Franklin Street

Chapel Hill, NC

Historic Street in Chapel Hill with independent shops and university orientated businesses and entertainment venues.

Franklin Street is a notable thoroughfare in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Considered instrumental in the social makeup of the University of North Carolina it is home to restaurants, shops, bars, businesses associated with the university and even museums.

Historical businesses have included the original Colonial drug-store, where Lincoln High School students staged sit-ins during the spring of 1960 at the store's soda fountain. Dr. Martin Luther King visited the university shortly afterwards. Another famous institution was "The Rat'' restaurant, with its signature Lasagna was another notable site. It was opened by an Austrian Holocaust Refugee in 1948 and comprised different rooms on a basement level. The restaurant was immensely popular with faculty and students at the university and was adorned with UNC memorabilia and welcomed such famous alumni as Michael Jordan before it closed in 2008.

Roughly three miles in length, the street is divided into East and West Franklin. Named after Benjamin Franklin by the commissioners of the university in the 1790s, at one end Franklin Street borders the campus. Further to the East are historic homes, included amongst them are the President's House, Kennette House, the Presbyterian Manse and the Samuel Phillips house. Many of these original buildings are accessible through annual tours which benefit the Chapel Hill Preservation Society.

Visitors will find plenty of shops selling everything from university merchandise, jewelry and clothes as well as a wide variety of restaurants. Top of the Hill serves its signature herbed fried chicken whilst other venues offer Mexican, Southern, Middle Eastern and Turkish fare. East Franklin is the place to go for the more raucous student patronized bars and clubs, as well as late night eateries and university souvenirs. Further west is a more mature crowd, classier restaurants and a more refined feel.

The Chapel Hill Museum is situated in the old Chapel Hill public library building. One of its permanent exhibits is "Meet me on Franklin Street'' which tells the story of this famous thoroughfare, from the auctioning of village lots in 1793 to sports celebrations and the history of various businesses. There is a 1940s streetscape for visitors to wander along and artifacts such as early menus have been loaned.

Franklin Street is also famous for its celebrations and annual festivals - most of which are connected to the University. Victory celebrations are understandably the mainstay of such events. "Bonfire''celebrations traditionally follow any win for the men's basketball team. Students have been known to literally paint the street in Carolina blue in the event that the team makes the national championship game. In 2009, 45,000 fans and students crowded Franklin Street when UNC won the men's championship.

Although lower key than in the past, a Halloween celebration occurs every year. With the numbers previously topping 80,000 attendees, Attempts to reduce both the cost and the logistical inconvenience of such a large event has resulted in attendances of less than half of those numbers.