TRIANGLE OF TREATS
At about 1.2 million in area population, Raleigh is the largest of the trio, with Durham a mid-size city and Chapel Hill more of a traditional university town. In all three destinations, those used to Atlanta-sized prices will be pleasantly surprised at the cost of area accommodations, restaurants and shops.
Originally published in Atlanta Journal-Constitution
RALEIGH
Founded in 1792 as North Carolina's capital city, Raleigh was named for Sir Walter Raleigh. The modern city is definitely the state's capital on the cultural front, thanks to institutions such as the North Carolina Museum of Art; the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts (home of the Carolina Ballet, the North Carolina Symphony, the Opera Company of North Carolina, the North Carolina Theatre and more); the North Carolina Museum of History; and the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences.
Raleigh is also home to North Carolina State University, Meredith College and Shaw University, with all three campuses and four other colleges adding to the cultural mix. In addition, sightseeing destinations like the state Capitol, the Executive Mansion, the historic downtown neighborhood of Oakwood, and the re-opened (and operating) Yates Mill all make Raleigh a stand-alone destination.
New options on the Raleigh restaurant scene seem to open weekly. One of the best is Vivace, which is packed most nights (and many mid-days for lunch). Cooking in Raleigh's thriving North Hills district, chef Ian Sullivan's seasonally focused trattoria menu is complemented by a rustic-chic interior and a piazza for downing tasty appetizers (try the antipasto board), creative pizzas and interesting Italian wines.
Some other restaurants worth finding after a show or museum visit include recently opened South (contemporary Southern bistro); Poole's Diner (upscale diner with French bistro feel); Frazier's (American bistro and longtime local favorite); Clyde Cooper's Barbecue (a local landmark since 1938); and the Pit (where Ed Mitchell cooks the whole hog).
Raleigh once lacked an upscale hotel that matched the culture and cuisine. The Holiday Inn Brownstone or the Cameron Park Inn are two of the better traditional (and less expensive) bets, but the Umstead Hotel and Spa opened last year and raised the accommodations bar for the entire area.
Located near Umstead State Park and lots of dining and shopping, the 150-room property features a large and luxurious spa, 17 suites, a sculpture garden, and Herons, yet another tasty area restaurant focusing on use of local and seasonal ingredients.
Nearby, La Farm Bakery is the local place to go for caffeine, pastries and local artisan breads.
DURHAM
The 1988 feature film "Bull Durham," starring Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon, made Durham popular with minor-league baseball fans and many other visitors. The famed snorting bull was originally only a movie prop, but it remained a staple at old Durham Athletic Park and is now at the very popular downtown stadium that opened in 1995.
The baseball park continued Durham's downtown revitalization, with many old warehouses (mostly tobacco-related) being turned into restaurants, shops and condominiums. Adjacent to the stadium, the former Lucky Strike cigarette factory is now the American Tobacco Campus of dining, entertainment, offices and condos (look for the Lucky Strike smokestack).
Durham and Duke University are inevitably linked, with the sprawling campus a big part of what makes the city click on the cultural and culinary fronts. Duke Chapel is definitely worth a visit, especially if one of two organs is being played for services or a concert. Nearby, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke opened in 2005 and is already one of the state's most popular museums.
The Nasher is just a part of local university contributions to Durham's cultural scene. Duke's campus has seven performance spaces, including an amphitheater at the peaceful Sarah P. Duke Gardens and the 1,200-seat Page Auditorium. In addition, Durham's North Carolina Central University Art Museum specializes in African-American and African art, contributing further to the Triangle's college/cultural combination.
Duke is also the home of the American Dance Festival (June 5-July 19 this year), which is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The ADF highlights performances by professional dance companies, ranging from the experimental to the established. More than 570 works have premiered at the ADF, including artists like Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey and Twyla Tharp.
Other cultural options in and around Durham and Duke include the Durham Arts Council (home to 18 local arts organizations and a large arts center), the Durham Symphony Orchestra and the Carolina Theatre (a 1926 Beaux Arts performing arts hall with two art-film cinemas).
