Your Carolina Inn

Here is an excerpt from The Green Kangaroo’s blog:
Devon, what are the top things couples should consider when looking at wedding and reception venues? There are so many things to consider! The biggest key is to do your research on your venue and vendors before committing to them. Check those references!

Read the rest of Devon’s recommendations.

Watermelon and Feta Salad
Serves 4

 Ingredients:

2 cups             Baby Arugula
1 oz                Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cups             Seedless Watermelon, Diced Small
4 oz                Crumbled Feta Cheese (Hillsborough Cheese Company is my favorite)
To  Taste         Thin Sliced Red Onion
2 oz                Fig Balsamic Syrup (see below)
1 Tbsp             Fresh Mint –Julienne

Method: Fig Balsamic Syrup
12 oz               Dark Balsamic Vinegar
3 oz                 Dried Figs

1)      For fig syrup, reduce dark balsamic vinegar and figs by ¾ over low heat.
2)      Strain and let cool.

Assembly:

On four separate plates place arugula that has been lightly tossed in olive oil. Portion the watermelon, feta, red onion and mint on all plates. Drizzle with fig syrup right before serving and enjoy this wonderful summer appetizer. Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

 *For more delicious ways to enjoy watermelon, visit The Carolina Crossroads Restaurant and try Chef Reale's Summer Watermelon, Grilled Halloumi Cheese, Arugula, Picked Cottle Farm Cucumbers, Jalapeno Peppers, and Radishes with a Citrus Vanilla Vinaigrette.

Thursdays on Tap- $3 Drafts All Day

Fridays on the Front Porch- Live Bluegrass Music, Cool Drinks & a Summer Picnic Menu. Starts at 5:00pm

Saturdays- Double Reward Points for our Culinary Rewards Members. Join Today!

Bloody Good Sundays- Half Priced Bloody Marys & Small Plates

*Don't miss our July specials running all month long:

Locals Rule- Show us your driver's license with your Chapel Hill/Carrboro address and we'll take 10% off your dinner bill in July

Dinner at Dusk- Three Course Menu for $39 available Tuesday through Sunday for diners seated before 6:00pm

Click here for a printable calendar. Keep one on your fridge, in your office or in your car so you always know what's happening at Carolina Crossroads!

1) The Preserve - A Davis Love III Signature Golf Facility
2) Room 180 in The Carolina Inn, AAA Four Diamond Hotel built in 1924
3) Gene Fones, the affable General Manager of The Preserve Golf Club
4) Tasting North Carolina Wine made primarily from Muscadine Grapes and Vinifera grapes (there are now 76 wineries in North Carolina)
5) Walking Franklin Street, the main street in Chapel Hill - full of boutiques, restaurants & students

To read the full list, click here.

History, that sepia patina, plays a part in all this.  The first state university is here, founded in 1789, which means it was the first institution of higher learning where all a young man or woman had to do was get here to take a class, and the only state university to graduate students in the 18^th century.  Over two hundred years later it’s the doing the same thing, but better, changing as the world around it changes.  It’s constantly innovating and remains a model for universities everywhere.  Thomas Wolfe, one of the greatest writers America has produced, came here in 1915, when he was only fifteen years old.  He predicted that that his portrait would one day hang in Old West near that of North Carolina governor Zebulon Vance, and he was right: it still does today.  Other literary luminaries soon followed, and many of them have changed the face of contemporary American literature: Russell Banks, Taylor Branch, Shelby Foote, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Armistead Maupin, to name a very, very few.

What’s harder to see is how a similar history is being made right now.  There are more world famous writers in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, per capita, than in any other place in the world.  You can see them everywhere, meet them in the produce section of the grocery store, sitting at the table next to yours in a restaurant: you can even say hello, and tell them how much you love their writing (rumor to the contrary, they can’t hear that enough).  Do something particularly outrageous and who knows: you could end up in their next book.  Give it a shot. 

