Publication: Weekend GetAways
North Carolina's Research Triangle | |
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WEEKEND GETAWAYS - Friday, April 11, 2008
Make The Most Of Your Vacation - From Coast to Coast!
Greetings Getaway Lover,
Raleigh is the largest of the cities that compose the
North Carolina's Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham,
Chapel Hill). It's an area that's been characterized
as full of "trees, tees, and Ph.D's."
Raleigh is Old South and New South, down-home and up-
scale, all in one. The city has agrarian roots in both
farming and mining, but today Raleigh thrives on high-
tech industries, government (it's the state capital),
education, service industries, research, and medicine.
In addition to North Carolina State, there are six
other universities and colleges in town.
Happy Trails,
Jan
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--DESTINATION: Raleigh
Thanks to the Triangle area's appearance on a slew of
"best of" lists, Raleigh's growth has been rapid,
especially in the suburban area known as North Raleigh.
In recent years, downtown revitalization has taken off,
with new housing, museums, shops, restaurants, and night
spots infusing energy and new life into once abandoned
buildings. With all the newcomers hailing from colder
climates, it seemed only a matter of time before the
National Hockey League realized that greater Raleigh
would support an expansion team. Hence, the Carolina
Hurricanes were born.
All this growth has its price, though. During rush hour,
certain corridors (I-40 through Research Triangle Park,
for example) should be avoided at all costs. On Friday
and Saturday nights, especially during the regular school
year, the wait to be seated in some restaurants can
stretch to an hour or more.
This city of 212,000 is home to three art centers and
hosts 18 cultural festivals a year, and the Durham Bulls,
a AAA baseball team immortalized in the hit movie Bull
Durham, set national attendance records at their stadium
downtown.
The two most popular pastimes in Chapel Hill are music
and basketball. The bars and restaurants on Franklin
Street, the city's main drag, come alive at night with
live music and dancing, and festivals celebrating almost
every kind of music imaginable take place year round. On
the other side of campus lies the "Dean Dome," the
behemoth sports complex named after coach Dean Smith, the
mastermind behind Tarheel dominance in NCAA basketball.
Not surprisingly, Chapel Hill's most famous alumnus, Mr.
Michael "Air" Jordan, is king in these parts, and any
establishment worth its weight has at least one framed
portrait of the master gracing its walls.
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--WHAT TO DO AND SEE:
Ava Gardner Museum
Museum/Gallery, Smithfield
In the hometown of the legendary movie star is this museum
with an extensive collection of memorabilia tracing her
life from childhood on the farm to Hollywood glory days.
It's about 30 mi southeast of Raleigh in downtown
Smithfield. www.avagardner.org. COST: $5. OPEN: Mon.-Sat.
9-5, Sun. 2-5.
Address: 325 E. Market St., Smithfield, NC, USA
Phone: 919/934-5830
Brightleaf Square
Square, Store/Mall, Durham
Named for the kind of tobacco once manufactured in the
old warehouses here, Brightleaf Square, with its flower-
ing courtyard, striking turn-of-the-20th-century archi-
tecture, upscale shops, and restaurants, is the shining
star of a downtown revitalization effort. The square
anchors a larger arts-and-entertainment district, which
includes the Carolina Theatre and the Durham Bulls
Athletic Park.
Address: 905 W. Main St., Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
Phone: 919/682-9229
Morehead Planetarium
Observatory/Planetarium, Chapel Hill
Morehead Planetarium, where the original Apollo astronauts
and many since have trained, is one of the largest in the
country. You can learn about the constellations and take
in laser-light shows. www.moreheadplanetarium.org. COST:
$4.75. OPEN: Mon.-Wed. 12:30-5, Thurs.-Sat. 10-5 and
6:30-9:30, Sun. 12:30-5; call ahead for show times.
Address: 250 E. Franklin St., University, Chapel Hill,
NC, USA
Phone: 919/962-1236; 919/549-6863 for show information
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Other Places of Interest:
Exploris
House/Mansion, Museum/Gallery, Raleigh
This 84,000-square-foot architectural showplace (the
marble wall is a dazzler) is a learning center that
stands apart from most other children's museums. It
emphasizes a global perspective, as opposed to
specific health and natural science topics. Exhibits
explore language, culture, geography, trade, and
communications. There's also an IMAX theater.
www.exploris.org. COST: Exhibits $9.95, exhibits and
IMAX theater $13.95. OPEN: Tues.-Sat. 9-5, Sun.
noon-5.
