Love the place you live: Historic Hillsborough, NC

A town full of artists, writers and farmers sounds like our kind of place, so it's surprising that it took us this long to visit historic Hillsborough, NC. (We actually picked up our marriage license at the courthouse there several years ago but were too engrossed in the moment to explore.)

Inspired by Design Mom's Love the Place You Live series and desperate to find a new, family-friendly activity, we loaded up our entourage last Saturday morning and headed to Hillsborough.

Our first stop was the Eno River Farmers Market, where we bought delicious herbed goat cheese and a handful of dahlias the size of my head.

We also happened upon a bluegrass band, which serenaded the girls with "You are my sunshine." What luck! 

From the farmers market, we wandered down to the Riverwalk, a dirt path that winds through a park and along the Eno River.

There was a lot of leaf crunching to be done along the path.

Then we walked a block to the main drag and stopped into Weaver Street Market, a local coop,  for some coffee, bread—to enjoy with our goat cheese—and pumpkin scones. Yum.

The few blocks making up the downtown area are filled with galleries, a yarn store, a chocolate shop, several restaurants, an old-timey hardware store and the sweet little Purple Crow Books, where I could spend every Saturday morning of my life.

The prominent fire station was an exciting bonus for the toddler among us.

As I mentioned in my last Love the Place You Live post, we're starting to get antsy about whether to stay in North Carolina or make a big move before the girls are school aged. This decision is a difficult one; my mountain-loving heart belongs in the Rockies, my husband's surfer heart belongs at the beach and someone has to make a living along the way. But this little outing got us thinking...Perhaps we actually belong in quiet, artsy, idyllic Hillsborough?

P.S. Here’s one last photo in case you're doubting my claim to have bought dahlias the size of my head or wondering what kind of gear it requires to spend a morning out with two under 2 years.