Business Travel Guide:
Raleigh,
Durham and Chapel Hill, North
Carolina
Three principal cities—Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill—shape this vibrant hub of New South culture with an Old South pedigree that has come to be called "the Triangle." More than a cultural center, it's a transportation hub, as it lies near the state's geographical center, with I-85 and I-95 both gliding past the metropolitan area, and I-40 crossing it east-west. Now a half century old, Research Triangle Park anchors this fast-growing region's economy. The world's largest research park is home to more than one hundred cutting-edge electronic and medical research firms, including GlaxoSmithKline, SAS Institute and IBM. In addition, four major universities—Duke University, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—fuel its fast-paced rise to international prominence. Needless to say, this is an area prepared to meet the needs of its visitors, whether they are English professors, parents of college students, or captains of industry. |
Facts
to Know Before You Go |
Transportation:
Rental
Cars: The vast majority of visitors will come to the Triangle through the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, one of the busiest in the Southeast, with more than 250 flights daily outbound and direct flights to London, England. Because its business and entertainment centers are scattered across three counties, the Triangle is most easily traveled by car. There are six major car rental companies located at the airport. They can be reached by shuttle bus from the green bus shelters marked "Rental Car." Shuttles run approximately every 15 minutes.
Bus: Although Raleigh, Durham and Chapel
Hill each offer bus service, connections are limited
between cities and late-night services are infrequent.
Taxis: This
is not the most economical or efficient way to travel
around the Triangle, especially if you plan to do
a lot of moving about. As for getting into town
upon arrival, expect to pay approximately $30 for
a trip between the airport and downtown Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill.
Limousines: Several companies offer
limousine service, and prices range from around
$45-$65 to downtown Raleigh or Research Triangle
Park. |
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Information:
The
News & Observer, Raleigh's daily, is
the Triangle's largest circulation newspaper
and offers daily business coverage. The (Durham) Herald-Sun
focuses on Durham and Chapel Hill.
The weekly Triangle
Business Journal provides in-depth news
on local
businesses.
The weekly Independent covers the political scene with the most comprehensive local events, arts, movie and dining listings in the area.
Bi-monthly editions of Chapel Hill magazine, Durham magazine, and the monthly Raleigh Metro magazine are available at many newsstands and in the guest rooms of most major hotels. |
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Called "the university's living room," this historic inn boasts an elegant brick façade and two-story portico. Located at the edge of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill campus, the inn hints at the old-fashioned charm and Southern hospitality that await travelers within. Guest rooms and suites are furnished in Old South tradition (think floral chintz), but that doesn't preclude business-focused conveniences such as data ports, dual telephone lines and voicemail. Other notable features include an inner courtyard with a lush, New Orleans feel, a lively bar scene, and the Carolina Crossroads Restaurant, serving New American cuisine with a Southern accent.
Surrounded by woods, this facility offers a rare combination
of attractive setting and convenience to the airport.
Supremely well situated for business, the
inn is just ten minutes from Research Triangle Park
and within a half an hour of just about any Triangle destination.
Guest rooms are furnished with refrigerators, microwaves
and coffeemakers, as well as ergonomic work stations
with high-speed Internet access. Other amenities include
an indoor pool and whirlpool and an on-site restaurant
serving breakfast, lunch and dinner (including evening
room service).
Located just three miles from the airport, this hotel offers the amenities most business travelers require. The facility has a business center as well as seven meeting rooms that comprise 4,300 square feet. Nearby companies include Cisco, IBM, SAS, and Northern Telecom. The 223 guest rooms are fully stocked for corporate guests with two phones, voice mail, data ports and high-speed Internet access. The lobby restaurant is convenient for grabbing a quick bite. On-site facilities include an indoor pool and whirlpool.
The Siena Hotel's imposing Italian palazzo exterior may come as a surprise when you first drive up, given that it is part of a major college town setting. But once you're inside, you will relax in the posh décor and let the attentive staff, who leave Belgian chocolates on your pillow, soothe your travel-worn soul. Rooms include high-speed Internet access and WiFi hookup, as well as some convenient amenities such as multiple phones, voicemail and data ports. Il Palio, the hotel's restaurant, lives up to lavish expectations with a first-rate menu of Italian regional cuisine and an exceptional wine list.
