| Governors Club is located in Chapel Hill which is part of the Triangle area of North Carolina along with Durham and Raleigh, the state capitol. Together, they offer Governors Club residents a variety of cultural and arts activities, educational opportunities, sporting events, and medical services. This vibrant area is blessed with a unique mixture of small town charm and big city attractions. Fortune Magazine has named the Triangle area the nation’s top area for business and Consumer Guide ranked it as the number one place to retire in America. During one week, you could attend a symphony concert, sign up for continuing education classes at one of three universities or go bass fishing in nearby Jordan Lake. Governors Club is a short commute from internationally-known Research Triangle Park, home to 40 major corporations and convenient to Raleigh Durham International Airport. At Governors Club, you can enjoy the pleasures of a cosmopolitan community in a private, peaceful setting that is the perfect place to call home. CultureBecause of the area’s historical significance, several museums of local and national reputation are located here. At the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh is one of the finest Dutch and Flemish collections in the world, as well as works by American, Italian and French impressionists. The permanent collection includes works by masters such as Monet, Rubens and Goya, and American artists Andrew Wyeth and Georgia O’Keefe. The museum is best known for its European collection, which includes work by Giotto, Raphael and Botticelli. A dozen special exhibitions are held each year. Admission is free.
(2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, 919-839-6262) The North Carolina Museum of History, also in Raleigh, traces the state’s roots to the first English colonies in America. More than 100,000 items are on display, including the original Carolina Charter of 1663. Special exhibits, lectures, concerts and craft demonstrations are scheduled throughout the year. Admission is free.
(5 East Edenton Street, Raleigh, 919-715-0200) The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh showcases the state’s wildlife, flora and environment. The museum’s marine mammal exhibit is called one of the finest in the country, and it includes two massive, full-size whale skeletons. Other exhibits highlight native birds, Indian artifacts and the wide range of habitats found in the state. Admission is free.
(11 W. Jones Street, Raleigh, 919-733-7451) The North Carolina Museum of Life and Science, Durham, is a hands-on museum, with science experiments to try, animals to pet and a huge walk-through butterfly house. The Aerospace exhibit is one of the museum’s most impressive, with artifacts dating back to the first days of space exploration. Children love the dinosaur trail and the entire family will enjoy the ride on the Ellerbee Creek Railway through a 48-acre wildlife sanctuary. Admission charged.
(433 W. Murray Avenue, 919-220-5429)
SportsSports fans everywhere know about Atlantic Coast Conference basketball. ACC basketball rivalry in the Triangle with UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, and N.C. State University, is unique because of the proximity of these schools and their top-notch basketball programs. Carolina, Duke and State also offer exciting ACC football. Next to football, the most prominent fall sport is soccer. The ACC is the top ranking soccer conference in the nation. UNC and N.C. State traditionally have strong soccer programs and are part of the NCAA tournament on a regular basis. Baseball season in the Triangle is focused on the Durham Bulls (919-956-BULL) and the Carolina Mudcats (919-269-2287). The Durham Bulls are the sport’s most successful Class AAA minor league franchise. The Bulls play 70 home games a year and general admission tickets are $4.50. The team was featured in the 1988 motion picture, "Bull Durham." For those who wish to participate in sports, the Town of Chapel Hill (919-968-2888) offers a co-ed soccer program with activities for all ages and skills, as well as separate men’s and women’s volleyball, tennis, softball, baseball and basketball leagues. And here, tennis is a most popular participative sport! Plus, outdoor enthusiasts can also enjoy canoeing and kayaking on the Haw River, where they can shoot the rapids just 10 miles south of Chapel Hill. An inland windsurfer’s paradise can be found on Jordan Lake (919-362-0586), where the fabulous wide open spaces also provide exceptional opportunities for sailing, motor boating and fishing. And where a multitude of public beaches offer exceptional recreation outlets, as well. Durham boasts 170 miles of hiking, jogging and biking trails throughout the city. Both child and adult soccer programs are available in Durham, as are senior's fitness programs. Raleigh’s independent Capital Area Soccer League, for children and adults, is a training program for some of the area’s best soccer players. Raleigh Area Masters, a competitive swimming team for ages 22 and older, includes several former Olympians. Most participants are in the 30-50 age group.
