C. Highway 39, Zebulon 919-269-2287, milb.com/carolina-mudcats

The Bulls are better known, but attending a Mudcats game feels like a purer baseball experience, more of a throwback to a less polished time. The sight lines are good from any spot in the stands, the hot dogs are worthy ballpark fare, and parking is easy, thanks to multiple lots around the stadium.

1305 Fayetteville Street, Knightdale 919-266-3767

If you have a young child, you should definitely make a visit to a pick-your-own farm.

You can’t get produce any fresher. Strawberries are obviously the main offering, but Pope’s also grows corn and tomatoes.

Zebulon Community Park 401 South Arendell Avenue, Zebulon 919-823-1815

This forty-seven-acre park features a tot lot, softball fields, basketball courts, and walking trails. But what makes it stand out is its eighteen-hole disc-golf course. The course is moderately hilly and has a mix of open and wooded holes. A few of the holes feature water hazards.

105 South Main Street, Fuquay-Varina 919-552-3248, facebook.com/bosticandwilson

The owners aren’t rookies—they regularly go to auctions and help with estate sales, ensuring that the pieces they offer are well-curated. This is a great place to find ornate lamps and well-made furniture.

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Maximum Americana: snow cones from Durham Bulls Athletic Park (photo by Jeremy M. Lange).

DURHAM

C ount y

17

hours in (and 44 minutes)

dOWNtown dUrHam

f

by Jeffrey C. Billman Landmark: The Lucky Strike Tower Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: The Durham Where to Visit with Friends: The Oak House Where to Walk Your Dog: Anywhere Where to Spend the Night: See “My Hotel Life,” page 79.

If Raleigh owes its existence to alcohol—specifically, a decree that the state capital be built near Isaac Hunter’s tavern—Durham owes its existence to that other quintessential American vice, tobacco.

Monuments to this legacy permeate downtown: the Lucky Strike Water Tower that looms over the American Tobacco Campus; Brightleaf Square, named for the mild tobacco favored by Civil War soldiers; the former Liggett & Myers factory, now renovated into luxury apartments.

Tobacco’s heyday is gone, of course. So are the factories and mills that marked a robust manufacturing economy. Instead, downtown Durham has evolved into the Triangle’s premier cultural destination (sorry, Raleigh).

Durham’s not really a big city, but it feels like one, just compressed into a smaller, friendlier, mostly affordable space. That won’t be the case for long, and it feels less and less the case every day. For better or worse, the world is catching on to the South’s best-kept secret. So enjoy it while it’s ours.

There’s no singular way to squeeze all of downtown into a perfect day. There are too many coffee shops, too many breakfast joints, too many quick lunch spots, upscale restaurants, bars, nightclubs, parks, arcades and axe-throwing places (why?), whatever, to fit into twenty-four hours, even if you had the stamina to go hard for twenty-four hours without passing out, which I—an overworked forty-year-old newspaper editor who gave up those drugs some years ago—most certainly do not. So consider the below itinerary an example of what is theoretically possible over the course of, say, almost eighteen hours in downtown Durham on an imaginary day in which I didn’t have to work and had nothing to do. Those things exist, right?

7:00 a.m.: Al Mokha latte at Cocoa Cinnamon.

7:30 a.m.: Breakfast at Dame’s.

Eat too much. Feel gross.

9:00 a.m.: Ride bike on the American Tobacco Trail. Feel sweaty and gross.

11:30 a.m.: Take dogs to downtown dog park. Go home and shower.

1:00 p.m.: Lunch at Ninth Street Bakery, or maybe Toast—whichever has the shortest line.

1:30 p.m.: Pick-me-up coffee at The Oak House.

2:00 p.m.: Pick-me-up coffee soda at The Durham. Leave quickly when I spot important local person, to avoid talking about work matters on my day off. Go home and rest.

5:00 p.m.: Meet friends for a beer at The Fed. Summon willpower, avoid ordering nachos.

6:00 p.m.: Meet other friends on The Durham rooftop for a cocktail at sunset.

7:30 p.m.: Walk to The Carolina Theatre, catch a movie.

9:15 p.m.: Post-movie pizza at Toro, naturally.

10:30 p.m.: Post-pizza drink at Arcana. Get caught up in dance party. Be reminded by wife that I am not allowed to dance in public.

12:00 a.m.: Stumble to Pinhook, pop in on punk band that I, an old person, have never heard of. Don’t stay long.

12:24 a.m.: Stumble to Atomic Fern, order drink, feign interest in board game.

Drink drink, want to go home.

12:44 a.m.: Order Lyft. Pass out. Hurt for two days.

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Must Durham Bulls Athletic Park 409 Blackwell Street 919-687-6500, durhambulls.com

There’s no doubt the Bulls are an indelible Durham institution.

They’ve got the movie, and they’re consistently among the best teams in the minors. The DBAP’s seats are packed for almost every home game. It’s the closest you can get to a major league experience without the budget-busting ticket prices (or the drive to D.C.).

Hit the bull, win a steak.

EAT Allday Cafe 202 Corcoran Street (inside the Unscripted Hotel) 984-329-5000, unscriptedhotels.com

A coffee bar/restaurant on the boutique hotel’s ground floor (enter on the Parrish Street side), Allday offers an assortment of quick breakfast and lunch options. For vegetarians, it was one of the first in Durham to carry the coveted Impossible Burger.

B. GOOD 110 North Corcoran Street 919-797-9599, bgood.com

At B.GOOD there's no need to sacrifice health for happiness. Whether you order a salad or a burger and fries, each meal is made with the same seasonal, sustainable, and locally sourced ingredients.

Beyú Cafè 341 West Main Street 919-683-1058, beyucaffe.com

Pronounced be you, the cafe is a coffee shop inside of a bar inside of a restaurant, all wrapped up into an unequivocally cool atmosphere. Stop by for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, a business meeting, whatever.

The Blue Note Grill 709 Washington Street 919-401-1979, thebluenotegrill.com

A first-rate roots-music venue with a better-than-average beer selection, Blue Note really shines with its barbecue, especially the ribs.

Bull City Burger and Brewery 107 East Parrish Street 919-680-2333, bullcityburgerandbrewery.com

BCBB has some of the freshest meat patties in town. It makes almost everything in-house and works with local farmers to get produce; if tomatoes aren’t in season, you’re not getting any. The beer’s pretty great, too.

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Bull Mccabe’s Irish Pub

Dame’s Chicken and Waffles

427 West Main Street 919-682-3061, bullmccabesirishpub.com

530 Foster Street, Suite 130 919-682-9235, dameschickenwaffles.com

Guinness, burgers, a soccer match on the telly, and a fun crowd to watch it with. If sitting inside isn’t your thing, the large yard affords plenty of space to sprawl out and drink away the day.

The longtime Dame’s location on Main closed so that the Southern comfort-food institution could move to a bigger space near Durham Central Park. The relocation took longer than expected—more than a year—but Dame’s finally reopened in March 2019. The namesake chicken and waffles and the mac ‘n’ cheese are the stuff of legend.

COPA 107 West Main Street 919-973-0111, copadurham.com

In 2018, when Old Havana Sandwich Shop closed after seven years on East Main, it wasn’t for lack of business. Instead, owners Robert Copa Matos and Elizabeth Turnbull had their eyes on a new space a few blocks west and a new project, COPA, a smallplates restaurant rooted in farm-to-table concepts and focused on nineteenth-century Cuban recipes.

Counting House at 21C 111 North Corcoran Street 919-956-6760, countinghousenc.com

When you’ve got time to kill on an overcast afternoon, wander by the 21c’s restaurant, order the grilled cheese sandwich and a house cocktail, then check out the art gallery upstairs—and the transparent bathroom stalls. (Lock the door.)

Cucciolo Osteria 601 West Main Street, Suite C 984-243-8744, cucciolodurham.com

A newer kid on Durham’s restaurant block, Cucciolo has a small, simple menu centered on quality ingredients and preparation.

Dashi 415 East Chapel Hill Street 919-251-9335, dashiramen.com

If ramen isn’t your thing, venture upstairs to Dashi’s izakaya to enjoy smaller plates while you sip sake. If ramen is your thing, you’re in luck.

Dos Perros 200 North Mangum Street 919-956-2750, dosperrosrestaurant.com

With locally sourced ingredients and an unpretentious air that suits both date night and an after-work snack, Dos Perros serves classic Mexican dishes paired with an extensive beer list and perhaps Durham’s best margaritas.

The Federal 914 West Main Street 919-680-8611, thefederal.net

The best thing about The Fed is its simplicity: You sit. You drink. You eat.

You talk with friends. It’s inexpensive and consistently good. The nachos—this insane portion of chips, stacked with loads of sour cream and pico de gallo and melted cheese—are a necessity.

Geer Street Garden 644 Foster Street 919-688-2900, geerstreetgarden.com

Tucked away in a former Gulf gas station, Geer Street serves comfort food like grilled pimento cheese sandwiches and local-pasture-raised burgers.

Goorsha 910 West Main Street 919-588-4660, goorshadurham.com

In the Amharic language, goorsha is the act of feeding another person as an expression of love. On West Main, Goorsha is a place where you dig into Ethiopian specialties with your hands, mopping up lentils and sauces with delicious injera.

Clockwise from left: Nachos at Durham Bulls Athletic Park (photo by Caitlin Penna); Major the Bull, downtown Durham’s anatomically correct bronze statue, in front of One City Center (photo by Jade Wilson).

Gonza Tacos Y Tequila 604 Fernway Avenue 919-907-2656, gonzatacosytequila.com

Plan: Stop by for tacos, then follow them with a shot from Gonza’s wide selection of tequilas.

Reality: Fill up on chips, queso, and guac, and wonder how those tacos are going to fit.

Hutchins Garage 402 West Geer Street 984-219-6578

Featuring New York-style and thicker-crusted Grandma-style pies, a quality beer list, and expertly crafted cocktails, Hutchins is also great for a pre-Motorco dinner or a lazy Sunday-afternoon indulgence.

It’s a Southern Thing 605 West Main Street 919-294-9632, itsasouthernthingdurham.com

As the name suggests, It’s a Southern Thing embraces all things South. Here, you’ll find everything from shrimp and grits to pulled pork, and po’ boys to barbecue chicken.

Jack Tar & The Colonel’s Daughter

King’s Sandwich Shop

M Pocha

701 Foster Street 919-682-0071, kingssandwichshop.com

101 East Chapel Hill Street 919-294-9177, m-restaurants.com

Since 1942, King’s has served burgers, hot dogs, fries, and other lunchtime goodness near DCP. Splurge and get a milkshake.

Lee’s newest creation—if you look on his website, you’ll see he has plans for at least four more—M Pocha is sort of like a Korean take on a Japanese Izakaya. Basically, it’s Korean street food with drinks. Pocha comes from the word pojanmacha, which means “tented cart on wheels.”

Littler 110 East Parrish Street 919-374-1118, littlerdurham.com

Littler lives up to its name—it seats only thirty-six people. But the dinner-only space makes up for its size with an evolving food and drink menu that has earned it a reputation as one of the best high-end restaurants around. Make reservations, obviously.

M Sushi 311 Holland Street 919-908-9266, m-restaurants.com

The original M spot. The fish is fresh, the rolls are artfully prepared, and the nigiri is to die for.

Lucky’s Delicatessen

M Tempura

105 West Chapel Hill Street 919-864-8841, luckysdelinc.com

111 Orange Street 919-748-3874, m-restaurants.com

You’ll leave smelling like a deep fryer, but you’ll have the best eggplant of your life.

912 West Main Street 919-683-3022, jamesjoyceirishpub.com

Not only does Lucky’s have fresh sandwiches—the eggplant parm is everything right with the world—but it also offers up-North deli staples like matzo ball soup and herbed gravlax. You’ll think you died and went to Jersey.

It’s a real-deal, no-frills Irish pub. Get the fish and chips, obviously.

Luna Rotisserie & Empanadas

202 Corcoran Street 929-682-5255, jacktar-durham.com

Chef Gray Brooks’s ode to the diner reimagines the classics through a sophisticated modern lens.

James Joyce Irish Pub

J.C.’s Kitchen 706 East Main Street 919-680-6227

J.C.’s (formerly Lee’s Kitchen) has been serving soul food, and food for souls—the “J.C.” stands for “Jesus Christ”—for more than a quarter-century, with meat-and-threes and collards, the much-coveted oxtail and fried okra.

Juicekeys 110 North Corcoran Street 919-695-3027, juicekeys.com

With everything free of gluten, dairy, soy, and refined sugar, Juicekeys checks all of the health nut’s boxes.

112 West Main Street 984-439-8702, lunarotisserie.com

Luna has some of the best empanadas around. But if you’re looking to shake your carnivorous ways, give the vegan chili-braised jackfruit patacon a try.

M Kokko 311 Holland Street, Suite B 919-908-9332, m-restaurants.com

The second restaurant in chef Michael Lee’s budding M-pire—and the first listed here—M Kokko does Korean fried chicken, as well as ramen and Korean classics like jjiajang men, in a side alley around the corner from Lee’s first spot, M Sushi (see below).

Mateo Bar de Tapas 109 West Chapel Hill Street 919-530-8700, mateotapas.com

Matt Kelly’s Spanish tapas spot is always in the conversation for the best restaurant in Durham, and for good reason. Its small plates garner rave reviews (the patatas bravas are better than many you’ll have in Barcelona), its sangria is made with Cheerwine (!), and the ever-changing entrée blackboard always has something new and interesting. But the real reason to go: the pan con tomate.

Maverick’s Smokehouse and Taproom 900 West Main Street 919-682-8978, maverickssmokehouse.com

Featuring Carolina, Memphis, and Texas barbecue, Maverick’s offers a laid-back atmosphere, good beer, and excellent fried chicken.

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Clockwise from left: Margherita pizza at Pizzeria Toro, and a starter at M Tempura (photos

by Jade Wilson); The Butter and Salt small plate at Alley Twenty Six (photo by Bob Karp).

Mothers & Sons Trattoria

Parker & Otis

The Pit

107 West Chapel Hill Street 919-294-8247, mothersandsonsnc.com

112 South Duke Street 919-683-3200, parkerandotis.com

321 West Geer Street 919-282-3748, thepit-durham.com

The first restaurant in the South to showcase handmade pasta, Mothers & Sons takes its inspiration from seasonal ingredients and Italian families.

Lots of folks stop by P&O for sandwiches and salads, breakfast tacos and avocado toast, or just a cup of coffee. There’s also a huge array of gifts and impulse buys to peruse while you’re there.

Like its Raleigh sister, this iteration of The Pit does whole hog barbecue in quintessential North Carolina fashion. You could make a meal of the hush puppies alone.

The Parlour

105 East Chapel Hill Street 919-908-6936, pizzeriatoro.com

Nanasteak 345 Blackwell Street 919-282-1183, nanasteak.com

Next to DPAC, NanaSteak ranks among Durham’s premier steakhouses and features all the cuts that carnivores could ask for.

117 Market Street 919-564-7999, theparlour.co

f Pizzeria Toro

Neomonde Mediterranean

Parts & Labor at Motorco

202 Corcoran Street 919-680-1886, neomonde.com

723 Rigsbee Avenue 919-901-0875, motorcomusic.com/eats

For a town short on Italian heritage, Durham has a surfeit of good pizza. And Toro’s is among the best: thin, crisp pies baked in a wood-fired oven and topped with unusual-but-delicious ingredient pairings (hello, soft egg and oyster mushrooms), with a bit of chili oil for you to drizzle on top.

Since the seventies, the Saleh family has been making Mediterranean fare for Raleigh; now they’ve brought their recipes to the Bull City.

Adjacent to Motorco’s music venue, P&L does bar food right. Get the hipster poutine.

Pompieri Pizza

Ninth Street Bakery

Pie Pushers

102 City Hall Plaza 919-973-1589, pompieripizza.com

117 West Main Street, Suite A 919-294-8408, piepushers.com

136 East Chapel Hill Street 919-688-5606, ninthstbakery.com

Don’t let the name fool you—it’s not on Ninth Street. But it is a hell of a bakery, cranking out top-notch breads, as well as cookies, pastries, and sandwiches for lunch.

If you haven’t had The Parlour’s salted caramel ice cream, you haven’t lived.

For years, Pie Pushers was one of Durham’s best-loved food trucks, so it makes sense that the brick-and-mortar is one of Durham’s best-loved pizza joints.

Piedmont Restaurant 401 Foster Street 919-683-1213, piedmontrestaurant.com

Piedmont’s intense focus on local ingredients shines through, both on its menu and in its cocktail program.

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Housed in a former fire station, Pompieri offers fresh pies with locally sourced ingredients that you cut with scissors.

The Restaurant at The Durham 315 East Chapel Hill Street 919-768-8831, thedurham.com/dining

As she does at Lantern in Chapel Hill, chef Andrea Reusing focuses on N.C. ingredients.

The menu here changes frequently, but there are usually oysters, top-notch seafood, and dry-aged burgers to be had.

Used, New and Children’s Books 313 W. Main St Durham NC 27701 www.lettersbookshop.com ( info@lettersbookshop.com

GRIDDLED

2637 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd 608 N. Mangum St. • Durham saltboxseafoodjoint.com

H CATFIS

FLOUNDER

FILLET

ROLLS SEARED SCA LLOPS

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Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken 401 Foster Street, Suite A 984-439-2220, risebiscuitsdonuts.com

Like a few of the others, this Rise did away with donuts recently, part of a rebranding effort. The wide selection of biscuit sandwiches remains.

Rose’s Noodles, Dumplings and Sweets 121 North Gregson Street 919-797-2233, rosesdurham.com

After operating for four years as a butcher’s market and pastry shop, owners Katie and Justin Meddis decided to do something different in 2017, converting their digs into a sit-down, twenty-seat East Asian-inspired eatery focused on local approaches and fresh ingredients.

Rue Cler 401 East Chapel Hill Street 919-682-8844, ruecler-durham.com

This Parisian neighborhood restaurant’s menu changes frequently, but the moules frites and beignets shouldn’t be missed.

Saltbox Seafood Joint 608 North Mangum Street 919-908-8970, saltboxseafoodjoint.com

Last year, Saltbox proprietor Ricky Moore opened a second restaurant on 15-501, but the shack on Mangum remains, serving fresh, never frozen, regional seafood that’s quickly deepfried until it’s gone. Order the hush honeys.

Sugar Koi Ice Cream 905 West Main Street, #20H 919-757-2399, sugarfishicecream.com

Sugar Koi features ice cream with a Thai twist—cones the shape of koi fish.

Taberna Tapas Bar

Accordion Club

325 West Main Street 919-797-1457, tabernatapas.com

316 West Geer Street facebook.com/accordionclubdurham

Taberna offers small plates like baconwrapped dates and gambas ajillo, as well as a full array of paellas. Don’t sleep on the flan.

Thai@Main Street

Accordion Club is a straightforward, affordable, comfortable neighborhood bar. There’s a solid draft list and a good assortment of bottles and cans, some of which are of the $2 Milwaukee variety. Also: Frito pie.

317 West Main Street 984-219-7444, thaiatmainstnc.com

Alley Twenty Six

A Thai restaurant on, um, Main Street, Thai@Main Street has well-priced curries and pad Thai and all of that good stuff.

Toast Paninoteca 345 West Main Street 919-683-2183, toast-fivepoints.com

The line fills out quickly after it opens, which is both annoying and a confirmation that Toast makes the best panini downtown. Try the Tuscan kale and ricotta salad with sweet and hot pickled peppers for something unexpected.

The Viceroy 331 West Main Street 919-797-0413, viceroydurham.com

Viceroy has some British fare, but it leans heavily on its Indian roots, having been born from an Indian food truck. Order the paneer.

DrInk 106 Main 106 East Main Street 919-593-0560, 106main.com

106 Main is a drinker’s bar, simple and unpretentious, with well-made cocktails, a good beer selection, and a friendly staff. Best of all, it’s almost never crowded. Come to think of it, forget we said anything. Stay away.

Musicians play outside of COPA, a local Cuban tapas restaurant. (photo by Eric Bruniche).

320 East Chapel Hill Street 984-439-2278, alleytwentysix.com

Featuring meticulously crafted—read: pricey, worth it—cocktails and small plates, Alley Twenty Six is where you take a date for that pre-dinner drink or nightcap. It also features a full kitchen that whips up dishes like the loaded-for-bare Alley Burger.

f Arcana Bar and Lounge 331 West Main Street 919-973-1675, arcanadurham.com

Lightly but not overbearingly tarot-themed, with a collection of vaguely Victorian couches and lamps, Arcana is intimate and casual, with good bartenders, great drinks, and super-fun dance parties. It’s one of downtown’s often-overlooked treasures.

The Atomic Fern 108 East Parrish Street 919-908-8662, atomicfern.com

The Fern makes good, affordable drinks in a smallish space where you can play board games with friends.

The Bar 711 Rigsbee Avenue 984-244-7117, thebardurham.com

Durham’s premier LGBTQ bar has two distinct vibes: a neighborhood bar during the week and a full-on club on the weekends, with live DJs and plenty of dancing. Stop by for a drag show.

Bar Brunello 117 East Main Street 919-294-4825, barbrunello.com

Everyone will tell you to try the orangewine flight—and you should—but proprietor Esteban Brunello knows his way around a grape, and you should trust him whatever your taste buds lead.

Bar Virgile 105 South Mangum Street 919-973-3000, barvirgile.com

Nestled in a cozy space within eyeshot of DPAC, Bar Virgile makes some of the finest cocktails around. Its take on a boulevardier— like a negroni, but with whiskey instead of gin—ranks among the best we’ve had.

Bull City Ciderworks 305 South Roxboro Street 919-237-2357, bullcityciderworks.com

Durham’s premier cidery has a sprawling space both indoors and out that’s perfect for gathering with friends and sipping on an Off-Main.

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Fullsteam Brewery 726 Rigsbee Avenue 919-682-2337, fullsteam.ag

Fullsteam focuses on local ingredients and a wide variety of styles—the standby Paycheck Pilsner, sure, but also the sweet potato lager.

The taproom has a beer option for even the snobbiest of connoisseurs—or for those just starting to explore the world of craft beer.

Jeddah’s Tea 123 Market Street, Suite A 919-973-3020, facebook.com/jeddahstea

Jeddah’s Tea focuses on teas from countries underrepresented in the American market, such as Somaliland and Senegal. If you haven’t found your go-to tea cafe, this might become your second home.

Oktoberfest at Motorco (photo by Jade Wilson).

Kingfisher 321 East Chapel Hill Street 919-908-9429, kingfisherdurham.com

The Bullpen

Cocoa Cinnamon

359 Blackwell Street, #135 919-744-3630, thebullpenatc.com

420 West Geer Street 919-697-8990, cocoacinnamon.com

In the shadow of the DBAP, this taproom, created by the Bull Durham Beer Company, is ideal for a pre- or postgame brew—or just a night out to hit the Bullpen’s game room.

Cocoa Cinnamon is more than a coffee shop, more than a place for an afternoon pick-me-up or a quick business meeting or study break.

It’s something more akin to a work of art, with unique, smartly caffeinated concoctions crafted by helpful baristas. If you’re unsure what to order, try the Al Mokha, Cocoa Cinnamon’s version of a mocha latte, made with real chocolate and cinnamon from Sri Lanka.

Clouds Brewing 905 West Main Street, #22 919-251-8096, cloudsbrewing.com

Clouds started in Raleigh, with a “downpour wall” that lets you sample a seemingly endless array of beer using an RFID wristband. The Durham location employs the same concept to offer access to forty-plus taps.

A new entry to the crowded craft-cocktail scene, Kingfisher uses produce from local farms to create innovative drinks.

Devine’s Grill and Sports Bar

LouElla Wine Beer & Beverages 316 West Geer Street, Suite A 919-973-2001, louelladurham.com

Next door to Accordion, LouElla is a neighborhood wine bar and bottle shop, drawing on selections from family-operated producers.

The Patio: Pool & Lounge 202 North Corcoran Street (at the Unscripted Hotel) 984-329-9500, unscriptedhotels.com

Criterion

Cheap beer, cheap booze, sports on the TV. Some bars try to be things. Devine’s does not.

347 West Main Street 919-381-8389

Durty Bull Brewing Company

On a bright, late spring day, when it’s warm but not quite hot and there’s not a cloud in the sky, lounge around the outdoor pool on the third floor of the Unscripted Hotel, basking in the sun, cocktail in hand, watching the sunbathers and swimmers. Ahhhh.

206 Broadway Street, #104 919-688-2337, durtybull.com

The PickleBack

Whiskey, beer, and high-backed booths that offer refuge from barroom noise— there’s a simple elegance in Criterion’s no-frills approach.

904 West Main Street 919-682-0228, devinesdurham.com

Back when Stormy Daniels went on 60 Minutes to talk about her (alleged) affair with Donald Trump, Durty Bull made a special beer for the occasion—the “NDA IPA,” a hazy IPA pumped full of glitter. It was a joke, but it was also quite tasty.

704 Rigsbee Avenue 919-251-8206, facebook.com/the-pickleback

Dinner, drinks, dancing—that pretty much sums it up.

best

O F TH E

triangle

BES T OF THE

TRIANGLE

Dermatology 2018

2019

REGIONAL

of DURHAM, PLLC

4321 Medical Park Dr Suite 102 Durham, NC 27704 919-220-SKIN (7546) admin@rddurham.com

Want to learn more about what we offer?

Check us out on our website @ dermatologydurham.com INDY WEEK

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Ponysaurus Brewing Company

Surf Club

219 Hood Street 844-369-7669, ponysaurusbrewing.com

703 Rigsbee Avenue 919-294-9661

The taproom offers not just a bar with Ponysaurus beers (get the Scottish ale), but also a gorgeous outdoor setting with picnic tables and grills and, usually, a few pups to love on.

You’re probably going to run into someone you know. That’s just how Surf Club is.

There’s lots of outdoor space for brisk autumn evenings, and good whiskey drinks to go with them.

Pour Taproom 202 North Corcoran Street 919-251-8985, durham.pourtaproom.com

Go to the counter, let them swipe your card, get a wristband, grab a glass, and pick one of the dozens of drafts on the wall. Hold your wristband up to the tap, where it will register how many ounces you’ve had—the beers are charged by the ounce to your card—then pour.

Don’t go all-in on a pint. That’s no fun. Sample a wide variety. Then drop your wristband at the counter, and they’ll run your card.

Shooters II 827 West Morgan Street 919-680-0428

It’s the only eighteen-and-up club in town. It’s a half-mile from Duke’s east campus. It has beer pong. Guess the clientele.

Social Games & Brews 1007 West Main Street 919-666-7555, socialdurham.com

If you’re looking for some Skee-Ball with your cocktail, this is the right place to go. The Social also hosts trivia and open-mic nights.

The Oak House 126 West Main Street 919-339-1383, oakhousedurham.com

The Oak House’s first Triangle location, which opened in 2019, is a coffee shop, with espresso and locally sourced beans and pastries and free Wi-Fi, but it’s more than that. It also serves craft beer, wine, cider, and, as soon as the licensing gets sorted, whiskey.

West End Wine Bar + West End Billiards and Bocce 601 West Main Street 919-381-4228 and 919-717-3915, westendwinebar.com

The wine bar offers more than just the area’s largest selection of wines by the glass, but craft beers and cocktails, too. The billiards portion has six pool tables, as well as bocce and shuffleboard and a regulation-size basketball hoop. All of this at the same address.

Cool, huh?

ShOP Area Modern 101 West Chapel Hill Street 919-908-8755, areamod.com

Area Mod sells affordable, sophisticated, N.C.-upholstered furniture with lifetime guarantees. If you can’t find that perfect something, you can custom order it.

Beer Durham 404 Hunt Street, #110 919-680-0770, beerdurham.com

Not feeling the bar scene? No worries. Stop

by Beer Durham any day of the week and pick up a growler of your favorite brew.

f Bulldega Urban Market 129 West Parrish Street 919-294-9715, bulldega.com

Styled after bigger-city bodegas, Bulldega offers the convenience of a grocery store with the products of a farmers market. With its recent relocation into One City Center, Bulldega has added a salad bar and expanded its selection of grab-and-goes.

Bullseye Bicycle 102 Morris Street 919-438-3883, bullseyebicycle.com

Bullseye offers a variety of brands and a helpful staff that can help you pick out your next set of wheels.

Carolina Soul Ponsysaurus’s taproom (photo by Alex Boerner).

117 East Main Street 919-908-6620, carolinasoul.com

You don’t need to dig deep to find gems here. Carolina Soul has about ten thousand albums and 45s on hand. It specializes in soul, sure, but it also has plenty of jazz and funk, as well as a respectable rock selection.

If you’re not looking to drop serious coin, check out the dollar bins.

Chet Miller 118 West Parrish Street 919-683-3201, chetmillershop.com

For fans of Parker & Otis, Chet Miller offers a lot of the same options, minus the sandwiches. Whether you’re buying a gift for your grandma or your significant other, Chet Miller has got something just right.

Dolly’s Vintage 213 West Main Street 919-682-1471

There’s plenty of rad, eclectic vintage clothing here—recent discovery: 1970s men’s polyester button-ups, disco-style—but Dolly’s really shines as a gift shop, with a wide array of, well, stuff for just about anyone: jewelry, party wigs, socks, cards, retro aprons, original Kit-Cat Clocks, you get the idea.

Exotique 319 West Main Street 919-688-5747, theexotique.com

More than just an international clothing store, Exotique highlights both local and international artists as well as handmade goods.

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northpawanimalhospital.com 919-471-1471

Formerly known as the Durham Fruit and Produce Company, a century ago this 22,000sf warehouse complex housed giant coolers for fruits and veggies arriving by train.

Today, The Fruit is a place to experience visual and performing arts that include modern dance, art shows, photography, theater, and music. Throughout the year join us for special dance parties, receptions, and festivals!

Calendar at

durhamfruit.com INDY WEEK

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Fifi’s Fine Resale Apparel 1000 West Main Street 919-806-3434, fifisconsignmentboutique.com

Want brand-name women’s clothing and accessories—Jimmy Choo, Louis Vitton, J Crew, Dolce&Gabbana, etc.—at a price that won’t bounce your rent check? Check Fifi’s before you go anywhere else.

Indio 905 West Main Street, #20G 919-797-0456, indiodurham.com

Clockwise from left: A playground across the street from Central Park (photo by Jade Wilson); the flashing neon OLD BULL sign that welcomes you to the American Tobacco Campus (photo by Eric Bruniche).

Not only can you buy locally made pottery at Indio, but you can also learn how to make pottery at one of the store’s weekly craft workshops.

Public Hardware

Vert & Vogue

Letters Bookshop

505 North Mangum Street 919-688-4321, publichardware.com

353 West Main Street 919-797-2767, vertandvogue.com

It seems inevitable that, in the not-so-distant future, this one-story shop on Mangum will be torn down and turned into luxury midrise lofts. Maybe the developer will name the building “Public Hardware,” for “history.”

(Indeed, Public Hardware’s original building, on Parrish Street, is no more.) But until that day comes, downtown Durham will be home to the city’s oldest hardware store, a family-run operation that’s been in the same family since 1924, and a place where you’ll find what you’re looking for.

Vert & Vogue has everything from high-quality denim to chic apparel to housewares and skincare products.

Seven Stars Cycles

The ZEN Succulent

104 West Parrish Street 919-675-2435, sevenstarscycles.com

121 Market Street, #203 919-480-1762, thezensucculent.com

Seven Stars sets itself apart from other bike shops with its affordable rentals. They’ll help fix your bicycle and upgrade your ride when you’re ready for a change.

Recently relocated from Parrish Street to a spot adjacent to The Durham Hotel, ZEN’s flagship is a terrarium and plant-craft business run by a mother and daughter team.

313 West Main Street 919-973-2573, lettersbookshop.com

Letters offers a wide variety of books—and some pretty great discounts, too. Bibliophiles should join the shop’s Same Page Club.

Little Shop of Horror 506 North Mangum Street, #103 919-688-1237, facebook.com/ littleshopofhorrordurham

Specializing in horror—broadening the genre to include psychological thrillers and true crime—Little Shop sells new and used books, DVDs, and VHS tapes, as well as t-shirts, poster reprints, jewelry, and more.

The Other End of the Leash 1000 West Main Street 919-908-1887, otherendoftheleashdurham.com

We could say a lot of things about The Other End of the Leash, but the short version is this: TOETL loves your dog almost as much as you do, and they have just about everything your furry companion’s heart desires.

Morgan Imports 113 South Gregson Street 919-688-1150, morganimports.com

A gift and home furnishing store, Morgan Imports offers all manner of N.C.-focused tees and paraphernalia for proud locals or out-of-town visitors, bath and beauty products, Christmas ornaments, games, jewelry, kitchen accessories, garden chimes, beds, futons—just a lot of stuff, really.

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Wentworth & Leggett Books 905 West Main Street, #20D 919-688-5311, wentworthleggettbooks.com

This antique-book store has been in Brightleaf Square for almost four decades. You’ll find extensive sections on the Civil War, African-American culture, and Durham and North Carolina history, among other things.

Tre Bella Boutique and Bridal Store 124 East Main Street 919-323-7167, trebellaweddings.com

Tre Bella started as a home-operated florist shop in 2003, then added a high-end bridal store in 2008, and in 2014, found a permanent home in a forty-five-hundred-squarefoot building on Main, where the bridal shop combines with a women’s boutique that offers smart fashion at a variety of price points.

PLay American Tobacco Campus 300 Blackwell Street, #104 919-433-1566, americantobaccocampus.com

The ATC exemplifies how you can reimagine the past—and was a catalyst for downtown’s resurgence. Former warehouses now hold restaurants, a movie theater, and the local public radio station, while also playing host to tech companies. The ballpark and performing arts center are a quick walk away.

Auto Service you can trust for over 50 years

Northgate Auto Service 1130 W Club Blvd, Durham, NC 27701 (919) 813-2792 • www.northgateautoservice.com Mon - Fri: 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM

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Clockwise from left: A skater in Durham Central Park’s skate park (photo by Jade Wilson). The Lucky Strike water tower and smokestack at American Tobacco Campus (photo by Liz Condo).

Bikers on the American Tobacco Trail (photo by Alex Boerner)

American Tobacco Trail Access at Blackwell Street and Morehead Avenue

Starting at the southern edge of downtown, the ATT offers twenty-two miles of trails— mostly paved, though some gravel—connecting Durham, Wake, and Chatham Counties.

The 11.4-mile Durham portion is ideal for a morning jog or an afternoon bike ride. Stop on the bridge over I-40 and wave hello to everyone stuck in traffic.

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The Carolina Theatre

Durham Performing Arts Center

309 West Morgan Street 919-560-3030, carolinatheatre.org

123 Vivian Street 919-680-2787, dpacnc.com

This city-owned historic theater hosts the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and features an art-house cinema. It also brings comedians and concerts to the Triangle in a more intimate atmosphere than DPAC.

DPAC brings Broadway to the Bull City, hosting top-rated shows as well as concerts and comedy performances.

Durham Central Park 501 Foster Street 919-794-8194, durhamcentralpark.org

From food truck rodeos to the weekly farmers market to jazz shows to open-air movie nights, DCP has something for everyone.

Durham Fruit & Produce Company 305 South Dillard Street durhamfruit.com

In a warehouse that—you guessed it—used to house a fruit company, the Fruit features more than twenty thousand square feet of eclectic, roughshod postindustrial performance space for adventurous artists and viewers.

Empower Dance Studio 109 West Parrish Street 984-377-2017, empowerdancestudio.com

At Empower, dancers from all backgrounds and ages help each other thrive both in and outside of the studio. The studio offers ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and creative movement classes with options for beginners and advanced dancers.

Living Arts Collective 410 West Geer Street 919-907-1164, livingartscollective.com

The Living Arts Collective strives to create a collaborative community of artists from every discipline, offering live music, dance socials, visual arts workshops, and more.

Join Us pilgrimucc-durham.org

We are Christ-centered, justice-working, peace-seeking, inclusive—a community of holy boundary pushers, reflecting Jesus’ love for all, compassion for the hurting, advocacy for the oppressed. We are ready to listen and willing to act. There is a place for you here to be known and loved.

in worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30am.

Pilgrim United Church of Christ 3011 Academy Rd. Durham, NC 27707 Senior Pastor: Rev. Melinda Keenan Wood Director of Christian Education: Felix Flanders

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Your week.

Every Wednesday.

ARTS•NEWS•FOOD•MUSIC INDYWEEK.COM 78

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Motorco Music Hall 723 Rigsbee Avenue 919-901-0875, motorcomusic.com

Motorco is downtown’s premier concert hall, showcasing everything from punk bands to community choruses, the kind of place where you can catch Charley Crockett one night and Ted Leo and Titus Andronicus the next.

Museum of Durham History 500 West Main Street 919-246-9993, museumofdurhamhistory.org

Stashed in a former bus station, this treasure trove takes a different spin on Durham history, offering exhibits both inside and outside of the building—creating a museum without walls.

NC Escape Room 119 Orange Street, Suite #101 919-888-5155, ncescape.com

Boasting that it offers the “most immersive escape room in Durham,” NC Escape Room has everything from a brewery heist to an alien escape.

My Hotel Life

f NorthStar Church of the Arts 220 West Geer Street northstardurham.com

Founded by the Bull City royalty of the Freelon family (including the late world-famous architect Phil, the Grammy-winning singer Nnenna, and the hip-hop artist/ burgeoning politician Pierce), NorthStar hasn’t been around long, but it’s already a pillar of the city’s arts scene. Here, you’ll find concerts, readings, theater performances, and more, all with a strong focus on African American culture. More than a venue, it’s a safe space and refuge for diverse Durhamites. It also hosts secular Sunday services pertaining to the arts and community.

The Pinhook 117 West Main Street 984-244-7243, thepinhook.com

This little venue does more than host shows; it’s also home to open mics, open jams, trivia, and Illegal dance parties. More important, it puts together some of the best concerts in Durham, while also serving great drinks.

Quarter Horse Bar & Arcade 108 South Mangum Street 919-973-1717, quarterhorsearcade.com

You drink and play classic arcade games and pinball—like you’re a kid again, only intoxicated.

Urban Axes 619 Foster Street 984-377-3697, urbanaxes.com/durham

Somewhere, someone decided that it would be a good idea to have a venue where you could drink a bunch of beer and throw axes, for fun. It’s been a year or so since this thing opened, and so far as we know, no one has been seriously injured.

Proof of downtown Durham’s arrival shows in many ways—none more so than in three hotels in recently renovated buildings. On top of that, all three—The Durham Hotel, 21C Museum Hotel, and Unscripted—are pretty fabulous, each in their own way, and are within whispering distance of each other. You won’t find anything like them anywhere else in the Triangle.

The Durham (315 East Chapel Hill Street, thedurham.com), taking up residence in the Home Savings Bank’s former modernist digs, is the most comfortable of the three, offering a kind of simplicity and welcoming feeling not often found on the road. Everything from the food (by James Beard awardee Andrea Reusing, owner of The Lantern in Chapel Hill) to the bustling rooftop bar (where yoga is offered once a week during off-hours) to the handsomely but simply designed rooms to the availability of newspapers (including The New York Times) appreciates the visitor. That includes the little Escazu chocolates before bedtime, Burt’s Bees samples, and fresh coffee grounds outside your door in the morning.

If the Durham bespeaks comfort, 21C (111 North Corcoran Street, 21cmuseumhotels.com/durham) is a tad more jarring and, on the surface, more ambitious. Also in a former bank building (this one the much taller and more citified Art Deco Hill Building), the updated spaces here have been aptly described by an INDY art critic as “retro-futurist.” The place is, after all, part art museum—with an extraordinary, changing collection of contemporary works and an edgy, animated attitude to match. The rooms are much more self-consciously luxe than The Durham’s, as is the second-floor lobby, and the menu at the Counting House (with an emphasis on local seafood) is more extensive and is ably executed. There’s first-rate room service at both.

Where the Durham and 21C offer marvelous high-end experiences, a third establishment, located neatly between the two in the former Jack Tar Motel, is Durham’s place for fun—and lower prices. That’s Unscripted (202 North Corcoran Street, unscriptedhotels.com). A true eyesore of an abandoned, rundown, four-story fifties city motel before renovation, Unscripted, according to The New York Times, is “the latest in a wave of new boutique hotels in the nation’s smaller cities [that] highlight a property’s unusual architecture or history.” Unscripted is now an affordable treat with real architectural flair—and with Durham’s best outdoor poolside party on the third floor every Friday and Saturday night. —Richard Meeker

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FIFI’S

Designer Consignment Boutique

Visit our 3 locations in the Triangle Raleigh, Durham and Carrboro. www.fifisconsignmentboutique.com 7 days a week, Mon-Sat 10am-7pm Sun 1-5pm NO APPOINTMENT needed E. MAIN SQUARE CARRBORO (919) 240-4946 1000 W. MAIN ST. DURHAM (919) 806-3434 2028 CAMERON ST. RALEIGH (919)803-5414

Weichert Realtors/ Mark Thomas Properties

svazquez@markthomasrealty.com sheryl-vazquez.business.site

Sheryl Vazquez

Broker/Marketing Coordinator 3901 University Dr. Durham, NC 27707 (C)919-619-6863 (O)919-403-5315

11

hours on

nInTh & Broad (and Near Duke University)

m

by Hannah Horowitz Landmark: Duke Chapel Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Joe Van Gogh Where to Visit with Friends: Cocoa Cinnamon Where to Walk Your Dog: Duke Gardens (before 10 a.m.)

Where to Spend the Night: The King’s Daughters Inn

After a long night downtown, Ninth Street offers a wholesome haven on a Saturday morning.

You’ll find students lining up outside of Happy + Hale for detox smoothies, Durham families waiting for a table at Elmo’s, and weekend grocery shoppers hustling in and out of Harris Teeter.

But a truly perfect day on Ninth Street begins at Monuts.

The maple sriracha potatoes and homemade sausage and spicy peach jam biscuit sandwich are good enough to justify the inevitable line out the door and around the corner. If savory options aren’t what you’re after, Monuts can always lure you in with homemade donuts and coffee cake.

Following a too-hearty breakfast, I head down Ninth and over to Broad to the East Campus loop to burn off some calories—mostly to make room for my next meal. On a Saturday morning, the shady loop is Durham’s social destination to catch up on the week’s chaos while getting in some steps.

A couple of sweaty laps later, I walk back to Ninth to the Regulator Bookshop. As a kid, my grandparents took me to the Regulator in an effort to make an avid reader of me. Its old-school-bookshop charm won me over. A few doors down is Triangle Coffee House, a serene spot to start my new book. Another longtime resident of Ninth Street, Triangle Coffee House is just latest name of the local café. The menu is huge, featuring everything from a simple espresso to the Bull City Turtle to a Lavender Bloom. Don’t worry, the friendly baristas are always happy to impart their wisdom.

Several chapters into my book, my stomach reminds me that it’s lunchtime, which means it’s time for Banh’s Cuisine (bring cash—no

cards here). In the winter, I might order beef pho or hot and sour soup, but on a warmer afternoon, I’m all in for spring rolls and stir fry.

No ideal day lolling around Duke would be complete without lemurs, so off to the Duke Lemur Center we go. Durham is home to the largest population of these creatures outside of Madagascar—the city’s most underrated feature, if you ask me. Not only does the tour teach about the nine species of endangered little creatures that live at the Lemur Center, but you even get to see them leaping through the trees!

Having gotten my lemur fix, I’m off to shop at Bull City Fair Trade. As the name suggests, it’s a fair-trade shop, but its reach extends far beyond Durham, selling everything from Pakistani handwoven bags to wooden carvings from Africa. The goal is to alleviate poverty by ensuring fair prices for products while teaching customers about the cultures they come from.

Finally: dinner. Zenfish, a poke bar started by a Duke alumna, calls my name. I order a Kindness Pokerito filled with tuna, salmon, mango, and veggies mixed with a spicy house sauce. On a lighter day, I would go for the Grateful Bowl—tuna, onions, seaweed, and avocado—with zoodles as a base, but this has not been a lighter day.

As I head back home, I savor the familiarity of Ninth Street. The sidewalks don’t look much different than they did when I was a little girl. A new name on a sign here, some bright new paint there, but fresh skyscrapers don’t juxtapose with worn buildings as they do downtown. In the midst of Durham’s evolution, it’s comforting to know that we have Ninth Street to escape to.

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Clockwise from left: PRIDE Durham, Elmo's on Ninth Street (Photos by Jade Wilson).

EAT Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken 703 Ninth Street, Suite A 919-908-1597, alpacachicken.com

Everyone goes to Alpaca for the chicken, but you can make a meal out of the sides, too: corn, green beans, tostones, rice, black beans, fries.

Just douse it all in that magical yellow sauce.

Banh’s Cuisine 750 Ninth Street 919-286-5073

If it’s Wednesday or Saturday, you’re in for a treat. On those days, Banh’s stops pretending it’s a Chinese restaurant for demure palettes and instead serves delectable Vietnamese fare like fried tofu drenched in black bean sauce and cao lau with a hearty scoop of crispy fried pork. Cash only.

Blue Corn Cafe

Must Sarah P. Duke Gardens 420 Anderson Street 919-684-3698, gardens.duke.edu

Duke Gardens is one of the few places in Durham that actually feel immune to angst. Maybe it’s the families picnicking with toddlers, or the lovers trying to find a discreet make-out spot, or the weird public art displays, or the puppies trying to discern the nature of the koi in the pond, but we always feel better for having spent a few minutes or hours here.

Cosmic Cantina

Early Bird Donuts

1920 Perry Street 919-286-1875, cosmiccantina.com

2816 Erwin Road, #101 984-888-0417, facebook.com/ebdonuts

One of the first Latin American restaurants on Ninth Street, Blue Corn covers all the bases, from Mexican to Cuban, chips and guac to empanadas.

Many claim that Cosmic Cantina is the perfect drunk fare, but that overlooks just how thoroughly enjoyable the steak nachos are sober.

Cosmic also has the most sharpie graffiti per square inch of any establishment in Durham.

Early Bird strikes a balance between experimenting with creative new flavors and evoking nostalgia for the donuts of childhood. Our advice? Go full “childhood memories” and order a gigantic apple fritter.

Burger Bach

DeeLuxe Chicken

Elmo’s Diner

716 Ninth Street 919-286-9600, bluecorncafedurham.com

737 Ninth Street 919-973-4416, theburgerbach.com

1116 Broad Street 919-294-8128, deeluxechicken.com

776 Ninth Street 919-416-3823, elmosdiner.com

If you’re a white-collar worker in Durham, chances are your coworkers have suggested going to lunch at Burger Bach on a Friday. That means if you’re not a white-collar worker in Durham and you’re thinking about going to lunch on a Friday, don’t go to Burger Bach (unless, of course, you enjoy waiting-list purgatory).

It’s in vogue for chefs to move into fast-casual these days, and Scott Howell is no different.

Deeluxe Chicken is a counter-service fried chicken joint that also offers crisp seafood baskets of oysters, shrimp, and catfish. The Velveeta mac ’n’ cheese is already making a name for itself.

Popular fare includes literally anything on the enormous breakfast menu, as well as latenight ice cream.

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Happy + Hale

m Monuts

Vin Rouge

703 Ninth Street, Suite B 984-439-1790, happyandhale.com

1002 Ninth Street 919-286-2642, monutsdonuts.com

2010 Hillsborough Road 919-416-0466, vinrougerestaurant.com

Vibrant salads and smoothies are the face of the restaurant, but the steak chimichurri bowl and avocado toast might be the real winners.

With its seemingly irresistible gravitational pull, Monuts will become your default brunch spot, even if you could do without the six-foot-tall grinning bunny. The cake donuts are amazing, the breakfast sandwiches and rotating seasonal menus are imaginative and delectable, the bagels are insanely good, and most of the time, you don’t even mind the line out the door or the mad scramble for seats at the bar.

This is a restaurant dedicated to opulence, from its cerise-painted walls to a seasonal Christmas tree so tall it brushes against the ceiling, and the menu is an extension of that philosophy: sauteed calves’ liver, oysters served with gruyere cheese, tartiflette, not to mention creme brulee. Come here for a special occasion. Wear loose pants.

Heavenly Buffaloes 1807 West Markham Avenue 919-237-2358, heavenlybuffaloes.com

Heavenly Buffaloes’ vegan wings, not just for vegetarians, are legendary. (And yes, the chicken wings are great, too!) And if you’re truly inclined to try the Burnie Zass-hoff wings, well, caveat emptor, friends.

International Delights

NaanStop Indian Cuisine 2812 Erwin Road, #103 919-891-3488, naanstopduke.com

740 Ninth Street 919-286-2884

Authentic northern Indian cuisine, a lunch buffet, and a clever name? What’s not to love?

Any place that invests in neon signs advertising both “SUBS” and “GYROS” is a place we want to be. (Get the gyros.)

Nosh

Juju 737 Ninth Street, #210 919-286-3555, jujudurham.com

It’s like PF Chang’s, but even more pan-Asian in its insistence that “Asian tapas” are a thing.

Juju is a good place to go on a first date with someone you don’t know if you like yet, but it’s also a great place to go for a lunch business meeting. Either way, order the Hawaiian Ahi Poke Bowl.

Lime and Lemon Indian Grill & Bar 811 Ninth Street 919-748-3456, limenlemonnc.com

Americans conflate these things, but there’s a world of difference between the foods of northern and southern India. Naan? North.

Spicy veggie curries? South. That’s where Lime and Lemon’s menu focuses, though you can also order northern-inspired dishes.

DrInk

The Palace International

Cocoa Cinnamon

1104 Broad Street 919-416-4922, thepalaceinternational.com

Until Goorsha opened, The Palace International was the only place to get great African food in this corner of Durham. Today, it still holds its own. The wide-ranging menu flaunts Nairobian beef, West African jollof rice, and curries that are popular throughout both eastern and southern Africa.

Parizade 2200 West Main Street 919-286-9712, parizadedurham.com

2618 Hillsborough Road 919-286-3500, ilovelocopops.com

Snow Factory

2200 West Main Street 919-286-9755, local22durham.com

Local 22 was the hip place to eat before “hip places to eat” became the norm in Durham.

The fidelity to and finesse with Southern classics is worth admiring.

Mad Hatter’s Cafe, Bakeshop, and Catering 1802 West Main Street 919-286-1987, madhatterbakeshop.com

Avoid the Sunday church crowd and come in for a late afternoon scone and a cup of tea.

Or avoid Sundays altogether and order the eggs Florentine some other day of the week.

Duke grad Janet Lee returned to Durham in 2017 to open ZenFish, which uses tuna caught on the Carolina coast and sources most of its veggies from local farms—including the zoodles, a unique base option for a poke bar.

The menu ranges from Portobello burgers to beef and blue cheese pizza to blueberry cobbler milkshakes.

Locopops

Local 22 Kitchen and Bar

810 Ninth Street 919-937-9966, zenfishpokebar.com

2812 Erwin Road 919-383-4747, noshfood.com

Make a reservation at Parizade while your ’rents are in town. The Mediterranean-inspired menu features a wide selection of fancy fish and French wines.

Although you can purchase Locopops at any respectable location around Durham, the brick-and-mortar shop is well worth a visit (it’s only open during the summer).

It’s homely and clean and makes the frozen Mexican pops feel like a treat.

ZenFish

760 Ninth Street 919-294-4111, snowfactorystl.com

Here, you'll find perfectly Instagrammable Thai-rolled ice cream.

Tamale Factory and Tequila Bar 2816 Erwin Road 919-353-5277, tamalefactorync.com

Tamale Factory is one of the few places in Durham that serves vegetarian tamales worth eating: There’s a spicy wild mushroom tamale, a Swiss chard and raisin tamale, and—our favorites—a corn masa baked in a tomato spice with toasted pumpkin seeds and queso fresco.

2627 Hillsborough Road cocoacinnamon.com

Popular with students and professionals alike, Cocoa’s second location always maintains a cool, calm, collected atmosphere.

Plus, you can feel good about the Lava Salt Latte you’re drinking—everything is ethically and sustainably sourced.

m Dain’s Place 754 Ninth Street Street 919-416-8800, facebook.com/dainsplacedurham

There’s not much in the way of cell service at Dain’s, or throughout most of Ninth Street.

(The locals blame Duke.) But that makes trivia night there all the more honest. Besides that, there’s a nice line-up of beers and the best bar food in the neighborhood.

Joe Van Gogh 1104 Broad Street 919-286-4800, joevangogh.com

All JVGs have excellent coffee and espresso.

The Broad Street location has a fleet of baristas known for good cheer and excellent pours.

The Northern Spy 2812 Erwin Road, #104 919-321-0203, northernspync.com

Inhabiting the former Black Twig Cider House, The Northern Spy is Stem Ciders’ first cider-house venture outside Colorado.

Serving more than just fresh-pressed cider, The Northern Spy’s menu includes a wide selection of beer, wine, and cocktails alongside scratch-made American food. The bottle shop next door has a ton of chilled beverages for you to take home, as well.

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From left: Monuts, Dain’s Place (Photos by Jade Wislon).

The Tavern

Books Do Furnish a Room

m The Regulator Bookshop

1900 West Markham Avenue 919-286-7665, thetaverndurham.com

1809 West Markham Avenue 919-286-1076, booksdofurnisharoom.com

720 Ninth Street 919-286-2700, regulatorbookshop.com

A biker with a beard akin to Mr. Twit’s, a leather vest outfitted with more patches than a Girl Scout’s sash, and an “I <3 Mom” tattoo sang Shania Twain’s “(Man) I Feel Like a Woman” with great aplomb on karaoke night, and, reader, that is why we love The Tavern.

Once you’ve finished licking your fingers clean of Heavenly Buffaloes’ wings, venture to the trailer behind it for the oddest assortment of used books in Durham.

Not long ago, the Regulator changed ownership and rearranged its floorplan, but it’s still the best place in Durham for a reading or to find the latest releases.

High Strung Violins & Guitars

Sanders Florist

1805 West Markham Avenue 919-286-3801, highstrungdurham.com

1100 Broad Street 919-286-1288, sandersflorist.com

High Strung, which offers rentals and lessons, is known for its “instrument petting zoos”—events where folks can play instruments on display.

Housed in what looks like a storefront plucked from a Dutch village, the homey, six-decade-old flower shop is a Durham staple.

ShOP Barnes Supply Company 774 Ninth Street 919-286-2750, barnessupplydurham.com

Barnes caters to three kinds of people: people with dogs, people with gardens, and people with dogs and gardens. If you’re in any of those groups and you’re not here at least once a week, you (or your dog and/or your garden) are missing out.

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Hunky Dory 718 Ninth Street 919-286-1916, hunkydorydurham.com

Whoever decided to open a combination head shop and record shop deserves a MacArthur genius grant. Whoever decided to add a small, hop-forward taproom to all of this should marry us.

PLay Bull City Escape 711 Iredell Street 919-627-8386, bullcityescape.com

Some people think it’s “fun” to pretend to be locked up.

Craven Allen Gallery & House of Frames 1106 1/2 Broad Street 919-286-4837, cravenallengallery.com

From the outside, Craven Allen looks like a modest storefront for framing professionals, but it employs some of the biggest painting and photography enthusiasts and experts in the Triangle and exhibits an exciting rotation of visual art throughout the year.

Duke East Campus Track Bounded by Broad Street, Main Street, Buchanan Boulevard, and Markham Avenue

All the best gossip comes from friends speed-walking around the East Campus track.

Also, this is one of the best locales to ogle cute babies and pet eager dogs.

m Duke Lemur Center 3705 Erwin Road 919-401-7240, lemur.duke.edu

Duke Forest is home to the largest population of lemurs outside of Madagascar. The Duke Lemur Center offers year-round tours, giving the public the opportunity to visit the more than two hundred endangered little guys it houses.

The Green Room 1108 Broad Street 919-286-2359, facebook.com/thegreenroomdurham

The Green Room feels like a scene: the phalanx of kelly-green pool tables standing at attention, the neon loops of beer logos like electric twilights, and a well-worn mustiness that you choose to confuse for edginess. On busier nights, you may have to settle for shuffleboard and darts as you wait for a table to open up, or simply amble about with a beer in hand. But the ambiance is so good, you’ll never feel as if you’re missing a thing. The Green Room calls out to you: enter, stage left.

Horse & Buggy Press (and Friends) 1116 Broad Street, #101 919-949-4847, horseandbuggypress.com

Over twenty years old, Horse & Buggy Press is a North Carolina establishment, celebrated at the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh and archived by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Duke University. The Broad Street storefront gives you a glimpse into its wide repertoire.

Southern Hospitality at its Best 914 Vickers Ave Durham, North Carolina (919) 687-4366 • moreheadmanor.com

Barnes Supply Feed n’ Seed and Holistic Pet Care Family Owned and Serving Durham Since 1947 Providing wholesome feed options for all critters furred and feathered and everything for your backyard garden as well!

Bring your four legged friend and come visit the oldest business on Ninth Street and visit us online at www.barnessupplydurham.com, or call 919-286-7331

Monkey Bottom Collaborative 609 Trent Drive 336-675-9608, facebook.com/ monkeybottomcollaborative

Though there are many fine shows at Monkey Bottom, whose aesthetic veers in the direction of “church basement where your high school theater troupe performed,” the best are the revolving improv and live band/readings/local celebrity shows that Mettlesome puts forward.

Ninth Street Dance 1920 Perry Street 919-286-6011, ninthstreetdance.com

The dance curriculum here is comprehensive— ranging from ballet to belly dance, lindy hop to break dancing—and it’s well worth signing up for one of a seasonal class, whether you’re a dance enthusiast or just curious.

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by Brian Howe Landmark: University Tower (aka The Pickle Building, aka The Dallas Phallus) Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Joe Van Gogh Where to Visit with Friends: Cocoa Cinnamon Where to Walk Your Dog: Al Buehler Trail Where to Spend the Night: Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club

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I live in Tuscaloosa-Lakewood, a mostly residential portal between West Durham and Chapel Hill that’s light on commercial attractions but nevertheless features some great spots and a lot of walkable neighborhood charm, from the modest but well-cared-for family homes around where I live to the tony precincts of Forest Hills.

To work up an appetite, I’m going to start my day at 9:00 a.m. with some weightlifting and treadmill at the Lakewood YMCA. Then, I’ll head to Cocoa Cinnamon for a single-origin pour-over coffee and a sugar-dusted churro (or four—I just worked out).

At about eleven, I head to the Durham Co-op Market to do my grocery shopping for the week, chat with the regulars hanging out at the picnic tables, and think about getting my favorite sandwich (the Vegan Gerard, with “roast beef” on sourdough) before opting to go elsewhere for lunch—True Flavors Diner.

This upscale but moderately priced Southern-food diner, located in a charming old building of crumbly brick, should keep me busy for a while, just trying to choose between the diverse likes of fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, avocado toast, and the grilled lobster cheese biscuit.

Now it’s 1:30 p.m., and, since I chose the grilled lobster cheese biscuit, it’s definitely time for more exercise. Forest Hills Park offers a nice greenway and, since the weather’s hot, a splash in the “spray-ground” or a dip in the Durham Parks and Rec pool (fortunately, I remembered to renew my membership) is in order.

At 4:30 p.m., I’ll squeeze in a bit of shopping before dinner, starting with the higher-ticket items at Gibson Girl Vintage (do they still have that vintage MTV satin crew jacket I’ve been eyeing?) and then giddily dive into the lowerpriced racks at Rumors Boutique (I’ve got some old local band t-shirts I need to offload).

While I’m there, I’ll wistfully cast an eye toward Thai Café, but in the end, I’ll feel the cow statue on the roof of Taqueria La Vaquita pulling me in like tractor beam. At 6:30 p.m., I’ll dig into tilapia tacos, fresh-made guacamole, and oily salsa. It might take a while, because Vaquita is very small and very popular, but that’s OK—it’s a lovely day for a walk around the surrounding neighborhood, stopping to admire the façade of St. Paul Lutheran Church.

At this point, I’d usually run downtown for some fun, but as luck has it, there’s an independent dance performance at The Scrap Exchange, so I’ll take that in, gather a posse, and then head to Thai Café after all, until it closes at 11:00 p.m., to wash down this downtown-free day with an ice-cold Singha lager and a dirty martini.

Must Cocoa Cinnamon 2013 Chapel Hill Road cocoacinnamon.com

Consistently one of the liveliest gathering places in the neighborhood, the Lakewood Cocoa Cinnamon—one of three Durham locations—is worth the trip strictly for its churros, caked in the sugar of your choice (regular, cinnamon, orange, cardamom) and perfect with a single-origin coffee or a frothy cappuccino. Cocoa is packed with a cross-section of locals from early in the morning until well into the night, making it a great place to meet someone you know or someone you don’t.

EAT Azteca Grill 1929 Chapel Hill Road 919-403-2527, aztecagrillnc.com

One of Lakewood’s longtime anchors, Azteca Grill is a favorite for Mexican food with a regional twist—specifically, the western state of Michoacán. In addition to tacos and tamales, you can also find traditional soups and seafood dishes.

El Chapin 4600 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard, #38 919-908-7975, el-chapin.com

This Guatemalan restaurant has vibrant colors and music to match the fresh juices and bright dishes. Try rich tamales and stewed chicken, along with house-made toppings like salsa, pickled veggies, and grilled jalapenos.

Foster’s Market 2694 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard 919-489-3944, fostersmarket.com

Foster’s Market is mostly a restaurant ideal for breakfast (the burrito!) and lunch (the mac and cheese!), but its small grocery area is stocked with sweets, snacks, and other sundries, which gives it a folksy, general-store feel—almost like a Cracker Barrel, but with food that tastes good and fewer Charlie Daniels CDs.

Grub Durham 1200 West Chapel Hill Street 919-973-3636, grubdurham.com

Sometimes the best food is a simple dish done well, and that’s exactly the specialty at Grub.

The Bloody Marys are a hangover essential.

Guglhupf Bakery, Café, and Restaurant 2706 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard 919-401-2600, guglhupf.com

Just as vital as Cocoa Cinnamon, Guglhupf is a bakery and contemporary German-inspired cuisine restaurant whose roomy interior and outdoor seating stays popular and packed. If you’re only in the mood for a snack, the bakery can set you up with a staggering array of pastries, cookies, soft pretzels, breads, and more.

Golden Pizza & Subs 2300 Chapel Hill Road 919-401-4447, goldenpizzadurham.com

This family-owned neighborhood staple was founded in 1996 in the Lakewood shopping center and, after being closed for five years because of a fire, returned in 2013 to a standalone spot nearby. Expect New York-style pizza, subs, wings, salads, and home-style lasagna.

Happy China Sichuan Cuisine 2505 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard 919-237-2021, myhappychina.com

With its dual-language menu, this well-liked restaurant is serious about its Chinese heritage and liberal with its spice.

Local Yogurt

Namu

1114 West Chapel Hill Street, Suite A 919-489-5900, localyogurtdurham.com

5420 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard 919-251-9794

The first independently owned frozen yogurt shop in Durham offers a standard take on the lighter-calorie alternative to ice cream. Don’t forget fresh fruit and sprinkles.

Namu is many things. For starters, it’s a collaboration between Bulkogi Korean BBQ and Bo’s Kitchen food trucks, serving Korean dishes with a Mexican twist. It’s also a place where you can grab a top-notch coffee, local craft beer, or wine. Last but not least, it’s a sprawling maze of cozy indoor seating, bamboo, hidden outdoor tables, and a garden that’s quiet and peaceful despite being just feet away from 15-501.

Nana’s 2514 University Drive 919-493-8545, nanasofdurham.com

A quarter-century ago, Nana’s broke ground in Durham for fine dining, but we lost it for a time after persistent flooding caused it to close. But chef Scott Howell revived the institution in 2019, bringing its creative, sophisticated American cuisine to a new generation.

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NuvoTaco

d Taqueria La Vaquita

Rumors Boutique

2512 University Drive 919-489-8226, nuvotaco.com

2700 Chapel Hill Road 919-402-0209, lavaquitadurham.com

2501 University Drive, #3 919-381-8585, shopatrumors.com

Speaking of Scott Howell, this modern Mexican-American restaurant was formerly a part of his empire but broke out on its own as NuvoTaco this year. Fast, fresh, and local, its signature is its “dirty meats,” with local hog jowls, pork belly, chicken liver, and more as adventurous taco fillings.

This is a Lakewood landmark, and not just because of the cow statue that proudly adorns its roof. This humble-looking taco shack, which features only a take-out window and a small patch of outdoor seating, is beloved for its extensive menu and authentic Mexican cooking. It’s very small and very popular, so expect to wait longer than you might expect, but know that it’ll be worth it.

With preexisting locations in Richmond, Virginia, and Chapel Hill, this vintage and modern secondhand boutique has now sneaked into Lakewood, too. Funky and fun, it’s also eager to comb through your wardrobe for trade-ins or cash.

The Original Q Shack 2510 University Drive 919-402-4227, theqshackoriginal.com

There are some North Carolina barbecue spots that will only do regional-style barbecue, but The Original Q Shack serves brisket, St. Louis-style ribs, and meat-and-threes alongside its own varieties of vinegar- or tomato-sauced pulled pork.

DrInk

The Refectory Café

2501 University Drive, #9 984-219-7538, beerstudy.com

2726 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard 919-908-6798, therefectorycafe.com

Health-conscious omnivores and vegans will all find plenty to love at The Refectory Café, which offers lots of light fare—grilled salmon, seared scallops, plenty of salads—as well as some Italian-inflected dinner entrees. Swing by for a sandwich or soup at lunch or enjoy a cold-pressed juice with challah cinnamon French toast at breakfast.

Saltbox Seafood Joint 2637 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard 919-237-3499, saltboxseafoodjoint.com

Chef Ricky Moore was inspired by classic American waterside seafood shacks for this restaurant concept, and the daily handwritten menu reflects whatever is freshest from the North Carolina coast on a given day.

Thai Cafe 2501 University Drive 919-493-9794, thaicafenc.com

This authentic Thai restaurant features a full-service bar, a spacious interior, and outdoor seating, which is all great, but you’re really here for the volcano pots of spicy coconut soup, pad Thai, tofu-fried rice, and multi-colored curries.

True Flavors Diner 2022 Chapel Hill Road 919-294-9757, trueflavorsdiner.com

The second True Flavors location has a wide-ranging menu encompassing lime-andbasil chicken wings, lobster omelets, duck hash, and country-fried steak, all served in massive portions for reasonable prices in a charming vintage building.

Twisted Noodles 4201 University Drive 919-489-9888, twistednoodlesdurham.com

Similar to Thai Café, Twisted Noodles serves lots of curries, fried chicken, fried rice, soups, salads, and a cavalcade of noodle dishes.

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Wine Authorities 2501 University Drive 919-489-2884, wineauthorities.com

Whether you’re completely new to the wonderful world of wines or a seasoned wino who knows exactly what you want, Wine Authorities can get you properly outfitted to sail the Dionysian seas.

d Beer Study/

Starpoint Brewing

Unlike the original Chapel Hill location, Beer Study—a bottle shop with an impressive selection of beers in bottles, cans, and on draft— boasts an arcade in its Durham spot, which it shares with Starpoint Brewing. Swing by for some refreshments to take home after work or stay and enjoy the neighborhood-bar feel.

Joe Van Gogh 1114 West Chapel Hill Street, Suite B 984-219-7598, joevangogh.com

At this pocket-size version of the local coffee chain, you can get a coffee or tea to go, or fill up a bag of coffee beans to take home. Need a snack? They’ve got pastries, too.

ShOP d Durham Co-op Market 1111 West Chapel Hill Street 919-973-1707, durham.coop

PLay Forest Hills Park 1639 University Drive 919-560-4355, durhamnc.gov/2728/Forest-Hills-Park

Spend some time in the great outdoors without going too far. In addition to playgrounds, the park also includes soccer fields, tennis courts, a summertime “spray-ground,” grills, and spaces for picnics, as well as greenway access.

Lakewood YMCA 2119 Chapel Hill Road 919-401-9622, ymcatriangle.org/ locations/lakewood-ymca

Youth soccer, after-school programs, a gym, exercise classes, community events, and more await.

Rhythms Live Music Hall 2020 Chapel Hill Road, #33 984-219-1594, rhythmslivenc.com

If you prefer to shop for groceries away from the Amazon-controlled clutches of Whole Foods, the Co-op is the place for you. In addition to its requisite organic grocery options, the store also boasts a good cheese counter, a coffee bar, a hot-food bar, and a selection of organic and earth-friendly products to take care of the outside of your body, too.

It’s easy to forget about this newer music venue hiding behind a nondescript exterior in the Lakewood Shopping Center. But if you do, you’ll be missing out on a steady diet of jazz, gospel, comedy, rock, and other genres from legacy touring acts. Even classic country music, not usually well-represented in the urban areas of the Triangle, gets to shine—earlier this year, the venue booked Crystal Gayle.

Gibson Girl Vintage

d Scrap Exchange

1001 West Chapel Hill Street 434-710-0432, gibsongirlvintage.com

This relative newcomer to Lakewood has sharply curated vintage clothing, sure, but you’ll also find all manner of other retro wonders—things like princess telephones and mid-century refrigerators. It’s a lot of fun to explore, and it often doubles as an evening music and event space.

2050 Chapel Hill Road 919-688-6960, scrapexchange.org

Durham’s sprawling “creative reuse center”— read: find all manner of cast-off old stuff, turn it into new stuff by yourself or in the center’s numerous programs—is the anchor of the historic Lakewood Shopping Center.

It’s also a bustling event and community space with an art gallery that focuses on monthly exhibits by artists who consider sustainability part of their project, and it has its own attached thrift store, too.

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by Thomasi McDonald Landmark: Northgate Mall Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Esmeralda’s Café Where to Visit with Friends: Northgate Park Where to Walk Your Dog: West Point on the Eno Where to Spend the Night: Hilton Durham

It’s possible the Good Lord and Mother Nature conspired to create the perfect suburban locale when North Durham was developed. You’ve got country roads, well-kept (and somehow still affordable) homes with spacious yards in quiet neighborhoods, family-focused entertainment, arguably the best barbecue in Durham, and definitely the best Italian in the Triangle.

But you’ve also got traffic. And chances are, this is how your day begins, ideal or not—stuck in it. Today, however, you catch a break on your way to the West Point at the Eno, where you’re going to start the morning off with a hike. A long hike, too, to burn off those calories for what’s ahead.

You begin at the entrance on North Roxboro, just south of Latta. You follow the river west, headphones on, until you come to the Guess Road underpass; you can go a little farther if you’re feeling it, a lot farther if you’re really feeling it, but not today. Today, you turn back.

Depending on the day, or the time of year, there are lots of things happening at West Point. You could tour the McCown-Mangum House, a restored 1850s farmhouse, and the working grist mill. You could come by for the Fourth of July Festival or the NC Jerk Fest, with its full complement of reggae music.

Or you could just have a community picnic or take your family (or dog) out for a swim in the river.

Right now, you’ll head back down Roxboro and swing by Super Taqueria for a couple of tacos— nothing too heavy. From there, a few more blocks down to King’s Red and White for some grocery shopping, a browse through the excellent beer selection, a peak down the candy aisle to see if those double-dipped chocolate peanuts that never seem to be in stock are there, then a trip to the meat section to load up for your next barbecue.

You head home, drop off your goods, and drive to the Edison Johnson Aquatics Center for some lap time. It’s an eight-lane indoor pool; you grab one and go for a spell.

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After that, you head back, shower off, and relax.

Maybe water your plants or mow your lawn or watch TV or take a nap—it’s the suburbs, do your thing.

And then you get dressed, rendezvous with your significant other, and do the best possible thing in North Durham: eat at Gocciolina.

That is a perfect day.

Unless, of course, the local fair has taken over the Compare Foods parking lot to mark the arrival of fall.

Then you should do that. Or it’s May and the Bimbe’ Cultural Arts Festival—founded a half-century ago

by N.C. Central students to celebrate African and African American history, culture, and arts—is in town; that’s a must, too. Or your kids want to go to the Museum of Life and Science; that’s good, too.

North Durham may be the suburbs. But you’ll never run out of perfect days up here. And if you somehow do, just jump on I-85 and head west.

Must Gocciolina 3314 Guess Road 919-973-4089, gocciolina.com

What’s left to say about Gocciolina that hasn’t been said before? Every night (except Sunday), chef Aaron Benjamin prepares specials alongside Italian classics for a packed (if small) house. Enjoy three selections from the mezze platter, a plate of house-made pasta, then split an entrée and a bottle of wine with that special someone and still find yourself nowhere near a hundred bucks. Reservations are recommended, but nobody minds waiting for a table in Gocciolina’s lovely lounge.

EAT

j Picnic

Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken

The gang at Picnic prepares their pork the old-fashioned way: whole hog over wood. But they aren’t afraid to stray from convention.

Take, for instance, the boozy slushie machine.

While the kids slurp down mac ’n’ cheese, Mom and Dad enjoy an alcoholic snow-cone made from Cheerwine.

302 Davidson Avenue 919-220-9028, alpacachicken.com

Who doesn’t like charcoal rotisserie chicken?

Alpaca seems to have the Peruvian chicken concept down pat. Order from quarter-white, quarter-dark, half, or whole chicken, and all that’s left are the sides. Nobody would blame you for choosing them all, but the can’t-miss options are the yucca fries or the maduros.

Bennett Pointe Grill 4625 Hillsborough Road 919-382-9431, bpgrill.com

There are few no better places to relax with friends over seafood or sandwiches. The menu comes complete with the history of the area, including the restaurant’s namesake.

Bleu Olive 1821 Hillandale Drive 919-383-8502, bleuolivebistro.com

Bleu Olive has been a North Durham oasis for decades, serving some of the finest moussaka around.

The Dog House 2009 Guess Road 919-286-9200

We’ll order for you: Ol’ Yallow (hot dog drenched in bacon bits, mustard, and the platonic ideal of melted cheese), hush puppies, and a hot apple turnover dripping with icing. Don’t forget the sweet tea.

Libby’s Too 4910 Hillsborough Road 919-383-8838

The meat-and-two may be a dying breed, but not at here. The challenge would be to find a moister portion of meatloaf or a sweeter glass of tea.

Melo Trattoria & Tapas 1821 Hillandale Road 919-384-9080, melotrattoria.com

Perfectly portioned sandwiches make for a great lunch. If you don’t believe us, try the Croque Monsieur a L’Italienne.

Panaderia Pahuatlan 2000 Avondale Drive, Suite U 919-220-0020

Here you’ll discover display cases filled with Mexican breads and cakes, as well as hot, fresh corn tortillas, at (for-real-and-not-in-asales-pitch-way) unbelievable prices.

Pelican’s Snoballs 3217 North Roxboro Street 984-244-0174, pelicanssnoballs.com

1647 Cole Mill Road 919-908-9128, picnicdurham.com

Pomodoro Italian Kitchen 1811 Hillandale Drive 919-382-2915, pomodoroitaliankitchen.com

Sometimes there’s no better cure for a Monday than a big, steaming bowl of macaroni and gravy.

Randy’s Pizza 1720 Guess Road 919-286-7272, randys-pizza.com

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Randy’s doesn’t reinvent the wheel; you get large slices of New York-style pie.

Restaurante Guanajato Durham 2103 North Roxboro Street 919-973-3475

When Los Comales closed, you heard a collective ay de mi from Durham taco lovers.

Great news, pobracitos: Restaurante Guanajuato opened in the same spot, owned by the same people. El pastor steals the show.

DrInk Bluestone Grille 3800 Hillsborough Road 919-564-2903

Located inside the Hilton, Bluestone is the perfect place for a quiet drink away from prying eyes. Where better for a sip of a martini before any number of clandestine affairs, or a Bloody Mary to follow after?

j Esmeralda’s Café 1058 West Club Boulevard 919-864-8007, facebook.com/esmeraldascoffee

Imagine maneuvering Northgate Mall without coffee. Thanks to Esmeralda’s, you won’t have to.

Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse 2700 North Roxboro Street 919-477-1584, sacredgroundscoffeehouse.com

Sacred Grounds is a religious outreach program that doesn’t charge for desserts or coffee, asking instead for donations. The goal is to provide a safe, clean space for anyone to enjoy a cup of joe. Live music Saturday nights.

ShOP

Rockin’ Rolls Sushi Express

Compare Foods

3405 Hillsborough Road, Suite E 919-251-8822, rockrollusa.com

2000 Avondale Drive 919-220-9638, comparesupermarkets.com

Choose from more than fifty kinds of rolls and other kinds of Japanese cuisine, fresh-made and placed on a conveyor belt that passes by your table.

North Roxboro is a veritable oasis of Mexican cuisine, and the hub is Compare Foods. Armed with perhaps the widest selection of meats and produce in the city, folks can find nearly every ingredient necessary for that Mexican recipe they’ve been dying to cook. (There’s also a lawyer’s office and a barbershop inside.)

Saigon Grill 2929 North Roxboro Street 919-399-9800

Sitting quiet on Roxboro is Saigon Grill, North Durham’s one-stop-shop for great pho and Vietnamese panini.

Super Taqueria 2842 North Roxboro Street 919-220-9884

Super Taqueria is the Roxboro mainstay that provides great quality, fresh and flavorful meats, and friendly service. Don’t skip the salsa bar.

Thai Spoon 3808 Guess Road 919-908-7539, facebook.com/thaispoondurham

Quick and quiet, this casual Asian eatery serves the classics with minimal fuss. Pad Thai is the star here, but don’t miss the fried crab rangoon.

Everything but Grannies Panties 2926 Guess Road 919-471-0996, everythingbutgranniespanties.com

Part antique store, part thrift shop. This small house on Guess Road bursts at the seams with hidden treasures that spill out onto the front parking lot, side yard, and even into the backyard.

j King’s Red & White 305 East Club Boulevard 919-220-2192

This family-run grocery has served its community for decades. For old-school warmth and service—and a choice meat selection, quality N.C. beers, and great produce—there’s no better grocer in the Triangle.

The perfect rebuttal to days turned hot and humid! Extended fall hours means Snoballs are available well past summer—one upside to global warming, perhaps.

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La Superior 3325 North Roxboro Street 919-220-3588

Smaller than Compare, this Latino grocery is worth braving the parking lot for the freshmade corn tortillas alone. Belly up to the lunch counter for the best torta Cubana on the East Coast.

Northgate Mall 1058 West Club Boulevard 919-286-4400, northgatemall.com

Like most malls, it’s past its heyday, but there’s still plenty of treasures to be found in Northgate. There are at least four shops to buy a ball cap with the logo of your favorite sports team.

The Tobacco Hot Spot 2806 Guess Road 919-908-2268

All your (definitely tobacco and for no other purpose) smoking accessories can be found here. The latest trends are covered (vape accessories, CBD oils, etc.), too, and not for trendy prices.

Trosa Thrift Store 3500 North Roxboro Street 919-220-6119, trosathriftstore.org

Imagine a citywide garage sale, housed in a former Walmart Supercenter, with everything from books to DVDs to housewares to top-of-the-line furniture.

PLay Bennett Place 4409 Bennett Memorial Road 919-383-4345, nchistoricsites.org/bennett

When Generals Joe Johnston (Confederate) and William T. Sherman (Union) met at a small farmhouse here between Raleigh and Hillsborough, Durham was little more than a train depot in the tobacco fields. The events over the next two weeks would give rise to the Bull City and a tobacco empire that spanned decades. Catch one of the free guided tours for more in-depth info.

Edison Johnson Aquatic Center 500 West Murray Avenue 919-560-4265, dprplaymore.org

The city-run center has an eight-lane indoor swimming pool that features a number of programs, including exercise and fitness programs, swim lessons, swim teams, lap swim, and family swim. You can pay by the day ($4) or month ($30) or purchase a punch pass.

j Eno River State Park 6101 Cole Mill Road 919-383-1686

The many trails in the wide, encompassing Eno River State Park offer something for everyone: ruins from Durham’s old pump mill, a suspension bridge stretching over the river, a nineteenth-century family boneyard. There are easy strolls beneath the forest as well as strenuous treks up and down rocky hills.