The newest luxury hotel in the area, the Umstead provides the Raleigh/Cary side of the Triangle with an answer to the upscale comforts of The Siena, The Carolina Inn, and the Washington Duke. This privately owned lodging—adjoining the grounds of SAS Institute—is surrounded by tranquil forests with a three-acre lake. A Dale Chihuly glass sculpture in the lobby complements the hotel's contemporary architecture, and sets the standard for an impressive collection of art adorning the walls of the public rooms. The Umstead's highly acclaimed restaurant, Herons, opens onto an expansive terrace, the perfect setting to sip a beverage and enjoy the lakeside view. With a eucalyptus steam room, whirlpool, and sauna, the day spa offers opportunities for complete relaxation.
Complementing the mood and architecture of the university. the Washington Duke Inn is an imposing structure built in the style of an English country estate. Ensconced in a wooded grove between Duke University's campus and its championship golf course, the inn is just as impressive inside, where antique furniture and oriental rugs set a clubby, old-money mood. Bedrooms and suites are tastefully furnished and are supplied with modern amenities including separate T1 connections. Fairview, the formal dining room, whose menu and wine list are every bit as lavish as its setting, overlooks the Robert Trent Jones-designed golf course. |
This lace-curtained bistro in the heart of one of Raleigh's oldest neighborhoods is equally suitable for a business dinner or a romantic night out. Chef/proprietor John Toler's globetrotting, seasonally changing menu leads off with the likes of Louisiana frogs legs over artichoke purée or a gratin of spinach and Brussels sprouts topped with a ragoût of wild mushrooms. Entrées provide comfort fare, with such dishes as pork "osso buco" with mashed sweet potatoes and Granny Smith apples or a stifado of rabbit over orzo with fennel sausage.
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Bold paintings of oversized fruits and vegetables hung on deep midnight blue walls set a vibrant, trendy-casual mood in Elaine's intimately scaled dining room and bar. This is the perfect setting for owner/chef Bret Jennings' striking presentations. His imaginative dishes include sweet garlic bisque with crispy fried North Carolina oysters or a confit of Georgia quail with Anson Mill grits for starters. For main dishes, consider pan-roasted North Carolina striped bass with baby artichokes or grilled Niman Ranch pork tenderloin with bacalo fritters. Whatever you choose, Elaine's outstanding wine selection assures a match.
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Four
Square
2701 Chapel Hill Rd.
Durham, NC
919-401-9877
|
14/20
$$$$$ |
Located in an old Durham neighborhood, this restored Victorian "four square" style home—with a square body, hip roof and dormers—showcases the talents of chef Shane Ingram and his wife Elizabeth Woodhouse. The talented couple's combined résumés include stints at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago and The Inn at Little Washington. The monthly changing bill of fare lives up to expectations, serving up such entrées as roasted squab with root vegetable gnocchi, black cardamom green beans and an orange-cinnamon scented squab reduction, egg-battered Kahuku giant prawn on a wild Hawaiian red rice salad, and grilled veal chop with lobster mushrooms and horseradish jus. Combined with polished service and a first-rate wine list, it makes for one of the very finest dining experiences in the area.
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One of the Triangle's plushest dining rooms, Herons adjoins the Umstead Hotel's elegant lobby and opens to an expansive terrace with a delightful view of woodlands and a lake. Looking through a cut-glass window to the kitchen, guests may glimpse award-winning chef Scott Crawford making magic from locally grown meats and produce. His five-course tasting menu with wine pairings is one of the most exciting and adventurous culinary experiences in the area. Such delicacies as vanilla poached lobster with parsnip purée, spice-crusted venison loin with black trumpet mushrooms, and roasted pheasant with burnt honey butter are tempting choices on the dinner menu. Crawford offers vegetarians equally enticing dishes such as a butternut squash risotto embellished with pumpkin seeds and golden raisins. The long wine list is daunting, but you can count on the experienced sommelier to guide you to inspired pairings. For business dining to impress clients, little rises to this level.
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Nana's
2514 University Dr.
Durham, NC 27707
919-493-8545 |
15/20
$$$$$ |
Nana's happy colors, bold paintings, and quirky light fixtures introduce one of the Triangle's very finest dining experiences. Mediterranean flavors and North Carolina produce are the hallmark of chef/owner Scott Howell's unfussy menu which may include his signature chicken liver pâté, paired with pickled okra and blueberry conserve; braised rabbit leg with house-made gnocchi and Brussels sprouts, pan-roasted red snapper with white beans, or the chef's delectable risotto du jour, always prepared with the freshest seasonal produce. Just one caveat: If you're hoping for quiet conversation, avoid the closely spaced banquettes along the wall.
