Have an Irrigation System? It May Be Time for an Inspection
Do you have a residential irrigation system installed in your yard? It may be time for an inspection!
Our First HREG GNO…
In October we hosted our first Hillman Real Estate Group “girls night out” in Apex at the Scotts Mill clubhouse and it could not have been more fun — and photo-worthy!
Where Did Hillman Real Estate Group Work in 2016?
If you are wondering where the Triangle real estate business took Hillman Real Estate Group in 2016, the short answer is: nearly everywhere!
Get out and enjoy the Triangle Area!
One of my biggest gripes is when I hear people say “Ugh this area is so boring, there is nothing to do!” I am thinking in my head of course, what are you crazy?!
This is how the conversation goes:
Me: “What do you like to do?” (This goes the same every time.)
Other person: “I like this, this and that etc. (Fill in the blanks of what you like to do)
Me: “Well have you looked around for those things to do?”
Other: “No not really”
Me: “Well maybe that is the problem”
Although we still seem to hold on to that small town feel that so many of us love, there is a plethora of things to do. I could fill up pages upon pages here. I don’t really care what you like, whether it is sports, art, stand up comedy, food, plays, Broadway musicals, water sports, music, hiking, painting we really have you covered! Spend some time searching on the web and you are bound to find an interest group, they are an awesome source of information. Heck that is how I was able to find out where to play volleyball as an adult. I’ve met some great people that way & thankful for that Meet Up group I joined several years ago.
So I really don’t want to hear there is nothing to do. Here are some examples of random activities this weekend that I found just perusing around:
71st Annual Gourd Festival
Promoted by the NC Gourd Society, the 71st annual North Carolina Gourd Arts and Crafts Festival features displays of historical gourds from around the world and a variety of growing, crafting, and artistic competitions. There are gourd workshops both days (Sept. 8 and 9) and vendors of gourd crafts, dried gourds, seeds, books, and gourd crafting supplies. The Festival is in the Holshouser Building (round Village of Yesteryear building) on the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.
Full list of events at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds click here
Cow Parade NC
CowParade, the world’s largest public art exhibit, has arrived in the Triangle! CowParade North Carolina 2012 features 81 painted and costumed cows, all whimsically transformed by regional artists, professional and amateur, from life-sized “blank canvas” fiberglass cows.
Herd locations are throughout the Triangle…now that would be a fun scavenger hunt idea for a family!
Hopscotch Music Festival 2012
3 days, 175 bands, 15 venues.
“Now in its third year, The Independent Weekly’s Hopscotch Music Festival brings 175 bands to 15 venues in downtown Raleigh. Intended to highlight the Triangle’s music scene by pairing exciting local talent with notable national and international artists, Hopscotch offers choices in just about every genre imaginable—rock, hip-hop, alt-country, metal, dance, punk, classical, noise, drone, folk, and more. It is a festival that thrives on the variety and quality of its lineup, and this year, with roughly 35% of the musicians hailing from Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and other nearby locales, it’s a testament to both this region’s musical diversity and its national relevance.
Featuring 175 bands at night, day parties, the Edward McKay Used Books & More Cultural Series, charity activities, a poster exhibition, and more, Hopscotch takes place September 6-8, 2012. We invite you to experience it with us.” –The Independent Hopscotch Music Festival, Raleigh, NC Website
From unique to normal you really CAN find those activities that will keep you happy right out your back door! Make it a great week. Renee Hillman
Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week!!! 8/20-8/26
Need an excuse to have a date night? Want to try a restaurant you haven’t tired before? Want to stay within a budget? Well I have the perfect suggestion for you this week!!! It is Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week where there are several restaurants that participate & offer price fix meals at $20 or $30/per person. There are some that are pairing wine & beer for an additional price fix amount. I highly suggest reservations which many will take thru Open Table as it gets pretty busy in a good way. Anytime we have activity in city centers it helps all of us out. There is AMPLE free parking downtown and there is also the R Line. I know I’ve already made reservations at Sullivans‘ with some friends as their menu looked tasty. You also have Second Empire– one of my favorite restaurants in the area, a four star award winner in a meticulously restored home on Hillsborough St. Zely & Ritz uses many ingredients from their local farm right in the heart of Glenwood South, the list could keep going. There are many to choose from for all types of palates!
