<p>Spending two nights in Wilmington AND two nights in Chapel HIll/ Durham area so that students can really get a feel for the schools and the area.</p>
<p>Can't seem to locate any places in the Chapel Hill/ Durham area under $100 that come in above 3 stars. Any suggestions? If not, what places do you suggest I just bite the bullet and stay at?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Where should I take the girls (yup, they are all girls) while we are there. We are taking tours of all the schools and they are also going to sit in on some classes. What else should they see or do to really get a feel for these schools, campus life and community?</p></li>
<li><p>Any other comments about these schools or travel suggestions are of course welcome.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I usually check Trip Advisor reviews if I’m not sure about a hotel. The Baymont in Wilmington gets decent reviews. We’ve stayed at the Townplace Suites. It’s close to campus and the beach and it has a kitchen in each room.</p>
<p>Have you tried La Quinta for your Chapel Hill/Durham stay? There is one in between the cities on Hwy 15 that gets great reviews on Trip Advisor.</p>
<p>We always try to eat in a campus dining hall during visits. It’s good to check out the food but it’s also a great place to ask some questions of random students.</p>
<p>Wilmington resident here. I cannot speak to the quality of the Baymont, however the area of town is just fine. It is right in one of the larger commercial areas of town, if your concern was that it was in a more “run down” area. </p>
<p>At risk of being obvious, go to Wrightsville Beach, even for just 15-20 mins to walk. They are doing some bridge repair, so traffic could back up if it is a particularly nice day. Other than that, most of the shopping/dining near UNCW is clustered in two areas. One is right around UNCW (and the Baymont) the other is called Mayfaire, on Military Cutoff Rd.</p>
<p>If you have any other questions, I’ll answer what I can.</p>
<p>@Hunt… just took a look at Southern Season and that place looks amazing. The girls will have a great time there. Thank you!</p>
<p>@NeedAVacation… big difference in ratings between Trip Advisor and Priceline on La Quinta. Thank you for suggesting.</p>
<p>@Kebauc… When you have family come to stay, do they come to your home or do they stay somewhere? And where else would you take them besides the beach (which the girls did say they wanted to see ) I had hoped that the hotel prices on the beach would be MUCH lower since it is not yet FULL season and we could stay at the beach but with spending five nights in hotels, gas, food and everything else… they agreed we could just visit the beach and spend the money on other things.</p>
<p>Also, I’ve read lots about how UNCW is a “suitcase” school with many kids going home on the weekends. The girls joked about me coming to get them on the weekends (5 hour or so drive) so they could come back to DC to do their laundry! Then I read that more kids are staying on campus and they are tripling up on beds in dorm rooms to accommodate.</p>
<p>Always consult Tripadvisor. There are very few places in Chapel Hill, but I’ve stayed at the Hampton Inn there a few times. Have also stayed at the Hampton Inn in Cary. Both were ok, Hampton is kinda the Micky D’s for consistency in hotels.</p>
<p>A Southern Season is a awesome store! In Chapel Hill I would recommend just walking around Franklin St. and having lunch or dinner at one of the local restaurants. Franklin St. is always overflowing with students and will give them a good feel for the area. One of the popular spots is The Top of the Hill - [The</a> Top of the Hill Brewery & Restaurant · The Social Crossroads of Chapel Hill, North Carolina](<a href=“http://thetopofthehill.com/]The”>http://thetopofthehill.com/) . The Mediterranean Deli is a good stop for a quick meal - [Mediterranean</a> Deli, Bakery, & Catering- The best in downtown Chapel Hill](<a href=“http://www.mediterraneandeli.com/]Mediterranean”>http://www.mediterraneandeli.com/) .</p>
<p>While I can’t speak to that specific Baymont hotel, we have stayed in a couple and they are clean, quiet and no frills. They have a pretty good free breakfast though. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay in one if you are looking to cut costs for this trip as long as that particular one is in a good (safe) area and has reasonable reviews. If you are familiar with Microtel–they are along that line–most of them are a good place to spend the night but not really a “vacation” destination.</p>
