Weaver Street Market and Downtown Carrboro

Weaver Street Market is a lovely place to hang out for a while. It's a health food store with a great bakery. Grab a chocolate croissant and some hot tea in real cups (you serve yourself), pay at the counter, and then sit in the indoor seating area looking out the big windows. Outside you can see the cute picnic tables under thick leafy shade. 

Sundays (mid-May to mid-October) there is live music here from 11-1. The tables fill with young families enjoying the music. Toddlers dance to the beat. It's a great scene! When we went there was an excellent Cuban band called CoraSon!
Across the street from Weaver Street Market is a community center called Century Center that sometimes offers free concerts. I saw a fun steel drum concert there one Sunday afternoon. These concerts welcome kids, so that's nice.
Main Street (which leads directly into Chapel Hill, becoming Franklin Street), Weaver Street, and Greensboro Street have many eateries and hang out spots in Downtown Carrboro. Carrboro is not a very pretty area with its old brick buildings and stark architecture, but it has a hipster vibe and lots of flowering trees. Here's an example of some spots to try: Market Street Coffee and Ice Cream, Tyler's Taproom, Glasshalffull Wine Shop, Spotted Dog (with patio for dogs), Open Eye Coffee/Cafe, Carrburritoes, Cat's Cradle (live music venue where you will need ear plugs), Carrburritoes, Esperanza Empanada and Tequila Bar (slow waiter service, good people-watching from outside). There is also a farmer's market in Carrboro on Saturday mornings. The ArtsCenter has great classes and events.
Inside Carr Mill Mall (a long narrow brick building, a former cotton mill built in 1898, with hip shops) is Ali Cat Toys, which has a lovely selection of creative toys. You can buy a toy for your child and then play with it together in the pleasant seating area of Weaver Street Market. Also in Carr Mill Mall is an interesting coffee shop called Oasis- here there is a strong spiritual vibe with dim lighting- this truly is an oasis or sanctuary. Carr Mill Mall is a bit musty like many historic buildings but if you can handle that, there are some great shops to be explored, including one called The Fragrance Shop where you can mix perfume from oils.
Libba Cotten Bikeway runs half a mile along the railroad track from Rise Donuts to S. Merritt Mill Road and Cameron Ave. It's shady and has many flowering trees which smell amazing. It's a little sketchy, with some graffiti, so come with a friend. Midway along, extend your walk further by connecting with the bikeway that leads from 100 Eugene St to 208 Purple Leaf Pl (0.3 miles). This is a hilly winding bike path with shade here and there. The stream runs beside it and it's very pretty.
Rise Donuts has nice outdoor seating with flower pots, and heavy food. It is packed on weekends. No cake donuts here, or hot tea. Gray Squirrel Coffee also has nice outdoor seating with beautiful flower boxes, a spacious interior with huge windows, but no hot tea (you can get hot Chai) and a very small selection of pastries. Al's Burgers has great outdoor seating and minimal indoor seating, and heavy food- buy a slider instead of a whole burger so you don't feel sick after.
Carrboro has a more earthy feel than Chapel Hill. People dress pretty grungy. I prefer Chapel Hill. 

Directions

Weaver Street Market is located at 101 E Weaver St, Carrboro, NC 27510. There is parking along the street or in some shopping centers nearby, such as the Harris Teeter parking lot. 
Carr Mill Mall: The Fragrance Shop, Oasis Coffee, Ali Cat Toys.

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