If you want to take advantage of all that the Triangle offers and, at the same time, relax on a visit to a small, artsy village, the small town of Hillsborough should be your destination.
Just minutes away from Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh, Hillsborough is close enough to encourage a stop-by where you can unwind on café-lined streets, listen to great live music, and enjoy a bottle of wine.
This small southern town has a lot of history packed into its 100 historic homes, churches, and schools. For first-time visitors, the first stop must be the Visitors Center, located in the Alexander Dixon House, the 18th century Quaker Plan house where General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered the largest Confederate army to General Sherman in 1865.
You could spend a week jumping from historic homes to historic sites because the Hillsborough saga begins before the Revolutionary War. Every building, carefully restored, offers a wealth of information about what life was like in a young nation striving to find its place in the world. There’s Ayr Mount plantation, and the Burwell School Historic Site, the Orange County Historical Museum, the old Orange County Courthouse, and the Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area.
In the beginning…
In 1766, surveyor William Churton laid out the town of Hillsborough on 400 acres of forests and rolling meadowland, granted by the Honorable John Earl Granville. Churton initially designed spacious public squares at each of the main street intersections, but his ambitious plan was soon abandoned. In spite of the hilly terrain, the popular checkerboard-and-cross street plan of today was employed.
It was also in 1766 that the town changed its name to Hillsborough, honoring the Irish peer, William Hill, the Earl of Hillsborough. Hill was Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1768 to 1772 under George III. The royal street names were assigned — Tryon, Wake, King, and Queen, which remain today reflecting its early history.
Hillsborough was a center of political activity during the colonial and Revolutionary periods. Several royal and elected governors lived in the town as did a signer of the Declaration of Independence, William Hooper, whose house still stands today. The War of the Regulation (1766-1771) ended here. The town hosted the third Provincial Congress (1775); the state’s Constitutional Convention of 1788; and five General Assemblies. (1778, 1780, 1782-1784).
On the Occoneechee Trail
All tours deserve some outdoor time, so a visit to the Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail is next in order. You can take a special hike on one of the first NASCAR tracks to open in the nation and one of only three tracks remaining from the inaugural 1949 season. The site, heavily forested in 40-year-old pines and sycamores, covers three miles of pedestrian trails, including one that runs alongside the Eno River. All are open to the public.
Riverwalk, an eight foot-wide, asphalt, urban greenway, is built along the Eno River corridor from Gold Park to downtown Hillsborough. River Park is on the primary route in the area for the N.C. Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
The Restaurant Scene
Dining in Hillsborough is delightfully diverse. There’s Panciuto’s for a fusion of Italian and southern cuisines; the Saratoga Grill for New England clam chowder, honey almond salmon, and homemade scones; LaPlace Louisiana Cookery for authentic Cajun cuisine, and the Village Diner for reputably the best home-cooking buffet you will ever enjoy.
Barbecue lovers descend on the Hillsborough BBQ Company where everything on the menu is made from scratch, and for Mexican, there’s Bandido’s Mexican Cafe and for Italian cuisine, Antonia’s.
You can walk off your meal with a stroll through the speciality shops which offer everything from handmade jewelry to Vintage Cars. There’s also a plethora of antique stores in the Hillsborough Antique Mall, which offers plenty of walking from store to store.
Hillsborough is a wonderful place to live or visit. Be sure to check out its website for upcoming events and celebrations, accommodations, information on area businesses, and more at www.visithillsboroughnc.com.
