Carrboro Walking Tour

Begin your self-guided tour at 301 West Main Street. Use our Google Map above as a guide or follow along on a Strava Route here created by Fleet Feet.

Download a PDF version of the Walking Tour Map.

1. Carrboro Town Hall Complex

1. Carrboro Town Hall: Originally built as a public school (1922-1959), Town Hall houses many of Carrboro’s administrative offices including the Mayor’s office. The Town's first Truth Plaque was installed outside the front doors on April 16, 2019. The Truth Plaques are an attempt to acknowledge our history as part of the process of changing and transforming the Town's narrative and dedicating ourselves to a future of racial equality and justice.
2. Carrboro Civic Club: The Carrboro Civic Club was originally founded in 1945 under the name of the Carrboro Club for Town Improvement and Beautification. The building, owned by Carrboro Wolen Mills, originally served as an office building  for the mill. It  then was donated to the Chapel Hill Junior Service League, who in turn donated the building to the Carrboro Civic Club in 1945.  The Civic Club used the building as a free public library for many years. They also provided a free children's medical clinic until they were forced by the Public Health Department to close in 1960. In 2001, the Carrboro Civic Club donated the building to the Town of Carrboro, which uses it for community programming and as a voting precinct. 
3. Town Commons/Carrboro Farmers’ Market: Originally the location of the elementary school playground, today this town park serves many purposes. It is the site of many of Carrboro’s town celebrations such as Carrboro Day, the July 4th celebration, and the Halloween Carnival. Twice weekly, the Carrboro Farmers’ Market convenes on this site supplying Carrboro with a wide variety of foods that are all grown within 50 miles of Carrboro.
4. Historical Marker Honoring Manly McCauley: Through this marker erected in February 2024, the Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition, the Equal Justice Initiative and the Town of Carrboro commemorate the life and tragic death of Manly McCauley, a Black man who suffered a white mob lynching in October 1898, just west of Carrboro, N.C.  

2. Honey Bee Mural at Fire Station 1

Artist Matthew Willey, founder of The Good of the Hive Initiative, stopped in Carrboro on his trek to paint 50,000 honeybees around the world in 2016. This mural is painted on the side of the Fire Station. Learn more about Willey and all his murals.

3. Strayhorn Houses

Located at 107 and 109 Jones Ferry Road, these two houses were once owned by William and Toney Strayhorn. Toney Strayhorn was a former slave who built his house at 109 Jones Ferry Rd. shortly after the civil war. Toney’s son, William, built the house standing at 107 Jones Ferry Rd. in 1915. Erected at this site is a Town Truth Plaque. Learn more about the Strayhorn House Truth Plaque.

4. Black Lives Matter Mural at Communityworx

The Town of Carrboro completed this mural on Dec. 18, 2020, at Communityworx, 125 W. Main St. The mural faces West Main Street at the intersection of Jones Ferry Road.  It was painted by Tyrone Small and a young artist team. Learn more about how the Communityworx mural was created.

5. Mill Superintendent’s House/Club Nova

Located at 103 W. Main Street, this building served as the mill superintendent’s house until 1938. Today, the building houses Club Nova, a therapeutic clubhouse that provides psychiatric rehabilitation services. 

6. Roy S. Lloyd Building/Cliff’s Meat Market

Located at 100 and 102 W. Main Street, this building was constructed by the Lloyd family circa1950 and housed the family’s electrical business on the first floor while the family themselves lived on the second floor. The adjoining building, formerly known as Hardee Grocery, was built by the Hardee family and operated as a family-owned grocery and butcher shop beginning in the late 1920s. In 1973, the Hardee family sold the business to former employee Cliff Collins and Cliff’s Meat Market opened for business. In 2020, Collins sold the shop to longtime employee and current owner Gerardo "Tolo’’ Martinez.

7. Coffee Bean Fields Mural

Painted by Michael Brown at 101 S. Greensboro St. in 2013. The lush coffee farm scene on the Roberson Street side of Open Eye Cafe was commissioned by Carrboro Coffee Roasters. On the shop’s patio is another mural by artist Shannon O’Connor. Read more about Brown's mural.

