50 Reasons to Love OC ad_News of OC_07.2014_hires.pdf 1 7/21/14 2:56 PM

The League of American Bicyclists 32. name both Carrboro and REASONS Chapel Hill as Bicycle Friendly Communities. Designated bike trails lead 32 from town to country, TO LOVE countywide.

ORANGE 33. Carrboro’s 300 E. Main for boutique shops, COUNTY restaurants, and lodging. 34. Carrboro’s Weaver Street Market is the NORTH largest community-owned co-op grocery store in the Southeast, oering local, CAROLINA organic, natural, and humanely raised foods.

35. Carr Mill Mall was rehabilitated under THERE’S SO MUCH TO DO IN THE the Tax Reform Act of 1976. Much of the original architecture remains in its CHAPEL HILL/ORANGE COUNTY AREA. restaurants and upscale boutique shops. WHERE WILL YOU START? 36. Open Eye Café, a coee shop aectionately known as “Carrboro’s living room” serving beans from Colombia, Amazing restaurants, 1 15. If you’re hungry, visit Sutton’s Drug 1 . like Crook’s Corner, Store on Franklin Street—a living museum in Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Honduras, Lantern, Panciuto, Acme, all the best ways. If your photo makes it on Guatemala, and Peru. Mama Dips, Crossroads the wall, your life’s work is done. Chapel Hill, Il Palio & more. The ArtsCenter 37 16. Come, be inspired, and learn through 37 . in Carrboro 2. For Lexington and play at Kidzu Children’s Museum. oers classes in visual, Eastern-style barbecue, literary and performing there’s Allen and Sons, 17. West Franklin arts, music concerts, Hillsborough BBQ Company, Street’s Festifall features theater productions, Pantana Bob’s Restaurant and Bar, and visual and performing children's programs, The Pig. Messy good! arts, food, children’s and an art gallery. activities, music, and live 3. Acclaimed area microbreweries include performances. 38. Hillsborough was once the colonial Carolina Brewery, Mystery Brewing capital of and is now the Company, Steel String Craft Brewery, and Book a tour at county seat of Orange County. Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery. Top of the Hill 18. 39. Moorefield’s was built in 1785 as a Distillery, the only fully 18 4 The area is local and USDA certified summer home by Alfred Moore, a military 4 . home to a organic distillery in the South, and try their and educational leader, jurist, and the last dazzling array world-class vodka, gin, and whiskey. North Carolinian on the U.S. Supreme Court. of live music— legendary 19. What are the Food Network, The Today 40. The Old Orange County Courthouse venues like the Show, and Bon Appétit talking about? in Hillsborough, with its town clock in the Cat’s Cradle, Sugarland of course! The only bakery in cupola, has been cited by the Library of Local 506, and The Cave, and many North Carolina with a full bar. Congress as one of the finest examples of outdoor venues during spring through fall. Greek-Revival architecture in the U.S. 20. A historic landmark since 1929, 5. For public art; permanent and touring: Merritt’s Store and Grill is touted as the 41. Among the late 18th and early 19th Norma Rae, Exhale, Pythagoras, Sculpture in “Home of the World Famous BLTs” and century structures still standing today, you the Garden, Art in the Garden Invitational, chicken fried humor. will also find a chocolate shop, wine store, and Open Studio Tours plus dozens of art galleries, a yarn shop, crafted jewelry painted murals throughout downtown 21 NC Botanical store and much more on Churton Street in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. 21 . Garden—the downtown Hillsborough. largest in the 6. Where is the Pink Pig? ? Blue Southeast—is known Hillsborough’s Ayr Mount Historic fire trucks? The Goodnight Carolina Family for its nature trails, 42 . Site, built around 1815, is one of Fun Map and app can show you the way. carnivorous plant North Carolina’s finest collections, aquatics, herb gardens, and 42 Federal-era plantation 7. Winding roads, country scenery and… revolving exhibits of artwork. homes. Meander century farms, berry farms, and dairy farms. through woodlands Additionally, Orange County boasts five 22. UNC-Chapel Hill is the oldest public and pastures on the farmers’ markets; all open year round with university in the U.S. (chartered in 1789) and Poet’s Walk, a one- seasonal events. the only public university in the U.S. that mile walking trail awarded degrees in the 18th century. And surrounding the historic site along the Sports Illustrated has called the iconic was the primary source banks of the Eno River. 