DOWNTOWN
A nice place to visit
Picture yourself dining in a street-side cafe or meandering through a park along a trickling creek. Perhaps you'd like to be a face in the crowd at an outdoor concert or taste cuisine from around the world at sidewalk kiosks. All this and more awaits you downtown.
Downtown Fayetteville has established itself as a hub for speciality shops, cafes, festivals and nightlife. Underneath the winter-white lights strung along the trees lining Hay Street, people mill around the sidewalks soaking in the causal atmosphere. Just take a walk and see for yourself.
Festivals and parks
Over the years, Fayetteville has built up its parks and invited thousands of people to enjoy a variety of festivals on the downtown streets.
Whatever your tastes, you're sure to find a venue or a festival that suits you.
In April, the Dogwood Festival, the city's signature event, showcases live music, street dancing and loads of vendors. On Memorial Day weekend, the Glory Days event honors our military heritage.
Fall brings the International Folk Festival. The colorful event is a celebration of Fayetteville's diversity presenting the cuisine, music and cultures of more than 40 countries.
Festival Park, with its outdoor stage, serves as the heart of downtown's festivals. The park, which stretches across 14 acres between Ray Avenue and Rowan Street, bolsters the city's growing arts community.
For a more meditative experience, visit Freedom Memorial Park at Hay Street and Bragg Boulevard. The park honors our war veterans.
Linear Park along Cross Creek preserves the city's history and culture. With its gardens and scenic overlooks, this is a place to find some inner peace.
Staff photo by Johnny Horne
Ika and Renee Gibbs enjoy a late-night view of the fountain in Linear Park off Ray Avenue. The park is one of the new treasures downtown.
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Dining and entertainment
Nowadays, you don't need a special event to draw you downtown. There's something to do just about any day or night of the week.
Enjoy a latte and conversation with friends at Rude Awakening coffeehouse. Watch a movie at Cameo Art House Theatre or burn off some energy at The Climbing Place on Franklin Street. Grab your skateboard and visit the Mega Skate Plaza at Robeson and Blount streets. The indoor skateboard park is equipped with obstacles galore.
The Gilbert Theatre, the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Arts Council and Cape Fear Studios, among other galleries, provide shelter for arts junkies. The Airborne & Special Operations Museum and others supply the history.
For a little nightlife, catch a live show at The Rock Shop. The club on Eastern Boulevard is known for booking national, regional and local rock 'n' roll acts. Huske Hardware House Brewing Co. offers food, microbrews and music. Campbellton Landing on Person Street has a restaurant, amphitheater and sports center.
Who We Are
Staff photo by Raul R. Rubiera
Kristine Miller How long have you lived in Fayetteville? Since January 2006. Her hometown is Seattle. "I moved here for graduate school and my family." How do you get involved in the community? Miller is the president and founder of the Fayetteville Wine Society. "I'm a wine connoisseur and teach others about wine," she said. "I saw a real interest from people." When tasting wine, Miller said it's best to have an open mind. Wine tasting is not about guzzling. "It's about evoking the senses," Miller said. Here's how:
Tip: Wine tastings are held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the Hilltop House Restaurant. To find out about other wine tasting events and educational opportunities, contact the Fayetteville Wine Society at sommelier_1@earthlink.net or log onto their Web site at visit www.fayettevillewinesociety.com |
Dining options downtown are varied. The Blue Moon Cafe on Hay Street has a Spanish-style tapas menu in the evenings and street-side dining. Down the street, Pierro's Italian Bistro also has sidewalk tables and chairs for diners while providing a classic Italian menu.
Horne's Cafe, also on Hay Street, serves breakfast and lunch in a down-home atmosphere. Or check out McDuff's Tea Room on Gillespie Street for a steaming hot cup of tea and a light lunch.
If it's a special event you're looking for, downtown has those, too. You can attend a Fourth Friday celebration run by the Arts Council. The monthly celebration includes entertainment and arts events.
The Fayetteville Museum of Art puts on Fayetteville After Five, an outdoor concert series. So when you're in the mood for something different, downtown is just a short car ride away.
Shopping and parking
It's not your grandmother's downtown anymore.
