The advice given is not sponsored by the DTH. Just Cy Neff.
So you decided to take some summer classes at UNC. Maybe you realized that you wanted to graduate on time. Or your summer internship didn’t pan out. It could be that you don’t really feel like being home for a few months with your family. Most likely you have an insatiable lust for learning and an undying love for being a Tar Heel.
Either way, you’re here now, either you’ve got a car or your friend does, and you need some advice: What courses should you take, and what should you do with your free time?
The hikes/the swimming holes
Ain’t nothing around as pretty and wholesome as the woods here getting all green-looking and chirpy-sounding and good-smelling. Nature is still that bitch, just in case you’ve forgotten.
Take a brief foray down 15-501 and hit the Haw River. It gets surprisingly little traffic, and there are a few fun, if not treacherous, rope swings that will send you spa-looshing into the river.
The Eno River State Park is chock-full of scrumptious swimming holes and delectable hikes. Visiting literally any area of the park will guarantee you a gorgeous hike. As for the swimming: The Eno River Rock Quarry is the most well-known, and will be filled all summer long. It’s a lovely place to waste your day away, but be careful — open container laws are semi-frequently enforced. Sennett’s Hole is another sure-fire option on the Eno and tends to be a little less crowded than the quarry, with some excellent rocks to splay out on.
The *culture*
Free art museums that aren’t the Ackland: 21c (Durham) is a boutique hotel in an old art deco bank that always has a banging art collection. It’s open 24/7, and former artists exhibited there include that one guy who made Obama’s presidential portrait. The North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh) has a great and sprawling outdoor component. It also shows outdoor movies throughout the summer if you’re feeling like bringing a boo, a picnic and (sneaking in) a bottle of rosé.