Museum of Life and Science 433 West Murray Avenue 919-220-5429, lifeandscience.org

Where else can you find yourself swarmed with butterflies? Or watch red wolves at play? The perfect stop for anyone fascinated

by NASA’s Apollo missions or dinosaurs.

Sky Zone Trampoline Park 1720 Guess Road, #90 919-425-0800, skyzone.com/durham

Who doesn’t like jumping on a trampoline?

Perfect for a kid, perfect for an adult.

Swimming at the Eno Quarry Access via the Cabe Lands Trail, Eno River State Park, Howe Street

If the Eno River State Park is North Durham’s backyard, then the quarry is its swimming pool. Scratched nearly sixty feet deep into the earth to mine stone to build I-85, it reaches peak popularity on weekends in July.

Never mind the sweaty one-mile hike to reach the four-acre pond; the waters maintain a chilly temp even on the hottest of days.

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Valley Springs Park Disc Golf Course 3805 Valley Springs Road 919-560-4355

This gorgeous, tree-shaded, well-maintained twenty-two-hole course comes complete with bathrooms and a water fountain, so all you’ll need to bring are your discs and competitive spirit.

West Point on the Eno 5101 North Roxboro Street 919-471-1623

West Point contains nearly four hundred acres of history and activity, including hiking trails and wide-open spaces. Be sure to wander through the site’s structures, which include a reproduced Colonial-era mill housing a museum of early Durham life, and the Hugh Mangum Museum of Photography. Picnicking and canoeing are also available.

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soUTh DurHam

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by Sarah Edwards Landmark: The Streets at Southpoint Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Bean Traders Where to Visit with Friends: Sam’s Bottle Shop Where to Walk Your Dog: Piney Wood Park Where to Spend the Night: Triangle Treehouse Near Downtown/Duke/ RTP (Airbnb)

South Durham almost immediately brings to mind the Southpoint Mall, the commerce anchor in the sprawling stretch between Chapel Hill and Raleigh.

On a recent trip to pick blueberries, though, I ended up at Herndon Hills Farm, a you-pick oasis replete with ambling chickens and a pond that is tucked almost directly behind Southpoint. Who knew?

Even if blueberries are out of season, there are still plenty of tucked-away spots that make South Durham more than meets the eye. You might want to kick things off at Hope Valley Diner. Stepping inside feels like walking into a Norman Rockwell painting (checkered floors: check; wall crowded with black-and-white photos: check). Yes, the service can be spotty, but once you’ve claimed your table, you can hold down the fort with the generous portions of eggs and biscuits, steady coffee refills, and this week’s crossword puzzle. If you go back more than once, expect familiar faces: Hope Valley Diner is appropriately haunted by regulars.

If you’re in a hurry, you might skip the Hope Valley experience and instead swing through the Southpoint location of Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken. Yes, it’s in a strip mall, but this is the sixteen-outlet franchise’s flagship. For a biscuiton-the-go, try either the Honey Chicken, served on a sweet potato biscuit, or the fried green tomato biscuit. Honestly, though, anything you try here is a buttery home run. (Although they recently stopped serving donuts, which is unfortunate.)

After breakfast, find the South Durham Farmers Market, located conveniently off of Highway 55. Like most things in South Durham, the farmers market makes lemonade out of suburban sprawl, and even though it’s in a parking lot, the market is crammed with green things (not-to-miss vendors include Sassafras Fork Farm, French bakery Sweet Arielle, and Carolina Farmhouse Dairy). Fill your basket, check your

Saturday afternoon group text, and suss out the afternoon vibes: Are you looking for a run or laid-back stroll or something more hardcore?

If it’s the former, check out Third Ford Creek Trail, the paved almost-four-mile stretch that starts at Garrett Park and runs along Woodcroft Parkway. Yes, the lengthy American Tobacco Trail is also nearby, but Third Ford Creek Trail is a little less traversed, making it good for a nature walk, especially if you’re a birder (or an aspiring birder).

If birds aren’t your thing, you can sweat out the biscuits at the sleek Hot Asana Yoga studio at Southpoint. Sessions run between sixty, seventy-five, and ninety minutes, and Updog Kombucha is on tap.

OK, dinner: Now that you’ve had your share of biscuits, you might try the Randy’s Pizza location on Hope Valley Road, where the slices come unnecessarily large. Don’t pass up the garlic knots, and do make a stop next door at Growler Grlz, an old-school-feeling bar that’s friendly for dogs and has—prepare yourself (and your liver)— forty-two beers on tap. Alternately, make a stop at the beloved Sam’s Bottle Shop—its erstwhile cousin near Duke’s campus is being renovated into student housing, fantastic—which is a veritable emporium of gleaming beers. Come for the knowledgeable staff; stay for the tasting bar.

But wait! The day isn’t quite over, because you haven’t yet drunkenly butchered Mariah Carey for your closest friends. Fear not, Rock Box Karaoke has private rooms and big, comfy couches that make it a low-pressure environment. At $30 an hour for a small room (which can comfortably fit seven people), prices break down cheaply, although the hours in this disco-flecked hole-in-the-wall fly by quickly.

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EAT Bull & Bean Cafe 3710 Shannon Road 919-237-2398, bullandbeancafe.com

If you live around here, you go to Bull & Bean embarrassingly often. It’s comfortable—if increasingly crowded—and the food is delicious. The menu includes several vegan and vegetarian options, all-day breakfast, and iced coffee that comes with—get this—ice cubes made of coffee.

Chubby’s Tacos 4711 Hope Valley Road 919-489-4636, chubbystacos.com

The Chubby’s on Ninth Street closed a couple of years ago, sending Duke students into a minor panic. Fortunately, the second Durham location—there’s also one in Raleigh—is still churning out quick, affordable tacos, burritos, tortas with a wide array of fillings, from tofu with grilled cauliflower and broccoli to chorizo.

Hope Valley Diner 3710 Shannon Road 919-419-0907, hopevalleydiner.com

Hope Valley Diner is a South Durham breakfast standard. A good go-to dish is the amply stuffed Greek omelet, although the place offers an extensive menu (including lunch and dinner).

The service is hit-or-miss, but the food is consistently great. Go early to beat the crowd.

Photo by Bob Karp

Hayti Heritage Center Pulcinella’s Italian Restaurant 4711 Hope Valley Road, #1E 919-490-1172, pulcinellasitalianrestaurant.com

Pulcinella’s serves New York-style pizza and Italian classics, like Penne all’Amatriciana and linguine with mussels and clams.

Pop’s Backdoor Pizza & Calzones

Mattie B’s Public House

3710 Shannon Road 919-493-0169, popsbackdoorsouth.com

1125 West N.C. Highway 54 919-401-8600, mattiebs.com

Why stop at pizza when you could throw a few calzones in the order, too?

The menu at Mattie B’s is patently ridiculous.

First, there are nine (!) different iterations of house-made potato chips. From there, you have your pick of wings (from BBQ to guava cayenne), salads, pizzas, burgers, and hot sandwiches, like the Cackalack Club, with ham, turkey, bacon, and pimento cheese.

There’s also craft beer. Whaaat?

Nzinga’s Cafe & Restaurant 826 Fayetteville Street, #110 919-680-2210, nzingasbreakfastcafe.com

Founded by a graduate and N.C. Central in 2014 and formerly known as Nzinga’s Breakfast Cafe, this breakfast-and-lunch spot features a full menu of fried chicken and seafood—and, as anyone in South Durham will tell you, the best French toast and shrimp and grits in town—until 3:00 p.m.

Only Burger 3710 Shannon Road 919-937-9377, onlyburger.com

Only Burger got its start as a food truck, and now has two brick-and-mortars: one downtown and one in South Durham. The menu has something for every craving. Choose from turkey, veggie, or beef burgers and an extensive list of (mostly) house-made toppings, from feta and tzatziki to pimento cheese, red onion jam, and chili. Fair warning: It will get messy.

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Must

Randy’s Pizza 4810 Hope Valley Road, #112 919-403-6850, randys-pizza.com

Randy’s boasts New York-style pies, with slices that are thin and soft enough to fold in half.

The crust still has some bite and crunch, too.

Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken 8200 Renaissance Parkway 919-248-2992, risebiscuitsdonuts.com

The Rise that started them all—and one of the first three, along with downtown Durham and Carrboro, to announce that their ditching donuts as part of this biscuits-and-chicken-rebranding thing we are not sure about.

Guys! It’s still there in the URL!

804 Old Fayetteville Street 919-683-1709, hayti.org

One of the city’s storied landmarks, the Hayti Heritage Center sits on the southern edge of downtown, just off the Durham Freeway— which, four decades ago, ripped apart the historic and once-prosperous black community of Hayti, displacing thousands of residents and hundreds of businesses in the name of “urban renewal.” The center is housed in the former home of the St. Joseph's AME Church, built in 1892 by African American residents with the assistance of white philanthropy.

Its distinctive design is topped by a grand steeple, where a Haitian vodun symbol is perched in lieu of a cross. The center serves as an important host for local arts and cultural events, as well as a presenter of nationally known artists. Among its annual events is the Heritage Film Festival, one of the longest-running black film festivals in the country.

p Treforni Neapolitan Pizza

Yamazushi Japanese

1125 West N.C. Highway 54 919-973-0922, treforni.com

4711 Hope Valley Road, #6A 919-493-7748, yamazushirestaurant.com

Chef Dave Diggins studied with a guy who learned pie-making at the nearly 120-year-old Pizzeria Starita in Italy, and he’s got three nine-hundred-degree Napoli ovens at his disposal, which is to say, if you’re expecting run-of-the-mill strip mall pizza, you’re in the wrong place.

Fine, traditional Japanese cuisine is the highlight of this dinner-only restaurant, complete with a sake sommelier. Make reservations for the Kaiseki—a multicourse, ceremonially served dinner.

Treforni Pizza (photo by Ben McKeown).

DrInk Bean Traders 105 West N.C. Highway 54, #249 919-484-2499, beantraderscoffee.com

With open seats and outlets, the funky, spacious Bean Traders is a great place to work, study, or meet friends. In addition to unique coffee and tea drinks—think espresso soda with vanilla and sparkling water—you can also get pie, smoothies, sandwiches, and waffles.

p Growler Grlz 4810 Hope Valley Road, #110 919-973-2755, growlergrlz.com

The beer menu here is much more serious than the vibe. With forty-two beers on tap, there’s something for everyone, and the friendly bartenders are willing to help you narrow down the options. Most of the seating is outside, so go on a nice day, order a pizza from Randy’s, and park it.

The Glass Jug Beer Lab 5410 N.C. Highway 55, Suite V 919-813-0135, glass-jug.com

The Glass Jug is part bottle shop, part beer garden, and part microbrewery, making experimental suds befitting the Beer Lab name.

There are events almost every night, from live music, new beer-release parties, and food trucks, to the Purling and Pints knitting club and a disc golf league.

Joe Van Gogh 4711 Hope Valley Road, #5A 919-973-3950, joevangogh.com

The local coffee chain’s Woodcroft location is larger and serves a more extensive food menu than most of the others. Try a nitro cold brew on tap or a rosemary latte with your fresh pastry. If you want a meal, come early—seasonal dishes like vegan biscuits with mushroom gravy sell out quickly.

West 94th Street Pub 4711 Hope Valley Road, #6C 919-403-0025, west94thstpub.com

So far as we know, there is no street in Durham called West Ninety-Fourth. Yet this pub has become a South Durham staple nonetheless, mostly because it feels like the kind of bar you could walk into anywhere in the country and get exactly what you expect: draft beer, bar food, karaoke night, trivia night, football.

ShOP BullCity Apparel & Customs 3023 Fayetteville Street 919-237-3876

This little shop packs a whole lot of love for Durham.

p Bull City Running Company 202 West N.C. Highway 54, #109 919-265-3904, bullcityrunning.com

This is no big-box outdoor store. Bull City Running Company boasts a six-step “bull fit” process to find the right shoes for any level runner and organizes a Bull City track and cross-country club. It also stocks apparel—including coveted RUN DRM shirts—and accessories.

Sam’s Bottle Shop 1112 West N.C. Highway 54 919-973-2489, samsbottleshop.com

Sam’s is kind of like a toy shop for beer lovers, stocking everything from standard lagers to funky sours. You could easily spend an hour perusing the rows upon rows of bottles to go, not to mention twenty-eight brews on tap. But we advise taking a pint upstairs to the outdoor patio. This being South Durham, it overlooks a shopping center—you get used to that—but that seems just fine with a breeze, the sun on your face, and a cold beer in your hand.

South Durham Farmers Market 5410 N.C. Highway 55 984-377-7301, southdurhamfarmersmarket.org

Herndon Hills Farm

With a mission to highlight products from within a fifty-mile radius, this market offers everything from grass-fed beef, wines, and fresh pasta to gluten-free baked goods, vegan cheese, and Bonsai trees.

7110 Massey Chapel Road 919-544-3313, facebook.com/herndonhillsfarm

The Streets at Southpoint

Don’t let the mall-adjacent location fool you: This two-hundred-year-old family farm has a slice of rural life on offer. Bring cash and pick your own blueberries, blackberries, and muscadine grapes, depending on what’s in season.

6910 Fayetteville Road 919-572-8808, streetsatsouthpoint.com

Southpoint’s sprawling indoor/outdoor setup has all the stores you’d expect from a metro mall, and it’s a short drive from other shopping centers. Grab a bite to eat or catch a movie on one of the theater’s seventeen screens.

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The Glass Jug (photo by Alex Boerner).

Rock Box Karaoke 2223 East N.C. Highway 54 919-406-9900, rockboxkaraoke.com

If you’re jonesing to sing, but performing in front of strangers isn’t your thing, then Rock Box Karaoke might be you. At RBK, you’ll find a reasonably priced range of room sizes (for groups from seven to twenty-four people), buckets of cold beer, and a binder full of nineties anthems ready to queue up.

p Sharp 9 Gallery Jazz Club 4608 Industry Lane 919-486-5299, durhamjazzworkshop.org

Sharp 9 Gallery is an integral part of Durham’s music DNA: The educational nonprofit hosts a wide variety of youth classes, private lessons, and lectures, as well as several jazz concerts per week that draw on both local talent and touring artists.

Third Fork Creek Trail Southern Boundaries Park to Garrett Road Park

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Phoenix Square Shopping Centers

Hot Asana Yoga Studio

A gateway into downtown, the shopping centers have several of the kinds of things that dot urban strip malls everywhere: KFC, Walgreens, storefront churches, etc. Here you’ll also find the Black Wall Street Barbershop, as well as the West African-owned Sierra International Grocery, Nzinga’s, Wang’s Chinese Restaurant, GG Taste of Chicago Fish & Chicken, and World of Flowers.

8128 Renaissance Parkway, #206 919-544-9642, hotasanastudio.com/durham

If hot yoga seems daunting, Hot Asana also offers warm yoga classes, where the room is hot enough to keep your muscles loose but not above body temperature.

New Hope Creek newhopecreek.org/trails.html

Pick up the 2.2-mile New Hope Creek Bottomlands Trail at Old Chapel Hill Road Park. The natural surface loop goes through bottomland hardwood forest on the west side of New Hope Creek, home to an array of plants and animals.

Hillside Park 1301 South Roxboro Street dprplaymore.org

You won’t find basketball courts like these anywhere else in the Triangle: In 2019, Hillside’s newly refurbished courts were graced with a mural by artist Sarahlaine Calva and a design resembling the city’s flag. There are also baseball fields, picnic shelters, and, during the summer, a pool and spray-ground.

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902 Fayetteville Street 919-680-2878

Piedmont Wildlife Center 364 Leigh Farm Road 919-489-0900, piedmontwildlifecenter.org

Located inside the eighty-acre Leigh Farm Park, this education nonprofit focusing on conservation is home to rescue animalsturned-“wildlife ambassadors,” including snakes, owls, hawks, and turtles.

Piney Wood Park 400 East Woodcraft Parkway 919-560-4355, drpplaymore.org

This woodsy park has plenty going on for humans (playgrounds, picnic shelters), but more important, it has lots going on for our four-legged friends: grassy and non-grassy areas, big-dog and small-dog zones, and a doggy kiddie pool.

Third Fork Creek Trail is a 3.5-mile route that runs from Southern Boundaries Park to Garrett Road Park (parking is available at either end). Although it’s paved, the trail takes you a little more off the beaten path than the American Tobacco Trail, following Third Fork Creek through a wooded corridor.

Wine & Design 4810 Hope Valley Roadd #109 919-391-8359, wineanddesign.com/locations/durham

Whether you’re looking to celebrate a special occasion or just enjoy a fun night with friends, what could be better than a paintbrush in one hand and a glass of wine in your other? Wine & Design offers art classes led by local artists. You bring the wine; they’ll provide the glasses, canvases, and paint.

W.D. Hill Community Center 1308 Fayetteville Street 919-560-4292, dprplaymore.org

The recreation center was named to honor William Daniel “W.D.” Hill, an executive with the N.C. Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Before Hill died in 1945, he was instrumental in the creation of projects that served Durham’s black youngsters. The vibrant recreation center offers youth sports programs and martial-arts classes, and has a dance studio, multipurpose room, and gymnasium. The center connects to Hillside Park, which contains a futsal court, playground, basketball courts, baseball fields, and a picnic area.

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East DurHam

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by Thomasi McDonald Landmark: Golden Belt Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Nolia Where to Visit with Friends: East Durham Bake Shop Where to Walk Your Dog: CR Woods Park Where to Spend the Night: Blooming Garden Inn

To understand how to spend a proper afternoon in the still-largely residential East Durham, you should know about its history.

coffee, the best pie in the city (which we’ll skip for now), and an inviting atmosphere in which to catch up with friends for an hour or two.

It was largely a farming settlement until about 1884, three years after Durham County’s incorporation, when wealthy industrialist (and virulent white supremacist) Julian Carr started the Durham Cotton Manufacturing Company along the area’s northern boundary, at 2000 East Pettigrew Street. From there, East Durham evolved into a site for heavy and light industrial companies. A mill village took shape with the construction of modest bungalows to house textile workers.

After that, we walk across South Driver to the brand-new food truck Caribbean Creations, which specializes in Jamaican cuisine and is one of several trucks owned by Gregory and Emma Duncan that line this sidewalk. (If you’re in the mood for something completely different, Jorge Gonzalez-Pena and Emily Berkeley have transformed a former service station into the sunny Sofia’s Pizza less than a block away.) From there, a haircut at area mainstay Samuel & Sons Barbershop is calling your name.

The area’s gritty manufacturing origins are still evident today. While many of the mill homes have been torn down, quite a few still stand, and freight trains trundle down the tracks along Angier Avenue past the old East Durham depot.

East Durham, populated heavily by African Americans, was redlined in the 1930s, meaning banks wouldn’t make home loans there. That enforced generational cycles of poverty and segregation. Today, as police records will attest, there are pockets of East Durham that aren’t the safest in the city, and parts are still painfully devoid of quality park space and greenery.

Easily the most striking example of East Durham’s transformation is the old Golden Belt Manufacturing Company, which first opened in 1901 to produce cloth and thread used to package tobacco and closed in 1996. The 327,000-squarefoot landmark is on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, the old manufacturing plant reopened after being converted into the Golden Belt campus. The old mill, with exposed wood and brick and twelve-foot-high ceilings, is now an eclectic mix of stylish apartments, artist studios, and performance venues.

On the other hand, owing to the rebirth of downtown over the last few decades and the gentrification that came with it—for good and ill—East Durham is also undergoing a remarkable transformation. It’s most obvious along Angier Avenue, a main thoroughfare, which now pays homage to its earliest beginnings as a place where Latinos, whites, and blacks alike all participated in commerce.

So our late Saturday morning begins at East Durham Bake Shop, a spacious hangout at the corner of Angier and South Driver with an avocado and cream-colored interior, which offers homemade baked goods, locally roasted

And right there is Hi-Wire Brewing, an Asheville import with nearly nine thousand square feet of indoor space and another seventeen hundred square feet of covered outdoor space, plus twenty-four taps and an assortment of wines.

It’s an ideal way to spend the remains of the day— with your friends or even with your kids. (Hi-Wire is family-friendly until 8:00 p.m., then asks you to run the rug rats out.) Play shuffleboard or table tennis, sit at one of the large picnic tables, or just sip on one of the specialty sour ales and marvel at an East Durham that Julian Carr could never have imagined.

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EAT X East Durham Bake Shop 406 South Driver Street (919) 957-1090, eastdurhambakeshop.com

Hi-Wire Brewing at Golden Belt (Photo by Jade Wilson).

Must Hi-Wire Brewing at Golden Belt 800 Taylor Street 919-275-3700, hiwirebrewing.com

Hi-Wire originated in Asheville, but we don’t hold that against them. With twenty-four taps, including ciders and guests, covering the full beer spectrum from hoppy to sour to fruity, as well as an assortment of wines, Hi-Wire has something for everyone (and soda for the kids and water for the dogs). There’s also shuffleboard, table tennis, and an open field outside to go run around on. If you’re there more for the beer than the family-friendly afternoons, they kick the under-twentyones out at eight.

INDY readers’ perennial choice for Best Pie in Durham County—and our choice for Best Pie in the Known Universe—this cozy, independently owned shop features handmade baked goods, locally roasted coffee and espresso, organic teas, and simple soups and salads made with fresh local produce. Also, did we mention the pies?

Johnson Family BBQ 5201 Wake Forest Highway 919-397-5693, johnsonfamilybbq.com

So far east it only qualifies as part of this neighborhood by technicality, Johnson is a hole-in-the-wall in the middle of nowhere that has nonetheless earned a rep of one as the Triangle’s best real-deal wood-smoked Eastern N.C. BBQ spots.

Sofia’s Pizza 2201 Angier Avenue 984-219-3656, sofiaspizzadurham.com

Jorge Gonzalez-Pena and Emily Berkeley’s neighborhood joint serves wings, subs, and pizzas in a comfortable atmosphere. Kick back with a local beer and dig in.

Home Plate Restaurant 3327 Holloway Street 919-598-6817, homeplaterestaurantdurham.com

Get a taste of the Deep South at Home Plate Restaurant, a cafeteria-style joint with entrées that rotate daily, though BBQ chicken is an everyday affair. This Southern comfort food can be eaten in-house, to-go, or catered.

Tater Bread Café 1106 Morning Glory Avenue 919-251-9265

Walter Sneed’s Tater Bread does soul food takeout from scratch: meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, salmon and grits, all the good stuff. The signature tater bread is his wife’s recipe, similar to sweet potato pie but without the crust. Open mornings until 2:00 p.m. every day except Sunday.

DrInk The Brothers Vilgalys Spirits Company 803 Ramseur Street 919-617-1746

At college parties, Rim Vilgalys discovered that his fellow students loved his family recipe for a Lithuanian honey-based liqueur called Krupnikas. After he graduated and moved back to Durham, he made a business out of it, then branched out into other liqueurs. Now, after a recent change in state law, a cocktail bar is on the way.

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X Nolia: Family + Coffee

X ThriVve-Global

1004 Morning Glory Avenue noliacoffee.com

310 South Driver Street thrivveglobal.com

Nolia is designed to be the answer for parents in need of a pick-me-up but who also have kids in tow. Here, Nolia’s website says, “kids are meant to be celebrated, not just tolerated.”

That means a family-centric space with places for children to play. It also means excellent, ethically sourced coffee or tea for their adults.

Seeking to provide an “urban center for individuals to partake in an open market of closing exchanges for your thrift, consignment, and marketing,” twenty-three-year-old entrepreneur Jeremiah Pittman offers, new, used, and vintage urban apparel.

Russell’s Pharmacy & Shoppe 2116 Angier Avenue

ShOP Dogstar Tattoo Company 807 East Main Street 919-682-0000, dogstartattoo.com

This Golden Belt spot has some of the finest tattoo artists in Durham.

Pharmacist Darius Russell and his wife, Terensia, had long wanted to open a pharmacy to serve the East Durham community. The couple work alongside Terensia’s parents to create a personable atmosphere at the heart of any successful family-owned business.

Los Primos Supermarket

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1109 East Main Street 919-682-6417

X Golden Belt Campus

This grocery store, near the intersection of East Main and South Alston, is the only one in the immediate vicinity and serves as a vital source of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The Studio 2112 Angier Avenue 919-697-6574, creativetattooservice.com

By appointment only, Samantha Castovinci will get you inked up right at her Old East Durham shop.

800 Taylor Street goldenbeltarts.com

The former manufacturing plant is home to tech companies and lofts and a high-end event space and a brewery, but also art galleries that feature incredible photography exhibits and a summer outdoor concert series. Like it was a century ago—albeit it in a completely different way—Golden Belt is again a hub of East Durham activity.

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Pho from Lime and Basil in Chapel Hill (photo by Caitlin Penna).

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by Julia Masters Landmark: The Davie Poplar Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Caffé Driade Where to Visit with Friends: Perennial Where to Walk Your Dog: Johnson Mill Nature Preserve Where to Spend the Night: The Franklin Hotel

The quaint downtown surrounding UNC’s historic campus has much more to offer than curb appeal.

To catch it all, I roll out of bed at an alarmingly early 8:30 a.m.—hey, I’m a college student—and soon find myself driving tree-lined streets on a breakfast-seeking mission.

As anyone who’s been here a minute will tell you, a good day on The Hill begins at the iconic Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe, which has served malt waffles and jam-packed omelets for almost fifty years. After ordering a stack of M&M’s pancakes and failing to clean my plate, I stroll toward the grassy lawns of the oldest public university in the nation. The loose brick paths lead me to the school’s storied landmark—not the Confederate monument we tore down last year, the other one—the Old Well.

I take a sip from the well for good luck—which is a thing—and then, weaving through the stressedout co-eds, I’m immersed in the tranquility of Coker Arboretum, five acres of colorful plants and flowers, some native to the Southeast, others from East Asia.

Basketball is (practically) a religion in Chapel Hill, so I make a pit stop at the UNC Basketball Museum to avoid being a heretic. Here you pay homage to the great saints—Michael, James, Dean, and the rest—among vintage memorabilia, artifacts, and front row seats to the spots where legendary Tar Heels made history.

By now, all of this walking and sports nostalgia has made me hungry again, so I head over to Merritt’s Grill, famous for its loaded BLTs on thick slices of sourdough. The welcoming atmosphere and shaded outdoor seating make it the perfect lunch spot.

Downtown Chapel Hill isn’t all argyle sweaters and sky-blue blouses. After lunch, I set out to discover the Southern Part of Heaven’s more alternative side. I start at Rumors, an eclectic vintage clothing store with starving-artist prices. If you’re with friends who don’t like spending hours watching you

peruse the racks, ditch them and get new friends.

Or, if that doesn’t work, send them next door to Beer Study while you figure out which shirt you’re going to buy and only wear once.

Heading further into Chapel Hill’s artsy underworld, I cross the street to Schoolkids Records to sift through the crates of old soul and rock vinyl.

Definitely hitting that late afternoon slump, I step off Franklin Street into Perennial, my favorite plant-adorned haven. Upon ordering a perfectly poured latte, I rest against the exposed brick wall and stretch my feet out on the daintily tiled floors.

Feeling rejuvenated, or at least caffeinated, I head to The Ackland Art Museum, which features rotating and permanent exhibits across all mediums, from modern installations to ancient artifacts, and I let myself get lost in awe of it all until dinnertime.

With a critically acclaimed stop on the culinary map in our midst, selecting a restaurant is a no-brainer. I drive west until I see the faded pink pig poking out of the trees and the white wall covered in polished hubcaps: Crook’s Corner.

As I meet friends in the parking lot, I can already taste the savory shrimp and grits I’m about to devour. Gathered in a comfortable yet classy dining area, we swap stories and fight for the last jalapeño-cheddar hush puppy.

For the rest of the night, we have two equally enticing options. The first is bar-crawl our way through Linda’s, He’s Not Here, Pantana Bob’s, and as many other college haunts as our livers can handle. The second is to catch a movie at the charming Varsity Theater, built in 1927, veg out in a comfortable armchair, and mindlessly down bags of over-buttered popcorn.

We choose option B.

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EAT Al’s Burger Shack Multiple locations, Chapel Hill alsburgershack.com

Al’s makes America’s best burger. That’s not just our opinion. It’s also the opinion of TripAdvisor, which recently bestowed this honor upon the West Franklin Street staple.

(Al’s also has locations in Southern Village and Governor’s Village.) With lines that often stretch out the door (don’t worry, it moves fast), Al’s is a must-have in Chapel Hill.

Bartaco Chapel Hill 201 South Estes Drive 919-807-8226, bartaco.com

As the name implies, Bartaco focuses on tacos and drinks. Sure, there are “not taco” options on the menu, but why bother?

Benny Capella’s 122 East Franklin Street 919-240-5286, bennysva.com

Open late into the night, serving giant slices.

Benny’s sticks to the basics.

Breadmen’s 324 West Rosemary Street 919-967-7110, breadmens.com

The perfect place for a lazy Saturday morning brunch, Breadmen’s has been a Chapel Hill staple since 1974. Nestle into a booth, enjoy a generous helping of home-style favorites, and swap stories with friends and family.

Buns Burgers & Fries 107 North Columbia Street 919-240-4746, bunsofchapelhill.com

Tucked away on North Columbia Street, Buns is a create-your-own burger joint that offers hand-cut fries and hand-spun milkshakes. Play around with gourmet toppings like brie cheese and wasabi mayo or keep it classic with bacon and tomato. Not a carnivore? Get a veggie patty.

Carolina Coffee Shop 138 East Franklin Street 919-942-6875, carolinacoffeeshop.com

North Carolina’s oldest continually running restaurant, Carolina Coffee Shop provides a laid-back atmosphere in which to catch up with old friends or connect with new ones.

Expect Southern cuisine with a modern twist.

Cha House 318 West Franklin Street 984-999-4580, chahouseusa.com

Cha House brews loose-leaf tea and offers classic Taiwan-inspired street food like green onion pancakes and shaved snow ice.

Cosmic Cantina 128 East Franklin Street 919-960-3955, facebook.com/cosmiccantinach

As any half-cocked college student will tell you, it’s the best food on earth at three in the morning.

Must Morehead Planetarium and Science Center 250 East Franklin Street 919-962-1236, moreheadplanetarium.org

Opened in 1949 and best known as the place where NASA astronauts trained for missions to the moon, UNC’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is one of America’s oldest and largest planetariums. Hosting summer camps, viewings of astronomical events, public lectures, shows in the GSK Fulldome Theater, and exhibits, as well as the annual North Carolina Science Festival, it’s a prime destination for the celestially curious.

i Crook’s Corner 610 West Franklin Street 919-929-7643, crookscorner.com

In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it building at the border of Chapel Hill and Carrboro is one of the South’s most renowned restaurants.

Often credited with putting Southern cooking on the gastronomic map, Crook’s Corner blends home-style with haute.

Flair Restaurant & Wine Bar 50100 Governors Drive 919-967-9990, flairforfoodrestaurant.com

With expertly designed interiors and a menu that’s both highbrow (Duck A L’orange) and low (Hangover Burger), Flair is one of Chapel Hill’s can’t-miss spots for a night out.

Guru India Restaurant & Mint Indian Cuisine 508 West Franklin Street, 504 West Franklin Street 919-942-8201, 919-929-6188 guruindianc.com, mintunc.com

Two doors down from IP3 are two restaurants much the same in presentation, menu, and ethos. While Guru is more traditional and Mint more contemporary, both serve classic Indian fare in laid-back environs.

Either is a fine choice for a dinner out, and both are known for inviting and inexpensive daily lunch specials.

Il Palio 1505 East Franklin Street 919-918-2545, ilpalio.com Al's Burger Shack (photo by Jade Wilson).

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Il Palio offers a buttoned-up take on classic Italian plates like Bucatini All’Amatriciana and Pappardelle Bolognese, with an attendant wine list as long as Franklin Street.

Italian Pizzeria III

Lantern

508 West Franklin Street 919-968-4671, italianpizzeria3.com

423 West Franklin Street 919-969-8846, lanternrestaurant.com

One of the few real pizza parlors around— that is, a place where you can walk in, grab a slice and a Coke, hoover it down, and continue on your way—IP3 is a bedrock of the Chapel Hill experience.

If there’s one restaurant Chapel Hill is known for, it’s Andrea Reusing’s Lantern. The James Beard-winning chef’s haunt has garnered acclaim for its marriage of classic Asian flavor with local North Carolina ingredients.

With a menu that changes too often for a sturdy recommendation, see if your server can hook you up with the flash-fried cilantro.

Jujube 1201 Raleigh Road 919-960-0555, jujuberestaurant.com

Offering a contemporary take on a variety of Eastern cuisines (from Chinese and Vietnamese to Hawaiian), Jujube has one of Chapel Hill’s most exciting and daring menus.

Kipos Greek Taverna 431 West Franklin Street 919-425-0760, kiposchapelhill.com

With an ebullient atmosphere that often includes live Greek music and a raucous open kitchen, a dinner at Kipos can stretch into an evening-long undertaking. Order any of the myriad appetizers to share, settle in with an entree (try the Fisherman Stew), and enjoy the slate of fantastic wines.

Lucha Tigre 746 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard 919-904-7326, luchatigre.com

You won’t find many Mexican/Asian joints featuring tequila/sake bars. Lucky for us, we have Luca Tigre, which blends two of the most treaded-upon culinary forms to create something wholly unique.

Mama Dip’s 408 West Rosemary Street 919-942-5837, mamadips.com

Since 1976, Mama Dip’s has honed the “dump cooking” method—that is, purely cooking to taste, rather than off of a recipe—for everyone from locals to students to sitting presidents. Proprietor Mildred Council passed away in 2018, but her Rosemary Street establishment keeps her spirit alive.

Extensive Wine List | Creative Cocktails | Small Plates Event Space | Weekly Live Music West End Wine Bar of Chapel Hill 450 West Franklin 919.967.7599

West End Billiards of Durham 601 West Main Street 919.717.3915

West End Wine Bar of Durham 601 West Main Street 919.381.4228

Mediterranean Deli, Bakery & Catering 410 West Franklin Street 919-967-2666, mediterraneandeli.com

Known as much for the free olive bar as for the hulking falafels, gyros, and shawarmas, Med Deli’s selection of house-made Mediterranean dishes, including appetizers, mains, and desserts, have made this Franklin Street spot a must. Also, check out the adjacent market.

Merritt’s Grill 1009 South Columbia Street 919-942-4897, merritsstoreandgrill.com

You can order any of the delicious sandwiches or homemade desserts, but why would you, when there really is only one reason to go to Merritt’s? Well, three reasons: Bacon. Lettuce. Tomato. The Merritt’s BLT is the stuff of legend. Order it like a townie—on sourdough with mayo, salt, and pepper—and head out toward the back patio area for a languid lunch in the shade.

The Northside District 403 West Rosemary Street 919-391-7044, thenorthsidedistrict.com

Come for the drinks, stay for Northside’s amazing take on bar food, which marries barroom with gourmet. With a kitchen that stays open late, it’s the perfect spot to pile some food on a stomach full of weekend beer. Try the absolutely ridiculous rosemary cheddar mac ’n’ cheese.

CLASSIC TURKISH & www.talullas OTTOMAN CUISINE MEZZE, PIDDE, BAR & LOUNGE

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The first to offer play groups 7 days a week.

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456 WEST FRANKLIN ST • CHAPEL HILL b eiasngtle OF

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2018

919.933.1177

WWW.TALULLAS.COM

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Clockwise from left: A Sicilian slice from IP3; frozen yogurt swirl from YoPo (photos by Jade Wilson).

Tacos El Niño 102 South Merritt Mill Road 919-932-0230

With tacos that rival the best Austin or Los Angeles has to offer, Tacos El Niño is a white box truck that sits in a dusty parking lot at the end of West Franklin, offering everything from burritos and quesadillas to sopes and empanadas. But here, the taco is king.

Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen 1305 East Franklin Street 919-933-1324, sunrisebiscuits.com

With lines of cars that stretch out the parking lot, often rendering one lane of Franklin Street moot, this drive-up/walk-up joint sells hulking, flaky biscuits that can serve many purposes, from keeping the kids happy to calming a stomach full of last night’s liquor.

Sup Dogs 107 East Franklin Street 919-903-9566, supdogs.com

Often jammed with students, their visiting parents, and townies alike, Sup Dogs is East Franklin’s paean to that most American of delicacies: the hot dog. Boasting a menu with a dozen specialty dogs (try the Chicago-style), classic tater tots, boneless wings, a host of appetizers, and a full bar, Sup Dogs is classic comfort food at its most basic.

Sutton’s Drug Store 159 East Franklin Street 919-942-5161, suttonsdrugstore.com

The proprietors of Chapel Hill’s other best cheeseburger, Sutton’s Drug Store is worth the visit for the candy and soda selection alone. Featuring barrels of old-fashioned candies and row upon row of small-batch soda bottles, this Franklin Street mainstay— now nearing the century mark—will sate both your sweetest of teeth and your hankering for sugar-induced nostalgia.

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Time-Out Restaurant 201 East Franklin Street 919-929-2425, timeout247.com

Open 24/7, Time-Out is UNC’s spot for fried chicken, okra, and greens. Make it a last stop before home after the Franklin Street bars kick you out.

Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe 431 West Franklin Street, #415 919-929-3833, curryblossom.com

Vimala’s ranks among Chapel Hill’s bestknown and most beloved restaurants.

Leaning into the ethos of locally sourced, sustainable practices, Vimala’s blends Indian roots with Piedmont sensibilities.

Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe 173 East Franklin Street 919-929-9192, yeoldwaffleshoppe.com

Bringing brunch classics to East Franklin for nearly a half-century, Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe is just what the name implies: a comfortable breakfast joint dedicated to exceptional hospitality.

The Yogurt Pump 106 West Franklin Street 919-942-7867, yogurtpump.com

Chapel Hill’s favorite dessert/study break/ indulgence spot, YoPo doles out some of the freshest and most delicious frozen yogurt around. The pumps are constantly changing, making every trip a mini-adventure.

DrInk The Back Bar at Lantern 423 West Franklin Street 919-969-8846, lanternrestaurant.com

Writers have spilled more than enough ink about this Beard Award-winning Franklin Street staple without mentioning the hushed, urbane sensibility of Lantern’s back bar. In what could easily be confused for a Shanghai speakeasy or a New Yorker’s only-in-the-know spot, Lantern’s back bar is Chapel Hill’s bestkept secret, hiding in plain sight.

Beer Study 106 North Graham Street 919-240-5423, beerstudy.com

With a wall-length, floor-to-ceiling rack of craft beer, a short bar with a few local brews on tap, and a small scattering of chairs, tables, and board games, Beer Study is Chapel Hill’s unassuming cathedral to beer.

Blue Horn Lounge 125 East Franklin Street 919-929-1511, facebook.com/bluehornlounge

Surrounded by university t-shirt shops and bookended by cheap and fast eateries is a tiny room with a long slender bar and not much else. Known for its congenial staff and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it entrance, the Blue Horn Lounge is the East Franklin rarity that draws more locals than students.

Caffé Driade 1215 East Franklin Street 919-942-2333, caffedriade.com

Tucked away in a thicket of woods off of Franklin Street, Caffé Driade offers coffee, tea, beer, and wine in a bucolic environment that’ll often make you forget the larger environs of bustling university town.

Authentic Fusion of Indian and Chinese Cuisine

DINE-IN, TAKE OUT, & CATERING Check for weekly specials Rasachapelhill.com LUNCH Mon-Sun: 11-2:30pm DINNER Mon-Thu: 4-9pm Fri & Sat: 4-9:30pm Chapel Hill North Shopping Center 1826 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd (919) 929-2199

Be healthy • Be strong

AKAI HANAA

Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar 206 W. Main St., Carrboro • 919-942-6848 909 A Arendell St., Morehead City • 252-222-3272 www.akaihana.com

Your birth.

Your health.

Our commitment.

Primary care, pre-conception counseling, maternity services and gender-affirming care in a non-profit clinic and birth center 930 MLK Jr. Blvd, Suite 202

Chapel Hill, NC 27514

(919) 933-3301

www.ncbirthcenter.org INDY WEEK

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Pantana Bob’s 305 West Rosemary Street 919-942-7575, facebook.com/pantanabobsch

P-Bob’s is the rare college-town watering hole that keeps both students and locals happy.

Inside, the lights never dim, giving it a sense of being your best friend’s well-appointed living room. Outside, Bob’s’ patio offers one of the best places in the Triangle to stretch out with a tall, cold beer, catch up with friends, and watch a game. Think PBR, not IPA.

Perennial 401 West Franklin Street 919-537-8784, perennial.cafe

Step off Franklin Street into a brick sanctuary popping with the crisp-green contrast of hanging plants and filled with the inviting scent of fresh coffee. After pairing a perfect latte with a warm pastry, Perennial’s upstairs space offers a relaxed atmosphere in which to get work done or enjoy a friend’s company.

Top of the Hill 100 East Franklin Street 919-929-8676, thetopofthehill.com

Sitting atop the corner of Franklin and Columbia, Topo caters to the locals during the day and students into the night. Grab a table on the outdoor patio and try some house-brewed beer.

From top: Chapel Hill residents drink from He's Not Here's iconic blue cups; men drink the last of Top of the Hill's annual blueberry wheat beer (photos by Jade Wilson).

West End Wine Bar 450 West Franklin Street 919-967-7599, westendwinebar.com

Front windows wide open, a jazz trio playing, and a cool fall breeze filling the room is the best way to stretch out and enjoy a post-dinner glass of red.

i Zog's Art Bar & Pool Hall 108 Henderson Street 919-240-5598, zogsbar.wordpress.com

Part pool hall, part art gallery, part seafood joint, Zog's is a bizarre, totally unique dive just a few doors from UNC’s campus that draws more locals than students. Replete with pool tables, Skee-Ball, and dozens of board games, it’s easy to lose a day in this dark secondfloor haunt.

The Cave

He’s Not Here

452 West Franklin Street 984-234-0293, caverntavern.com

112 1/2 West Franklin Street 919-942-7939, hesnotherenc.com

For a hot second in 2018, we thought the longest-running bar in Chapel Hill was dead.

But then, like a phoenix from the ashes—and after a fittingly raucous weeklong funeral celebration—some industrious locals bought the bar, spruced it up, and reopened for (what we hope are) another forty years of cheap, cold beers, loud punk rock, and friendly faces.

“He’s Not”—as locals know it—features a sprawling, picnic-table-filled yard that leads up to the second-floor, frill-free joint whose sole purpose is to get excited college kids drunk.

The Crunkleton 320 West Franklin Street 919-969-1125, thecrunkleton.com

If Beer Study is The Hill’s salute to suds, The Crunkleton is its ode to the cocktail. The dark, wood-filled bar gives a sense of drinking in a well-appointed hunting cabin.

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Linda’s Bar & Grill 203 East Franklin Street 919-933-6663, lindas-bar.com

Linda’s combines comfort pub fare with a vast array of beer and funky cocktails.

Tuesday and Wednesday nights, Linda’s becomes a hot spot for trivia junkies.

ShOP i Flyleaf Books 752 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard 919-942-7373, flyleafbooks.com

Like any great independent shop, Flyleaf is more cultural hub than mere bookshop. Sure, there are stacks of great literature and tables overflowing with the newest books, but where Flyleaf shines is in its packed schedule of readings and appearances by authors both local and world-renowned.

HAIR • WAXING • FACIALS 919.929.2209 3110 ENVIRON WAY CITRINESALONNC.COM

Experience the authentic taste of Japan

Featuring rolling sushi bar as well as sashimi, made-to-order nigiri and abundant specialty rolls 105 N. Columbia St. Chapel Hill, NC 27514 919-968-4747 KuramaSushiNoodle.com INDY WEEK

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Clockwise from left: A patron plays a vintage arcade game at The Baxter (photo

by Jade Wilson); CDs at Schoolkids Records (photo by Justin Cook); a cat rests on a bed at Cat Tales Cat Cafe (photo by Andrea Rice).

Julian’s

Ultimate Comics

The Baxter

135 East Franklin Street 919-942-4563, julianstyle.com

6120 Farrington Road 919-806-8282, ultimatecomics.com

108 North Graham Street 919-869-7486, baxterarcade.com

Born and raised in Chapel Hill, Alexander Julian is a renowned fashion designer who has made his mark on both the fashion and sports worlds. Whether or not you fancy pocket squares, corduroy jackets, and tailored pants, a stop here is a must, if only to visit the home base of the man who made the argyle pattern synonymous with Tar Heel basketball.

Whether you’re in search of the new issue of Spiderman, a boutique-print graphic novel, the latest action figures, or a meetup for weekly RPG games, Ultimate Comics is a haven for nerds.

Rumors

Ever swim in a sea of Carolina blue?

Seeing as it serves beer, wine, and liquor, The Baxter could be listed under Drink. Thing is, you don’t need to drink. With classic arcade games lining the walls and display cases full of old-school toys, tchotchkes, and ephemera, The Baxter is what you always dreamed of having when you were a kid, sitting for hours in front of your Nintendo system.

Bonus points for the owners’ move to allow children and under-twenty-ones on weekends from noon to five.

UNC Student Stores 207 South Road, CB 1530 919-962-5066

106 North Graham Street 919-942-2335, shopatrumors.com

With an ever-rotating selection, Rumors requires regular visits, as the racks boast entirely new wares every time. Sandwiched between The Baxter and Beer Study, the location offers the opportunity for a solid afternoon of day drinking followed by a stumble over to Rumors to grab that ridiculous/amazing Fleetwood Mac all-over-print tank-top.

Schoolkids Records 405 West Franklin Street, Suite C 919-960-9272, schoolkidsrecords.com

Always in the conversation for the Triangle’s best record store, Schoolkids is a haven for vinyl geeks and music lovers of all sorts.

Whether you’re into the popular or the esoteric, whether you want to pick up a slightly scratchy classic or you just want to find out what’s playing at the Cradle tonight, this is your spot.

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PLay Ackland Art Museum 101 South Columbia Street 919-966-5736, ackland.org

A world-class art museum on UNC’s campus, the Ackland is small enough for a quick breeze through, yet dense enough to spend an entire day. With pieces ranging from contemporary to ancient, the Ackland covers a wide swath of art history while always feeling focused and engaging. Head across the street to the museum store for a selection of coffee table books, household trinkets and gadgets, and gifts.

Carolina Performing Arts 114 East Cameron Avenue 919-843-3333, carolinaperformingarts.org

Housed in stunning venues like Memorial Hall, Current Artspace + Studio, and Moser Auditorium, this university-based organization is still punching well above its weight as it enters its fifteenth season, which will showcase Emmylou Harris, Lang Lang, Sarah Cahill, and many others.

i Cat Tales Cat Café 431 West Franklin Street 843-345-5289, cattalescatcafe.com

The glass-paneled cafe is home to twelve adoptable cats, coffee, adult beverages, and a comfortable lounge area. Make a reservation to interact with the kitties in their stress-free enclosure, and maybe start the process to take one home with you.

The Chelsea Theater

Nightlight Bar & Club

Silverspot Cinema

1129 Weaver Dairy Road 919-968-3005, thechelseatheater.com

405 1/2 West Rosemary Street 919-960-6101, nightlightclub.com

201 South Estes Drive, #100 919-357-9887, silverspot.net

Where better to get your arthouse movie fix than at an actual arthouse? For nearly three decades, the Chelsea has brought challenging, evocative, and fiercely independent cinema to Chapel Hill. After almost closing in 2018, the Chelsea is now a member-run nonprofit.

If The Cave is your jovial friend who went to a liberal arts school, got a gig DJing at the local radio station, and started a band, Nightlight is her uber-hip cousin, the fine arts major who is really into Jandek, experimental poetry, and performance art.

The Triangle’s premier outpost for art that challenges while entertaining, Nightlight trades in music that readily steps outside the bounds of popular form.

With comfy, cushioned armchairs, a full bar, and restaurant-quality food delivered straight to your seat (which is reserved before the movie starts), Silverspot is a high-end theater in experience only, as ticket prices are commensurate with any other chain theater.

Dean E. Smith Center 300 Skipper Bowles Drive There are few greater cathedrals in America than the Dean Dome, the on-campus home of UNC hoops. With the doors often open on offseason weekdays, you can poke in, get as close to the hardwood as possible, and look up to see one of sports’ most decorated set of rafters.

FRANK Gallery 201 South Estes Drive 919-636-4135, frankisart.com

Tucked inside of University Place, FRANK Gallery offers current and contemporary arts. With a full slate of events, classes, and workshops, it’s not just for perusing.

The Green at Southern Village 400 Market Street 919-933-4422, southernvillage.com

Playing host to local bands, outdoor movie nights, food truck rodeos, and annual cornhole tournaments, Southern Village’s centerpiece is its sprawling green, an ideal place to stretch out and spend a sun-filled afternoon.

North Carolina Botanical Garden & Coker Arboretum 100 Old Mason Farm Road and 399 East Cameron Avenue 919-962-0522, ncbg.unc.edu

For a healthy dose of serenity, Chapel Hill’s two arboretums shouldn’t be missed. Barely two miles apart, the North Carolina Botanical Garden and the on-campus Coker Arboretum—the former manages the latter—are suburban oases.

PlayMakers Repertory Company 120 Country Club Road 919-962-7529, playmakersrep.org

UNC’s professional theater company in residence, PlayMakers celebrated its centennial during the 2018–19 season. Now 101, it’s still going strong, putting on ten shows on two stages every season.

The UNC Basketball Museum 450 Skipper Bowles Drive 919-962-6000

UNC’s men’s basketball program is one of the most successful in college hoops, so it would make sense to have a worthy memorial. Step inside to see ephemera and artifacts, from a variety of warmups, game-worn jerseys, and vintage programs going back nearly a century to a note from coach Dean Smith to a young Michael Jordan explaining what he needed to work on during the summer before his sophomore year.

Varsity Theatre 123 East Franklin Street 919-967-8665, varsityonfranklin.com

With only two screens and a $7 adult ticket, the Varsity has been a staple on Franklin Street for nearly half a century, blending new blockbusters with just-left-the-theater movies, indie films, and special events.

The Kraken 2823 N.C. Highway 54 West 919-943-0398, thekrakenbar.com

Near the westernmost edge of the Triangle, where the uber-liberal enclaves of Chapel Hill and Carrboro end and the rural South resumes, The Kraken’s rough-and-tumble exterior belies a sweet and welcoming bar staff ready to offer up their corner of the Triangle to you for a suds-soaked, rock-filled evening.

Local 506 506 West Franklin Street 919-942-5506, local506.com

A step above a local dive and a step below a major music venue, Local 506 is the ideal place to see a band on their way up.

Featuring one of the best-sounding rooms in America, the 506 has long been a lynchpin in the touring itinerary of national acts, though it still hosts locals regularly.

A private party at Local 506 (photo

by Alex Boerner).

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18

hours in

CaRrBorO

/

by Brian Howe Landmark: Cat's Cradle Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Open Eye Café Where to Visit with Friends: Bowbarr Where to Walk Your Dog: Carolina North Forest Where to Spend the Night: That motel next to the Cradle

As someone who spent years in Carrboro before making the inevitable trek Durham-ward, I speak from experience when I claim that you could get a taste of everything it has to offer in one epic, wellplanned day.

That’s not a knock on our favorite mill-townturned-arts-enclave, which offers a winning mix of small-town charm and cultural opportunity. It’s just not large enough to rely on the thrill of constantly going to new places. Instead, Carrboro thrives on the pleasure of finding the places you love and returning to them again and again.

Best of all, you can do every inch of it on foot (though I’ll be on a skateboard).

For me, no day—let alone a perfect one—starts without coffee, so at 8:00 a.m., I’ll roll into Open Eye Café. Though I’m not one to eat first thing in the morning, this is going to be a big day, so by 9:00 a.m., I’ll head next door to Neal’s Deli for some sort of eggy breakfast sandwich (if it’s too packed, there’s always Rise, which is awesome but exists all over the Triangle).

Since today is perfect, let’s assume the weather is beautiful (sunny, low seventies, a bit of a breeze), and I’m raring to enjoy it before more commerce and consumption. From ten to noon, let’s go to the park. Anderson Park is bigger but a bit far from downtown for our pedestrian purposes, so I’ll opt for the compact, endearing Wilson Park. If I can rouse a Carrboro peep, maybe we’ll play some desultory tennis on the free municipal courts. If not, I’ll have a little push on the paved path among the tawny autumn pines, or just hit the nearby neighborhoods around Oak and Pine and Shelton, where modernist homes punctuate cute mill houses and the pavements are wide and smooth.

Since I’m not ready for lunch, at noon, I’m heading to Weaver Street Market for another coffee, maybe a flop-and-chat or some reading time on the big communal patio. But by 1:00 p.m., I’ll run into someone hungry, and we’ll discuss a number of places we could eat before inevitably deciding to go to Carrburritos because it’s always what you secretly want.

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Heavy with burritos, it’s time to lighten my wallet.

Starting at two, we’ll while away the rest of the afternoon with some browsing and shopping, flipping through the vinyl stacks at All Day Records and scrounging for oddities at Surplus Sid’s, where I’ll buy a half-broken backpack to carry the vintage gas mask I also bought for urgent but unclear reasons. (I’m probably due for another coffee, because I have a problem; luckily, Grey Squirrel Coffee Company is right across the street, and perhaps there’s an art exhibit at The ArtsCenter.)

