Vacation in Raleigh/Durham- questions

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Hi Friends:loveya:

I am going on vacation on Aug 19th and will be staying in Hillsborough. What are the must sees in these areas? Is there anything special that I should bring in my luggage? Do they have any escorted bus tours which pick you up from hotel and bring you back to the hotel? Any traveling tips would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks.

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Honestly, there is not much happening in Hillsborough. I don't know of any bus tours, it is not exactly a tourist destination. Your best bet might be to rent a car, then you could explore Chapel Hill and the other areas.

NC does have some tourist areas, but they are the mountains and the coast.

You could also contact the NC tourism board, I am sure they have a website if you google them.

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Thanks NurseAmy:nurse:. Yes, I think I had better rent a car. I've tried looking for bus tours online for Raleigh/Durham and no luck. I have already scheduled an appointment to visit the Duke primate center-that sounds like the best place to visit. It will be so nice to get away from work.:yeah:

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Specializes in Med/Surg..

Hi Blackcat,

I agree with the other poster, not much doing around Hillsborough. Actually, the whole Raleigh/Durham area isn't what I'd call a touristy place. If you're going to be in NC for a few days, rent a car and go to the closest beach, which is probably Wrightsville in Wilmington. Get on I-40 East (about a 2 hour drive), you'll run right into Wilmington - there's Wrightsville & Carolina Beach there, lots to see and do. Have a Great Vacation!!!

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Thanks SusanNC.:up: I hadn't thought about going down to the beach but why not? Sounds like fun!!!:jester:

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Just in case you didn't look already, here are the websites of the local visitor's bureaus:

http://www.visitchapelhill.org/ (their office is on W. Franklin st in Chapil Hill)

http://www.durham-nc.com/

http://www.visitraleigh.com/

Yeah, a rental car would be a good idea- especially if you're staying in Hillsborough. Public transit outside of Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh is sketchy at best (ie- in the rural areas of Orange County). I don't know if you're into viewing art, but UNC has an art museum (Ackland Art Museum- http://www.ackland.org/) and Duke has one as well (http://www.nasher.duke.edu/). I recently went to the Nasher a month ago and really liked it. I belive there is a larger art museum in Raleigh, as well. The Duke Homestead is also pretty interesting (http://www.ibiblio.org/dukehome/). Carrboro is a funky little town and offers some eclectic eating/drinking establishments. It's kind of true that the triangle isn't really a "touristy" kind of place, per se, but there is stuff to do- it's just a bit less obvious (and on a smaller scale) than in other places.

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Oh, yeah. The Dead Sea Scrolls are now on view at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. I'm definitely going to go see that exhibit myself:

http://www.naturalsciences.org/scrolls/

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Thanks all so much for your great ideas!!!!:D I'm leaving in the morning for NC and am going to have some fun!!!!:yeah:

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Also, you might want to check out Duke Gardens:

http://www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens/

I went to school in Chapel Hill and am partial to the UNC campus, but Duke Gardens is really pretty. Have fun! :)

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