Franklin Street (Photo by Chapel Hill North Carolina)

The Research Triangle, consisted of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, is annually rated as one of the best places to live in the country, which explains why I’ve spent most of the last 20-some years here. The area gets a lot of business travelers, thanks to all the research companies here. For the recreational traveler, while there may not be a world-famous landmark or the big-city hustle and bustle, there are many attractions just beneath the surface.

First, check out the New York Times’ list of 11 things to do in the Triangle. Also check out this related item offering more thoughts on the list. Then, see our own “best of” list for good places to wine and dine in the area.

Some additions to those lists:

Museums

• The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke features an eclectic collection of contemporary and modern works.

• The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh features whale and dinosaur skeletons, a tropical garden with live butterflies, and walk-through dioramas featuring different North Carolina environments, among lots of other things. Note to the batrachophobic: lots and lots of salamanders on display. North Carolina has the highest density of salamander species in the world, you know.

• If you are spending an afternoon in Chapel Hill, consider spending some time at the Ackland Art Museum, which features a lot of special and traveling exhibits. Then take a short stroll over to Morehead Planetarium. If you are a sports fan, then definitely check out the Carolina Basketball Museum, located in the Dean E. Smith Center, where the Tar Heels play their home games.

Critters

The North Carolina Zoo is a 90-minute drive from the Triangle, but there are several places in and near the area if you want to see animals.

• The Duke Lemur Center gives tours of its prosimian research facilities. You need to call ahead to make an appointment.
• If you can’t get enough lemurs, the Museum of Life and Science in Durham also has a lemurs exhibit, as well as black bears, red wolves, farmyard animals, and a butterfly house.
• The Carnivore Preservation Trust in Pittsboro (about a 20- to 30-minute drive, depending on where you are in the Triangle) features a host of tigers and other exotic carnivores. Just watch it when you walk by the tiger cages — the males can get territorial and try to mark their turf with powerful sprays. Read about our visit there.
• If you prefer smaller cats, then the Goathouse Cat Refuge (also in Pittsboro) is the place for you. The privately owned farm has more than three acres of outdoor space for its more than 160 rescued cats. There are also goats, geese, dogs, turkeys, all of which are rescued animals. Walk around the beautiful grounds, pet the super-friendly cats, and visit the on-site pottery studio (the owner of the farm is a master sculptor and potter). Read about our visit there.

Dining

• Munch a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts. The first Krispy Kreme store opened in 1937 in Winston-Salem, N.C., and many more have sprung up since. The only location in the Triangle, however, is in Raleigh. Go when the “Hot Zone” sign is on and get glazed doughnuts as they are made. There’s nothing quite like a Krispy Kreme doughnut hot off the line. It simply melts in your mouth.
• Do brunch at the North Carolina Museum of Art. The museum’s collection is pretty nice, but its restaurant is fantastic. So work a brunch into your visit there.

Shopping

Like any area with its share of urban sprawl, the Triangle has your usual malls. But here are a few more interesting places to shop.

• Enjoy the pastoral scenery and views of the heirloom “beltie” cows at Fearrington Village, a farm-turned-development outside Chapel Hill. Several nice shops make this a pleasant place to browse: a great independent bookstore, a garden shop, a couple of home-furnishings-and-accessories stores, a jewelry shop. Grab breakfast or brunch at the Granary while you’re there.
• A Southern Season in Chapel Hill is one of the largest specialty food stores in the country. Great browsing even for non-foodies. The chocolate bars from around the world are a must see.
• University Mall, which is attached to A Southern Season, is an unusual small mall where galleries and the funky Cameron’s Gifts co-exist with chain stores like Dillard’s, Kerr Drug, and Bath and Body Works.
• Brightleaf Square in Durham is a small shopping center converted from former tobacco mills. Its eclectic collection of local stores include Amelia Pastry (excellent), an antique shop, a pottery gallery, an indy record store, an antiquarian bookstore, and several restaurants.

Aforementioned attractions on a map: