Our home in central North Carolina
Our two-story brick Georgian colonial-style
home sits on a two-acre lot on a quiet street just outside of the towns of Carrboro
and
We offer for exchange our SUV and a large sedan, both five-passenger. A circular driveway leads to the garage and a basketball goal. A large lawn adjoins the vegetable and flower garden. Tennis rackets, two bicycles, basketball, soccer, fishing rods, croquette, and other sporting equipment are here for your use. Fishing privileges are available at a pond behind our house.
If you have young children, we have several reliable babysitters who can be
on call for you if needed. We would be happy to notify our excellent and
reliable house cleaner if you need housekeeping services.
Our family
Steve is a clinical psychologist in
private practice and a plein air artist. Susan is a grants librarian at the
Steve in the sunny family room with breakfast area
Susan and Steve with the kitchen in the background
Alex with his catch of the day from the fishing pond next door. Alex is now a sophomore at the University of Montana.
Charles is now working and a graduate student at American University in Washington, D.C.
Our Region—The
View of the horse farm across the road
We live in a quiet neighborhood in the country with our closest small town,
Carrboro, about one mile away. Carrboro offers large supermarkets and convenient
shopping. Adjoining Carrboro,
Warm sandy beaches three hours' drive east of Chapel Hill
Within easy reach for day and week-end trips are the beautiful beaches of eastern
North Carolina, the Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina,
the golf resorts of Southern Pines, Washington, D.C., Colonial Williamsburg
(Virginia), historic Charleston (South Carolina), and amusement parks (Kings
Dominion, Busch Gardens, and Carowinds).
Beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains two hours west of Chapel
Hill
HomeLink Membership Number: US09686
To see our HomeLink listing, go to http://www.usa.homelinkint.org/index.jsp and search USA > USA East > Chapel Hill
North Carolina Tourism Division
Natural attractions in North Carolina
Things to Do in Chapel Hill and Carrboro
Also Hillsborough – 13 miles; Durham – 8 miles; Raleigh – 25 miles; Pittsboro – 14 miles; Bynum – 10 miles
Sports
Swimming (the major summer activity since it’s hot here)
Next-door neighbor’s pool -- available throughout the summer with just a phone call ahead
Meadowmont Swim Club , Chapel Hill -- private pool but guests can swim for a fee
Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department -- their pools include:
Chapel Hill Community Center Pool (indoor)
Homestead Aquatic Center which will open in mid-2008 (indoor)
Hargraves Community Center pool (outdoor)
Triangle SportsPlex , Hillsborough
Jordan Lake swimming beaches, Pittsboro/Chatham County
Basketball
Chapel Hill is a basketball town, primarily because of the UNC Tarheels which have won the national championship four times and are currently ranked among the top teams in the country. While the Tarheels don’t compete in the summer, it is a lot of fun to go to the basketball gymasiums on the UNC campus and watch the players practice and play pick-up games. In fact, many of the UNC players who now play professional ball return to Chapel Hill for the summer. They hang out and play ball with the current players and others who are interested. It is not unusual to see Michael Jordan, James Worthy, J.R. Reid, Jerry Stackhouse and other former Carolina players.
Pick up basketball games in several gyms around town at:
Chapel Hill Community Center gyms
Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department gyms
UNC Campus Recreation facilities, Chapel Hill -- information about buying guest passes
Blue Heaven Basketball Museum, Chapel Hill -- museum for Carolina Tarheels basketball team; reopening soon in new location.
Carolina Basketball Museum, Chapel Hill -- UNC's official basketball museum at the Dean Smith Center opened January 2008
Climbing
Chapel Hill Community Center Climbing Wall
Vertical Edge Climbing Wall , Durham
Biking and Hiking
Chapel Hill Greenways (hiking and biking)
Trading Path Association (walking/hiking group)
Mountain Biking in Chapel Hill/Carrboro/Raleigh/Durham area at:
Orange-Chatham Sierra Club (hiking and outings)
Jordan Lake Bald Eagle Observation Trail
Soccer
Pick-up soccer games happen every Sunday morning at 8 a.m. on UNC’s Carmichael Field. They usually have about 30 to 40 people, and split into 2 or 3 games. “The games are very friendly and you get to meet people from all over the area and learn about the games in other places and other times.”
