CITY GUIDE
Explore Chapel Hill
Home to one of the oldest public universities in America, a beloved college town, and a food and coffee scene that punches well above its size.
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Chapel Hill is a college town built around one of the oldest public universities in America, UNC has been here since 1789. But it is more than a campus. Franklin Street has great restaurants, serious coffee shops, and independent bookstores. The history runs deep, from the civil rights sit ins of 1960 to decades of championship basketball. Carrboro sits right next door and adds its own layer, live music, a great farmers market, and a strong independent business culture. Together, they make up one of the most interesting small cities in North Carolina.
Founded in 1789, UNC is one of the oldest public universities in America. The campus, from the Old Well to the Bell Tower, is one of the most beautiful in the South and open to everyone.
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Franklin Street runs along the northern edge of UNC's campus and is the heart of Chapel Hill life. Restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, boutiques, and one of the best game day atmospheres in college sports.
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From historic Franklin Street cafes to cozy neighborhood spots in Carrboro, Chapel Hill has a coffee scene worth exploring. Here are the ones worth your time.
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Tucked into the woods off South Columbia Street, Caffe Driade is one of the most atmospheric coffee shops in North Carolina. The outdoor seating under the trees makes it unlike anywhere else in the Triangle.
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Chapel Hill has a food scene that consistently surprises visitors. From James Beard nominated chefs to beloved neighborhood spots, these are the restaurants worth knowing in the Triangle's smallest city.
Read More →One of the first public universities chartered in America
UNC Tar Heels have won the national championship six times
Restaurants, coffee, bookstores, and game day energy
Independent shops, live music, and a world class farmers market
Chapel Hill was chartered specifically to be the home of the University of North Carolina, the two have been inseparable since the university opened its doors in 1795. Walking the campus today, you can feel that history. The Old Well, which sits at the center of campus, has been a symbol of UNC since the 1800s. The Morehead Planetarium was where NASA trained its early astronauts. The Bell Tower and Kenan Stadium are landmarks known to millions of college sports fans. But Chapel Hill has never been just about the university.
Franklin Street has evolved over the decades into one of the best small city main streets in the Southeast. Independent bookstores sit next to restaurants from James Beard nominated chefs. The coffee shop culture is serious and well developed. On a fall Saturday before a Tar Heels game, Franklin Street is one of the best places to be in all of North Carolina, and that is a high bar.
Chapel Hill also played a significant role in the civil rights movement. The Chapel Hill Nine were among the first to integrate local businesses in 1960, and the community's progressive identity has roots that go deep. That history is present all over town if you know where to look.
Then there is Carrboro. Technically a separate municipality, Carrboro is so close that the two towns blend into each other seamlessly. Carrboro has its own personality, more bohemian, more music focused, deeply committed to local and independent businesses. The Carrboro Farmers Market is one of the oldest and best in the state. Cat's Cradle, one of North Carolina's most storied music venues, is here. Together, Chapel Hill and Carrboro make a place that is genuinely hard to leave.
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