One of the challenges of living in a place as glorious as Orange County is deciding how best to take advantage of all it has to offer. We’re here to help! Instead of looking at our local world in its entirety, maybe you should take it in in smaller bites. Hillsborough, for instance. The town gets significant coverage in Our State magazine, the New York Times, the Washington Post and Garden and Gun, to name a few. Do you know of everything it has to offer?

Check it out:

1. Shopping: So many shops, so little time. Shopping in Hillsborough is like shopping in the world’s loveliest antique store that happens to be run by a millennial. Vintage flea market finds, collectibles, unique jewelry, home goods, gourmet food and wine. Melissa’s Jewelry, Hillsborough Arts Gallery, Eno Gallery, Uniquities, Hillsborough Wine Shop to name a few.
2. Dining: You will not go hungry. Hillsborough features many unique restaurants, including La Place, Radius Pizza, Saratoga Grill, Panciuto, Antonia’s and many more. For coffee, there’s Cup of Joe and Weaver Street Market.
3. Walking: Walking is Hillsborough’s official pastime. Laid out by William Churton in 1754, Hillsborough retains much of its original street pattern. The town features more than 100 homes and buildings dating to the 18th and 19th centuries, including the Old Courthouse, designed by John Berry in 1844 and considered one of the finest Greek revival structures in the United States. Perambulate with gusto.
4. Reading: Stop by Purple Crow Books. Delight in the creativity of Hillsborough and Orange County’s artists and authors. The town is a literary mecca.
5. Touring: Learn the history of Orange County. Take a guided walking tour from the Orange County Visitors Center (Alexander Dickson House (c.1790). What you learn may shock you.
6. History: It’s everywhere, but especially in Hillsborough. Visit the Burwell School Historic Site, built in the 1820s, where you can learn the stories of the Rev. Robert and the Anna Burwell family, and about the girls attending their boarding school in the years leading up to the Civil War. Nearby, the Orange County Historical Museum interprets the history of all of Orange County, from the first Native American settlers to the present.
7. Ayr Mount: Tour Ayr Mount Historic Site, which sits on 265 tranquil acres and is located along the Eno River with a one-mile Poet’s Walk. This is where Thoreau would hang out if he ever came to visit.
8. Riverwalk: The Riverwalk is just what it says it is, a winding path that parallels the beautiful Eno River. But it’s so much more. It’s a place to find your spirit.
9. Moorefields Bluegrass Festival. September 9, 2017. Just $15 for adults. Music, food and drink in one of the most elegant settings in Orange County.
10. River Park Concert series, Saturday October 28th, 2017, 12 noon-7pm. River Park Concert is a free downtown outdoor live music event for all ages celebrating local music, art, wellness & environmental communities.
11. Last Fridays Artwalk, through September, take place the last Fridays of the month and features art, entertainment and lots of smiles. It’s like a country fair spruced up with a little culture.
12. Micro-brews are popping up all over Orange County and one of them, Mystery Brewing on Nash Street, is a must-see. With a new adjoining restaurant, community tables and creative beer themes, you’ll feel right at home.

 

To top all of this off, parking is a breeze in the lot next to Weaver Street Market, which is free and covered.

For more information, www.visithillsboroughnc.com

Or click on Hillsborough at www.visitchapelhill.org

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Laurie Paolicelli has been Executive Director of the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau since 2005. The agency is a department of Orange County and is located at 501 W. Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.

www.visitchapelhill.org // 919.245.4320