And if there’s any time for mischief before dinner, I’ll see how long I can play “Stairway to Heaven” before Main Street Music kicks me out, or how the tattoo artist at Glenn’s Tattoo Service reacts when I say I want “The Paris of the Piedmont” enshrined on my bicep.

Though I couldn’t possibly be hungry, I also couldn’t call it a perfect Carrboro day without pizza from Pizzeria Mercato, so I’ll choke that down at seven while feeling awkward for having a skateboard in a restaurant where the water comes in green glass bottles.

At eight, it’s time for our perfect day to shade into the nightlife; let’s have an expensive cocktail with egg whites and activated charcoal at Belltree while we’re still sober enough to appreciate it.

Loosened up, we’ll head to Bowbarr for cheaper booze and photo-booth fun before a Cat’s Cradle show starts at ten. It’s a band we don’t like. (Twist!)

But we really just wanted to hang out with our friends on the smoking patio anyway, so our perfect day remains intact. (Double twist!)

We’ll wrap it up from midnight to 2:00 a.m., slipping into oblivion at the Orange County Social Club, where all nights in Carrboro have led since time immemorial. Then I’ll lay down in the street and die because we’ve been out here for eighteen hours and I’m forty.

But perfection requires sacrifice. No regrets.

Must Orange County Social Club 108 East Main Street, 919-933-0669, facebook.com/ocsc.carrboro

The Parma at Napoli (photo by Jade Wilson)

EAT

Armadillo Grill

Acme Food & Beverage Co.

If you want fast food that’s a hair better than fast food, Armadillo Grill’s inexpensive Tex-Mex will serve all your Styrofoam-queso-bowl and basic enchilada needs. We ate the hell out of it in college.

110 East Main Street 919-929-2263, acmecarrboro.com

At Acme, Southern staples don’t get fused and abused—“Damn good food” is the simple maxim—but they sure do clean up nicely, in an unflashy upscale style. Chef-owner Kevin Callaghan chases ingredients seasonal and nostalgic—castiron skillet cornbread, tomato pie, pecancrusted fried chicken—and craft beers and shrubby signature cocktails hold down the right side of the ampersand. Put on your cleanest Carhartt and you’ll be fine.

Akai Hana 206 West Main Street 919-942-6848, akaihana.com

For sushi in Carrboro, proceed directly to Akai Hana, a welcoming and communal room where bright, fresh nigiri, sashimi, and rolls are longtime local fixtures.

And not to worry, there’s plenty of udon and tempura for the sushi-squeamish. Dare you try the sushi burrito?

Amante Gourmet Pizza 300 East Main Street 919-929-3330, amantepizza.com

If you see people carrying medium-thick slices around Cat’s Cradle, this is probably where they came from. It’s not quite Mercato, but it’s way better than Papa John’s.

120 East Main Street 919-929-4669, armadillogrill.com

Within its small footprint, Carrboro, the little mill town that could, is growing in lots of ways, and when we think about the one place you must go, it’s hard to boil it down from the fine-dining options and music venues and fancy bars. That’s why, especially if you’re new in town, we’re recommending a humble local anchor where all these walks of life converge, and that’s the Orange County Social Club. Here, the people who constitute Carrboro’s vibrant independent music scene and who work in its restaurants and bars rub elbows with those who support that music scene and frequent those restaurants and bars, along with anyone else drawn in by the rope lights shining through the front windows or the boisterous back patio. An old-fashioned hipster bar with all the PBR and plain stiff drinks you could hope for, with indie rock on the jukebox and a pool table clacking in the dimness, it’s the perfect place to get your feet planted in the local heart of Carrboro and branch out from there.

/ Carrburritos 711 West Rosemary Street 919-933-8226, carrburritos.com

At this local legend, rock musicians serve speedy but fresh Mexican comfort food in a bustling room with a sliver of aggressively contested outdoor seating. The dishes don’t come out looking like there was a cheese explosion in the kitchen, but the burritos, stuffed with house-prepared ingredients, are the size of a fat baby’s arm. The signature salsas are especially renowned; get the verde with flour chips and the chipotle with corn.

Napoli 101 East Main Street 919-667-8288, napolicarrboro.com

Elmo’s Diner

This is a food truck with a permanent address, and it’s one of Carrboro’s best.

The maniacs behind Napoli managed to shove a wood-burning pizza oven into a truck. It can blaze up a hand-stretched Neapolitan pie made with tomatoes and flour from Italy in two minutes flat. Fior di Latte, every damn day.

200 North Greensboro Street 919-929-2909, elmosdinercarrboro.com

Neal’s Deli

Ah, Elmo’s, the proverbial diner with a phonebook-size menu that includes at least an approximation of every dish under the sun—breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. You can bring three generations here and everyone will find something they like, and it will all be OK-to-pretty-good.

Jade Palace 103 East Main Street 919-942-0006, myjadepalace.com

100 East Main Street, Suite C 919-967-2185, nealsdeli.com

Does anyone remember when Open Eye Café was tucked in the little Neal’s Deli space before it moved into the latte warehouse next door? Always busy at breakfast, Neal’s is a great little deli that serves old-school fare with a new-school vibe. There are hot and cold sandwiches for lunch, but show up early on Sweet Potato Biscuit Wednesdays before they run out.

You want unfussy, standard American Chinese takeout. Jade Palace has it.

They’ve had it for a long time. We’ve all been eating it, and we probably will forever.

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Monterrey Mexican Restaurant

Pizzeria Mercato

Spotted Dog

104 N.C. Highway 54, Unit FF 919-903-9919, monterreychapelhill.com

408 West Weaver Street 919-967-2277, pizzeriamercatonc.com

111 East Main Street 919-933-1117, thespotteddogrestaurant.com

Fusion schmusion, sometimes you just want the Mexican restaurant you know: Mexican staff and ownership, strip-mall location, bright colors, dim lighting, big laminated menu pages listing dizzying combinations of tacos and enchiladas and burritos and chalupas, infinite free baskets of chips and pitchers of salsa, melted white cheese in a bowl. Welcome to Monterrey.

The term pizzeria is a bit of a misnomer. Yes, Mercato expertly chars Neapolitan-style pies using ingredients from the farmers market across the street. But it’s really an upscale restaurant, founded by chef Gabe Barker (scion of the Magnolia Grill dynasty), who brings the same locavore spin on Italian tradition to pastas and salads, too.

Forget takeout; sit down for a nice date and drink sparkling Lambrusco in an elegantly roughshod postindustrial room that’s noisy and lively but not overwhelming.

Spotted Dog isn’t the trendiest restaurant in Carrboro. But it’s one of our perennial haunts because of its wide-ranging menu (as friendly to veggies as carnivores), its unpretentious vibe and earnest dog décor, and its sheer consistency in the wedge-shaped island between Weaver Street Market and the Orange County Social Club. Many a night out in Carrboro begins here.

Provence

This restaurant, by a veteran of The Umstead Hotel and City Kitchen, has robust, elegant surf-and-turf entrées. Upscale but not snobbish, the globalist menu is full of surprises and might contain anything from a bone marrow appetizer to mushroom risotto, Moroccan lamb shank to open-faced ravioli.

Oakleaf 310 East Main Street 984-234-0054, oakleafnc.com

This casual but sophisticated farm-totable restaurant, which originated in Pittsboro before moving to Carrboro, is pure foodie bait. A mercurial seasonal menu swirls with rich fare like roasted chicken with foraged chanterelles and bigeye tuna crudo, often gussied up with almost comically rarified ingredients. Do you have to dig up your own “freshly dug potato”? Only one way to find out.

203 West Weaver Street 919-967-5008, provenceofcarrboro.com

If Carrboro is the Paris of the Piedmont (it’s not), then this is the Paris of the Paris of the Piedmont. Provence has been planted on Weaver Street since Charles de Gaulle was a child. There were probably still textile mills in Carrboro when it opened. Traditional in its presentation—read: kinda fancy—it still has that shaggy, patio-loving Carrboro vibe, and brings a local, seasonal focus to French Mediterranean cuisine. If you want escargot, go.

Tandem 200 North Greensboro Street, #1A 919-240-7937, tandemcarrboro.com

Tom Robinson’s Seafood 207 Roberson Street 919-942-1221, tomrobinsonseafood.com

Located behind All Day Records, this shack is your pipeline to super-fresh N.C. seafood—salmon, shrimp, and mussels, along with less familiar croakers and mullets. Bring cash and be prepared to carry out your prize in a sheet of newspaper.

Venable Rotisserie Bistro 200 North Greensboro Street 919-904-7160, venablebistro.com

Did you know that Carrboro (named after mill maven Julian Shakespeare Carr) was called Venable (after a UNC president) for a couple of years when it was first incorporated in 1911? This “elevated casual” bistro combines classic Southern dishes with Asian and Latin influences and—wait for it—fresh, local ingredients, which you’ve noticed by now is a Carrboro must. The signature dish is a Cobb salad topped with roasted rotisserie chicken.

DrInk 2nd Wind 118 East Main Street facebook.com/2ndwindofcarrboro

With a folksy, faintly hippie patina, this homespun local bar and music venue is versatile in its offerings and has a low-key neighborhood charm. Also: The karaoke’s great.

401 Main 401 Main Street, 401main.com

Pastrami reuben at Neal's Deli (photo by Alex Boerner).

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This “upscale dive bar” had just opened as we were getting this magazine to the printer, so we haven’t been. But famed burger maestro Al Bowers (of Al’s Burger Shack in Chapel Hill) is running the kitchen, which is all we need to know.

Expect a focus on seafood and veggie po’boys and two dog-friendly patios.

Burritos-Tacos-Nachos Housemade Salsa Margaritas!

711 W Rosemary St Carrboro carrburritos.com 919.933.8226

Bonneville Electric Carrboroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premiere Renovation & Repair Electrician

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B-side Lounge

The Honeysuckle Cafe and Bar

200 North Greensboro Street 919-904-7160, b-sidelounge.com

601 West Main Street 919-967-9398, thehoneysuckle.org

After dinner at the Venable, head next door to this cozy wood-paneled lounge for warm vinyl on the stereo, solid wine on tap, adventurous cocktails, and tapas that are designed, like the space, to foster good times among friends.

/ Belltree

Hope you got the chance to say goodbye to Looking Glass Café, because The Honeysuckle Cafe and Bar is here. It’s the storefront for Honeysuckle Farms and Gardens, which also has a teahouse in Chapel Hill. It features hyper-local food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; smoothies, teas, and meads; and coffee service.

100 Brewer Lane 984-234-0572, facebook.com/belltreespeakeasy

Krave

Belltree is styled as a Prohibition-era speakeasy—with period décor, a vibe of heavy leather and mustache wax, and a stealthy location behind a carwash— but it upgrades era-appropriate fare to modern craft-cocktail standards.

Bowbarr 705 West Rosemary Street 919-967-9725, facebook.com/bowbarr

Call it Orange County Social Club 2.0.

Like its predecessor, Bowbarr is your classic townie indie-rocker bar—a dim yet colorful, grungy but comfy barroom full of trucker caps and tattoo sleeves; a wee courtyard where smokers make their last stand; affordable cocktails; and PBR cans supporting a pyramid of choicer beers.

A pre- or post-Cradle-show must, it’s also home to a vintage photo booth.

ShOP / All Day Records 112 East Main Street, Suite A 919-537-8322, alldayrecords.com

If you’re looking to buy or trade a deep slab of techno vinyl or a harsh noise cassette, this is the spot. (You can shop for new vinyl, too.)

The selection is curated by serious heads; it’s an electronic-and-noise-music haven in a lingeringly rock-besotted town. Essential.

105 West Main Street 919-408-9596, facebook.com/kravekava

Back Alley Bikes

You shouldn’t have to drink alcohol to enjoy a bar experience. Krave fills the niche by brewing roots and teas in a relaxed lounge setting, sometimes with live music or DJs. Get your kava here.

100 Boyd Street 919-967-7777, backalleybikes.net

Bike done broke? Take it to Back Alley Bikes, an independent worker-owned shop. They know their stuff.

Open Eye Café

Carrboro Farmers Market

101 South Greensboro Street 919-968-9410, openeyecafe.com

301 West Main Street 919-280-3326, carrborofarmersmarket.com

Open Eye is a lodestar of local cafe culture for both its longevity and its seriousness about coffee, with owners who judge barista competitions and fly around the world to meet suppliers. It’s also large and often packed, so it’s a great place to meet and mingle—except at peak laptop hours, when it can look like a weirdly homey coding boot camp.

It can be easy to forget that North Carolina is a farming state until you drive outside the Triangle—or just visit the Carrboro Farmers Market, which draws farmers from a fifty-mile radius to the town commons on Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. Stock your pantry with local produce, flora, and more for the week.

Carrboro Beverage Company

The Station

102 East Main Street, Suite A 919-942-3116, facebook.com/carrborobevco

201 East Main Street 919-918-3923, stationcarrboro.com

200 North Greensboro Street 919-942-8669, carrmillmall.com

Though humble in footprint, this crumbly brick building houses a towering assortment of beers, with a knowledgeable, friendly staff drawing numberless North Carolina brews, exotic imports, and interesting specialties. Taste from the taps and then grab a bottle of your favorite to go.

This watering hole and live-music venue in a historic train station draws an eclectic, low-key crowd with its eclectic local band bookings. Unpretentious and almost pitch-black inside, it’s a good place to chat intimately with who you came with rather than look for someone else. The drinks are fine; the craft beer selection is better.

Gray Squirrel Coffee Company 360 East Main Street, #100 graysquirrelcoffee.com

This artisan coffee roaster and espresso bar has a cleaner, more modernist vibe inside than Open Eye’s mix-and-match living-room aesthetic. Focusing on precision and service more than volume, Gray Squirrel roasts small batches and serves a narrow menu. Take a half-pound of beans home or let expert baristas bring out the best in them for you.

Glasshalfull 106 South Greensboro Street 919-967-9784, glasshalfullcarrboro.com

Abandon all hope (of not going broke), oenophiles who enter here. Part wine shop and part wine bar, Glasshalfull maintains a twenty-five-bottle list drawn heavily from France, Italy, and the U.S., and behind its deceptively Germanic-sounding name (sound it out) hides a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant good enough to get it listed in Eat instead of Drink, with all the cheese, charcuterie, seafood, and game you can shake a Bordeaux glass at.

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Steel String Brewery 106 South Greensboro Street, Suite A 919-240-7215, steelstringbrewery.com

Named in homage to the region’s blues and bluegrass heritage, Steel String stands out in a crowded local beer scene. You know where what you’re drinking came from, because the brewery is right there in the taproom, glassed-in but enticingly near.

Vecino Brewing Co. 300 East Main Street, Suite C 919-537-9591, vecinobrewing.com

Rising from the ashes of YesterYears Brewery, this revamped spot serves craft beer, wine, and food. It favors heavy IPAs and hearty sandwiches, like the one with braised beef short rib and mac ’n’ cheese on ciabatta. You’ll taste some interesting beer and leave full.

Carr Mill Mall Inside a historic cotton mill with gleaming, restored, but intact wooden floors, Carr Mill Mall arranges local and family-owned boutique jewelers, clothing shops, a toy store, restaurants, and more in a sepia photograph of the mill town of yore.

Glenn’s Tattoo Service 705 West Rosemary Street, Suite A 919-933-8288, glennstattooservice.net

If you’re new in town and want to assimilate, get yourself inked (and/or pierced).

Head directly up the stairs on West Rosemary into Glenn’s, Carrboro’s bodyart bastion, where an experienced, gruffly friendly staffer can tat or pierce you up with that ineffable local touch.

Main Street Music 204 West Main Street, Suite A 919-942-7666, carrboromusic.com

After the loss of The Music Loft, Carrboro gearheads in need of a local source for pedals, pickups, amps, and guitars turn to Main Street Music more than ever. Its inventory, also available online, brims with well-selected vintage instruments from rare brands at a wide range of prices.

Surplus Sid’s 309 East Main Street 919-942-7127, facebook.com/surplussids

Part military surplus, part costume shop, part junk shop, part thrift store—all in all, a Carrboro original. You never know what you’ll find among the old furniture and uniforms and canteens and whatever else Sid gets his hands on.

Weaver Street Market 101 East Weaver Street 919-929-0010, weaverstreetmarket.coop

Weaver Street is Carrboro’s co-op grocery store, food bar, and central community space. On its biggish downtown patio, always crowded in nice weather, there’s music, there are dogs, children run wild, people demonstratively hula hoop and do tai chi. You’re probably reading this there.

Womancraft Gifts 360 East Main Street 919-929-3300, womancraftgifts.squarespace.com

Featuring goods from more than seventy artists, WomanCraft has something for everyone, whether it be patchwork and sewing or ceramics and jewelry. It has the added benefit of supporting local female artists and artisans.

From left: A tea beverage from Honeysuckle (photo by Jeremy M. Lange); Corbie Hill gets inked at Glenn's (photo

by Alex Boerner).

PLay Anderson Community Park 302 N.C. Highway 54 West 919-918-7364, townofcarrboro.org/347/ Anderson-Community-Park

Among its fifty-five acres of leafy trails and spacious lawns, Carrboro’s largest municipal park also offers horseshoe pits, a fishing pond, picnic areas, a playground, and a leash-free zone for your canine friend, not to mention baseball, basketball, and tennis courts.

The ArtsCenter 300 East Main Street, Suite G 919-929-2787, artscenterlive.org

Few venues can claim they’ve hosted local photographers’ prints, turntablist Kid Koala, and Tibetan Buddhist monks in the same building (albeit separately). But The ArtsCenter showcases all that and more.

The calendar is full of local and national performances, which run the gamut from Americana and jazz to theater and comedy.

Carolina North Forest 122 Municipal Drive, Chapel Hill 919-883-8930, carolinanorthforest.unc.edu

Straddling Carrboro and Chapel Hill, Carolina North Forest offers 750 acres of woodlands, with ample off-road trails popular with hikers, runners, and cyclists.

The Carrboro side has a dense trail network hemmed in by Bolin Creek.

/ Cat’s Cradle 300 East Main Street 919-967-9053, catscradle.com

The landmark nightclub, famous for hosting your favorite indie band before they blew up, is practically a prerequisite for lists like these.

And, yes, it’ll always be that storied club where Nirvana and Public Enemy played back in the day. But with an expanded showroom and a great-sounding second venue in its Back Room, the Cradle is still a vital home for the nationally renowned and local talent you’ll brag about seeing decades from now.

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07

hours in

HiLlsBorough

4

by Charlotte Wray Landmark: Colonial Inn Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Cup A Joe Where to Visit with Friends: The Wooden Nickel Where to Walk Your Dog: Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area Where to Spend the Night: The Inn at Teardrops

Five years ago, Hillsborough wasn’t on most people’s radar. It was, instead, a well-kept secret, shared among its six thousand residents—those who understood what made it special. That charm, quaint yet not frozen in time, is a little better known now, but it hasn’t gone anywhere.

Hillsborough is a historic place. It was where North Carolina declined to ratify the Constitution in 1788 because it had no Bill of Rights. (The state did so, a year later in Fayetteville, after the Bill of Rights was added.) But Hillsborough also has an artistic flair, a vibrant culinary scene, and was declared “America’s Little Literary Town” by The Wall Street Journal, which, I suppose, is better than the alternative.

If you’re here for a day, even a few hours, you’ll get a sense of why we love Hillsborough. Start early, say, 7:00 a.m.—the town is perfect on an autumn morning, even a Monday. Begin at Cup A Joe, where you see neighbors chatting before work and children munching on muffins before school; there’s also a comic book rack and Stranger Things trading cards in front of the register. This is quintessential Hillsborough: quirky, amusing, talkative, neighborly, small. Check out the homemade pastries: The jalapeño cheddar biscuits and black cherry pistachio biscotti are at the top of my list.

When you’re sufficiently caffeinated, the best way to get to know Hillsborough is on foot.

The Old Orange County Courthouse is the town’s epicenter. Atop it is a regal, eighteenth-century clock that, if it could tell tales, might reveal whether or not it was a gift from King George III, and whether the legend of its short swim in the Eno River is myth or reality.

Continuing your walk up Churton Street takes you to the Burwell School Historic Site. Last year, the site of the nineteenth-century school for girls honored the two hundredth birthday of Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, an enslaved woman who, once freed from the Burwell family, became Mary Todd Lincoln’s modiste and closest confidante, then wrote a tell-all about her time in the White House.

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A stone's throw from the Hillsborough Visitors Center—which is also the relocated Alexander Dickson House, is Ayr Mount, a Federal-era plantation house built in 1815. It’s very grand and most beautiful around the holidays.

After a morning of historic meandering, a sandwich is necessary. Steve’s Garden Market has you covered for the perfect BLT, best eaten on a bench along the Riverwalk. There you can also see a replica of the seventeenth-century Occaneechi Village, once home to the tribe that originally lived on the banks of the Eno River. (The Occaneechi abandoned the Eno River Valley by 1712, after suffering from Iroquois war raids and European diseases.)

As you might imagine, it’s difficult to see every historic hotspot in Hillsborough in a day, but you can take the town’s history with you.

Duck into local bookshop Purple Crow Books to see both the history and talent Hillsborough possesses.

An entire wall is dedicated to local authors, including nationally recognized and best-selling authors such as Lee Smith, Jill McCorkle, and Allan Gurganus. Take a trip to Italy through the eyes of part-time Hillsborough resident Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun, or pick up award-winning journalist Steven Petrow’s renowned guide on LGBTQ etiquette, Complete Gay & Lesbian Manners: The Definitive Guide to LGBT Life.

That’s just the beginning—and it’s only two o’clock.

You still haven’t hit up The Wooden Nickel or had dinner at Panciuto or drinks at Yonder.

In Hillsborough, greatness is tucked into the corners, absent pretentiousness. One can rub elbows with any of these authors at Cup A Joe or walk before in front of a building without knowing its significance.

This is why people keep coming back: No matter how small the town, you never run out of new things—and people—to discover.

Panciuto's black spaghetti (photo by Jade Wilson)

Must Panciuto 110 South Churton Street 919-732-6261, panciuto.com

Chef Aaron Vandemark enjoys no shortage of well-deserved accolades. At Panciuto, the perennial James Beard semifinalist explores Italian cuisine with Southern ingredients from local farmers. The menu changes with the seasons and Vandermark’s whims—seriously, it changes all the time—but be sure to try the homemade pastas and the sublime vegetable board.

EAT

The House at Gatewood

Pueblo Viejo Mexican Restaurant

300 U.S. Highway 70 919-241-4083, houseatgatewood.com

370 South Churton Street 919-732-3480

4 Antonia’s

At the end of a long driveway, nestled in a tight vignette of oak and magnolia trees, this historic home invites family and friends into an intimate experience. Once the estate of Dr. Joseph Gatewood, it’s now a place to gather for elevated Southern barbecue fixins in what they call a chophouse and oyster bar.

Fresh ingredients, classic Mexican recipes, and fast, friendly service equal a perfect spot for that late lunch that screams for a couple of quick margaritas.

J&F Kitchen

A fun, vibrant neighborhood hang with a funky vibe, Radius offers eclectic pizzas and a pick-your-pasta option.

101 North Churton Street 919-643-7722, antoniashillsborough.com

With a stamp of approval from Under the Tuscan Sun author Frances Mayes, this Italian eatery isn’t just authentic, it feels like eating at your nonna’s house. Antonia’s bustles in the evening, serving mounds of homemade pasta. Sit outside and take in the charm of historic Hillsborough over a plate of spaghetti all’Antonia.

El Restaurante Ixtapa 162 Exchange Park Lane 919-644-6944, ixtapa.homestead.com/homepage.html

Two generations of the Munoz family chip in at this family-run shop, which features tacos with handmade tortillas.

Hillsborough BBQ Company 236 South Nash Street 919-732-4647, hillsboroughbbq.com

Perfectly smoked Southern ’cue cooked over a wood-fired pit and done right, served in a relaxed atmosphere with local brews and no attitude. While brisket and ribs may not be typical of an N.C. menu, they can easily steal the show. And don’t miss the catfish or, better yet, the pork nachos, because what could be wrong about anything smothered in cheese sauce?

155 Mayo Street 919-245-8463

Be sure to get a made-from-scratch pizza at this hole-in-the-wall run by a husband-and-wife team. Our favorite is the Barbecue Chicken.

James Pharmacy 111 North Churton Street 919-932-0134, jphillsborough.com

This eclectic seafood joint can heal a craving for a cocktail or a dozen chilled oysters. Chow down on anything from the catch of the day to the “Big Ass Bucket of Mussels,” which have been steamed in gose beer butter broth.

Jay’s Chicken Shack 646 North Churton Street 919-732-3591, jayschickenshack.com

Wings. Burgers. Chicken sandwiches. …

Breakfast? This unassuming joint off of Highway 70 is full of surprises and, most important, flavor. There’s no better place in Orange County to satisfy that wing fix—and be sure to score some fresh biscuits.

Radius Pizzeria & Pub 112 North Churton Street 919-245-0601, radiuspizzeria.net

Saratoga Grill 108 South Churton Street 919-732-2214, saratogagrill.com

Some places are affected by neither time nor tide, and you can count the Saratoga Grill among them. As businesses on Churton have come and gone, Saratoga stands, serving New England clam chowder and crab cakes.

Steve's Garden Market & Butchery 610 North Churton Street 919-732-4712, stevesgardenmarket.com

For small-town natives, growth is oftentimes analogous to longer lines, construction, and traffic. But Steve’s Garden Market, a simple corner store, reconciles the new with the beloved. You can grab a pimento cheese sandwich at noon, but it’s also a one-stopshop for any dinner. A date night is best: all the fixings for a charcuterie, local grass-fed beef steak, herbs and vegetables, and a selection of N.C. wines.

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From left: Cup A Joe (photo by Caitlin Penna); toasted miche with Ezra creamy feta cheese, fresh figs, and ground black pepper from Weaver Street Market (photo by Alex Boerner).

Tacos Los Altos 126 West King Street 919-241-4177, facebook.com/tacoslosaltos123

Once a food truck, this King Street brick-andmortar started serving breakfast and lunch until 3:00 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday so the sibling owners could be with their families in the evening. They’ve got both Mexican and American breakfast options, everything from pancakes to enchiladas.

Thursday through Saturday, they’re open until 8:00 p.m. for dinner.

The Village Diner 600 West King Street 919-245-8915, facebook.com/villagedinernc

From its heyday in the mid-seventies to when new owner Joel Bohlin took ownership in 2017, this unassuming diner was a staple for blue-collar workers and politicians alike.