Chapel Hill, to this day, is sustained by the arts, and it sustains everybody with its art.  This is a community where art is practiced and perfected, and where professionals from around the world come to play, dance and sing.  Memorial Hall, on campus, hosts everybody from Yo-Yo Ma to Earl Scruggs, dance and drama from all over the world, one-stop shopping for the sort of culture that teaches while it entertains. 

On the other side of campus is Playmakers Repertory Company, whose productions are staged in Paul Green Theater.  Playmakers is considered the leading theater in the Carolinas, and has been honored by the Drama League of New York as one of the best regional theaters in the country.  Recent offerings include The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, an ambitious eight hour stage play, Romeo and Juliet, and The Glass Menagerie. 

And, as almost everybody knows, the Art of Basketball is performed here September through April, and more often than not it’s performed at the highest level, an exemplar of what human beings can do with a round orange ball.  You can see them rise like dancers, turn and spin, elegant and powerful, smart and fast as lightening.  Not unlike our literary tradition, famous practitioners of the art have lived and played here, including the greatest man to have ever played the game, Michael Jordan.  In this last decade alone two national championship banners have been hung from the rafters of the Dean Smith Center.  And yes: you can see our artists there as well, cheering along with half the population of the entire town. 

But this decidedly world-class offering of cultural happenings doesn’t end on campus: it radiates through the entire county like a ripple on the surface of a pond.  Carrboro hosts so many festivals you might think there’s one happening there every single day of the year: there are film, poetry, comedy, dance and music festivals.  In Hillsborough, there’s the annual Handmade Parade, featuring giant puppets the likes of which you’ve never seen before (trust us).  Just to maintain an appropriate balance between the arts and . . . everything else, Hillsborough also hosts Hog Day, now in its 28^th year, a down-home traditional pig-picking and barbeque contest, and the largest classic auto show in the state.

No, you will not go hungry in Orange County.  World-class cooks – two James Beard finalists – live and work here.   On Franklin Street alone – Franklin Street being Chapel Hill’s one and only drag – there are over fifty restaurants, from the elegant to the ridiculously informal.  And many of these establishments serve the freshest produce you’ll ever eat, because local farmers drive into town from their farms, dozens of which surround us like a great wall of organic goodness.  

It sounds like a polyester promise, but there’s something for everybody here.  The Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro is the only significant music club between Washington D.C. and Atlanta, so for a little town we get the biggest bands.  About a mile away, The Ackland Museum in Chapel Hill hosts over a dozen of shows every year . . . Oh, it’s tempting to continue, because once you start thinking about what’s happening here you realize that there’s very little that isn’t.  Even the weather is perfect.  Come at your own risk, because after coming you may not want to leave.  Even our buildings are adorned with murals.

Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, Orange County: It’s not one thing: it’s everything.

-Written by David Wallace for the Orange County Visitors Bureau

The unique history of the Inn and the important relationship between the Inn and The University of North Carolina was described as each employee read The University’s Living Room by Kenneth Zogry. From the Inn’s beginning in 1924 through the New Deal Era, Civil Rights movement and into present-day, The Carolina Inn has remained a fixture on the campus of UNC and truly is the University’s living room.

Click here to view an interactive timeline of the Inn’s history. Also, on your next visit to the Inn be sure to view our new historical photo display.

Photo:
Front row – Jim Phelan, Tracie Panko, Beverly Ingram, Alison D’Agostino, Elizabeth Rubio, Ashleigh Collins

Back row – Terri Nier, Elizabeth Bischoff, Kenneth Zogry (Inn’s Historian), Margaret Oppegard, Julie McCay, Mark Nelson

Executive Chef Jimmy Reale and his culinary team will be showcasing the following dishes during the month of May as part of the contest:

Appetizer - Grilled Local Asparagus, Arugula, Prosciutto di Parma, Hillsborough Cheese Company Ricotta, Crispy Latta Farm Poached Egg, Aged Sherry Vinegar, Za’atar Oil

Salad – Organic Arugula Salad, Red & Golden Beets, Hillsborough Cheese Company Feta, Toasted Hazelnuts, Blood Orange Vanilla Vinaigrette

Entrée– Roasted Chatham County Poulet Rouge, NC Fingerling Sweet Potatoes, Local Asparagus, Caramelized Cippolini Onions, Zucchini, Roasted Chicken Jus

Our featured dishes showcase local produce and North Carolina products from Latta’s Egg Ranch, Hillsborough Cheese Company, Red Farms, Sonny’s Pride Scott Farms and local area farmers markets.