TheatrePlaymakers Repertory Company, Chapel Hill, is the state’s only year-round professional resident theatre. The company performs both classic and modern works. The Broadway hit "Agnes of God" was first performed by PRC. (On the UNC campus, 919-962-7529) Touring companies of major Broadway shows visit
Memorial Hall on the UNC campus in Chapel Hill.
(919-962-1449) Duke University not only brings in Broadway road shows, but has also presented productions making their way to Broadway debuts. Among the shows previewed by Duke audiences were Neil Simon’s "Broadway Bound," Jack Lemmon in Eugene O’Neill’s "Long Days Journey Into Night," Jason Robards in "A Month of Sundays," and Mikhail Baryshnikov in "Metamorphosis."
(Duke Campus, Durham, 919-684-4444) Raleigh Little Theatre is one of the oldest community theatres in the country. Productions range from comedies to musicals to dramas.
(301 Pogue Street, 919-821-3111) City sponsored, The North Carolina Theatre draws actors from New York as well as North Carolina. Musicals are the company’s primary production, and shows are staged at Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh.
(1 East South Street, 919-831-6941)
Music Believed to be the only state-supported symphony in the country, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 430 times a year, and most of those concerts are free programs for the state’s school children. The Symphony offers three concert series each year and features many guest performers. Its outdoor July 4th concert in Cary’s Amphitheatre at Regency Park, just outside Raleigh, is an area favorite.
(2 E. South Street, 919-733-2750) Both the RBC Center and Alltel Pavilion, serve as venues for some of world’s top music entertainers.
Dance Dubbed "The World’s Greatest Dance Festival" by New York Post critic Clive Barnes, the yearly American Dance Festival is one of the premier events of the Triangle and the dance world. Every June over 500 dance enthusiasts gather on the Duke University campus for six weeks of performances and workshops. The ADF has been called "artistically, the most important gathering of modern dance performers and students in America" by The Wall Street Journal.
(East Campus, 919-684-4444)
Other Attractions Located on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, Morehead Planetarium has attracted over 3 million visitors since it opened in 1949. Astronauts from the Mercury program to the space shuttle have regularly visited the planetarium for celestial navigation training. Star shows are presented nightly, giving the viewer a simulated trip through the sky. The Planetarium also has science and art exhibits. Admission charged.
(919-549-6863) North Carolina Botanical Gardens is the largest botanical garden in the Southeast. Located on 330 acres, the garden features over 3 miles of walking trails with the most complete carnivorous plant collection in the Southeast and one of the best collections of herbs in the country.
(Laurel Hill Road & 15-501 Bypass, Chapel Hill, 919-962-0522) The Horace Williams House serves as a community cultural center for art exhibits and concerts and is headquarters for the Chapel Hill Preservation Society.
(610 E. Rosemary Street, 919-942-7818) Duke Chapel, noted for its magnificent Gothic architecture and its Flentrop organ, is considered one of the finest in the western hemisphere. Special programs are presented at Easter and Christmas, and a series of concerts features the chapel organist or guest artists. Frequent carillon recitals are presented during the academic year, as well as programs of religious drama and pageantry.
(West Campus, Duke University, 919-684-2921) A national historic landmark and state historic site, Duke Homestead and Tobacco Museum presents the story of tobacco through displays and artifacts of the original Duke family home. Free admission.
(2828 Duke Homestead Road, Durham, 919-477-5498) One of the newest and most innovative centers for the arts in the Triangle is Artspace in Raleigh. Located in a 30.000 square-foot building downtown, Artspace offers low-rent studios to qualified artists. The public is invited to visit Artspace and watch artists work. Free admission.
