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Did you know that North Carolina was first in flight? Orville and Wilbur Wright chose to have their first flight in Kitty Hawk, NC. “First in flight” is even on the license plates! That was a fun fact that I learned while exploring these two cities, which were great places to wrap up our trip to the East Coast. This post will be about the final portion of the trip that we spent in North Carolina! Read about DC and Virginia!
We had a terrific time in NC! Much like Virginia, we didn’t spend too long there, but we both liked the atmosphere and the schools. Please read on to see where we visited and, most importantly, what we ate!
After the 3-hour drive from Virginia to NC we went to Pompieri Pizza for a wonderful dinner. We got the Marinara: red sauce, garlic, oregano and Sicilian olive oil, and The Barry White: white cashew and garlic sauce, roasted red peppers, chopped spinach, vegan mozzarella, and basil oil. They were so flavorful and we went back and forth on which one was the best. For dessert we had coconut cheesecake with gluten-free oatmeal crust with their homemade vanilla gelato!
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH
We started off our morning bright and early by going on a hike through the Piney Mountain Trail in Duke Forrest. This trail was pretty easy and took us a little less than an hour. We were looking for a good running trail, and this was definitely not it – we were bouldering during parts – but it was still fun and we ran to the finish! One of the things we liked most about this trip was how green everything was – there were lush trees lining the entire trail. Colorado, while gorgeous, isn’t always very green. Too bad we went right before the leaves changed for fall.
After our hike we got some sweet chocolate chip pancakes from The Refectory Cafe. We even received iced blueberry hibiscus tea (with free refills!!!) and homemade sweet potato chips on the house! Plus, the restaurant was decked out with gorgeous, fresh sunflowers! We really enjoyed our time there.
To walk off our breakfast we explored Duke University’s campus. Duke Law is one of Keegan’s top choices, so we really wanted to immerse ourselves in the area. Because of that, I didn’t get too many pictures, but I did capture Duke Chapel! The structure was breathtaking, and a lot of campus buildings matched the style, making for a pleasant uniformity. Once we were finally done roaming the enormous campus, which was also surrounded by trees, we ordered burgers from Boss of Vegan, and boy oh boy were they delicious! The kind staff gave us complimentary lemonade as well, which was perfectly refreshing. I don’t know what we did to deserve all of the complimentary drinks this day, but we were so thankful!
After relaxing at our nice little Airbnb for a bit, we ordered Goorsha Ethiopian for takeout! This was one of our favorites; the food was crazy filling and crazy delicious. Just look at this rainbow plate of goodness! If you’ve never tried Ethiopian food, I strongly recommend it. The flavors are so rich and unique!
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH
We started off our Tuesday morning with Coco Bean Coffee Shop in Chapel Hill. Keegan and I aren’t coffee drinkers, so I got a matcha tea latte, which is one of my favorite things in the world! We also got chocolate chip cookies, coffee cake, and a blueberry scone.
Next we headed to UNC-Chapel Hill. We visited the law school and wandered around the whole campus. We passed the Dean E. Smith Center where Michael Jordan played in college–seeing this stadium was a highlight of the trip for Keegan! There was a beautiful botanical garden and even a cemetery on campus!
After the university we checked out Gimghoul Castle. This castle acts as a headquarters for the Order of Gimghoul – a collegiate secret society.
Next we ordered Barbeque and Jerk Chick’n Platters from Soul Good Vegan Cafe. They were super yummy and just what we needed. We decided to end the trip with The Parlour ice cream. The only vegan flavor they offered was chocolate, and although chocolate ice cream is not my preference, it was still pretty good. And we added Oreos!
Then we made our way to the airport; it was so quiet and actually pretty peaceful. We had a smooth flight and listened to podcasts.
Finally back in Denver, we finished off the night by eating at Watercourse, one of our favorite restaurants. We ordered our beloved buffalo seitan wings, then Keegan got a pastrami sandwich and I got eggs benedict. The perfect ending to a long and fulfilling trip!
Wanna know what we listened to while driving around? Check out this playlist!
Have you ever been to North Carolina? What did you think of it? ♡ Feel free to ask me any questions you have in the comments below!
THESE WERE MY TRAVEL MUST HAVES FOR THIS TRIP. PLEASE CLICK THE IMAGES BELOW TO CHECK THEM OUT!