Address: 201 E. Hargett St., Downtown, Raleigh, NC, USA
Phone: 919/834-4040
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Garden/Arboretum, Chapel Hill
The North Carolina Botanical Garden, south of downtown
via U.S. 15/501 Bypass, has the largest collection of
native plants in the Southeast. Nature trails wind
through a 300-acre piedmont forest. The herb garden and
carnivorous-plant collection are impressive. There are
frequent plant sales. www.ncbg.unc.edu. COST: Free.
OPEN: Weekdays 8-5, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 1-6.
Address: Old Mason Farm Rd., South Metro, Chapel Hill,
NC, USA
Phone: 919/962-0522
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--WHERE TO SLEEP:
Arrowhead Inn
$110 to $220, Durham
Brick chimneys and tall Doric columns distinguish this
B&B in an 18th-century white-clapboard farmhouse.
Antiques, heritage plants, fireplaces, and a log cabin
in the garden create a cozy environment.
www.arrowheadinn.com. 9 rooms, 2 suites. In-hotel:
public Internet. AE, D, DC, MC, V. Full breakfast.
Address: 106 Mason Rd., North Metro, Durham, NC 27712,
USA
Phone: 919/477-8430 or 800/528-2207
Fax: 919/471-9538
Blooming Garden Inn
$110 to $160, Durham
With its yellow exterior, this B&B is literally and
figuratively a bright spot in the Holloway Historic
District. Inside, the inn explodes with color and
warmth, thanks to exuberant hosts Dolly and Frank
Pokrass. Breakfast might be walnut crêpes with ricotta
cheese and warm raspberry sauce. A sister B&B, the
Victorian Holly House, across the street, accommodates
extended stays. www.bloominggardeninn.com. 4 rooms, 2
suites. AE, D, DC, MC, V. Full breakfast.
Address: 513 Holloway St., Downtown, Durham, NC 27701,
USA
Phone: 919/687-0801 or 888/687-0801
Fax: 919/688-1401
Fearrington House
$160 to Over $220, Pittsboro
A member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux group, this
country inn is on a 200-year-old farm that has been remade
into a residential community, complete with small shops,
resembling a country village. The village mascots, the
"Oreo cows" (black on the ends, snow white in the middle),
roam the pasture at the entrance. Antiques, English pine,
and oversize tubs furnish the inn's modern guest rooms,
which overlook a courtyard, gardens, and a pasture. The
prix-fixe restaurant ($$$$) serves dressed-up regional
food, such as collard-pecan-pesto-stuffed chicken breast
with Hoop cheddar grits, for dinner.
www.fearringtonhouse.com. 29 rooms, 2 suites. In-hotel:
2 restaurants, tennis courts, pool. AE, MC, V. Full
breakfast.
Address: 2000 Fearrington Village Center, 8 mi south of
Chapel Hill on U.S. 15/501, Pittsboro, NC, USA
Phone: 919/542-2121
Fax: 919/542-4202
--WHERE TO DINE:
Angus Barn
Steak, Over $22, Raleigh
A huge rustic barn houses this famous Raleigh institution.
The dimly lighted, always-busy restaurant is known for its
steaks, baby-back ribs, prime rib, and fresh seafood, as
well as its clubby Wild Turkey Lounge. The astonishing
wine-and-beer list is 35 pages long. The oversize desserts
are freshly made; on your way out, you can purchase pies
at a small store near the front door. Reservations aren't
accepted for Saturday dinner. AE, D, DC, MC, V. No lunch.
Address: U.S. 70W (Glenwood Ave.) near Aviation Pkwy.,
Northwest/Airport, Raleigh, NC, USA
Phone: 919/781-2444
Café Parizäde
Contemporary, $11 to Over $22, Durham
Soft lighting, white tablecloths, and an enclosed court-
yard are among the inviting aspects of this Erwin Square
bistro. One particularly fine appetizer is fried calamari
with jalapeño-tomato salsa; popular entrées include
fettuccine with fresh salmon and black-pepper dill cream,
sesame pasta with scallops, and roast duck with fresh
vegetables. AE, D, DC, MC, V. No lunch weekends.
Address: 2200 W. Main St., Downtown, Durham, NC, USA
Phone: 919/286-9712
Big Ed's City Market Restaurant
Southern, Under $7 to $11, Raleigh
A must for breakfast or lunch, Big Ed's is filled with
antique farm implements and the owner's political
memorabilia, including pictures of presidential candi-
dates who have stopped at this landmark. Every Saturday
morning a Dixieland band plays. Come here for down-home
cooking, and make sure you indulge in the biscuits.
Reservations not accepted. No credit cards. Closed Sun.
No dinner.
Address: 220 Wolfe St., City Market, Downtown, Raleigh,
NC, USA
Phone: 919/836-9909
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