Chapel Hill and Carrboro Soccer League (CHAC) sponsors pick-up soccer throughout the summer
UNC Men's Soccer Camp, Chapel Hill
Ultimate Frisbee
Triangle Flying Disc Association , Carrboro and Chapel Hill -- scroll down to Carrboro Community Park and Cedar Ridge Park
UNC Ultimate Frisbee Group -- meets regularly at UNC Outdoor Education Center
Baseball
Durham Bulls (minor league baseball team)
Basehits Inc, 2985 US Highway 15 501 North, Pittsboro (919) 545-2281—batting cage
Bowling
Mardi Gras Bowling Center , Chapel Hill
Boating (our sailboat and canoe are available for your use)
University Lake , Chapel Hill
Cane Creek Reservoir , Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill Community Center Open Kayak Sessions
Jordan Lake , Pittsboro/Chatham County
Canoeing, Kayaking and Wafting on the Eno River , Durham
Paddle Creek, Wake Forest (45 minutes) -- Neuse River paddling trips
Ice Skating
Triangle SportsPlex , Hillsborough
Racing
Orange County Speedway Stock Car Racing , Hillsborough
Golf
North Carolina Golf Courses (more than 500 throughout the state)
All Sports
UNC Athletics Summer Camps, Chapel Hill
Parks
Miscellaneous
Orange County Predator Paintball, Hillsborough
Heart of Darkness Paintball, Durham
Triple J Stables, Chapel Hill -- horseback riding and lessons
Arts, Culture and Entertainment
Street Scene Teen Center, Chapel Hill
Cat’s Cradle , Carrboro -- Favorite musical venue of teenagers and college students with concerts almost every night, including rock, blues, some folk, bluegrass, jazz
DSI Comedy Theater, Carrboro
The ArtsCenter, Carrboro
Youth Performing Arts Conservatory
Carolina Inn Concerts on the Lawn, Chapel Hill (bluegrass music every Friday night in summer)
Weaver Street Market Cooperative, Carrboro -- cooperative food market with wonderful lawn for outdoor eating. They also sponsor outdoor music concerts every Thursday night (traditional music) & Sunday morning (jazz) April through October
Shakori Hills Summer Concert Series, Silk Hope
Ackland Art Museum at UNC
Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham
Duke Performances, Durham -- wide variety of performing arts events at Duke University
Paint the Earth Studio, Chapel Hill -- make your own pottery
Kidzu Children's Museum, Chapel Hill
American Dance Festival, Durham -- the premier modern dance festival in the U.S.
Hayti Heritage Center, Durham -- arts and cultural center with events and programs celebrating African-American heritage
Manbites Dog Theater, Durham
African-American Dance Ensemble, Durham -- world famous professional dance troupe founded in 1968; performs the finest traditions of African and African American dance and music; for performance schedule updates
North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh -- In addition to its excellent permanent collection, NCMA hosts outstanding special exhibitions throughout the year. One of our favorite summer activities is packing a picnic and going to NCMA for one of their family-friendly outdoor movie nights or concerts.
Snow Camp Outdoor Drama, Snow Camp (20 minutes) -- Their shows are "The Sword of Peace" (story of the Quakers during the Revolutionary War) and "Pathway to Freedom" (African American history and the Underground Railroad)
North Carolina Festivals and Events -- throughout the state
Clyde Jones, the Critter Artist, Bynum -- unbelievable collection of handmade "critters" by local folk artists; he welcomes visitors to his "yard gallery"
Marbles Kids Museum, Raleigh -- hands-on, interactive children's museum with IMAX theater
Native American Pow Wows in the South -- Native American Indian music, dancing, games, crafts, exhibitions, and other activities.
Annual Frank Liske Park Pow Wow, Concord (2-1/2 hours) -- first week-end in August; contact George Hoyt 704-786-5705, e-mail: gehoyt@concordnc.com
Nuluti Equani Ehi Tribe's "Drums on the River" Pow Wow -- July 11-13, 2008 in the Yadkin Valley area (2-1/2 hours); exact location to be announced
Seagrove Area Potters (1-1/2 hours) -- “Seagrove area” of central NC (Randolph, Moore, and Montgomery counties) has been home to many potters since the late 1700s, with more than 100 potteries throughout the area. Start at the North Carolina Pottery Center.
For a unique view of Carrboro, watch the “It’s Carrboro” rap song on YouTube . See also the French lyrics.
Nature and Science Activities
Piedmont Wildlife Center , Chapel Hill
Carnivore Preservation Trust, Pittsboro or http://www.cptigers.org/
NC Museum of Life and Science, Durham
NC Botanical Gardens, Chapel Hill
Coker Arboretum, Chapel Hill
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, Chapel Hill
Duke University Lemur Center, Durham
Duke Gardens, Durham -- "one of the premier public gardens in the United States, renowned both for landscape design and the quality of horticulture"
Birding in the Triangle, various locations
Birding Jordan Lake and Chatham County, Pittsboro
North Carolina State Parks -- throughout the state; closest are:
Birkhead Mountains Wilderness and Uwharrie National Forest, Ashboro (1-1/2 hours)
Eno River State Park, Durham (1/2 hour)
Raven Rock State Park, Lillington (1-1/2 hours)
Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap (2-1/2 hours)
Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury (2 hours)
Morrow Mountain State Park, Albemarle (2 hours)
North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro (1-1/2 hours)-- one of the nation's finest zoos and the first American zoo designed from its inception around the "natural habitat" philosophy
Shopping
Antique Shopping, Pittsboro -- small historic downtown with numerous shops featuring antiques and oddities
Streets at Southpoint, Durham -- " premier shopping, dining and entertainment destination in the Triangle and was featured as one of the '10 Great Places to Spend It All in One Place' by USA Today"
Carr Mill Mall, Carrboro -- " Anchored on each end with restaurants, Panzanella on the west side and Elmo's Diner on the east, the converted cotton mill has a number of interesting stores."