8. Drakeford Library Complex

The Drakeford Library complex  at 203 S. Greensboro St. is the new home of Carrboro Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources; Orange County Southern Branch Library; Orange County Skills Development Center; WCOM Radio; a teen center and performance/multipurpose uses. The Drakeford Library Complex will provide opportunities for education, art and community connection.

9. The ArtsCenter

400 Roberson St, Carrboro, NC 27510 -- A community gathering place that nurtures creativity and community through art, education, performance, and exhibition. The ArtsCenter is a place where local artists can show off many of their newest creations, and allows visitors a deeper understanding of Carrboro.

10.  Libba Cotten Memorial Bike Path

This bike path that connects Carrboro and Chapel Hill is named after one of Carrboro’s most famous citizens. Libba Cotten gained fame from her song “Freight Train” which was recently added to the US Library of Congress. Cotten won a Grammy in 1984 for a live album she recorded. Cotten, an African-American, was born in 1895, and taught herself how to play guitar. She played in an unusual style with a left handed guitar turned upside down. Cotten wrote “Freight Train” when she was 12 years old.

11. Old Carrboro Cemetery

The land for this cemetery was donated to the town by Dr. Foy Robertson. The cemetery has been in use since the early 1910s, with the oldest marked stone being at 1915. There are several unmarked stones that may date back further. This is Carrboro’s oldest cemetery.

12. Elizabeth Cotten Mural

One of the most recent of Scott Nurkin's murals located on the Carrboro- Chapel Hill line (111 N. Merritt Mill Rd.), is part of a project that pays tribute to North Carolina Musicians and features large-scale murals in the hometowns of famous North Carolina musicians. Elizabeth Cotten, born in Carrboro, NC is a legendary folk-blues musician best known for her song "Freight Train" and playing her guitar upside down to accommodate her left-handedness.

13. St. Paul AME Church

This church building in the second district of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in the United States. Being the first black church in the area, it is the spiritual home to numerous communicants, including numerous students studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

14. Truth Plaque for Freedmen School

The plaque is located in the Town’s right-of-way next to St. Paul’s AME Church at 101 N. Merritt Mill Road. In 1866, freedmen Benjamin Craig and Green Cordal bought a plot of land near the current intersection of West Franklin Street and Merritt Mill Road, and donated a portion of it to the Quakers for the establishment of a school for freedmen. The remaining portion was donated to create a place for the present-day St. Paul AME Church.

By 1868, the Quaker school had begun operations as a private school. In 1890, the school expanded to serve Black children in grades 1-7, with the Orange County school system providing teachers and supplies. Learn more about the history of the Freedman School.

15. Gates of Beauty 

The body shop located at 405 E. Main St. is owned and operated by Brother Peacemaker. Brother Peacemaker grew up as Fred Marsh just down the road in Pittsboro. He changed his name after a near fatal car accident spared him his life, and that of his buddy, and awakened in him a calling: he needed to spread peace. Brother Peacemaker not only fixes vehicles in his tiny body shop on Main Street in Carrboro, he ministers to anyone needing a little touch-up of their own.  Learn more about Brother Peacemaker and the Gates of Beauty.

16. Murals at 360 E. Main Street

1. Butterflies Mural: Muralist Loren Pease completed the butterfly mural on the side of Gray Squirrel Coffee Co. at 360 E. Main St. in September 2023. The mural shows a scene of butterflies migrating, seemingly off the building and toward downtown Carrboro. They fly out of and over three gold frames, which Pease describes as a nod to FRANK Gallery across the street. 
2. We are Community Mural: Muralist Jermaine “JP” Powell says this mural represents real people living in the town. It features dozens of faces, from college students to people who were born and raised in Carrboro. It’s located at Gray Squirrel Coffee Co. at 360 E. Main Street. Learn more about Powell's mural.