See you downtown!
Raleigh Amphitheater… “Bringin’ the Get Down to Downtown”
I always enjoy the times I am able to spend downtown, whether it was the American Cheese Festival this past weekend (now that was an experience) to grabbing a bite to eat (we checked out Oro in The Plaza building) there are so many things to offer! I know several people that complain about the difficulty of parking, I find this hard to believe given the abundance of parking decks that are FREE.
What I am most excited about is the O.A.R concert tomorrow night at the Raleigh Amphitheater. I LOVE this venue – small, intimate, plenty of bathrooms, in walking distance to several restaurants & bars and best of all you can watch the beautiful sunsets! This is the first concert I ever took my little sisters too & it has been an annual tradition for over 12 years. I am looking forward to sharing fun times again with my sisters enjoying all that Raleigh has to offer!
Free things to do this weekend 6/22! Tour de Fat & Peak City Pig Fest
Happy Monday!
I promised from the beginning this wouldn’t be all about real estate but love a chance to brag about our area and explore. We have so many neat things to do here in the RTP area!!! With that being said here are a couple of highlights this weekend, figured you would need to start getting prepared now!
Tour de Fat – This is an all ages friendly event that supports many of our local non profits and cycling awareness. I had a blast last year – I am not sure words can do this justice, it is definitely an eclectic scene but one that has something for everyone! You will be sure to laugh quite a bit. Shows, food, demos and right by the heart of the American Tobacco District on the grassy area by the DPAC in Downtown Durham. You can even dress up & do the bike ride (sign up required I believe). Definitely a great way to explore a new area/culture. This only goes to 15 cities a year & we are very lucky to have New Belgium Brewery put on this event…they are even opening a new east coast location in Asheville, North Carolina. Directly from their website: “For those who haven’t experienced Tour de Fat, it is a thrilling rite of passage that includes an unparalleled costumed bicycle parade, New Belgium beer, eccentric entertainment, local food, unusual bike contests and much more. The free event, which raises money for local nonprofits through beer and merchandise purchases, will soon exceed the $2 million mark for total funds raised.”
Peak City Pig Fest – Downtown, Apex, NC Another great community event that is free! This is the only Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned event in the Triangle area. There will be about 30 barbeque teams competing for $15,000 in prize money. Their website has a schedule of events, be sure to join and check out all the fun! If you happen to see the Pharm-A-Que Team, tell them HI, this is my boyfriends’ team & they have been working hard on their recipes & rubs! I believe I have also consumed enough BBQ to last me a while. Wishing them the best of luck on a win!
Get out enjoy our area & explore! You only live once.
Toll, Transponders & the Good of 540!
I know many many people are not too happy about the fact that we have a toll road right in the heart of where we live, especially since the toll is only applicable to the new section. 540 will serve as a well needed corridor to Apex & Holly Springs from the RTP/Durham area. I can only imagine the time it is saving several of those residents to what seems to be the mecca for our employment base. I know several of my clients have tweeted that the time savings is worth the toll expense they are paying, although I know it is costing most from Apex lunch out for the day. I live in Raleigh but do quite a bit of sales on the 540 side of Cary/Morrisville/Apex etc. I had NO idea how much I used 540 until I received my first bill. OUCH! That prompted me immediately to go ahead & purchase the sticker transponder. It was a fairly painless process, I created an account from the bill I received, put in my credit card info & a few days later the stickers arrived. You have to have one per car and I believe they will allow 5 cars on one account. Now I will not have to worry about bills in the mail as it will auto debit from the initial balance you have to put on ($20) & I will get an email statement once a month. As much as I don’t like to pay a toll as the next guy, getting to Apex was so easy last night after picking up my sister from the airport. Not to mention 40E was backed up because of a car fire and the normal rush hour traffic. If I had to take the traditional way it would have easily taken me 40+ minutes, taking 540 took us less than 20 minutes with no lights & no hassle!!! The NC Quick Pass saved me about $1 for just that trip…I say the $5 investment is worth it. I am definitely interested to see once the next section is open how much traffic is alleviated off of 40E bound! I hope it really makes a HUGE difference.