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Second
Empire
330 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27605
919-829-3663 |
13/20
$$$$$ |
Set in an elegantly restored Victorian mansion appointed with such details as a hand-carved staircase and white linen draped tables set with Christofle and Villeroy & Boch, Second Empire is one of the Triangle's most beautiful settings for fine dining. Chef Daniel Schurr's cuisine lives up to the mood with lavish fare such as steamed clams from Sneads Ferry, NC; an empanada filled with pan-fried shrimp and chorizo; a classic ballotine of Ashley Farms chicken; and among main dishes, a roasted five-spice duck breast with honey-roasted pear gratin and butternut squash purée; or a grain-mustard roasted rack of Australian lamb and lamb loin with butter-braised Savoy cabbage. Downstairs, The Tavern offers a more casual menu and a bar for grazing, although the food is still serious, with such dishes as braised short ribs with polenta and Swiss chard. Still, if you're looking for French onion soup or a Caesar salad, here's where you'll find it.
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Search
for more Raleigh/Durham
restaurants.
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City
Market
303 Blake St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-821-1350
www.citymarketraleigh.com
 A hundred years ago, the cobblestone streets of City
Market were downtown Raleigh's primary commercial
district. Today, the revitalized district is a hub of
cultural life, boasting a variety of shops,
restaurants and clubs. In addition to a number of art
galleries, you'll find stores specializing in
everything from imported chocolates to Native American
artifacts. Every Wednesday, you'll encounter food enthusiasts browsing the stalls of a bustling farmers market. After the sun goes down, entertainment options range from jazz to comedy.
North
Carolina Museum of Art
2110 Blue Ridge Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-839-6262
ncartmuseum.org
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Raleigh has so many museums, the collection is known as "the Smithsonian of the South." Among them, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the nation's
first publicly funded art museum, boasts one of the
South's premier collections. The permanent
art collection spans more than 5,000 years, from ancient
Egypt to the present, with European Renaissance and
Impressionist paintings particularly well-represented.
Other galleries are devoted to African, ancient American
and Oceanic art, as well as Jewish ceremonial art. NCMA's many blockbuster exhibitions attract crowds from all over the region. Re-opening April 24, 2010, after an extensive renovation and the addition of a stunning new 127,000-square-foot building, the venue is worthy of the works of art inside.
North
Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
11 W. Jones St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-733-7450
www.naturalsciences.org
 That dinosaur looking at you through
the glass dome atop a massive stone building in downtown
Raleigh, is not a mirage. It's just
one of the many impressive displays at the North Carolina
Museum of Natural Sciences. Others include an arthropod
zoo, fossil lab, tropical exhibit and the hands-on Naturalist
Center and Discovery Room. Especially impressive is
the "Mountains to the Sea Exhibit," which begins on the
third floor and follows a stream and its environs all
the way to the ground floor.
RBC
Center
1400 Edwards Mill Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-861-2300
www.rbccenter.com
 Raleigh's 21,000-seat indoor arena hosts headlining
entertainers and major sporting events. When RBC is
not hosting a home game of the North Carolina State
University Wolfpack basketball team, or the Carolina
Hurricanes of the NHL, the schedule is booked with entertainers
ranging from Van Halen to Barry Manilow.
A
Southern Season
201 S. Estes Dr.
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-929-7133
www.southernseason.com
 Stunning in its size as well as its scope, and amazing for the depth and breadth of its offerings, A Southern Season is one of the largest gourmet food and cookware shops on the East coast. Hours of shopping entertainment await the serious foodie. You can browse through gift baskets, scores of hot sauces and imported chocolates and display cases groaning with everything from foie gras to imported, as well as locally made, artisanal cheeses to house-made salads and sandwiches. And the wine collection offers many surprises—such as Swiss wines—not found in even larger markets. The cavernous store also offers gourmet wares from Wüsthof cutlery to Vietri tableware. Upstairs, a state-of-the-art cooking school boasts appearances by many of the finest chefs and cookbook writers in the country.
Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours
919-237-2254
www.tastecarolina.net
Now that the Triangle Area has become a center for gastro-tourism, two companies offer "foodie" tours of downtown Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. The tours include an insider's view of locally owned restaurant kitchens, bakeries, chocolate shops and farmers' markets. On each tour, visitors will meet some of the Triangle's best chefs and food artisans, taste their delicious wares, and walk off the calories, to boot! Pig enthusiasts will love Taste Carolina's "Whole Hog Barbecue Bus Tour," which explores North Carolina's obsession with hickory-smoked pulled pork.
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