Poor students need to celebrate wedding anniversary. Help!

May 7, 2009 8:09 AM

What should my husband and I do to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary in the greater Chapel Hill, NC area?

Our 2nd wedding anniversary is this weekend. We both live on academic stipends and due to a recent turn of events are awash in medical bills, so we don't have a lot of money. That being said, we are willing to put anniversary celebrations on our credit card and pay off over time, as long as they aren't TOO extravagant (don't really want to spend more than 300-400, and that price tag would mean a weekend spent somewhere). We've established that we would rather spend the money on a nice time together over giving gifts.

Additional considerations: it is graduation weekend at UNC so pretty much every local restaurant/fun thing to do is already booked and is going to be packed with undergrads and their families. Also, I am suffering some health complications that result in a constant and intense headache, so things like theme parks or loud shows (both of which I love) won't work.

We are both working our asses off on our PhDs and often that leads to a lack of time to just be together. It would be nice to get some of that back with our anniversary celebration. Bonus points if you suggest something that includes bringing a dog with us. And yes, we are both too exhausted to put a lot of googling effort into this, which is why I am asking you, mefites.

posted by sickinthehead to grab bag (12 comments total)

Picnic. Sarah P. Duke gardens in Durham, or one of the many, many other beautiful parks in the area. Which would be quiet. Champagne, good food in a picnic basket.
posted by slateyness at 8:15 AM on May 7

FYI it's graduation weekend (Oprahpaoolza this year) at Duke too. So the Duke Gardens will be PACKED with even more annoying undergrads.

Are you able to go on a drive at all? Or do you need to stay pretty close to home? Because there are nice options on the coast and there are some dog friendly hotels out there.
posted by barnone at 9:19 AM on May 7

How 'bout UNC Botanical Gardens?
posted by littleredwagon at 9:21 AM on May 7

We can definitely commute somewhere. We don't want to drive more than around 4 hours each way.

It's really pathetic because we've lived here for a while now, but with school we really haven't had much of a chance to explore the area aside from restaurants (like, my husband goes to Duke and we have never been to Duke Gardens! - but we do live in Chapel Hill).
posted by sickinthehead at 9:23 AM on May 7

No I totally understand. I've barely done anything in CH and I'm in Durham.

I'd *really* recommend going out to the coast or Asheville. Parts of the coast are about 3-4 hours away from Chapel Hill and Asheville is just under 4 hours (about 3.5 depending on speed). You'd definitely be able to get a cheap hotel room for about $130 a night, and then food would round out your budget. There are a bunch of threads on here about Asheville -- tons of great food, nice hikes, fun to walk around. The coast is awesome at this time of year - not too busy yet. If you can walk okay, walking down the beach is beautiful. The water will be cold but the dog will be happy to get his paws wet! I'd search for hotels for you but I'm off to the airport.
posted by barnone at 9:28 AM on May 7

I'm remembering there is a hostel in Asheville with private rooms for about $50. There are also hot springs with cabins (search around for other lodging close by).
posted by barnone at 9:31 AM on May 7

You can get a 2 1/2 star hotel in Morehead City (coast) on Hotwire for $87 a night. If you look up other areas on the coast I bet you can get a good deal for the weekend. It's not the high season yet.
posted by barnone at 9:37 AM on May 7

Blue Ridge Parkway? Mabry Mill and Rocky Knob campgrounds are about 4 hours away in VA and won't be crowded with graduation folk. Cheap, quiet, private, and dog-friendly.
posted by infinitewindow at 9:39 AM on May 7

I'm going to send you a MeMail with some craigslist ideas!
posted by barnone at 9:55 AM on May 7

Less of a drive (maybe 2 hours from Chapel Hill) would be Hanging Rock , which is a lovely place with lots of trails. You could use the money to buy a nice picnic and spend the day hiking with your doggie and rock climbing! The site I list is the NC Parks & Rec website, so you can explore all the other state parks around here. A super local option would be Umstead Park, off exit 287 on I-40. You could hike all day and then catch a nice dinner at a restaurant in Cary or downtown Raleigh, which should be safely outside the graduation frenzy zone. For more of a drive, Chimney Rock is on this side of the parkway and great fun. I think there's an admission cost, though it's been a while and I could be mistaken.
posted by ailouros08 at 10:09 AM on May 7

Pick up these two books (or come by my place in Carrboro to borrow them). They both suggest fun things to do in places that you might not otherwise look into.
posted by greta simone at 10:18 AM on May 7 [1 favorite]

You couldn't take your dog, but we have a friend who loves to do a weekend getaway at Celebrity Dairy. Goats! Farm breakfast! Goats!
posted by hydropsyche at 7:29 PM on May 7