Durham is undergoing a culinary renaissance similar to Raleigh's. For instance, Giorgios Bakatsias has developed several highly successful concepts in the Triangle. You can't go wrong with his Vin Rouge, for interesting décor and French bistro cooking with a Southern U.S. flair.
Other Durham restaurants worth a taste include the new Watts Grocery (chef Amy Tornquist's creative and tasty take on local comfort food); Piedmont (fresh regional fare); the longtime Southern classic, Magnolia Grill; and, opening in September, Eno Restaurant & Market, a farm-to-table restaurant slated to further the Triangle's "slow food" phenomenon.
The place to stay in Durham is the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. The recently renovated resort drips with Southern hospitality, as do its Fairview Restaurant and Bull Durham Lounge.
CHAPEL HILL
Life in Chapel Hill, home of the University of North Carolina, revolves around Tar Heel blue. Even so, visitors can find a wide range of diversions when they take advantage of this university town's cultural and dining offerings.
The university's Ackland Art Museum provides a perfect introduction to UNC's cultural contribution to the city. The museum has more than 15,000 original works of art and is particularly strong in Asian, African and European works. Also part of UNC, the multi-spot North Carolina Botanical Garden's "Display Collections" location provides a great place to see native Southeastern plants arranged in natural habitat gardens.
For college sports fans, the new 8,000-square-foot Carolina Basketball Museum is the first university-based, basketball-only museum in the country. Located next to the Dean Smith Center and featuring a "Game Day" theme, the museum has more than 450 artifacts, videos, photos and historical panels highlighting nearly a century's worth of UNC round ball.
Owned by UNC, but managed by an upscale hotel management company, the Carolina Inn is as much a tourist attraction as it is "The University's Living Room." A Chapel Hill landmark for generations, the inn has traditional furnishings but modern amenities in its guest rooms. The Carolina Crossroads Restaurant and Carolina Crossroads Bar are both popular destinations before and after UNC sporting or cultural events. From spring to fall, locals and visitors in the know head to the Inn's "Fridays on the Front Porch" for live music and local food.
If the Carolina Inn is full, try the contemporary Franklin Hotel on East Franklin or the chic Italian-style Siena Hotel just outside downtown proper (the Siena's Il Palio restaurant is also worth the drive).
Chapel Hill restaurants of note include Lantern (chef/owner Andrea Reusing is receiving national acclaim using local ingredients with an Asian twist); Bin Fifty-Four (an upscale steakhouse also developed by Giorgios Bakatsias); the appropriately named Mama Dip's Country Cooking Restaurant; and Allen & Son Bar-B-Q (pit-cooked over hickory wood).
Anyone at all into food will want to head to A Southern Season before heading home. The flagship Chapel Hill store is a gourmet marketplace that draws foodies from afar. The breadth of international offerings is supplemented by an array of regional selections, as well as the Weathervane restaurant. There's also a popular cooking school that has regular offerings.
Whether you choose to stay in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, or Durham, make A Southern Season your last stop before heading back to Georgia laden with Southern staples and lots of other tasty Triangle memories.
IF YOU GO
Getting there
Driving: Raleigh is about 410 miles, or a 7½-hour drive from Atlanta, most of it on I-85.
Flying: AirTran Airways and Delta Air Lines offer daily direct flights from Atlanta to Raleigh-Durham International (about 1½ hour). Expect to pay $160 round trip.
Getting around
Those who fly should rent a car. Though all three cities offer thriving downtowns and interesting neighborhoods, many of the Triangle's attractions, restaurants and shopping destinations are best reached by auto.
Where to stay
Raleigh:
• Holiday Inn Brownstone, 1707 Hillsborough St.; 919-828-0811, www.brownstonehotel.com . Doubles from $72.
• Cameron Park Inn, 211 Groveland Ave.; 1-888-257-2171, www.cameronparkinn.com . Doubles from $129.
• The Umstead Hotel and Spa, 100 Woodland Pond (in Cary); 1-866-877-4141, www.theumstead.com . Doubles from $295.
