Carrboro, NC is a little known gem of a town, nestled at the western edge of its larger, but hardly more cosmopolitan neighbor, Chapel Hill. Carrboro is proud of its eclectic, creative citizenry and its reputation as a place where the arts are loved and supported. A pedestrian friendly place with many attractions for visitors to the area, it combines the best of small-town America with the best of progressive planning.
Family Attractions on Foot or Bicycle
The Carrboro Farmer’s Market logo, “locally grown, nationally known,” says it all. In operation for 30 seasons, it presaged the current locavore movement by almost two decades, and draws crowds year-round. It is truly local: run by vendors from within a 50-mile radius of town who also represent their products at the market itself.
Weaver Street Market, a co-op grocery store featuring local, sustainably farmed, and fair trade goods is also a community gathering place. Its most popular events are Sunday jazz brunch and Thursday evening After Hours shows featuring live local bands. Weaver Street anchors the Carr Mill Mall, which at the other end of the gastronomic spectrum features artisan truffles at Miel Bons Bons in exotic flavors such as mint-coriander and dark chocolate-cayenne.
Carrboro has also been on the cutting edge of energy-conscious urban planning, since making a commitment to bicycle-centric development and greenways in the mid-1970s. Over the past 25 years, the town has developed numerous bike paths and bike lanes, including on state road projects. The League of American Bicyclists recently recognized Carrboro as a Bicycle Friendly Community.
Carrboro's Thriving Art and Music Scene
Known as the “Paris of the Piedmont” and sometimes the “Seattle of the South” or “Chicarrboro,” this village with its very own poet laureate provides a diversity of art and music offerings. Tucked within its tiny downtown are no less than 13 art galleries, which are featured each month in the Second Friday Arts Walk, currently in its ninth year.
Musical offerings are perhaps even more well-known, since Carrboro is home to the world-famous Cat’s Cradle venue. The community also hosts the Carrboro Music Festival, the largest day-long free music festival in North Carolina. Other popular music spots include The Station and the Arts Center.
Although Carrboro is North Carolina’s most densely populated city, it has, in the words of long-time resident and musician Robert Griffin, “remained small and not really changed that much over the past 20 years." In other words, Carrboro has not sold out and abandoned its penchant for supporting the singular and the unique, while at the same time remaining, at its heart, a family-centered community.
Sources
Town of Carrboro Site
Carrboro.com Site
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