17. Dragons Mural

"Lion and Dragon Dance" mural by artist Erick Davis featured at Gourmet Kingdom at 301 E. Main Street in Carrboro.  Learn more about Davis and his mural.

18. Cat’s Cradle

This famed local music venue has been host to some of music’s most famous artists. Acts such as REM, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana have graced the stage of one of Carrboro’s most famous attractions.

19. Fleet Feet Store

Did you know that Fleet Feet Carrboro turned 30 in March 2024. Yes, that's right - they were born in March of 1994, making them solidly a Millennial. The Carrboro store is located at 310 East Main Street. The company provides running shoes and apparel, and most importantly - many running and training programs to engage the community. The company headquarters are based right here in Carrboro.

20. Lloyd Gristmill

The original building on this site was erected in the 1880’s, but was destroyed by fire in 1916. The building was rebuilt shortly after and is still standing today. The building was originally a gristmill and cotton gin, and has been the site of many businesses since.

21. Carrboro Railroad Station

This railroad station was the impetus for Carrboro’s creation. Originally called “West Of” because of its proximity to Chapel Hill, settlements around the railroad station eventually led to the formation of Carrboro. The current station is the second building in this location.  The station was built in 1913. It is currently the home to the Thai Station restaurant.

22. Elizabeth Cotten Historical Marker

(Erected in 2013 by North Carolina Department of Archives and History.) The Elizabeth Cotten Historical Marker is at the intersection of East Main Street and Roberson Street, on the right when traveling west on East Main Street. Learn more about the Elizabeth Cotten Historical Marker.

23. Carr Mill Mall

Originally called Alberta Cotton Mill, this building was built by Thomas Lloyd in 1898-1899. Bringing jobs and people to the area, the construction of the mill spurred the growth of Carrboro. In 1909, the mill was bought by Julian Carr, owner of Durham Hosiery Mills and Carrboro’s namesake. By the 1970s, the building was vacant and slated for demolition, but was saved by the local citizens and designated a historical landmark. After an $8.5 million renovation by owner Ed Yaggy, the building became Carr Mill Mall, home to many retail stores, offices, and restaurants.

24. The Flatiron Building

This unique triangular building was modeled after the famous “Flatiron Building” in New York City. It was originally built in the 1920s and has housed many businesses, including a flower shop, drug store, shoe shop, currently the Spotted Dog Restaurant, and was even once home to the US Post Office.

25. East Main Street

This stretch of Main Street was Carrboro’s original business district. Once wooden buildings, a fire destroyed much of the block in the 19020s, and was replaced by the brick buildings that you see today. These buildings were once home to such businesses as the Melba Movie Theater, Grace's 5 and 10, Lloyd-Ray Hardware Store, Sturdevant Grocery  and Merritt Drug Store.

26. 106 E. Main Street

Currently home to Bank of America, this building was the first commercial brick building built in Carrboro. The building was constructed around 1924. The building was originally the R.H. Marks Dry Goods Store. In  the 1950s, it later became a branch of the Bank of Chapel Hill, brining the first drive-up window to town. 

27. Carrboro Century Center

This building is currently home to the Carrboro Police Department. Constructed in the 1920s, this building was originally the Carrboro Baptist Church. In 1997, the building was purchased by the Town of Carrboro and opened in 2000 as the Carrboro Century Center.

28. Poplar Avenue/Lindsey Street/Weaver Street

These streets encompass much of Carrboro’s original residential district. These typical mill houses are good examples of the architectural style of the 1920s and 1930s. 

29. Fitch Lumber Company

This business was founded in 1898 and opened in Carrboro in 1923. The railroad and the mill allowed Fitch Lumber to thrive and is one of Carrboro’s original and longest-lasting businesses. 

30. Weaver Street Market

Known as “Carrboro’s Front Yard”, Weaver St. Market is a community cooperative of locally grown organic produce and products. The lawn in front of the market is a gathering place for residents and hosts many events from craft fairs to concerts.