5 Cool Things to Do When You Visit Carrboro, North Carolina
Kelly and Ryan of Watch Us Wander hosted us for a fun weekend of outdoor adventures and gastronomic delights.
The sun is warming the late October air as we climb into our kayaks just after noon. It's October 30, and the blue skies and temps close to 80 degrees tell us we made a good choice for a fall getaway to visit family in Carrboro, North Carolina.
Ryan and Kelly, who blog, tweet, vlog and do the Facebook and Instagram thing as Watch Us Wander, are hosting us in and around the town they moved to just over a year ago. They have told us how much they are enjoying life in Carrboro, and we are excited to see it for ourselves. Carrboro, which is right at the edge of Chapel Hill in the heart of the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, is a rising hot spot for travelers and people looking to settle down in a new place and get away from hectic and stressful city life. In fact, that is what attracted Ryan and Kelly to move to Carrboro from Chicago.
We paused for a pic during our day hike in Johnston Mill Nature Reserve.
Carrboro is a town of 20,000 located about 30 minutes from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The town is progressive and vibrant. It has a history dating to 1882 when it was born as a mill town and railroad depot. Today, it's known as one of the top art towns in America and for hosting the annual Carrboro Music Festival and a weekly Carrboro Farmers Market.
I knew we would be able to do some of my favorite things there, like get outdoors, try new beers and, of course, crush some of that famous Carolina barbecue. Add that to the chance to hang with our family, and we had the perfect recipe for an awesome 48 hours in Carrboro.
Check out our 5 fun things to do in Carrboro.
1. Go For a Hike
We headed out to the Johnston Mill Nature Preserve for a day hike. The forested area offers a variety of well-maintained trails that lead across creeks and through meadows. On our two-hour walk, we spotted dozens of squirrels and birds. We also had fun scrambling around on fallen trees and massive knobby roots during the hike. You can find dozens of hikes of varying lengths and difficulties in the Chapel Hill area, and the weather is ideal for getting out almost year-round.
2. Paddle Jordan Lake
Jordan Lake was a cool discovery. We spent a few hours paddling on a sunny October afternoon.
The Triangle area is filled with state and county parks, natural areas and hiking trails. You also can play on waterways like Haw River and Eno River for canoeing and rafting. Prefer boating, swimming, picnics and kayaking and paddleboarding? Head to Falls Lake or Jordan Lake. During our visit, Ryan and Kelly took us out for an afternoon of kayaking under sunny skies at Jordan Lake. The Jordan Lake State Recreation Area is an undeveloped 14,000-acre reservoir that provides most of the residential drinking water in the region. You can camp, hike and go boating here.
We rented kayaks and paddled out into the waters, which were calm on our Sunday in late October. It's a good place to spot bald eagles, and we saw turtles, osprey and hawks as we worked up an appetite for our beers and barbecue. Now, you see how this cycle works.
3. Hit the Microbreweries
We love to try new beers that are distinct to a region. The Triangle region of North Carolina is making its push to become a big deal in the craft brewing scene (it's always a scene, man), and we got to stop by a couple cool spots with nice flavors. Steel String Brewery at 106 Greensboro Street in Carrboro was quiet on a Sunday night as we watched the World Series with a few other patrons. I enjoyed a strong IPA, and Ryan ordered up a flight featuring a Kolsch-style beer and British-style ales among others.
The chocolaty stout was especially good. The taproom doesn't serve food but you can bring your own, and we took advantage by snagging food from the nearby food trucks (more on that follows). Carrboro also is home to Starpoint Brewing and YesterYears Brewery, and nearby Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and Durham feature several places to grab a pint or two of North Carolina craft beer, too.
4. Fill Up at a Food Truck
When the sun sets and nightlife heats up in Carrboro, several food truck operators pull into town and make use of parking lots that empty when the working day is done at some businesses. The bars and craft breweries take the spotlight, and rolling restaurants serving up pizza, Mexican fare and more make a fine complement to the microbrews on tap.
Grab a meal and sit outside under the stars and blend right in with the locals when the weather is nice. Or snag a sack of tacos or burritos and head inside Steel String Brewery to watch a game on TV or catch a live-music performance as you wash down your dinner with a cold IPA.
5. Chow Down on Barbecue
When you visit North Carolina, you have to get some of the famous Carolina barbecue. The succulent and tender pork shoulder, ribs, chicken or turkey — marinated in a thin vinegar sauce and blends of spices and peppers — is an absolute treat and staple of the North Carolina experience.
You can find dozens of barbecue joints in the region. We headed to Hillsborough Barbecue for lunch and also heard rave reviews about Allen and Son in Pittsboro and CrossTies Barbecue on Main Street in Carrboro, a cool spot right on the train tracks in a historic depot facility.
Thanks for reading,
JR