(201 East Davie Street, Raleigh, 919-821-ARTS)
Quick TripsThe best of urban and rural living can be found in the Triangle, where you can boat or ride horseback all day and still attend a symphony that night. Both the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic coastal beaches are only a morning’s drive away from Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh. The Blue Ridge Parkway, the state’s most popular attraction, is also the nation’s favorite national park. It stretches through nearly 300 miles of uninterrupted, matchless scenery. The Biltmore House and Gardens, George Vanderbilt’s 250-room French chateau, is a popular year-round attraction. A popular location for Hollywood production companies, Biltmore House is in Asheville, approximately four hours west of the Triangle. Carowinds, on the North Carolina/South Carolina border near Charlotte, reigns as the state’s most popular commercial attraction. The 83-acre world-class theme park, which is less than a three hour drive from the Triangle, has grown steadily since it opened in 1973. The theme park currently is undergoing a $2.1 million expansion program. The Lowe’s Motor Speedway drew more than 785,000 racing fans last year to its two major NASCAR events. Old Salem is the 18th century Moravian congregational town, founded in 1776, with a treasury of fine old buildings, some restored and some in continuous use. Thousands of visitors come each year to browse and shop in the bakery which still turns out delicious homemade bread and ginger cookies. Old Salem is located in Winston Salem, two hours west of the Triangle. The North Carolina Zoological Park at Asheboro is one of the world’s largest natural habitat zoos, featuring a 300-acre African exhibit region with 800 animals and birds in scenic natural habitats. The Zoo is a 90-minute drive west of the Triangle. Tryon Palace, the restored residence of North Carolina’s colonial governor and meeting place of the colonial assembly, is located in New Bern, two hours east of the Triangle. Operated as a state historic site, Tryon Palace includes Georgian buildings and formal gardens designed in the manner befitting 18th century royalty. The USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial berthed at Wilmington since 1960, is a vibrant attraction in southeastern North Carolina. In addition to a tour of the battleship, the USS North Carolina also offers a sound and light show during summer evenings. The port of Wilmington is just over a two hour drive from the Triangle. The three North Carolina Aquariums, located at Bogue Banks, near Morehead City; Fort Fisher, near Wilmington; and on Roanoke Island, in the northern Outer Banks, hosted 1.5 million visitors last year. The aquariums have become a major attraction of the immensely popular Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Local Community Facilities......within five miles of Governors Club Gates Jordan Lake public access, boating facilities, swimming, fishing, public beaches, picnic areas and camping The University of North Carolina Hospital with 610 beds. Chapel Hill boasts more physicians per capita than any community of its size in the United States. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the first state university to open its doors Chapel Hill’s Ackland Art Museum Dean E. Smith Center on the UNC Campus- for concerts and sports events Playmakers and Paul Green theatres Chatham County Public Schools North Carolina School of Science and Math Morehead Planetarium Equestrian Facilities Arts Center of Carrboro ...within fifteen miles of Governors Club Gates Duke University Medical Center with 1,124 beds. One of the top Medical Centers in the U.S. NCAA Champions: Duke Basketball Community Colleges, Private and Public Universities, public libraries, Duke University Nationally renowned American Dance Festival Internationally-known Research Triangle Park with 140 major companies employing more than 44,000, such as GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Nortel, Cisco, etc. The Triangle also offers many local clubs, restaurants and comedy clubs. ...within twenty-five miles of Governors Club Gates Raleigh-Durham International Airport North Carolina Symphony Carolina Mudcats North Carolina Botanical Gardens NC Museum of Art NC Museum of Natural History North Carolina State University Governors Mansion street fairs in Raleigh Durham and Chapel Hill North Carolina State Fair Durham Arts Council Bennett Place State Games Community Sports League College sports and professional sports ...within a morning’s drive of Governors Club Gates Blue Ridge Parkway Biltmore House & Gardens Carowinds Amusement Park Charlotte Motor Speedway Carolina Panthers Guilford Battleground Old Salem NC Zoo in Asheboro Tryon Palace in New Bern USS Battleship Memorial 3 North Carolina Aquariums Grandfather Mountain the Highland Games Wake Forest University North Carolina's Beaches: Wrightsville Beach, Outer Banks, Kitty Hawk, Emerald Isle, Fort Fisher, Beaufort, Topsail Island North Carolina School of the Arts
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