A team of mystery judges will be sampling our featured dishes and a contest winner will be announced later this summer. Stop by our restaurant to try these featured dishes and earn double points toward our new Culinary Rewards Program.

Check back on our blog to see photos of our featured dishes, recipes and chef tips on making the most of local produce.

With our Culinary Rewards Program, you'll earn points every time you dine at the Carolina Crossoads, so you can enjoy more great food and good times on us. As a member, you'll earn one point for every dollar you spend at the restaurant and bar. Once you have accumulated 300 points, we'll give you a $20 Carolina Crossroads gift card that can be redeemed any time at our restaurant - it's that easy! Additionally, rewards members will receive special invitations to Members Only events and offers, as well as preferred reservations on high demand dates.

Enrollment in the program is simple - and free! Enroll now or register in person during your next meal with us. And just for signing up, you'll receive 25 bonus points to get started.

Below is a listing of the local vendors and farmers the Carolina Crossroads used for their Greek Salad:

Bibb Lettuce - Green Haven Farms

Red Radishes - Cottle Farms

English Cucumbers - Barham’s Farms

Sunburst Tomatoes - Sunburst Tomato Company

Feta Cheese - Hillsborough Cheese Company

The Earth Day celebration continues on April 22nd at The Carolina Inn with a prix fixe menu at the Carolina Crossroads Restaurant designed to showcase local and organic ingredients. Stop by to try our three course menu for $55 person, four course menu for $65 per person, and five course menu for $75 per person. Call 919-918-2735 or visit the Carolina Crossroads for reservations.  

The event highlighted an eight minute film of Governor  Terry Sanford calling for racial equality in a 1963 speech in The Carolina Inn’s Old Well Room. Click here to view and download the speech.

Guests were also treated to a discussion with the authors moderated by William Friday followed by a book signing with the authors. Historical 1960s photography by North Carolina photographer Billy Barnes was displayed in the Alumni Room.

The digitization of  the Hellenian and Yackety Yack yearbooks kicked off a string of projects conducted by the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center to provide online access to photographic collections, scrapbooks and pictures of museum artifacts.

Click here to view the full Daily Tar Heel article or view the digitized Yackety Yack online.

 UNC System President Erskine Bowles in 1966

 UNC Sports Radio Announcer 
                                      Woody Durham in 1963

 Author Thomas Wolfe in 1919

 CBS Newsman Charles Kuralt in 1955

Adult Category
First Place : Laura Makay-Gondek and Paige Gondek, Stone Cottage
Second Place: Christina Perry, Pastel Summer Cottage
Runner-Up: Amalia Boliner, Traditional Gingerbread House

Youth Category                                                   
First Place: Brendan & Richard Haygood, Church & Parson Brown House
Second Place: Patrick Noonan, Chicken Coup
Runner-Up: Kendall & Kimberly Clark

Thank you to all our contestants for participating in this year's Gingerbread House Competition.  We hope to see you again next year! 

UNC-TV recently aired a story on our Twelve Days of Christmas celebration on North Carolina Weekend.  View the video here and see what our month of festivities is all about.  The Daily Tar Heel describes it well in the article "The Carolian Inn exhalts Christmas."

If you have not had a chance to visit us this season, it's not too late!  Our decorations will be up and holiday events in full swing through January 3rd.  For more information and reservations visit our Twelve Days of Christmas page. 

