Talley Your Adventure – The Blog

One of the places we lived for about a year was Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Home to the University of North Carolina Tarheels and their lasting basketball rivalry against the Blue Devils of Duke University. One of the best times of the year in North Carolina is basketball season – especially when both of these teams are part of March Madness! We definitely enjoyed watching a lot more basketball when we were living here – not that this is strange if you know us, we love basketball!

North Carolina does not shy away from sports, which is evident in their love for minor league baseball and the Durham Bulls. We went to many games during our time living in the state. My parents lived in the area for about a decade and had season tickets for many of those years.

My parents actually lived in Hillsborough, which is a small town just outside Chapel Hill. This lovely community has many fantastic restaurants such as the Wooden Nickle and the Weaver Street Market is a darling little grocery store. The town has everything you could want for such a small population and is worth the drive through if you have the chance! They have a nice walk you can do through the town on a small trail and there are many historic sites and homes that have been kept up as authentic, so just walking through a neighborhood can be fun. If you are looking for a great, authentic German restaurant that also has an adorable bakery, check out Guglfupf!

North Carolina has the benefit of mountains to the west and coastline to the east. Depending on what type of outdoor activities you want to do, you have a great list of places to visit! Eno River Park and Grandfather Mountain were some of our favorite locations to hike. There are over 40 state parks to choose from and while most of them are heavily traveled, it just depends on the time of day we discovered when it is busiest. For instance, don’t expect that Saturday morning will be a nice, quiet stroll. Maybe save that for Tuesday. Check if there are entrance fees for the parks and if there are not, we still encourage you to buy something at the gift shop! The money at government parks usually stay with that park, so know that your money is actually going right to the source.

If you end up heading towards the coastline, there are many different choices you can make! Heading further up north will bring you to the top of the Outer Banks, where you can head out on a ferry to see the beautiful islands – including Ocracoke. I highly recommend that you take you vehicle with you. It might cost a little bit more to bring it on the ferry, but you are able to take it from the northern most point all the way to the southern island. It was so easy taking our vehicle on and off the ferry, and we absolutely appreciated it when we were on island and wanted to drive around. When we went, we didn’t really have many plans on where to stay – but if you contact us at Talley Your Adventure, we know where to stay now! There are plenty of options based on your budget. There is a season, which is Memorial Day through Labor Day, so if you want to come out like we did and visit during the off season you run the risk of having lots of restaurant and places closed down. Even if there is good weather, they keep with this schedule every year to give time for the locals to enjoy their location as well.

If you wanted to keep north and are a fan of the Monster Trucks, check out the original site of Grave Digger at Kill Devil Hill! You can see the truck in all her glory while touring a museum about the driver, Dennis Anderson, and the legacy of Grave Digger. For 14 years in a row when I was growing up, my dad took me and my brother to the shows in Orlando and we absolutely loved them! It has been awhile since I’ve been to a show, but visiting the site was really special!

Another spot to check out is Kitty Hawk and the site for the Wright Brother first flight. It is a cool spot with lots of walking, so bring your tennis shoes to this one! This site is part of the National Park Service, so make sure to bring your America the Beautiful pass, if you have one! They do an excellent job of showing the history building to the Wright brother actual attempt at flying.

North Carolina seems to have something for everyone no matter what they are seeking or what level of adventure they want to try. If you are looking for a beautiful place to travel but not sure exactly what you want to do, North Carolina – with her mountains and coastline – can give you any of the options you desire. Make sure to contact Talley Your Adventure as we are experts at traveling through this gorgeous state!