Bohlin, who once managed Hillsborough BBQ, breathed new life into the place, bringing in a wood-fired pizza oven and giving it a facelift. Don’t worry; you can still cop biscuits and gravy for breakfast.

Vinny’s Italian Grill & Pizzeria 133 North Scottswood Boulevard 919-732-9219, vinnyshillsborough.com

DrInk

Yonder: Southern Cocktails and Brew

4 Botanist & Barrel Winery

Boozy slushies and a bevy of brews—what’s not to love? Located in “colonial AF downtown”—as Yonder describes it—this brand-new hometown haunt has you more than covered on drinks and entertainment. There’s something going on every night, from board games to live music to stand-up comedy to pub-quiz nights.

and Tasting Room

105 Persimmon Hill Lane, Cedar Grove 919-644-7777, botanistandbarrel.com

What started with fermentation experiments turned into a full-fledged cidery tucked into rolling farmland on the outskirts of Hillsborough. The tasting room is located at the farm from which the cidery gets its fruit. Grab a Collusion Tequila Barrel Aged Cider or the cider dubbed Apple on the Hops.

Cup A Joe 112 West King Street 919-732-2008

114 West King Street 919-283-2368, facebook.com/yonderbarnc

ShOP Carlisle & Linny Vintage Jewelry 112 South Churton Street 917-400-9800, facebook.com/carlisleandlinny

Whit's Frozen Custard

One of the greatest improvements to Hillsborough in a century happened when Cup A Joe moved to larger digs. But even after it traded cramped quarters for a larger space, there still never seems to be an open table. Credit this to the experienced baristas and the chill vibe.

240 South Nash Street 919-245-8123, whitscustard.com

Hillsborough Wine Company

If you thought brooches were out of style, think again. Curated by owner Lindsley Bowen, this vintage jewelry shop is all the best parts of a thrift shop, offering a variety of one-of-a-kind and classic throwback jewelry, sunglasses, cufflinks, brooches, and accessories—and if you’re lucky, a glimpse of shop dog Tucker.

118 South Churton Street 919-732-4343, chapelhillwinecompany.com

Eno River Farmers Market

It’s easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it, but then you’d never know about Vinny’s buffalo chicken sub.

Whit’s defines itself by two things: fresh custard and three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and Whit's special weekly flavor. Blend these flavors with any of the toppings to make a “Whitser,” a decadent experience, atop a waffle cone.

The Wooden Nickel Pub 113 North Churton Street 919-643-2223, thewnp.com

That this restaurant is always bursting at the seams is indicative of only one thing: food and drinks done right, with one of the best burgers in the Triangle and a wide selection of draft and bottled beers.

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Drop into this quaint little shop for hand-selected boutique wines. Don’t know any of the labels or vintages? No problem. The employees have that covered. If their extensive knowledge isn’t enough, treat your taste buds to a one-, two-, or four-ounce pour from the wine-tasting machine.

Hot Tin Roof 115 West Margaret Lane 919-296-9113, hottinroofbar.com

Looking for the perfect honkytonk to swill your longnecks and take in some live music?

Look no further.

144 East Margaret Lane enoriverfarmersmarket.com

Boasting the same (approximate) location for over 264 years, this farmers market was one of the original structures laid out by colonial city planners. It operates year-round on Saturdays and features products from the region’s top farmers and culinary craftspeople.

Matthew’s Chocolates 104 North Churton Street 919-732-0900, facebook.com/matthewschocolates

In a town filled with culture and artists, you have to wonder if there’s anything more elegant than Matthew Shepherd’s chocolate creations. Be sure to stop in during the winter holidays to stock up on homemade marshmallows and hot chocolate.

Volume in Hillsborough (photo by Caitlin Penna).

Hillsborough Gallery of Arts 121 North Churton Street 919-732-5001, hillsboroughgallery.com

Owned and operated by local artists, this gallery will make fans of modern and contemporary fine art feel right at home. Be sure to check in every Last Friday, when a featured exhibit highlights three of the gallery’s artists.

4 Hillsborough Riverwalk Nash and Kollock Streets 919-732-1270, hillsboroughnc.gov

My Secret Closet

Weaver Street Market

107 John Earl Street 919-732-1254, mysecretcloset.com/hillsborough

228 South Churton Street 919-245-5050, weaverstreetmarket.coop

You never know what you’re going to find at this consignment superstore. From home furnishings to home décor, My Secret Closet is a treasure trove for bargain hunters.

Nowhere near as expensive and with a much better selection of local goods, Weaver Street is Orange County’s answer to Whole Foods.

This organic grocery and co-op also provides delectable baked goods and specialty items, as well as a one-stop-shop for local brews.

4 Purple Crow Books 109 West King Street 919-732-1711, purplecrowbooks.com

Owner Sharon Wheeler must have the cushiest job in all of Orange County. If she needs inspiration for her recommendations, she only has to look down the street. With authors like Lee Smith, Hal Crowther, Jeffrey Deaver, Jill McCorkle, and Allan Gurganus as neighbors, who better to deliver the skinny on what’s great to read?

Uniquitiques 125 East King Street 919-644-8000, uniquitiques.com

The whole place is draped in vintage, from the homey décor to the curated style of contemporary women’s clothing for sale.

You’ll find it all here: cowboy boots, costume jewelry, and Southern-made t-shirts.

Volume Hillsborough 226 South Churton Street 919-643-2303, volumehillsborough.com

It’s hard enough to find a decent record store, but can you imagine trying to score some decent vinyl while sipping on some good local suds? If so, you must have stopped by Volume Hillsborough. Belly up to the bar, order a pint, then finger your way through the vast selection of music.

PLay Ayr Mount 376 St. Marys Road 919-732-6886

This Federal-style plantation house, built around 1815 by William Kirkland, is now a publicly accessible historic site sitting on 265 acres, owned and operated by the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust. Aside from the well-preserved interior, the real stars of the show are the extensive scenic trails that wind across the grounds and the beautiful array of Carolina flora.

Blackwood Farm Park 4215 N.C. Highway 86, Chapel Hill 919-969-8959

Located on 152 acres of land between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill, this gorgeous property offers a hiking, fishing, and picnicking paradise. Be transported back in time with original structures like a historic farmhouse, barn, and smokehouse. It’s only open on the weekends, but the best opportunity to check it out may be the annual Orange County Localfest, which pops up at the end of September.

Walk off some of the satisfying Churton Street fare on the paved urban greenway stretching nearly two miles along the Eno. Walkers, joggers, and cyclists alike enjoy natural views of the lazy river and its wildlife. Vistas alongside Gold Park and River Park offer plenty for your ’Gram, but be sure to catch the star attraction: “A Sight to Behold,” the original Stickwork sculpture by Patrick Dougherty.

Historic Occoneechee Speedway 320 Elizabeth Brady Road historicspeedwaygroup.org

In the nineteenth century, Julian Carr raced horses here. In 1949, it became one of the first two NASCAR tracks in existence. After closing in 1968, it lay fallow until this century, when walking trails were built. There are still old and busted race cars on the grounds.

Occoneechee Mountain Natural Area 625 Virginia Cates Road 919-383-1686, ncparks.gov/occoneechee-mountain-state-natural-area

Hike among the rhododendron and mountain laurel. The three-mile trail follows riverside thickets and rocky bluffs as it ascends to the highest point in Orange County.

Occaneechi Village Replica Site East Margaret Lane, along the Riverwalk

Three hundred-plus years ago, before Hillsborough was Hillsborough, it was the ancestral land of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. Along came Europeans, and, well, between raids by Iroquois and disease, the Occaneechi abandoned the Eno for the protection of the Virginia colony by 1712. (Most merged with other tribes and lost their tribal distinctiveness by the mid-eighteenth century, though in 2001, North Carolina recognized a small group in Orange and Alamance Counties who claimed descent from the Occaneechi.) To honor the seventeenth-century Occaneechi village, tribe members and local volunteers have rebuilt a palisade and hand-crafted huts along the banks of the river, a site you can see on a stroll on the Riverwalk.

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Old Town Cemetery North Churton and West Tryon Streets

Located just outside St. Matthewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church, the cemetery was established in 1757. Its 184 marked graves (and several more unmarked) include some of the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most notable early residents, among them a governor, a U.S. senator, a Confederate senator, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Orange County Historical Museum 201 North Churton Street 919-732-2201, orangenchistory.org

All you need to know about Orange County can be found in the former Confederate Memorial Building. Here, artifacts of rural life, featuring colonial weights and measures, memorabilia from different Carolina eras, and portraits of prominent Orange County figures are on display.

Orange County Sportsplex 101 Meadowlands Drive 919-644-0339, trianglesportsplex.com

If you can imagine it, it happens here, and all indoors: swimming, ice skating, league play, sports classes, lessons, you name it. The access to the Olympic-size swimming pool alone is worth the monthly membership fee.

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Haw River Farmhouse Ales in Saxapahaw (photo by Caitlin Penna).

*AND THE OUTPOSTS

*

CHATHAM

C ount y

17

hours in

Pittsboro (ANd The OutpoSts*)

k

by Corbie Hill Landmark: Haw River Ballroom Where to Get a Cup of Coffee: Phoenix Bakery Where to Visit with Friends: The City Tap Where to Walk Your Dog: Lower Haw River State Natural Area Trail Where to Spend the Night: Jordan Lake Campground

It’s 6:00 a.m., and the sun has just risen. The pines are shrouded in fog, and nobody is on the roads. I drink my first cup of coffee at home while I lace up my shoes. I take my time, because that is authentically possible in Pittsboro. There are no interstates here, no high-rises—just four thousand or so folks, a handful of restaurants, and a compact downtown. If you crave hustle or a city that is always buzzing, this is not that.

This is a town with a true circadian rhythm.

By 7:00 a.m. I’m a mile in or two into my run. My route of choice starts at the popular paved trail around Central Carolina Community College’s Pittsboro campus and takes me into town, where I run past the historic courthouse, the Chatham Arts Council building, and the YMCA. I pass Sweet Bee Caffe and City Tap, S&T’s Soda Shop, and Postal Fish Company. I know who lives in a lot of the houses I pass. My kids know their kids.

My run completed, Phoenix Bakery is the source of my second cup of coffee—and breakfast. The beer bread muffin is rich and savory and filled with quality cheese. Some days, I meet my friends here, and we talk music, film, TV, politics, and life in general.

Midmorning, I see what deals I can find. I’m partial to secondhand stores, and Pittsboro is great for that, from our PTA Thrift Shop to our Habitat Home Store. There’s Screaming for Vintage for more curated retro décor, while Circle City Books and Music packs a wealth of used books and records into a relatively small storefront.

food truck. While I can’t speak for its carnivorous menu, I can say that its vegetarian offerings are consistently diverse and satisfying.

If the weather cooperates, the family and I are headed for the water. Just a few minutes east of town (and not far from Carolina Tiger Rescue), the Robeson Creek Canoe Launch allows easy access for paddlers headed upriver to the Haw or downriver to Jordan Lake.

So far today, we’ve gone running and canoeing. So we’re hungry. If we’re being honest, I’ll be cooking supper. And the very, very Pittsboro experience is buying the ingredients. There’s Chatham Marketplace, our local co-op, and two recurring farmers markets for those looking for local flavor. It may sound Mayberry, but the other option, Food Lion, is one spot where I inevitably run into a friend or two each time I step inside.

By now, it’s—I don’t know, 7:30 or 8:00 p.m.?

Pittsboro nightlife is more like evening life, which is OK by me, and this is when it tends to start.

We have Americana and rockabilly at City Tap and tribute acts and bands on legacy tours at the Pittsboro Roadhouse, but I’m partial to Oddco.

It’s a cozy little hub of art, music, and overall funkiness run by the nicest people imaginable.

If you’re into late nights, you can have them. Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Durham are just up the road.

Me? I’m in bed before midnight and up with the sun.

Lunch happens at Michoacán Mexican Grill—no question. Before this restaurant’s summer 2019 opening, Michoacán had been Pittsboro’s best

*Listings include what we call The Outposts—places of interest in Chatham, Alamance, and Orange Counties.

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EAT

Must

Allen & Son BBQ 5650 U.S. Highway 15-501, Pittsboro 919-542-2294, stubbsandsonbbq.com

If you’re looking for something reimagined and gussied-up, you’d better turn around and head back to the city. This landmark country pork palace does N.C. ’cue and fixins the old-school way.

Angelina’s Kitchen 23 Rectory Street, Pittsboro 919-545-5505, angelinaskitchenonline.com

Chef-owner Angelina Koulizakis-Battiste runs this anchor of Chatham County’s farm-totable community. If you’ve lived in Pittsboro for longer than six months without eating Angelina’s fusions of Greek and Southwestern cuisines, you’re doing it wrong.

Saxapahaw General Store 1735 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road, Saxapahaw 336-376-5332, saxgenstore.com

From the road, it looks like an unusually large and busy old-fashioned convenience store of the sort dotting country roads everywhere. But the Saxapahaw General Store is actually a social center of the creative community that has sprung up in the town’s old mill infrastructure. Yes, you can get gas. But you can also get great food rooted in local, conscious farming and a variety of goods from local producers and artisans.

Its breakfast is among our favorites in the Triangle, whether you eat it at picnic tables inside or on the brick patio, before you walk down the steps of an outdoor amphitheater and emerge along the Haw River for a well-sated walk.

Greek Kouzina

Phoenix Bakery

84 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro 919-444-2023, facebook.com/carolinacravingsco

964 East Street, Pittsboro 919-542-9950, greekkouzina.com

664 West Street, Pittsboro 919-542-4452, thephoenixbakerync.com

A cousin to Phoenix Bakery (see below) that operates out of Phoenix's original downtown storefront, Carolina Cravings focuses wholly on sweets. Try the fudge. No, try the macarons. No, try the brownies. Hell, try everything.

If you’re into low-frills establishments that sell good food at a fair price, well, Greek Kouzina is exactly that: Spend a few dollars, wait a few minutes in the unassuming dining room, and receive consistently good falafel.

The Eddy Pub

1729 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road, Saxapahaw 336-525-2092, leftbankbutchery.com

On any given morning here, you’ll find a cross-section of the town: hippie dirt farmers, cops, retirees, college instructors, families, journalists, and various kinds of professionals all queue up for caffeine and freshly baked treats. The food and coffee are satisfying, the vibe and the décor are comfortable and easy, and the company is world-class.

Carolina Cravings Co.

1715 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road, Saxapahaw 336-525-2010, theeddypub.com

The loud, low-slung communal barroom is a great place to meet people, and local farms pump fresh produce into pub food both Southern and European in character. A menu spanning N.C. trout cakes and pad Thai washes down with local beers and a long wine list.

The Fearrington House Restaurant 2000 Fearrington Village Center, Fearrington Village, Pittsboro 919-542-2121, fearrington.com/house

If you’re going to blow rent money on a meal, you may as well do it in the gracious, sprawling farmhouse where one of the more celebrated restaurants in this part of North Carolina resides. A seasonally shifting menu fueled by on-site vegetable and herb gardens elevates farm-to-fork dining in a genteel hideaway outside of Chapel Hill.

Fiesta Grill 3307 N.C. Highway 54 West, Chapel Hill 919-928-9002, fiestagrill.us

Some of the best authentic Mexican food in the Triangle awaits on an anonymous stretch of rural highway five miles west of Carrboro. Fiesta Grill is fresh and unassumingly good, and you can’t beat a lunch combination for $5.95.

Left Bank Butchery

For those who want to eat meat responsibly, this butcher shop exclusively uses whole, healthy, local animals that were raised ethically and sustainably. Beef, pork, poultry, and fish are sold with a populist philosophy and prices to match.

k Michoacán Mexican Grill 440 East Street, Pittsboro 919-704-8751

What had been Pittsboro's best food truck is now a brick-and-mortar, and we're happy to have it. It's been especially exciting to see the menu expand. For vegetarians and carnivores alike, the burritos and fajitas never let you down. And kudos to Michoacán for reusing an existing building (an old Pizza Hut) rather than building a new one.

The Modern Life Deli and Drinks 46 Sanford Road, Pittsboro 919-533-6883, themodernlifedeli.com

The sandwiches are reliably good and there’s consistently interesting local beer on tap, but it’s The Mod’s woodfired pizzas that make this downtown eatery essential. We’re big fans of the R.U. Caprese and the Buffalo Willy.

Reverence Farms Cafe 6956 N.C. Highway 87, Graham 336-525-2266, reverencefarmscafe.com

If you find yourself in Graham, don’t forget this unique stop, where the farm and table could hardly be closer. A working polyculture farm serves its own meat and veggies, as well as those of other local farms and suppliers, in dishes such as meatloaf and mushroom risotto, bratwurst, and an “Oyster Mushroom Po’ Girl.”

The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering 35 Suttles Road, Pittsboro 919-542-1062, rootcellarchapelhill.com/pittsboro

We won’t hold it against the Root Cellar's Pittsboro satellite for being part of the massive Chatham Park development, which, over the next decade or so, is going to reshape life in Pittsboro as we know it. After all, it’s become one of our default lunch spots, with the grits bowl alone bringing us back time and again.

DrInk 580 Craft Beer 354 East Street, Pittsboro 919-542-5431, 580craftbeer.com

With rotating taps and some fairly obscure selections on the shelves, 580 functions as both a snug little bar and a bottle shop for the beer nerd in ya.

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Clockwise from left: Haw River (photo by Adam David Kissick); a couple participates in a mead tasting at Starrlight Mead (photo by Alex Boerner); a sandwich from Saxapahaw General Store (photo by Adam David Kissick).

The City Tap

k Haw River Farmhouse Ales

Starrlight Mead

89 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro 919-545-0562, thecitytap.com

1713 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road, Saxapahaw 336-525-9270, hawriverales.com

130 Lorax Lane, Pittsboro 919-533-6314, starrlightmead.com

This watering hole serves all the essential roles of a small-town bar. Grab a sandwich for you and your kids? Ta-da: It’s a lunch spot with a patio. Meet a friend for a beer on a Tuesday evening? Ta-da: It’s a low-key, centrally located bar. Catch a rowdy rockabilly act or test out a new song at an open mic? Ta-da: It’s a venue with a full calendar.

Fair Game Beverage Company 192 Lorax Lane, Pittsboro 919-245-5434, fairgamebeverage.com

Thanks to a recent change in state law, this Pittsboro distillery now has a tasting room, where you can score cocktails, local ciders on tap and in bottles, as well as North Carolina wines. The Apple Brandy is pretty spectacular, tell you what.

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This little brewery brings Belgian style to the bucolic South, with an open tasting room and patio year-round. Foraged, rare, hyperlocal ingredients capture Saxapahaw in unique, funky glasses—hope you like beer with pine needles and stuff in it.

Roost Beer Garden 2000 Fearrington Village Center, Fearrington Village, Pittsboro 919-542-1239, fearrington.com/roost

Don’t let its size fool you—there’s a lot packed into this tiny building. A pizza oven cranks out wood-fired pies, while beer taps offer excellent local beverages. Roots musicians hold down the porch, and all the seating is outdoors.

For alcohol as distinctive as Pittsboro itself, get thee to the meadery. Starrlight’s meads vary by dryness, sweetness, and type of honey, to the point that you can match specific meads to meals or moods.

ShOP Chatham PTA Thrift Shop 400 East Street, Pittsboro, 919-542-4070 chatham.k12.nc.us

Our favorite store in town is, well, just our humble little thrift store. But hey, it’s a nexus of uncommonly good finds.

The

Showcasing over 170 local artists in a wide variety of media including pottery, painting, jewelry, ďŹ ber, glass and more.

/ Reclamation Home Furnishings carries vintage, antique, reclaimed and gently used furniture and home accessories.

136 Fayetteville St.Suite F Pittsboro, North Carolina

â&#x2C6;&#x2018;

919-200-2176

Offering frequent classes for the public in our gallery in art, writing and music. Join us twice a month for our in-house concerts!

44-A Hillsboro St. Pittsboro (919) 883-2775 joyfuljewel.com

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k Haw River Ballroom 1711 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road, Saxapahaw, 336-525-2314, hawriverballroom.com

Imagine a venue the size of Cat’s Cradle with slightly more rustic booking proclivities— indie rockers like Guster, Americana giants like Gillian Welch, and their intersections, like the Mountain Goats. But, instead of being stuffed in a strip mall, it’s spread across three levels of a historic dye house floating high above the Haw River, its lanterns gently shining, like a landlocked lighthouse beckoning in all that country darkness. You’ve just imagined the Haw River Ballroom, the gorgeous music venue at the epicenter of Saxapahaw’s cultural life, adjacent to both the General Store and the Eddy Pub.

Jordan Lake 280 State Park Road, Apex, 919-362-0586, ncparks.gov/jordan-lake-state-recreation-area

Haw River Ballroom at night (photo by Kim Brown)

Circle City Books & Music 121 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro 919-548-5954

Circle City Books’ N.C. authors mural has become a downtown landmark. Inside, the shop is packed with fairly priced used books and a respectable record selection.

(We’ve scored some great jazz and country here, not to mention a copy of Thriller.) For collectors, there are some rare records and early-edition and signed books as well.

McIntyre's Books 220 Market Street, Fearrington Village, Pittsboro 919-542-3030, fearrington.com/mcintyres-books

It’s the closest independent bookshop to Pittsboro, and it’s on the same booktour circuit as Quail Ridge, Regulator, and Flyleaf, which means McIntyre’s is responsible for bringing notable authors to Chatham on a regular basis.

k Oddco 684 West Street, Pittsboro 919-704-8832, realoddstuff.com

There's not another room like this. Oddco occupies a rescued 1951 Lustron—a prefab home with enameled steel walls—and is filled with fantastic prints, visual art, and t-shirts almost exclusively created by area artists. Oddco also keeps a steady calendar of interesting, worthwhile music and events, reflecting owners Tim Lee and Cristina Virsida's ever-evolving sonic and aesthetic curiosity.

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PLay Bynum Front Porch

Technically the lake is in Apex, but it’s right on top of us. A major part of the Pittsboro experience is getting a lake pass every summer and taking the kids swimming. You can also meet up with friends to go canoeing, either launching into the lake itself or from the Robeson Creek Canoe Launch, which is in Pittsboro. From the Robeson Creek put-in, you can choose to paddle upstream into the Haw River or downstream to the lake.

Pittsboro Center for the Arts 18 East Salisbury Street, Pittsboro 919-533-6997, pittsboroyouththeater.com

The main attraction at this arts center and auditorium is the Pittsboro Youth Theater, but it also includes gallery space for exhibits by local artists, pop-up readings, concerts, corporate events spaces, summer camps, and more.

Saturdays In Saxapahaw

950 Bynum Road, Bynum 870-836-1030, bynumfrontporch.org

1612 Jordan Drive, Saxapahaw saxapahawnc.com

The Bynum Front Porch music series, which brings Americana bands to the stage beside the old Bynum General Store on Fridays in summer, lies at the junction of old Chatham and new, with a progressive-leaning crowd enjoying rural music beside a historic landmark in a quaint little country town.

Shakori Hills Community Arts Center

Central Carolina Community College Campus 764 West Street, Pittsboro 919-542-6495, cccc.edu/locations/chatham

CCCC is a fine school, but it’s the mile-long trail and disc golf course that give the Pittsboro campus a broader appeal. The paved footpath wends through woods, around the school’s working farm, and by a frog pond, which keeps the scenery interesting enough for anything from a family walk to a runner putting in a daily 5K. As if that’s not enough, Pittsboro’s library (which inhabits an architecturally striking eco-friendly building) is on this CCCC campus as well.

Each Saturday from May through August, here’s Saxapahaw’s own little farmers market, complete with a music series that skews toward Americana but is also full of surprises.

1439 Henderson Tanyard Road, Pittsboro 919-542-1746, shakorihills.org

Mainly you’ll come to this seventy-twoacre property to get muddy at the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance or cut the lawn at the Hoppin’ John Old-Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers’ Convention, but it also hosts arts classes and youth programs throughout the year.

And Now, a Word from Our Sponsors!

Accomodations 21C Museum Hotel

111 North Corcoran Street, Durham 919-956-6700 21cmuseumhotels.com/durham

Standing tall and proud in the center of downtown Durham, 21c Museum Hotel is a multi-venue contemporary art museum offering more than 10,500 square feet of art-filled exhibition and event space, a full-service boutique hotel with luxurious guest rooms, and home to Counting House restaurant. Stay with us and the iconic Fuchsia Penguin.

Arrowhead Inn

106 Mason Road, Durham 919-477-8430, arrowheadinn.com

Relax in the grace and allure of this historic plantation estate.

Our inn (circa 1775) is the only Select Registry and Four Diamond property serving the Triangle cities. Resting on six acres of gardens and lawns, this Durham B&B has been carefully renovated to provide the comfort and amenities of a fine hotel.

Morehead Manor Bed and Breakfast

914 Vickers Avenue, Durham 919-687-4366, moreheadmanor.com

Whether you’re visiting Durham for business or pleasure, Morehead Manor offers a sweet respite just a stone’s throw from the pulse of downtown. It’s also a perfect place for a staycation or to treat your visiting relatives.

With 20+ years of hospitality, the innkeepers are pretty well-versed in all things Durham.

Unscripted Hotel

202 North Corcoran Street, Durham 984-329-9500, unscriptedhotels.com

Unscripted Hotels exists to provide our guests with amazing experiences that delight their senses and amplify their lifestyle.

Through hyper-local food and beverage, thoughtful design and a culture of approachable, friendly service, we offer the best in hospitality.

Animals Bayleaf Veterinary Hospital

10009 Six Forks Road, Raleigh 919-848-1926, bayleafvetraleigh.com

Bayleaf Veterinary Hospital is AAHA accredited and has been serving Raleigh's pets with compassionate care since 1982.

Bayleaf has been consistently recognized as one of the top practices in the triangle, and was recently awarded the Indy 2019 award. We are located by 540 and Six Forks.

Camp Bow Wow North Durham 4310 Bennett Memorial Road, Durham 919-309-4959, campbowwow.com/north-durham

If you are looking for a fun, safe

and reliable facility to care for your furry family member, Camp Bow Wow North Durham is the place to visit! We are proud to be recognized for treating every dog as if they were our own. Enjoy all day play and all-inclusive services!

Doggie Spa & Day Care

1101 Dawson Road, Chapel Hill 919-932-4738, doggiespa.com

Doggie Spa & Day Care was started in 1998, and was the first to offer play and social groups, 7 day/week hours, and 24 hour pick up, as well as taxi service. Our small, dedicated staff has over 75 years of experience in pet care, and we look forward to using that experience to pamper your dog.

North Paw Animal Hospital

5106 Guess Road, Durham 919-301-0397, northpawanimalhospital.com

North Paw Animal Hospital is here to provide outstanding veterinary care to pets in Durham, NC. As your local pet health expert, we hope that your family will rely on our team as your welcoming, skilled, and compassionate partner in care.