Durham:
• Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, 3001 Cameron Blvd.; 919-490-0999, www.washingtondukeinn.com . Doubles from $159.
Chapel Hill:
• The Carolina Inn, 211 Pittsboro St.; 919-933-2001, www.carolinainn.com . Doubles from $149.
• The Franklin Hotel, 311 W. Franklin St.; 919-442-9000, 1-866-831-5999, www.franklinhotelnc.com . Doubles from $175.
• Siena Hotel, 1505 E. Franklin St.; 919-929-4000, www.sienahotel.com . Doubles from $195.
Where to eat
Raleigh:
• Herons (Umstead Resort & Spa), 100 Woodland Pond (in Cary); 919-447-4200, www.heronsrestaurant.com . Entrees $28-$37.
• Vivace, 4209 Lassiter Mill Road; 919-787-7747, www.vivacerestaurant.com . Entrees $13-$32.
• South, 4351-119 the Circle at North Hills; 919-789-0606, www.southatnorthhills.com . Entrees $14-$25.
• Poole's Downtown Diner, 426 S. McDowell St.; 919-832-4477, www.poolesdowntowndiner.com . Entrees $12-$14.
• Frazier's, 2418 Hillsborough St.; 919-828-6699, www.fraziersbistro.com . Entrees $17-$24.
• Clyde Cooper's Barbecue, 109 E. Davie St.; 919-832-7614, no Web site. Entrees $5-$8.
• The Pit, 328 W. Davie St.; 919-890-4500, www.thepit-raleigh.com . Entrees $6-$29.
• La Farm Bakery, 4248 Cary Pkwy. (in Cary); 919-657-0657, www.lafarmbakery.com . Artisan breads and more from $2.50.
Durham:
• Vin Rouge, 2010 Hillsborough Road; 919-416-0406, www.ghgrestaurants.com . Entrees $11-$20.
• Watts Grocery, 1116 Broad St.; 919-416-5040, www.wattsgrocery.com . Entrees $15-$19.
• Piedmont, 401 Foster St.; 919-683-1213, www.piedmontrestaurant.com . Entrees $17-$32.
• Magnolia Grill, 1002 9th St.; 919-286-3609, www.magnoliagrill.net . Entrees $24-$28.
• Eno Restaurant & Market (scheduled to open in September), 101 City Hall Place; no phone at press time, www.enorestaurantandmarket.com . Entrees $9-$26.
• Fairview Restaurant (Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club), 3001 Cameron Blvd.; 919-490-0999, www.washingtondukeinn.com . Entrees $20-$36.
Chapel Hill:
• Carolina Crossroads Restaurant (Carolina Inn), 211 Pittsboro St.; 919-933-2001, www.carolinainn.com . Entrees $20-$25.
• Il Palio (Siena Hotel), 1505 E. Franklin St.; 919-929-4000, www.ilpalio.com . Entrees $24-$33.
• Lantern, 423 W. Franklin St.; 910-969-8846, www.lanternrestaurant.com . Entrees $13-$23.
• Bin Fifty-Four, 1201 Raleigh Road; 919-969-1155, www.bin54restaurant.com . Entrees $21-$55.
• Mama Dip's Kitchen Country Cooking Restaurant, 408 W. Rosemary St.; 919-942-5837, www.mamadips.com . Entrees $8-$14.
• Allen & Son Bar-B-Q, 6203 Mill House Road; 919-942-7576, no Web site. Entrees $7-$14.
• Weathervane (at A Southern Season), University Mall, Highway 15/501 at Estes Drive; 919-929-7133, www.southernseason.com . Entrees $12-$22.
Information
• Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau, 421 Fayetteville St., Suite 1505, Raleigh, N.C. 27601; 1-800-849-8499, www.visitraleigh.com .
• Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, 101 E. Morgan St., Durham, N.C. 27701; 1-888-488-4222, www.exploredurham.info .
• Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, 501 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, N.C. 27516; 1-888-968-2060, www.visitchapelhill.org .