We also invite you to share your holiday pictures and videos on this blog.  Tell us why you think Chapel Hill and The Carolina Inn are magical places to see during this time of year.   

It's not too late to schedule a visit with Santa before Christmas.  Make your reservations today for Breakfast or Brunch with Santa at The Carolina Inn.  Click here or call 919.918.2711 for more information and to reserve your seats.  Don't forget to bring your wish list!     

A large percentage of our brides and grooms are Carolina Alumni.  Since The Carolina Inn is owned by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and located on the UNC campus, it is a Carolina girls' dream to walk down the aisle in our beautiful Hill Courtyard and celebrate the beginning of her new life in our elegant Old Well Room.

Carolina brides, tell us your Tar Heel wedding stories right here on our blog.  How did you meet your loved one?  How did he propose?  What was your dream wedding like?   

"Chapel Hill is home to the University of North Carolina, part of the world-famous Research Triangle. It attracts residents who enjoy a healthy lifestyle, cultural and historic attractions, and an intellectual environment. The area is home to one of the most educated populations in the U.S., as reflected by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' three high schools, four middle schools and 10 elementary schools. The district has the state's highest average SAT score. And more than 90% of students go on to college."

By BusinessWeek
To view BusinessWeek's current issue click here.

Mary owns "everything that's ever been made with the Front Porch logo" and all the CDs of our FOFP bands.  She makes sure she doesn't miss any of our Friday celebrations.  Her family has three generations of biggest FOFP fans and everyone knows their table on the porch! Thank you for your entry Mary.  The Carolia Inn staff really enjoyed hearing your story!

For the Carolina Inn staff, it is always a pleasure to work on homecoming weekend to welcome returning UNC alumni and fans who stay with us every football season.  It is like welcoming family members into your house.  The inn has a distinct energy on home football weekends.  Even if you’re not a football fan, that energy is contagious!    

Two things in particular will make this year’s homecoming one you won’t want to miss!  First, the Duke-Carolina rivalry continues as the Duke Blue Devils will visit Kenan Stadium.  It's a rivalry that doesn't get nearly as much attention as these schools’ basketball teams, but it's a strong historic rivalry nonetheless.  The Carolina-Duke game this Saturday will be much more intense than in the past because both of the teams’ seasons are kind of on the line - a win on Saturday will keep them moving towards bowl eligibility

Finally, UNC school leaders have decided to bring back an old tradition: homecoming parade!  This will be the first homecoming parade at UNC in 16 years.  The parade will start at 11 a.m. on Columbia Street (coming out of Swain Parking Lot on campus) towards Franklin Street.  For the parade route click here

For those of you who will be participating in the homecoming or football game festivities, tell us all about it right here on our blog.  If you're not a big football fan, we still want to hear your experience in Chapel Hill during this exciting time of the year.  Go Heels!

Been to Chapel Hill yet?  Tell us about your fall getaway in "The Southern Part of Heaven."  What were the perks?  What were your favorite spots in town?  We want to hear all about it!

"Ms. Cox did a fantastic job!  The difference in the sky and the brightness of color in the before and after pictures of the painting are incredible.  Ms. Cox skillfully repaired the "divet" in the canvas as she rebuilt the stretcher on the back" said the Inn's Historian, Dr. Kenneth Joel Zogry.

Ruth Cox is one of the best conservators in the country--she was trained in Old Masters and does work for the Metropolitan Museum in New York CIty, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Ackland Museum in Chapel Hill, and the Nasher Museum in Durham. 

Dr. Zogry says that with the new custom-made frame, the painting will look terrific hanging in the lobby.  It will really be a centerpiece of the Inn's collection of historic furnishings and art.  

“There are notable distinctions between college towns and other American cities. In the student-centric spots, bicycles seem to outnumber cars. Affordable restaurants serve up authentic cuisines from all around the world. The streets are densely packed with businesses, making for a highly pedestrian-friendly environment. Nature is usually accentuated: the shimmering Lake Champlain, back dropped by a saw tooth silhouette of peaks, forms the western edge of Burlington. Madison, WI, is situated on an isthmus between two lakes that draw hordes of hikers and bikers. Boulder, CO, is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream.