Suite Paws Pet Resort and Spa

4350 Garrett Road, Durham, 919-246-7530; 110 South Rogers Lane, Raleigh, 919-231-1773 suitepaws.com

Overnight Boarding, Doggy Daycare & Grooming. Suites with TVs and webcams, large outdoor play yards w/ artificial turf, inground pool & webcams. Family owned business since 2008, thanks to the triangle!

Arts & Culture Ackland Art Museum

101 South Columbia Street, Chapel Hill 919-966-5736, ackland.org

The Ackland Art Museum on UNC-Chapel Hill’s historic campus is a local museum with a global outlook. The Ackland features a year-round calendar of special exhibitions and dynamic public programs and a collection of over 19,000 objects. Open Wednesday-Sunday with free daily tours. Admission to the Ackland is always free.

Artspace

201 East Davie Street, Raleigh 919-821-2787, artspacenc.org

Located in downtown Raleigh, Artspace is a visual arts nonprofit showcasing national and local artists in galleries and over 30 artists' studios. Artspace offers art classes and residency opportunities for artists of all ages and at all points in their careers. Artspace inspires positive community impact through art.

Carolina Performing Arts 114 East Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill 919 843-7776, carolinaperformingarts.org

Carolina Performing Arts is UNC’s official performing arts presenter, offering cutting-edge dance, exhilarating musical performances, bold theater programming, and much more by acclaimed artists from around the world. CPA’s venues include UNC’s Memorial Hall and CURRENT ArtSpace + Studio, a new studio and immersive theater just off Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill.

Duke Performances

Duke University Box Office: 919-684-4444 dukeperformances.duke.edu

Duke Performances brings worldclass performing artists, who are diverse, essential, and forward thinking, to perform at Duke and in Durham, to engage the Duke and Durham communities and beyond, and to partner with artists on the development and presentation of performance.

Annually, they offer a robust season of 80-100 world-class performances, presenting artists spanning classical, new music, jazz, Americana, independent rock, international music, theater, and dance.

The Fruit

305 South Dillard Street, Durham durhamfruit.com

Formerly known as the Durham Fruit and Produce Company, a century ago this 22,000sf warehouse complex housed giant coolers for fruits and veggies arriving by train. Today, The Fruit is a social enterprise dedicated to making and experiencing visual and performing arts that include dance, painting, photography, and drama.

Gregg Museum of Art & Design 1903 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh 919-515-3503, gregg.arts.ncsu.edu

The Gregg Museum of Art & Design presents award-winning changing exhibitions and a series of exciting programs while maintaining a large permanent collection. Together these complement the lab and classroom teaching at NC State, provide opportunities for learning and research, and offer pure enjoyment to the general public.

Honest Pint Theatre Company honestpinttheatre.org

We believe in taking creative risks and working above and beyond our comfort zones in order to create experiences that stimulate, inspire, and challenge our audiences.

Margaret Lane Gallery

Durham County Library

Margaret Lane Gallery offers work from 25+ local artists in a family-friendly environment. Each Last Friday Art Walk brings a new themed show. Ongoing displays include paintings, photography, stained glass, wood carvings, clay figures, jewelry, fiber arts, and small gift items. A free children’s art corner is always available.

Durham County Library serves residents throughout Durham County, with seven permanent locations, book and technology mobiles, and regular outreach with community partners. The Bragtown Branch Library will re-open in late 2019, while the Main Library will re-open in Spring 2020. The library encourages discovery, connects the community and leads in literacy.

121 West Margaret Lane, Hillsborough 919-296-8938, margaretlanegallery.com

Education Ballet School of Chapel Hill

300 N. Roxboro Street, Durham 919-560-0100, durhamcountylibrary.org

Entertainment

1603 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill 919-942-1339, balletschoolofchapelhill.com

Bull City Escape

Now celebrating our 40th year, The Ballet School of Chapel Hill offers classes for all ages in ballet, modern, contemporary jazz, hip-hop, rhythm tap, and fencing.

We also offer a variety of summer camps, classes and workshops for ages 3 and up. For more information on our classes and programs please visit our website.

Bull City Escape, voted #1 in the Triangle, is an exhilarating, interactive experience designed to test your wits! The premise is simple: you have 60 minutes to escape a locked room. Book a game with your friends, family, or co-workers – and see if you have what it takes to escape!

Barriskill Dance Theatre School

6901 Play Golf Way, Raleigh driveshack.com/locations/raleigh

3642 Shannon Rd. Durham 919-489-5100, bariskilldance.com

At Barriskill we are committed to cultivating lives through the highest quality of dance training and opportunities. We provide dancers of all ages an encouraging environment to grow and excel.

We strive for all of our dancers to be hard working, independent, responsible, and intelligent people in all aspects of their lives and encourage our students to achieve their fullest potential both in and out of dance class.

Duke Center for Documentary Studies

1317 Pettigrew Street, Durham 919-660-3663 documentarystudies.duke.edu

The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) is a nonprofit affiliate of Duke University that teaches and supports the documentary arts—photography, film, audio, writing, and other creative media—via undergraduate and continuing education classes, books, awards, exhibitions, the Scene on Radio podcast, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and more.

Duke School

3716 Erwin Road, Durham 919-493-1827, dukeschool.org

The Duke School experience is not only special for our families, but for educators and non-Duke School friends as well. We offer an Educators Institute, a Collaborative Arts Program for non-Duke School students, as well as a Summer Camp program with over 50 camps. Connect and explore with us today!

711 Iredell Street, Durham 919-627-8386, bullcityescape.com

Drive Shack Raleigh

Drive Shack is redefining entertainment in Raleigh. With three-levels of cutting-edge interactive golf, two full bars and a rooftop terrace, a chef-driven menu, optimal space for all sizes of social events, and retro arcade games – consider it the best day or night of your life. Visit driveshack.com for more info.

Faith Community Greenwood Forest Baptist Church

110 SE Maynard Road, Cary 919-467-0481, gfbccary.org

Greenwood Forest is an inclusive community of faith where all will be welcomed, affirmed, and included at all levels of participation and leadership inclusive of their diversity of genders, sexualities, races, ethnicities, nationalities, ages, and abilities. Come join us in our 11am Sunday worship service! Visit gfbccary.org for more information.

Pilgrim United C hurch of Christ

3011 Academy Road, Durham 919-489-1381 pilgrimucc-durham.org

We are a Christ-centered, justiceworking, peace-seeking, inclusive community. We are holy boundary pushers—reflecting Jesus’ love for all, compassion for the hurting, advocacy for the oppressed. We are ready to listen and willing to act. There is a place for you here to be known and loved.

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Food & Drink 401 Main

401 East Main Street, Carrboro 984-999-4357, 401main.com

A neighborhood hangout serving up seafood po’boys and our signature sandwich—the 401 (a fried grouper po’boy with bacon and dirty slaw).

We have shareable bar snacks, vegetarian options, salads, and daily specials. The full bar has a great beer selection, wines by the glass, and our spin on classic and frozen cocktails.

Akai Hana Japanese Restaurant

206 West Main Street, Carrboro 919-942-6848, akaihana.com

Akai Hana is an authentic Japanese Sushi Restaurant serving up fresh sushi rolls, sashimi, and a diverse selection of kitchen entrees & soups.

We serve a variety of premium sakes and love meeting your dogs on our pet-friendly patio.

Celebrating over 20 years of business, we're a favorite among locals & tourists alike!

Al’s Burger Shack

516 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, 919-904-7659 708 Market Street, Chapel Hill, 919914-6694 50050 Governors Village, Chapel Hill, 984-999-4069

Our mission is to provide local, fresh, sustainable food and drink with a hefty dose of southern hospitality. Our all-natural, hormone- and antibiotic-free beef is from North Carolina pastureraised cattle. We serve craft beers brewed in North Carolina and produce from as many local farmers as possible. We make all of our specialty toppings and dressings in the Shack.

Capp’s Pizzeria

79 Falling Springs Drive, Suite 140, Chapel Hill 919-240-4104, cappspizzeria.com

At Capp’s Pizzeria, we pride ourselves on our expertly crafted, wood-fired, non-traditional take on Neapolitan style pizzas.

But, it's the local, farm-to-table nature of what we do that makes everything we serve so special— right down to dessert.

Carrburritos

rolls. Kurama features a rolling sushi bar, made-to-order nigiri, sashimi, and specialty rolls, a variety of delicious noodle bowls, and more.

Napoli Neapolitan Pizzeria and Gelateria 105 East Main Street, Carrboro 919-667-8288, napolicarrboro.com

Napoli Neapolitan Pizzeria and Gelateria in downtown Carrboro offering housemade gelato using local milk, Neapolitan wood-fired pizza, local craft beer on tap, wines, espresso based drinks, local teas. Pickup or dine in with indoor and outdoor seating in a casual setting.

The Northern Spy

by Stem Ciders

2812 Erin Road. #104, Durham 919-321-0203, northernspync.com

The Northern Spy is a Bottle Shop and Restaurant brought to you by the folks at Stem Ciders.

Located just down the road from Duke University, The Northern Spy offers beer, wine and cocktails paired with a menu full of scratch-made American fare with a Southern twist.

Postmaster

60 East Cedar Street, #100, Cary 919-378-9493, postmastercary.com

Postmaster Restaurant, located in downtown Cary, and an Indy Week Best of the Triangle finalist focuses on an ever changing food and beverage menu in a comfortable modern setting.

Pie Pushers

117A West Main Street, Durham 919-294-8408, piepushers.com

Need pizza pie? We got ya covered! By the slice, whole pies, wings, salads, and more - right downtown on Main St. We are open: Monday - Thursday 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-12 a.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-12 a.m. + Saturday Brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

AND we deliver too!!

Rasa Indi-Chinese Restaurant

1826 MLK Jr Boulevard, Chapel Hill 919-929-2199, rasachapelhill.com

Our restaurant offers sophisticated flavors and generous portions. Everything is made in house with fresh ingredients. We have a bar with your favorite Mexican beers and award winning margaritas. Come visit us today!

Rasa Indi-Chinese is a locally owned and operated restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC. With North Indian, American Chinese & Indo-Chinese cuisine, Rasa offers authentic meals from a fusion of Indian and Chinese cultures.

Offering weekly specials, lunch, dinner, take out, and catering, this is a place you will want to bring all your friends and family.

Cup A Joe Hillsborough

Rush Bowls

711 West Rosemary Street, Carrboro 919-933-8226, carrburritos.com

112 West King Street, Hillsborough 919-732-2008

Swing by and get tea, coffee, hot chocolate and other treats with the locals.

Kurama Sushi & Noodle Express

105 North Columbia Street, Chapel Hill 919-968-4747, kuramasushinoodle.com

Kurama Sushi & Noodle Express delivers an authentic taste of Japan with artfully crafted sushi

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2811 Hillsborough Road, Suite 105 Raleigh, 919-703-0006, rushbowls.com

A Rush Bowl blends the finest all-natural fruit to a thick and creamy consistency. We top things off with crumbles of crunchy granola & a drizzle of the most delicious honey you’ve ever tasted. It is a complete meal-in-abowl designed to fuel your rush, whatever that might be.

Salt Box Seafood Joint

608 North Mangum Street, Durham, 919-908-8970 2637 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard, Durham, 919-237-3499 saltboxseafoodjoint.com

At Saltbox Seafood Joint, the availability of fish and shellfish vary depending on what has been caught by North Carolina fishermen. Season seafood, freshly cooked. Good fish, that’s the hook.

Talulla’s

456 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill 919-933-1177, tallulas.com

Served in an authentic setting, Tallula’s extensive menu is a culinary journey of centuriesold Ottoman recipes dating to the 15th century. From varied selections of hot and cold mezzes to delectable presentations of grilled lamb and other meats, the flavors and atmosphere whisk you away to Turkey.

Vecino Brewing

300 East Main Street, C, Carrboro 919-537-9591, vecinobrewing.com

Located in the heart of Carrboro, next to Cat’s Cradle, we offer several of our brewed on-site craft beers and an incredible, locally focused farm-to-bar food menu.

Through our “Brewing Neighbors” program, we donate 10% of select beer sales to support a local charity each month. Come see us! Cheers!

West End Wine Bar

450 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, 919-967-7599 601 West Main Street, Durham, 919-717-3915

Extensive wine list, creative cocktails, small plates, event place and weekly live music.

West End Billards of Durham also located at 601 West Main.

Health & Fitness Body & Brain Yoga 6300 Creedmoor Road, Suite 120, Raleigh 919-518-0890, bodynbrain.com/Raleigh

Body & Brain classes connect your mind and body through stretching, breathing and meditation. Our simple and powerful techniques are appropriate for all ages. Body & Brain practice activates your brain’s natural healing power and empowers you to achieve your wellness goals. Mention INDY Week and get 15% off monthly memberships.

Healthcare Equipment, Inc.

4228 Garrett Road, Durham 919-489-7408, healthcareequipmentinc.com

Founded in 1979, Healthcare Equipment, Inc. has been in business for more than 40 years. We provide and service a wide variety of wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, and other home accessibility equipment.

All of our complex rehabilitation equipment is custom fit to you, our client, to maximize your independence and health.

Regional Dermatology 4321 Medical Park Drive, Suite 102, Durham 919-220-7546, dermatologydurham.com

Our physicians are certified by the American Board of Dermatology and treat diseases of the skin, hair, and nails. We see patients of all ages, offering medical and/or appropriate surgical treatment of dermatological disorders.

Taoist Tai Chi® Society of the USA 919-787-9600, taoisttaichi.org

A volunteer organization bringing together people of different languages and cultures in a worldwide community focused on furthering the aims and objectives established by its founder. A person’s well-being depends on the harmony of body, mind and spirit. Taoist training integrates all these aspects leading to transformation of the whole person.

Women’s Birth and Wellness Center

930 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Suite 202, Chapel Hill 919.933.3301, ncbirthcenter.org

Dedicated to providing women of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds with comprehensive primary, maternity and lactation healthcare throughout the life cycle. Visit the boutique for a large selection of holistic health products, nursing bras, cloth diapers, infant toys and more. Also offering classes and support groups.

Home/Auto Northgate Auto

1130 West Club Boulevard, Durham 919-813-2792, northgateautoservice.com

Providing quality auto repair services in Durham for over 50 years! Our mechanics utilize state-of-the-art technology to diagnose and repair your vehicle, no matter the make or model. Our friendly staff is proud to be a known and trusted source for auto repair in the Durham community!

Recycling/Waste Management Chatham County Solid Waste and Recycling 919-542-5516 chathamnc.org/recycle

Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling has 12 collection centers for trash and recycling, monthly Household Hazardous Waste events, free recycling for businesses, compost bins for sale, and more. Residents should visit the “How do I Dispose of…” online guide to learn how to properly dispose of materials.

Visit www.chathamnc.org/recycle.

City of Durham Solid Waste Management 919 560-4186 durhamnc.gov/recycling

The Department provides curbside collection of trash, recyclable materials, bulky items and subscription based yard waste. The City’s Waste Disposal and Recycling center receives electronic waste items, hazardous household waste, scrap tires, motor oil, cooking oil, a “swap shop” and more, and manages on-site composting operations.

The City, in partnership with Durham County and Sonoco Recycling offers two annual “Reuse Rodeos” events to provide and promote reuse opportunities for residents.

City of Raleigh Solid Waste & Recycling 919 996-3245, ext #2 raleighnc.gov/recycling

The City of Raleigh provides trash and recycling collection for residential customers and businesses in the Central Business District. The City services recycling containers at multifamily communities within city limits. Three convenient drop-off centers are located throughout the City to increase recycling efforts. Raleigh is the first city in North Carolina to partner with Simple Recycling to provide curbside textile recycling.

Durham County Solid Waste & Recycling

State Farm statefarm.com

919-560-0442 dconc.gov/recycling

Our mission is the help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. Being a good neighbor is about more than just being there when things go completely wrong. It’s also about being there for all of life’s moments when things go perfectly right.

Durham County provides solid waste and recycling services for the unincorporated residents of Durham County. We operate four residential convenience sites and provide biweekly recycling collection and litter control.

Orange County Solid Waste Management

Reclamation Home Furnishings

136 Fayetteville Street, Pittsboro 919-200-2176

Rescued and vintage pieces bring character to a space and are an eco-friendly means of using what exists in a new and creative way--your way! At Reclamation you'll find a curated sampling of vintage, antiques, art, books, and curiosities mixed with newer gently used items beautifully displayed and affordably priced.

919-968-2788 orangecountync.gov/recycling

Orange County is a waste reduction leader, surpassing their own 61% waste reduction goal. Solid Waste Management provides residential and commercial recycling plus countywide diversion programs including electronics, organics and reusable goods. They host two Household Hazardous Waste facilities and provide public education through publications, workshops, event outreach and more.

Wake County Solid Waste & Recycling

919-856-7400 wakegov.com/recycling/recycle

Wake County’s Solid Waste Management Division provides waste disposal and recycling services to residents and businesses. The Division manages 19 waste facilities, including a landfill, 11 residential waste and recycling convenience centers and three household hazardous waste drop-off facilities. It also provides school recycling and landfill tours.

Retail Barnes Supply Company 774 Ninth Street, Durham 919-286-2750, barnesupplydurham.com

Serving Durham's farming community since 1947. Now proudly providing holistic pet care products, quality feed options and gardening solutions for Durham's pet lovers and garden enthusiasts.

Come browse our eclectic inventory and enjoy the nostalgic feel of the oldest business on Ninth Street! Located beside Elmo's Diner and only steps away from Duke and Downtown.

Fifi’s (Carrboro, Durham and Raleigh)

370 East Main Street, Suite 130, Carrboro, 919-240-4946 1000 West Main Street, 1-B, Durham, 919-806-3434 2028 Cameron Street, Cameron Village, Raleigh, 919-803-5414 fifisfineresale.com

Fifi’s is a designer consignment boutique for women. Our specialization in designer and name-brand apparel and accessories sets us apart from most in the consignment arena. We accept seasonal consignments year-round. No appointment necessary. Fifi’s has 3 locations full of amazing deals and fantastic surprises-Cameron Village in Raleigh, and Main Street in Downtown Durham and Carrboro! Merchandise changes daily. Come visit!

Great Outdoor Provision Co.

Eastgate Crossings, 1800 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill Cameron Village, 2017 Cameron Street, Raleigh greatoutdoorprovision.com

Great Outdoor Provision Co. has been North Carolina’s outdoor expert for nearly 50 years. Track across their creaky wood floors to discover a world of hiking, canoeing, kayaking, fly fishing and adventure travel. Their friendly professional staff knows and goes outdoors with the best of clothing and equipment.

Hamilton Hill

905 West Main Street, Brightleaf Square, Durham 919-683-1474, hamiltonhilljewelry.com

Curator of contemporary and modernist jewelry, Hamilton Hill features an internationally acclaimed group of designers that is among the largest and most varied in the U.S. Explore design, materials, and looks you’ve never before considered. Let us undo your jewelry assumptions!

Jewelsmith

2200 West Main Street, Suite A, Durham 919-286-2990, jewelsmith.com

Everyone at Jewelsmith strives to live up to the store’s stellar reputation that’s been forty years in the making by continuing to design and build worldclass jewelry, provide supreme customer service, and- most important- to make our clients smile time to time again. We hope to see you soon!

Joyful Jewel

44-A Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro 919-883-2775, joyfuljewel.com

The Joyful Jewel is a retail gallery of around 170 North Carolina artists from Chatham and the surrounding counties. We offer “local art fresh from the heart” in a wide variety of media including painting, jewelry, pottery, glass, wood, fiber. We also have frequent house concerts and offer art classes.

Letters Bookshop

313 West Main Street, Durham 919-973-2573, lettersbookshop.com

Located in the heart of Downtown Durham, Letters Bookshop stocks gently used books and only the best new books. Not everything for everyone – just something for you.

Merry Hill Hemp 919-563-8510 merryhillhemp.com

Merry Hill is a certified Century Farm in Mebane, North Carolina.

We are a family owned farm since 1754 and raise several varieties of high CBD hemp, organically grown and sold straight from the farm. Visit www.merryhillhemp.com.

Possibilities Boutique

Saltbox Village, 1247 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary 919-460-1852, possibilitiesboutique.com

The style at Possibilities can be described as artsy, colorful, comfortable, stylish and fun.

Owner Kathy has an easy, uncomplicated relationship with fashion, and the knack for adding just the right accessory to make an outfit work. The Cary store has a friendly vibe where her helpful team is gracious and welcoming.

Possibilities has consecutively been an INDY Week Best of the Triangle Winner, thanks to Kath and her staff’s passion for helping women feel their most beautiful.

Read With Me

111 East Hargett Street, #110, Raleigh readwithme.us

Read With Me is a children’s bookstore, workshop, and local art gallery near Moore Square in downtown Raleigh. We curate a thoughtful and engaging selection of high-quality and inclusive children’s books for ages 0-18. We host birthday parties, events and are HQ for Kid Lab-a non-profit makerspace and art studio.

Retail Wine & Beer Beer Study

2501 University Road, Suite 4, Durham 106 North Graham Street, Chapel Hill 919-240-5423, beerstudy.com

You may have heard about Beer Study, it's a pretty awesome place and has quickly become the new neighborhood bar. We have a large selection of beer to go and on tap, places to sit, an arcade.

New to beer? Ask one of our bartenders for great suggestions.

Enjoy one of our several unique taps, constantly rotating with something fresh and interesting.

Relax at the bar or one of our tables. We also have wine and cider if beer is not your thing.

The Glass Jug Beer Lab 5410 Highway 55, Suite V 919-813-0135, glass-jug.com

Neighborhood craft brewery, large outdoor beer garden, and a beer and wine taproom with an extensive on-site retail selection of beer, wine, cider, mead, and more. Weekly events new beers every Wednesday and food trucks every Friday.

LouElla Wine Beer & Beverage

316 West Geer Street, Suite A, Durham, 919-973-2001 louelladurham.com

LouElla is Downtown Durham's neighborhood bottle shop, bar, and event space offering curated wine, craft beer, and fortified selections from family operated producers.

Peace Street Market

804 West Peace Street, Raleigh 919-834-7070

Family owned and operatedPeace Street Market has been a Raleigh staple for over 25 years.

Year after year they are voted one of the INDY Best beer and wine selection in the Triangle. We are large enough to serve you but small enough to know you. Go in and see for yourself. There's no other place you'll want to go for your sixer!

Pharmacy Bottle + Beverage 20 East Chatham Street, Cary 919-234-2098, pharmacybottlebeverage.com

Pharmacy Bottle + Beverage is your Downtown Cary destination for great beer, wine, and good times. Sixteen taps on rotation, wines, cider and a selection of cans and bottles. Come see what the buzz is all about.

The Raleigh Wine Shop

126 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh 919-803-5473, theraleighwineshop.com

An independent, locally-owned wine shop curating honestly made, artisanal wines from around the world with a focus on value at all prices. Featuring free weekly tastings, events both public and private right in the shop, wine and beer by the glass to enjoy while you shop, and growlers to go!

Services Authentic Connections authenticconnections.dating

Authentic Connections is a matchmaking/date coaching company located in the NC Triangle. We serve ALL single adults. Services include: coaching, matchmaking, online profile development/ management, image consulting, practice dates and wing-person services. Schedule an initial phone consultation at www. authenticconnections.dating and get started!

Bonneville Electric

210 B Maple Avenue, Carrboro 919-932-6938, bonneville-electric.com

Bonneville Electric has an attention to detail, aesthetic appeal, and regard for both beauty and safety. Superior customer service is always our number one priority. Residential and commercial applications: *Lighting design for homes and small business *Troubleshooting electrical problems *Wiring renovations and additions *Designing and installing low volt landscape systems

Cary Car Care

234 East Johnson Street, Cary 919-813-2591, carycarcare.com

At Cary Car Care, we’ve had the privilege of serving the Cary community since 1990. We provide full service automotive repair for all vehicle makes and models, so you can bring all of your family cars to our shop for service. As a family owned and operated business, building relationships is what we’re all about!

Citrine Salon

3110 Environ Way, Chapel Hill 919-929-2209, citrinesalonnc.com

Come in and allow our highly skilled professionals to tailor their fresh, cutting-edge techniques to fit your style. Whether you're looking for the perfect cut and color, or for completely customized skin care and waxing, you'll find that Citrine Salon is the ultimate destination.

Dwarf Star Recording Studios Carrboro 919-928-6961, dwarfstarstudios.com

Dwarf Star Recording Studios specializes in authentic recordings and creative mixes, offering both studio-based and live recording and production. From start to finish - including tracking, mixing, mastering and publishing - we can assist with every step to realize your musical vision.

Manifold Recording

PO Box 1239, Pittsboro 27412 919-444-2290, manifoldrecording.com

On 17 acres of beautiful rural land in North Chatham County, Manifold Recording is a high-end, full-scale, carbon-neutral recording studio and media production facility. Whether you are scoring a film, making a record, shooting a video, or auditioning for college, we invite you to contact us about your next project.

Osterlund Architects

5 West Hargett Street, Suite 502, Raleigh 919-838-9337, aoarchitect.com

Osterlund Architects is a locally founded firm that has been providing architectural services since 2008. Taking on everything from city parks to historic renovations to worship spaces, Osterlund Architects listens to clients and works with excellent engineering partners to design toward beauty in the hard and necessary projects.

Twin House Music

116 West Main Street, Carrboro 984-234-0255

Twin House Music is a service/ repair forward music store, stocking all major accessories, used/boutique effects pedals and new/used musical instruments.

Sheryl Vazquez, Weichert Realtors

3901 University Drive, Durham 919-403-5315, markthomasproperties.com

Looking to buy a home in the Durham area? Looking to sell your home? Durham has much to offer! I’m here to help you with your real estate needs! Durham~Chapel Hill~Raleigh~And Surrounding Areas

Tourism Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (GRCVB) 421 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1505, Raleigh 800-849-8499, visitraleigh.com

As the official destination marketing organization of Raleigh and Wake County, the Greater Raleigh CVB sees strong alliances and cooperation among local partners as the hallmark of a vibrant and growing county. The Bureau strives to accelerate sustainable economic development by increasing visitor traffic and convention business to the area.

Hillsborough Visitors Center 150 East King Street, Hillsborough 919-732-7741, visithillsboroughnc.com

The Hillsborough Visitors Center is located at 150 East King Street in Beautiful Downtown Hillsborough. Housed in the historic Alexander Dickson House (c. 1790) the Visitors Center offers information to visitors and locals alike about how to best enjoy this charming, southern getaway on the banks of the Eno River.

Museum of Durham History

500 West Main Street, Durham 919-246-9993, museumofdurhamhistory.org

Stashed away in a former bus station, this treasure trove takes a different spin on Durham’s history, offering exhibits both inside and outside of the building – creating a museum without walls.

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