<p>justamomof2,
Family always stays with me, so I am no help there. When I have visitors at work, the Hilton Garden Inn and Hilton Riverside are very popular. This time of year, a lot of business travelers will stay oceanfront and that keeps the rates at a “normal” level. </p>
<p>One place I have taken family is the Cape Fear Museum [Cape</a> Fear Museum](<a href=“http://www.capefearmuseum.com/]Cape”>http://www.capefearmuseum.com/) which focused on local history. May not be interesting while visiting for college, its your call. Strolling around downtown can be interesting too, lots of local/independent shops to see. Front Street is the the main section of downtown for walking. </p>
<p>Wilmington is not that big a place. If you drive from UNCW south on College Ave for about 3 miles, turn left on Oleander and for about 5 miles, you will see most of the variety of town. Driving down market street to Downtown will take you though the older section, a lot of which is designated historic district. </p>
<p>I can’t really comment directly on the suitcase school. When I am out on the weekends in the UNCW area, there does not seem to be a shortage of college students out and about.</p>
<p>If you’re in Chapel Hill, head up Airport Road from the stoplight at the top of the hill to Allen & Sons, which is truly one of the exemplars of eastern Carolina-style barbecue. </p>
<p>Welcome to carolina!! All the above suggestions are great and my only advice would be a reminder of the out of state acceptance being capped for all public NC schools. Duke being private is not included in this legislated mandate but does give in-state preference.</p>
<p>So OOS is no more than 18% and sometimes is lower. So at schools like UNC-CH and NCSU gaining OOS acceptance is that of the lottery schools. The schools are mandated to fill with in-state residents first that coupled with so many OOS applications makes it extremely competitive.</p>
<p>@Kat, it is a shame that we can’t trade our three in-state spots with three folks who want to come here! :)</p>
<p>@BUandBC82 - Wow, just took a look at the menu for The Top of the Hill. What an interesting variety. Even Fried Shrimp Gnocchi. We have not had a decent Gnocchi since <a href=“http://www.itremerli.com/[/url]”>http://www.itremerli.com/</a> in SoHo, New York! If it is half way as good and any of the girls get accepted and go there, I know where all their extra meals will be!</p>
<p>The hardest part about going to NC has been the location and food. These girls have been talking about going to school in New York for years as they have grown up going there several times a year and know the area and like it. So the idea of going South has been a big adjustment. The “beach” being so close to UNCW has helped with selling the attitude adjustment and the reviews of all three of the schools has also greatly added value.</p>
<p>^^^^Had dinner with son on Sunday night at Top of the Hill, had the pork with mac and cheese and it was very good. He had chicken and also enjoyed it.</p>
<p>Many of the students in state attend the 16 campuses within the UNC system, since the quality and in-state tuition rates are an unbeatable combination. Reason we moved here 9 years ago from 3000+ miles away. The undergrad programs are wonderful but the grad school programs plus the low cost in-state tuition is FANTASTIC!</p>
<p>We know plenty of kids that go to UNCW(it’s about 2 hours away) and I assure you that many/most of them stay at school for the majority of the weekends…</p>
<p>Also, if you are at Duke on a nice day leave some time to check out their botanical gardens. My 19, 14 and 7 year old children all enjoy them.</p>
<p>^^Yep, my S is an NC State grad but had good friends at UNCW. There were many roadtrips between Raleigh and Wilmington on weekends esp. in the warm weather months. Both my instate kids went to instate big u’s. They rarely came home for a weekend unless it was a holiday…too much fun to be had at school.</p>
<p>Bullock’s is good. It has that “wall of fame” of various notable who have eaten there, and you might spot Mike Krzyzewski there, but it’s a little frou-frou for a true barbecue joint. My general rule of thumb is that 'cue shacks with carpet are spending too much on decor and not enough on pig. You won’t have that problem at Allen’s.</p>
) I had hoped that the hotel prices on the beach would be MUCH lower since it is not yet FULL season and we could stay at the beach but with spending five nights in hotels, gas, food and everything else… they agreed we could just visit the beach and spend the money on other things.</p>