And don’t forget the bars. Each of these locales offers plenty of opportunities for imbibing, many of them ideal for both people-watching and soaking in the scenery. It’s hard to beat sunset cocktails at Austin’s Oasis, where tiered decks jut from a 450-foot-high cliff over Lake Travis.

These attractions are mainly geared toward the students, naturally, but they can be readily enjoyed by those with no homework assignments or college connections. After all, few sports experiences can top the rafter-shaking raucousness in Chapel Hill, NC, during a Tar Heels basketball game. Many schools benefit from world-class art collections in glittering facilities designed by marquee architects; Chapel Hill’s Ackland Art Museum, featuring a wing by Polshek Partnership, tempts visitors with Warhols, Titians, and Dalís in a way that many university-less cities cannot.”

From September 2009 By C. J. Hughes Travel & Leisure

How To Post Your Entry

All you have to do to enter is tell us through photo, video, essay, haiku, etc. why YOU are #1 Fan of Fridays on the Front Porch. Post your stuff on this blog and use the title: "#1 FOFP FAN - Your Name".

What's the Grand Prize?

The Carolina Inn is awarding the #1 FOFP FAN:

- 2 months (8 Fridays) of FOFP buffet and drink tickets for you and four guest $1,040 value).  Each Friday, you will receive: 10 drink tickets and 5 southern picnic buffet tickets

- Reserved, front row table seating for 5 (priceless!)

- Valet parking for 1 car for all 8 Fridays ($80 value)

- 5 FOFP t-shirts ($100 value)

How We Will Select the Lucky Winner

Our executive team will select the winner based on the creativity, originality and quality of the entry.

When Is The Deadline?

Deadline for entry is Monday, November 2, 2009 at 12PM.
The grand prize winner will be officially announced November 7, 2009 at the Tailgate Party on the Front Porch 3 hours prior to the UNC vs. Duke homecoming game.

Good luck Everyone, and Happy Uploading!

More Details:

- To enter, users need to be Facebook FANS of The Carolina Inn.

- If you are a Carolina Inn employee, you may not participate in this competition.

- Winner will be contacted via a facebook message within 7 days after the competition end-date.

- Should the winner not respond to their Facebook communication within 3 days, the prize will be forfeited and given to the next runner-up.

- Winners should allow 30 days for prize delivery after winner announcement.

- FOFP tickets must be used by November 30, 2010.

- Prize is valid for 1 year! Tickets may be used for FOFP or Tailgate Party on the Front Porch.

- The Carolina Inn shall have the right to terminate the competition immediately and without notice. In the event of such termination, all participants agree to waive any rights that they may have in terms of this promotion and acknowledge that they will have no recourse against The Carolina Inn.

- Submissions must not contain material which is violent, pornographic or otherwise obscene, illegal or racially or otherwise morally offensive.

Entering this competition indicates acceptance of all the above rules.

For more information on our special events click here

View our FOFP 2009 Season Band Line-Up

Sit Back, Relax and Enjoy an Outdoor Concert or Movie

Fridays on the Front Porch at The Carolina Inn. Every Friday from 5-8 PM through October 16, 2009 with live bluegrass music, great food and drink specials. On the porch overlooking the inn's tree-shaded north lawn. No cover charge or reservations required. View band schedule. View Southern Picnic Buffet Menu.

"Locally Grown" sponsored by The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership and the Town of Chapel Hill. A free nine-week series of live concerts and outdoor movies featuring local entertainers and family-friendly activities in downtown Chapel Hill. Presented every Thursday on the Wallace Plaza, an urban park atop the Wallace Parking Deck at 150 East Rosemary Street. Click here for more info.

300 East Main Summer Concert Series hosted by Cats Cradle, The ArtsCenter and Musical Roots Productions. Every 4th Thursday, June through September in the parking lot at 300 East Main Street, Carrboro. Gates open at 4:30. All ages are welcome. Admission is free. Vendors include Q Shack, Amante Gourmet Pizza and Carolina Brewery. Click here for more information.

Cool Off at One of Our Acquatic Centers

With the warm weather finally here, visit one of the best kept secrets of Chapel Hill the outdoor & A.D. Clark pool at the Hargraves Center. Chapel Hill also has two public indoor pools the recently renovated (2007) Community Center pool, or jump in at the bran new Homestead Aquatic Center for swimming and aquatic fun.

View the local pool schedules for lap, open swim, and senior swim times. View General Pool Information

Pack a Picnic and Your Hiking Shoes and Explore North Carolina's Natural Beauty

Jordan Lake A 13,900-acre reservoir with 150 miles of shoreline and off U.S. 64, west of Apex. Jordan Lake State Park offers nine recreation areas with facilities for hiking, fishing, boating, swimming, sailing, picnicking, and camping. Order a lunch to go at the Carolina Crossroads Restaurant, rent a boat from Crosswinds Marina and spend a day at the lake!

Eno River State Park Minutes from Durham, Hillsborough, and Chapel Hill the Eno River State Park , with more than 3,900 acres of natural resources, offers secluded wilderness trails along the clear river, passing historic mill sites and fords used by early settlers. The River runs from northwest Orange County into Durham County for 33 miles where it joins the Flat River. This is a great place for canoeing, hiking, fishing, and picknicking.

Too Hot for the Outdoors? Discover our Unique Local Museums

Kidzu Museum on Franklin Street, just one block away from The Carolina Inn. A hands-on museum in the heart of downtown Chapel Hill where children 0-8 years old and the adults in their lives can safely discover, pretend, and play to their heart's content. Open Tuesday-Saturday 10 am - 5 pm and Sunday 1-5 pm. View Kidzu's July 2009 Special Event Calendar.

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center on UNC campus, just steps away from The Carolina Inn. Morehead offers dazzling multimedia star shows, interactive exhibits featuring current science research and an array of classes, lectures, and other special events year-round.

Carolina Basketball Museum. This new 8,000-sq.ft. state-of-the-art museum honors the rich tradition of Carolina Basketball. The museum features a Game Day theme where visitors enter a theater for pre-game build-up, then into the main museum space where they can visit interactive displays and view memorabilia from Carolina's storied program on the UNC court. Open Tue-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 9 am - 1 pm.

Tour & Drive Through Chapel Hill, Durham and Surroundings with a Local Connoisseur

Tours n Tales. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Charlie Delmar came to Chapel Hill in 1968, back when everyone knew one another and he learned his many colorful tales from the best teachers available: professors at all the local universities and colleges. See more, do more and learn more about our beautiful area than you could possibly do on your own. Private and mixed tours available in Chapel Hill and Durham. Call 919.656.2595 or e-mail ambassadorcarservice@earthlink.net for reservations. 

Looking for a Refreshing Afternoon Snack? I Scream for Ice Cream!

Maple View Farm - a family dairy farm located in Orange County, North Carolina, just northwest of Chapel Hill. The farm has a very popular ice cream store within sight of the farm at the intersection of Dairyland and Rocky Ridge roads. With plenty of flavors to choose from, enjoy your ice cream cone one their front porch rocking chairs with a great view of the rolling countryside. Open 12- 10PM Sunday - Saturday

Loco Pops - Serving gourmet frozen pops with a variety of great flavors daily from 12 - 9 PM. 2 locations in Chapel Hill ? 128 E. Franklin St. and 231 South Elliott Road. A refreshing mid-day snack.

Sugarland - Serving artisan gelato as well as cupcakes and desserts. In the heart of downtown Franklin Street. Open daily from 9 am - Midnight.

What is your favorite thing to do in Chapel Hill in the summer?  We want to know!  - add to our list. 

Mike Megaloudis
Concierge