Meadowmont Village, Chapel Hill
Outlet Malls in North Carolina -- factory direct outlet stores
Historical Attractions
Chapel Hill Museum, Chapel Hill
Orange County Historical Museum, Hillsborough
Old Playmakers Theatre, the Old Well, Forest Theatre and other historic landmarks at UNC, Chapel Hill
Horace Williams House, Chapel Hill
Ayr Mount historic site, Hillsborough
The Burwell School, Hillsborough
Alexander Dickson House, Hillsborough
NC Collection Gallery, Chapel Hill
Patterson's Mill Country Store, Durham -- " houses one of the finest collections of mercantile Americana in the country, including nationally recognized pharmaceutical and commercial tobacco memorabilia collections. The store includes a furnished early twentieth century doctor's office."
Town Creek Indian Mound, Mt. Gilead, Yadkin County (3 hours) -- This National Historic Landmark offers a glimpse of pre-Columbian life in Piedmont North Carolina.
Old Salem Museum and Gardens, Winston-Salem (about 1-1/2 hours)
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Greensboro (about 1 hour)
Restaurants
Maple View Farm Country Store and Ice Cream Parlor, Chapel Hill -- lovely ride into the farmland just outside of town. It's a perfect spot to buy an ice cream cone and sit on the front porch rocking chairs to watch the evening sun go down.
more restaurants to come......
Other Things to Do in North Carolina
Scenic Byways of North Carolina -- includes scenic drives in Piedmont (that's us), mountains and coast; download a copy of the full guide
"The Beach" -- North Carolina beaches are much less crowded and, in our opinion, prettier than Florida's beaches. We recommend these:
Wrightsville Beach, the closest to Chapel Hill/Carrboro, see especially Film Junkie's Guide to Wrightsville Beach
Wilmington and the Cape Fear Coast -- ghost walks, river walks, WWII battleship, cobblestone streets with horse-drawn carriages, a thriving movie production studio. Bet you didn't know that Wilmington is the third biggest filmmaking city in the U.S., behind only New York and Los Angeles!
Topsail Beach, also close and our family's favorite--see especially the Sea Turtle Rescue Center
Sunset Beach, with its unique one-lane pontoon bridge
Oriental, the "Sailing Capital of North Carolina"
Oak Island and the historic village of Southport
Historic Beaufort, including the NC Maritime Museum (and Blackbeard the Pirate)
NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Ocracoke Island, a longer drive (about 5 hours) -- recently chosen "Best Beach in the US" with the nearby historical attractions of Manteo and The Lost Colony, as well Jockey's Ridge sand dune and the Outer Banks
"The Mountains" -- North Carolina has the the highest mountain peaks east of the Mississippi. For a cool summer oasis for hiking, camping, river rafting, biking, and beautiful scenery, we recommend these:
Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury (two hours) -- 18 miles of maintained hiking trails that lead to vistas, waterfalls, caves and ridges
Grandfather Mountain, Linville -- the highest peak in the Blue Ridge mountain range and a globally recognized nature preserve.
Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, Linville -- Scottish Highland games and gathering of Clans
Cherokee -- home of the North Carolina tribe of Cherokee Indians
Town of Blowing Rock (about 3 hours) -- resort town just off the Blue Ridge Parkway; see the nearly natural attraction, The Blowing Rock
Blue Ridge Parkway (about 3 hours) -- one of the most popular units of the National Park System
more to come......
Unusual Attractions and Oddities
Vollis Simpson's Whirligig Farm, Wilson (1-1/2 hours) -- remarkable collection of elaborate "whirligigs" by NC folk artist
Elvis is IN the building!!!, Chapel Hill -- We even have our own Elvis impersonator, Keith Henderson. Click on the schedule link to find his nearby local performances.
Shangri-La Miniature Stone Village, Prospect Hill (1-1/2 hours) -- leprechuan-sized buildings made with tons of rocks and 11,000 Indian arrowheads
Detour Art in North Carolina -- outsider and folk art along back roads of the state
Transportation
Free bus service is available throughout Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The Jones Ferry Road Park & Ride lot is the nearest bus stop (about 1 mile) to our house.
Nearest Airport is Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) about 21 miles away.
last updated January 20, 2008