Going out doesn’t always mean “going out,” and it doesn’t always have to mean stealing from your savings account, either. Chapel Hill and Carborro are full of unique and easy activities that won't force you to spend your entire loan refund.
- Memorial Hall student tickets are only $10! Who knew? They have really talented and unique acts, that are often pretty well known. Sometimes music, sometimes plays, sometimes acrobatics. It’s all there and it’s all $10. Here’s a schedule.
- Check the UConnection app if you’re getting pizza. There’s almost always a deal when it comes to pizza. You’ll never pay full price for pizza ever again.
- The Carolina Inn has Friday Nights on the Front Porch from 5 p.m to 8 p.m every Friday until Oct. 7. It features local (typically Americana/folk) bands. There's no cost to attend, and food or drink purchasing is optional.
- Flyleaf Books off of MLK has an open mic and poetry reading the second Thursday of every month. They feature published poets, so you can come and listen to cool spoken word without feeling pressured to go up and read anything like it’s 9th grade English class all over again.
- The Arts Center in Carrboro puts on a TON of shows, and most of them are $10 or less. They’re usually obscure and odd and beautiful.
- The cat bookstore on Franklin (which is formally titled “The Bookshop of Chapel Hill"), has a back room filled from bottom to top with actual books. If it’s a topic, they have a book on it, and it costs way less than Barnes & Noble. It’s like Davis Library but without the harsh fluorescent lights and tiny jail windows. And you get to keep the book. And I mean, if all else fails, the books make a pretty Instagram picture.
- The Carrboro Farmers' Market is every Saturday and Wednesday. Check here for current hours (they change with the season). It supports local farmers and artisans AND it’s something healthy to balance out all the alcohol you drink at the beginning of the year.
- Chapel Hill has a farmers' market too.
- Johnny’s Gone Fishing is a really neat coffee shop in Carrboro, and they do SO MUCH more than coffee. They have live music every week (all free but with suggested donations) and they also have all kinds of artsy things to do. They encourage strangers to play the piano, they have a cute garden and occasionally have farmers selling fruits and veggies. Here’s a weekly schedule, and here’s the music and events schedule. They also have fabulous coffee and homemade treats. The decor is the definition of Carrboro’s aesthetic.
- Pay attention to drink specials! If you’re feeling like actually Going Out, see which bars have deals on the day you’re going out. TRU Deli has $4 pints on Mondays, because cheap beer is exactly what we all need on a Monday. Or Country Fried Duck does $2.50 drinks on Thursdays, if you’re feeling like getting especially lit.