Hay Street once was the center of Fayetteville commerce, where you could buy anything from apples to washing machines. The giants of American commerce -- Sears and J.C. Penney -- sold dollar-for-dollar with local stores such as the Capitol Department Stores, Huske Hardware and Holmes Electric. A cardboard cutout of the Maytag man still stands in a storefront, but most of the mainstream retailing has departed downtown.
Choices now range from art to kitsch, from the whimsical to the serious, from the spiritual to the spirits and from old to new to retro. It's shopping that requires a leisurely pace, curiosity and comfortable shoes.
Most of the shopping can be done along Hay Street, but don't miss Gillespie, Person and Franklin streets. If you've got the time, walk over to Russell Street for flowers and other garden supplies at Bell's Seed Store, a downtown fixture. It opened in 1919.
For the serious shopper, parking and timing can be tricky. Most downtown parking spaces are for two hours. Parking on some side streets is three hours. If the parking spaces on Hay Street are filled up, look to the side streets for on-street spaces or parking lots. The good news is that there aren't parking time limits on the weekend.
What to look for
Furniture. Shops offer everything from 100-year-old, or older, antiques to pieces painted in a rainbow of colors.
Clothes and jewelry. There is a variety of men's and women's wear, some of it new, some of it used, some of it done in camouflage.
Specialty gifts for most occasions. Several shops have Fayetteville-specific gifts.
Food. Most of the restaurants offer outdoor dining, but stop by any of the speciality shops when they are baking, making chocolate or popping popcorn. The smell of amaretto, chocolate and buttered popcorn will induce you to buy more. The food and specialty stores are noted for gift baskets and catering.
Who We AreCatherine Van Sickle How long have you lived in the area? Since 1989. What makes this a fun place to live? Van Sickle loves a bit of culture. The library, the Cape Fear Regional Theatre and museums are among her regular haunts. "People who say there's nothing to do here, they're not looking. You have to listen to what people say is here, not what people say isn't here. Every time I talk to somebody I find out something else that's going on." Tip: The Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at 245 Person St. is a resource for all that is going on here. Call 483-5311 or visit www.visitfayettevillenc.com. |
High-rise living
Being a second-story man or woman in Fayetteville is a mark of distinction. It means you either own a building or have a keen eye to spot the for-rent signs that infrequently pop up in downtown storefronts.
More housing is coming to downtown by the end of the year when a retail-residential complex is finished on the 300 block of Hay Street.
The combination of penthouses, condominiums and townhouses is expected to bring more than 100 residents downtown. Merchants are anticipating the additional customers.
"The families and children will love being here, and I'll love them," said Jae Haire, owner of the Just Desserts bakery opposite the 300 block complex. The smells from Haire's bakery frequently draw customers from the hotel up the street. She's hoping residents cross the street for breakfast before work or dessert before ending the day.
The demand for downtown residential housing has sparked conversion of buildings along Person Street as well as Franklin and Anderson streets.
Top stops
Here are a few of the must-see places on a visit downtown.
- 1. Franklin Street. Don't miss these colorful shops.
- 2. The Cotton Exchange, an antique emporium in the old Johnson Cotton Co. building.
- 3. The Arts Center, home of the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County. Check out what's on display in their galleries.
- 4. Future Warrior on Hay Street. Everything you could want in camouflage.
- 5. Holmes Electric, 127 Hay St., has a variety of Fayetteville-specific gifts including a Christmas ornament of the Market House.
- 6. The Market House. While you can't climb the stairs into the building, stop for a few minutes and soak up the history. For years the building was the center of Fayetteville commerce and government.
- 7. The Downtown Pup Pet Boutique and Barkery. Where else can you buy specially baked treats that are purr-fect for your cat or bow-dacious for your pup?
- 8. Bob and Sheree's Brew and Wine Shoppe to see 100 bottles of beer on the wall.
- 9. J&D Antiques to visit Princess, the top cat of the store.
- 10. The former Point News Stand and fountain at Hay Street and Ray Avenue. A great place to see the downtown bustle and to smell the cakes baking at Just Desserts.
Updated: August, 2007