Renee’s Favorite Places & Things in Raleigh, Durham & Surrounding Areas, Vol. 1
My favorite places & things in Raleigh, Durham and all the towns around!
I decided this year as part of my NC Renée blog that I would share my favorite places/things to do in the area. By nature I am an explorer, I love travel, enjoy meeting new people, taking part in different experiences and in general enjoying the one life we have to live! For some reason this post makes me think of Oprah’s Favorite Things, granted don’t expect me to shower you with monetary gifts but I may be able to shower you with some wisdom of why Raleigh and RTP in general are such great places to call HOME. And maybe just maybe the businesses I decide to feature may pass along some good deals to my clients & followers. This whole blogging thing is new to me so learning the ins, outs, pros & cons so bear with me!
I am always on a hunt for a good bakery mostly because I love making sandwiches. I am by no means a culinary expert. When I have the option to eat lunch at home I enjoy it, partly because I get to use fresh ingredients from my garden and mostly because I can eat in peace and quiet. It doesn’t happen often but either way I enjoy that 15 minutes.
So getting back to the bakery, I decided to check out Guglhupf’s this past weekend.
It is over in Durham off 15-501 close to intersection of University about 5 minutes from downtown. I’ve eaten at the restaurant a few times & have always been pleased. Great ambiance & an awesome outdoor seating area with tons of character. The kicker, I always arrived after the bakery closed. The minute I stepped into the bakery the smell was a little slice of heaven. I knew I was in the right place when several German speaking families were coming in to purchase bakery & desert items. It was busy, the staff helpful and had that cultural eclectic kind of vibe. I went for the cracked pepper & parmesan wheat bread, I can say today I made lunch at home & it was pretty special. So I savored my 15 minutes of peace and quiet with my kindle and a great sandwich, one of my favorite things!
Festival of Cheese, yes Raleigh it is coming!
Ok, it always amazes me the interesting tidbits you learn out & about. I enjoy trying new things & as many of you know I love the North Carolina State Farmers Market! I think it is one of North Carolinas best kept secrets. On one of my latest visits I stopped by Prodigal Farm, (their storefront is located in the building), a local connoisseur of all things goat cheese with their farm located in Rougemont, NC. Dave is the best and always spends time with you explaining the care of their goats to the cheese making process. One of the random things I found out is that the American Cheese Society is holding their 29th Annual Cheese Conference & Competition in…yes Downtown Raleigh!!!
And the cherry on top August 4th from 7 to 930pm, it is open to the public for the Festival of Cheese! (Ticket required $55/per person). I for one can’t wait to experience 1600 cheeses. Yet another really cool thing coming to Raleigh. Off to burn some calories at the Lake Johnson Trail, heck I have to start getting ready for August NOW. Maybe a prelude to the next post?!
July 4th Celebrations in the Triangle!!!
Staying around this holiday & wondering what to do? I love fireworks & there are a couple great places to watch around the Triangle this year. The biggest news is that the Raleigh fireworks that have traditionally been at the Fairgrounds have been moved to Downtown Raleigh on Fayetteville Street. This link will take you to all you need to know! Fireworks Raleigh, Downtown
If you are in and around the Cary area, Koka Booth Ampitheatre will be hosting their annual event, the Independance Day Celebration, click here for more information.
Have a safe & happy holiday week! GO USA