8 . Chapel Hill “The best college town in of campus water for more than a century. America,” and Franklin Street—named after 43. The Alexander Dickson House was the Benjamin Franklin— Paperhand Puppet Intervention is last headquarters of the commander of the is a big reason why. 8 23. a spectacle of giant papier-mâché largest armies to surrender to Union forces, characters, stilt walkers, dancers, shadow larger than Lee’s army at Appomattox. 9. For some of the puppets, and finest antique shops original music 23 44.The Burwell School was one of North like Whitehall at the in the Forest Carolina’s leading Presbyterian schools for Villa, Shops at Theatre. “young ladies” from 1837-1857. Just two Daniel Boone Village, Scavenger Antiques blocks down, find over 2000 artifacts at the and Leland Little Auction house. 24. Shoot Orange County Historical Museum, including for the what’s believed to be the only complete set of 10. Memorial Hall plays host to stars at the colonial weights and measures within the U.S. internationally renowned recitalists and Morehead Planetarium & Science Center. The orchestras, dance and chamber ensembles, first planetarium in the South and one of the Feel the need for speed at the jazz, folk, and world music performers, largest in the U.S., Morehead was a NASA 45. fastest 3/8-mile racing oval in opera and theatre. training facility for 15 years. America, better known as the Orange 45 11. PlayMakers Repertory Company is one 25. Dubbed the “University’s living room,” County Speedway, of America’s leading theatre companies The was voted one of America’s oering grassroots according to American Theatre. Its artists Top 10 Haunted Hotels thanks to Dr. William racing at its best. are always at the top of their game. Jacocks, a 17-year “resident” in room 256. 46. Orange County Sportsplex has a Photo by David Hunt. 12 TerraVITA 26. Two words: Dean Smith. The legendary 12 . Food & Wine former coach was an ambassador for fitness center with a bird’s-eye view of the Event brings the Chapel Hill and the state of North Carolina. ice-skating rink (NHL-size, open year round) finest biodynamic and and an aquatic center with three pools. organically grown 27. Relive the early days of Michael Jordan wines and microbrews at the Carolina Basketball Museum, along 47. Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail in the world together with some of the best with Tar Heel national titles, game-winning has a 4-mile trail for hiking and a 1-mile oval North Carolina chefs, known for their shots, and NBA First Round Picks. track where the original NASCAR racers outstanding reputations and their devotion tested their driving skills from 1948–1968. to locally grown ingredients. UNC’s was 28. redesigned by Tom Fazio and 48. Stroll Hillsborough’s Riverwalk, a 13. Dirty South Improv Comedy Theater in continues to be recognized as one of the 1.8-mile greenway with loop trails, bridges, Chapel Hill is an internationally famous nation’s top and boardwalk, accessible to trails, parks, improv comedy club and home to the 28 collegiate and the Eno River. South’s largest comedic gathering. layouts. 49. Shop ‘til you drop with irresistibly New York Times food critic Craig 29. A walk Italian selections at the twice-annual VIETRI 14 . Claiborne referred to the through the Warehouse Sale and ongoing outlet store. 60,000-sq.-ft. landmark, Southern Season, Ackland Art as “wall to wall and floor to ceiling, a visual Museum on Maple View Farm produces over and gustatory South Columbia Street in Chapel Hill can be 50 . 2 million pounds of milk every 14 delight.” And it’s an introduction to Peter Paul Rubens, year and to-die-for worth noting that Eugene Delacroix, and Andy Warhol. ice cream. Seasonal you can sharpen flavors include your culinary 30. The Stone Center for Black Culture candied bacon, skills at their and History is a must see—one of the banana pudding, cooking school. preeminent centers in the nation for the 50 and eggnog. critical examination of African and African-American diaspora cultures.

31. The Horace Williams House is the only historic house in Chapel Hill open to the public—and is where Preservation Chapel Hill oers tours of historic importance.

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