Step inside the Chapel Hill/Orange County Welcome Center, located in one of Chapel Hill’s downtown service stations of long ago. (Can you see the Texaco pennants in the photo?) A warm hello from native-son, James Taylor, and some of Chapel Hill’s most famous personalities await you via the big screen along with recommendations for places to go and where to eat. Get into the Chapel Hill spirit!
Across the street…
Chapel Hill is True Blue, through & through. The Graduate Hotel certainly understands, and allows guests to indulge and bask in the magic of Carolina. Artifacts and memories decorate every inch - from the scoreboard at check-in to the basketball court for guests in the atrium. You can even reserve a room styled as a detailed replica of Michael Jordan’s college dorm - except more plush, of course! (Read about MJ’s surprise for our Tar Heels in June 2024!)
Yet before scores of fans could reserve a hotel room, this hill was the site of the Trailways Bus Station, bringing countless students to school…and visitors, girlfriends, mail & goods to town. Built in 1947, it was segregated. And not until the Civil Rights movement in the 60’s did that change. Read a first-hand account in this article.
Chapel Hill’s first bus station was on the corner of Rosemary and Columbia Street, within one block of the central business district. Read the story of this important stop on the Journey of Reconciliation.
Next door…
Fowler’s Food store became a mainstay of downtown Chapel Hill when it opened in 1933 and moved to this location in 1949. At this time, downtown was the only commercial business district in town and was filled with grocery stores, gas stations, hardware stores, banks, car dealerships and houses of worship. Fowler’s housed groceries - even an international selection when other grocers did not, had a full service butcher shop, and a large, walk-in beer cooler known as “Big Bertha” (a college student favorite!).
After Fowler’s closed in 1990, the store was broken up into multiple storefronts to become the first public market in the state to focus on locally and regionally-produced products. Currently, the space serves as a catering kitchen - and is slated for new construction as a Life Sciences Research Center.
Franklin Street has served as the backdrop for generations of activists and protests for social justice. In 1960, the Chapel Hill Nine ignited the community to address the gross indignities of inequality. This group of Black high school students asked for the same service given to their White counterparts at the food counter inside Colonial Drug Store, only to be refused and later arrested. The town erected a monument honoring the Chapel Hill Nine in 2020, located nearby at 450 West Franklin Street.
Historically, protesters march the length of Franklin Street, usually ending at the downtown post office (179 East Franklin Street). In 2006, the area in front of the post office was dedicated as Peace and Justice Plaza, honoring those who have worked for social justice and to make our community better.
We also recommend the Black and Carolina Blue Tour, a tour of Black Life and History at the University of North Carolina.
