Get to Know Carrboro, North Carolina

North Carolina is a state that revels in its culture, but few towns provide the quirky frisson of Carrboro! (A town whose name should always end in a celebratory exclamation mark.) It began almost as an afterthought. North Carrboro was first settled in 1882 around a University of North Carolina railroad spur, originally known as West End due to its location directly east of Chapel Hill, because no one wanted a railroad in Chapel Hill. The mills were built, and a community was established. Carrboro, no longer merely Chapel Hill’s charming country cousin, was born. Carrboro is a place of community and creativity where people are passionate about the arts and investing in the growth of their neighbors.  

Summer travelers looking for unique art, mouth-watering local food, fresh farm markets, and quirky cultural immersion will find it in bustling Carrboro. It’s a town literally on display in the windows of the North Carolina Craft Gallery, This & That Gift Gallery, WomanCraft Gifts, and Frank Gallery, just to name a few amazing patrons.  

Locally grown and nationally known, the Carrboro Farmers’ Market is number five on the list of the “Best Farmers’ Markets” in the entire country according to The New York Times featured book, Serious Eats. 

Carrboro also boasts some of the best dining options in Orange County. Gabe Barker of Pizzeria Mercato was selected as a James Beard Award Semifinalist in the “Rising Star Chef of the Year” category for the second year in a row. Chef Barker opened Pizzeria Mercato in 2015, and the restaurant continues to emphasize locally sourced ingredients from, where else, the Farmers’ Market. For a downloadable brochure of the top 10 things to do in Carrboro, visit here.