I usually like getting to places on Thursday so there's at least a full day on Friday to explore the surrounding area. That being said, even though I missed the 2020 trip here, I've been here a bunch (2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2018) and Greenville is not really the most exciting place in the world.
When I was looking at flights, there's only one flight per day on Southwest now (I seem to remember at least 3/4 per day a few years ago) and I recall the Thursday flight being a lot cheaper than Friday so I decided to head up early. I also thought this could be a noon game or something. If I had known it would be a 7:30 game, maybe I would have left on Friday. But whatever.
RDU might have the most efficient airport (at least when you're flying into the Southwest terminal) as far as walking distance from gate to exit. Really a breeze. The last time I was here, I stopped at a "City BBQ" in Durham which was pretty good. It's a regional chain I was already familiar with, but very solid (think Mission). None of that vinegar stuff.
I've already explored Chapel Hill a couple times before, but since I was in the area and would not be coming back this way on Friday/Saturday, I decided to check out the UNC Basketball Museum, which is on the ground floor of their athletic department building and next door to the Dean Dome. Of course it's UNC Basketball and they have a lot to show off, but it was very well done. You walk in and watch a 7-minute video, which is really more like a recruiting pitch. Then you enter the main area and there's ton of memorabilia, interactive displays, a basketball court marking where big shots were made, an NBA Draft board, etc. They have a special area showcasing all their trophies for National Championships, Final Fours, ACC titles, etc.
Michael Jordan has a display, which included his original NLI, Dean Smith's recruiting notes, some recruiting letters (including one from Coach K at Duke regretting that Mike wasn't interested in the Blue Devils). Really cool stuff.
The Dean Dome was locked, but I could peer in through the windows. It would be so cool if UCF could play UNC or Duke.
Apparently Duke has some sort of basketball museum too, but they were closing at 4 p.m. and I didn't have time to get over there.
After seeing what UNC has, walking through TCU last year... and even ECU (they have a mini-museum display in the lobby of their arena), UCF really needs to implement something like this at some point.
The drive from Raleigh to Greenville wasn't fun... I hit it during rush hour traffic. Probably took closer to 2.5 hours. A lot of stop and start traffic around Raleigh. Got into Greenville around 6:45. Then I listened to most of the UCF Knight Talk before heading back out for a few minutes.
Drove by ECU's football stadium... this is the first time I've seen the finished product because in 2018 the tower was still being finished. That tower is definitely impressed from the exterior. It's safe to say it's the most impressive tower in the conference (the NFL stadiums don't count). There was some sort of party/social going on in the concourse of the stadium. Donor event? I should have walked in.
Anyway, seems like the hours have flown by and I needed to grab a quick bite as it was almost 9 p.m. I hit up Zaxby's and I was impressed! I don't know the last time I've to been to one, but it's been a long time. The tenders were fresh and had a slight spicy element - I honestly thought they were way better than Huey Magoo's.
Here's a few photos....
When I was looking at flights, there's only one flight per day on Southwest now (I seem to remember at least 3/4 per day a few years ago) and I recall the Thursday flight being a lot cheaper than Friday so I decided to head up early. I also thought this could be a noon game or something. If I had known it would be a 7:30 game, maybe I would have left on Friday. But whatever.
RDU might have the most efficient airport (at least when you're flying into the Southwest terminal) as far as walking distance from gate to exit. Really a breeze. The last time I was here, I stopped at a "City BBQ" in Durham which was pretty good. It's a regional chain I was already familiar with, but very solid (think Mission). None of that vinegar stuff.
I've already explored Chapel Hill a couple times before, but since I was in the area and would not be coming back this way on Friday/Saturday, I decided to check out the UNC Basketball Museum, which is on the ground floor of their athletic department building and next door to the Dean Dome. Of course it's UNC Basketball and they have a lot to show off, but it was very well done. You walk in and watch a 7-minute video, which is really more like a recruiting pitch. Then you enter the main area and there's ton of memorabilia, interactive displays, a basketball court marking where big shots were made, an NBA Draft board, etc. They have a special area showcasing all their trophies for National Championships, Final Fours, ACC titles, etc.
Michael Jordan has a display, which included his original NLI, Dean Smith's recruiting notes, some recruiting letters (including one from Coach K at Duke regretting that Mike wasn't interested in the Blue Devils). Really cool stuff.
The Dean Dome was locked, but I could peer in through the windows. It would be so cool if UCF could play UNC or Duke.
Apparently Duke has some sort of basketball museum too, but they were closing at 4 p.m. and I didn't have time to get over there.
After seeing what UNC has, walking through TCU last year... and even ECU (they have a mini-museum display in the lobby of their arena), UCF really needs to implement something like this at some point.
The drive from Raleigh to Greenville wasn't fun... I hit it during rush hour traffic. Probably took closer to 2.5 hours. A lot of stop and start traffic around Raleigh. Got into Greenville around 6:45. Then I listened to most of the UCF Knight Talk before heading back out for a few minutes.
Drove by ECU's football stadium... this is the first time I've seen the finished product because in 2018 the tower was still being finished. That tower is definitely impressed from the exterior. It's safe to say it's the most impressive tower in the conference (the NFL stadiums don't count). There was some sort of party/social going on in the concourse of the stadium. Donor event? I should have walked in.
Anyway, seems like the hours have flown by and I needed to grab a quick bite as it was almost 9 p.m. I hit up Zaxby's and I was impressed! I don't know the last time I've to been to one, but it's been a long time. The tenders were fresh and had a slight spicy element - I honestly thought they were way better than Huey Magoo's.
Here's a few photos....
