Chapel Hill Tourism At a Glance
Best Time to Visit Chapel Hill North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a great destination throughout the year. The area has a favorable mild climate and there are numerous attractions, great restaurants and wonderful accommodations. Autumn and spring are peak times for visitors. Chapel Hill is home to the University of North Carolina, thus many university events attract large visitors. Many university conferences are in Sept. - Nov. and Feb. - April and spring commencement is in early May. Also, football Saturdays in the Fall bring many visitors to town on the weekends.
To make your travel plans easier, it's best to book in advance during peak visitor periods. Click Here to find hotels in Chapel Hill. If you need additional visitor information for Chapel Hill, Click Here.
Average Chapel Hill Weather
In recent years, the Places Rated Almanac published by Rand McNally has ranked the climate of Chapel Hill in the top 15% of all areas in the U.S.
Summers range from the mid 60's to the high 80's; Fall sees high 40's to the low 70's; Winter ranges from high 20's to the low 50's and Spring has mid 40 to low 70 temperatures. The annual average high is 71, while the average low is 47. The average annual rainfall is 46.24 inches, with the annual snowfall at 5.3 inches.
Transportation
Chapel Hill, located in Orange County in the Triangle region of the northeast Piedmont of North Carolina, is nestled approximately midway between Washington, DC, and Atlanta, GA. Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is 20 miles east. The nearest rail service is at Durham (20 minutes away) and Burlington (30 minutes away). Carolina Trailways picks up passengers in Chapel Hill and travels to Raleigh for all interstate service on Greyhound. Major highways through the county include Interstates 40 (east and west) and 85 (north and south), US Highways 15-501 and NC Highways 49, 54, 57, 86 and 157. Chapel Hill Transit bus service is free throughout Chapel Hill and the university. Taxis, shuttle service and rental cars are readily available.
In-Season Costs
Affectionately referred to as the "Southern Part of Heaven," Chapel Hill offers a small-town flavor with big-city amenities. Visitors can find full-service and limited-service hotels, bed & breakfast inns, extended stay lodging and casual facilities. In fact, Chapel Hill holds the honor of being home to two of the four AAA© Four Diamond hotels in the Triangle. Room tax is 2% for accommodations in Orange County and 5% for accommodations in Chapel Hill (2% county + 3% Chapel Hill). Many accommodations offer special government rates and various package options.
North Carolina Tourism - Chapel Hill Attractions, Activities and Day Trips
Popular day trips from Chapel Hill include Historic Hillsborough (20 minutes north), Durham (20 minutes northeast) and Raleigh (30 minutes east). Other popular destinations are Burlington, Greensboro and the Triad area to the west (30 minutes to an hour) and Pinehurst, about an hour south of Chapel Hill. Being centrally located, Chapel Hill is just a few hours drive to the mountains or the coast.
Staying close to your home base, you'll find numerous activities to keep you day busy right in Chapel Hill. Attractions including the Morehead Planetarium & Science Center, the North Carolina Botanical Garden, Ackland Art Museum and the historic University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus (the oldest public university in the country).
Click Here to find things to do in Chapel Hill. Click Here to view a list of attractions in Chapel Hill. Click Here to find restaurants in Chapel Hill. Click Here to find local events in Chapel Hill.
Things to do in Chapel Hill NC, Sightseeing and Chapel Hill NC Tourism
View our list of tourist attractions, activities, events, hotels, restaurants and visitor information entries to help you plan a Chapel Hill NC Vacation! Find detailed information on the Chapel Hill NC tourism entries by clicking on their links. Narrow your search by selecting from a specific travel category on the left hand menu.
Fun things to do in Chapel Hill NC include Lumina Theatre, Regal Timberlyne 6 and PlayMakers Repertory Company. View all things to do in Chapel Hill NC.
Places to stay in North Carolina - Top North Carolina Accommodations
Some of the most popular places to stay in Chapel Hill NC include Governors Club Cottages, Residence Inn by Marriott Chapel Hill and Microtel Inn And Suites Hillsborough. View all places to stay in Chapel Hill NC.
If you enjoy swimming, view our list of hotels with indoor pools in Chapel Hill NC.
Create an online Chapel Hill NC vacation itinerary
You can use WeGoPlaces.com to plan your Chapel Hill NC vacation itinerary! To begin, select from our list of Chapel Hill NC tourist attractions, activities, accommodations, events, restaurants or Chapel Hill NC vacation & visitor information entries. Click the "Add" button to add individual entries to your online Chapel Hill NC vacation itinerary.
