Chapel Hill Archives - The Pink Chickadee

Recently on my road trip to Charlotte, North Carolina (here) to visit my friends there, I made a pit stop in charming Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Although I only spent ~2 hours in this North Carolina college town, I loved my time here and am excited to take another pit stop in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. That all being said, this blog post is going to be dedicated to things to do in Chapel Hill and will potentially be updated over time.

For more United States travel inspiration, check out my Exploring 50 States expedition page.

About Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill is a charming town situated approximately 30 minutes West of Raleigh in North Carolina’s Orange County. It is a part of North Carolina’s Research Triangle, which includes Raleigh and Durham as well. Most notably, Chapel Hill is home to the University of North Carolina – one of many colleges in the Research Triangle. Its well-known and bustling street, Franklin Street, boasts a wide array of cafes, shops, restaurants, and hotels. One thing to note about Chapel Hill is that everything is Carolina Blue aka University of North Carolina’s well-known college color!

4 Things To Do in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

1 – Stroll University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Campus

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a beautiful campus. Boasting everything from beautiful Southern style churches to gorgeous gardens and most notably the Old Well topped off in Carolina Blue, the University of North Carolina truly has so much to admire with a simple stroll on campus. You’ll definitely want to snap some photos, too!

2 – Grab breakfast and coffee at Chapel Hill’s oldest cafe: Carolina Coffee Shop

Become immersed into Chapel Hill’s history and food scene by dining at a cafe serving students for over a century. A cozy cafe that’s been situated right by the University of North Carolina’s campus since 1922, Carolina Coffee Shop is well-known for delicious breakfast eats, coffees, cocktails, and lunch foods.

3 – Admire the lobby and grab a drink at The Carolina Inn

Recognized as a AAA Four Diamond Award Hotel, The Carolina Inn is a luxurious hotel located a few blocks away from Franklin Street and adjacent to campus. The lobby, alleys, and hallways at The Carolina Inn are literally a grand millennial’s DREAM COME TRUE and also pay tribute to the history and heritage of its home at the University of North Carolina’s campus. While at The Carolina Inn, be sure to grab a drink or a delicious bite to eat at the onsite restaurant: Crossroads Chapel Hill which has a bar with signature wines.

4 – Walk along Franklin Street

Check out all of the local businesses and *even* spot one of the town’s iconic alley way’s murals alongside Franklin Street. While I didn’t spend too much time inside the shops, one thing that I wasn’t sure to miss and know you won’t miss too is ALL of the Carolina Blue and University of North Carolina pride at every turn that is beautiful to take all in!

Wrap-Up

I adored my brief pit stop and time in Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill is a beautiful college town filled with so much pride and heritage tied to its home university: The University of North Carolina. That college pride town-wide is such a beautiful thing to see and made me proud to be there, too.

TIL next time, Chapel Hill!

XOXO – Katie <3

It’s CRAZY to think that I went to college just a mere 30 minutes away from The Carolina Inn, yet I had never been! During my college years, I only went to Chapel Hill, North Carolina a handful of times (mostly my Freshmen year of college) as I was primarily in my college town of Raleigh, North Carolina. However, when one of my best friends Alanna moved to Chapel Hill within the past year, I knew that I wanted to take the chance to visit the iconic Carolina Inn!!

On my Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!), one of my blogger and Instagram friends over the past 3 years of Liz of @palmettos_and_pineapples (go follow her!!!) has posted a few times about visiting The Carolina Inn. Liz inspired me to make a visit to The Carolina Inn AND further made me want to add it to my *never-ending* bucket list. At the same time, I am so glad that I got to explore a bit of Chapel Hill with Alanna, too. We visited the well-known Sup Dogs on Franklin Street (the University of Kentucky VS University of Tennessee game was on while we were having lunch!), got coffee at Epilogue Books right next door to Sup Dogs, and enjoyed some gorgeous murals along Franklin Street. I had a great time overall!!

The Carolina Inn is owned by Hyatt and costs upwards of $400-$500 to stay at per night (think The Greenbrier in West Virginia pricing). It is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina: the college town of the well-known University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC). A fun feature of The Carolina Inn is its colors, including its logo of UNC’s trademarked color “Carolina Blue”. The Carolina Inn also has a few restaurants that are a bit pricey to eat at. I considered eating there, but for both Alanna’s and I’s budgets, we opted to do what many come to do that visit The Carolina Inn: come see what it’s ALL about! Luckily for us, we were able to enjoy the gorgeous hotel’s environment without even paying a penny. The halls at The Carolina Inn are gorgeous and filled with cabinets of china that plays homages to its native state of North Carolina, portraits of all of the Presidents (both current and former) of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and gorgeous printed tiled floors. The lobby was stunning, too!

While in Chapel Hill, Alanna and I were able to admire The Carolina Inn at all sides of the street. It is a beautiful hotel, and I hope to be able to visit again when it’s a bit warmer. Needless to say, the winter season makes *just about* everything look and feel a little bit more drab than usual! Alanna’s roommate told us while we were back at Alanna’s house (which is just a short walk away from the iconic North Carolina hotel) that The Carolina Inn hosts fun Friday Night activities for families and community members, including food, games, and live music. They even *indeed* have heaters in the cooler months! I would LOVE to be able to enjoy a Friday night at The Carolina Inn AND take some photos in front of what appeared to be a gorgeous floral display in the warmer months (it was wayyy too cold to take photos outside this time around).

Overall, I feel really grateful that I was able to get some quality time with Alanna and *finally* check seeing The Carolina Inn off of my bucket list!!

XOXO – Katie <3