When the town of Chapel Hill was created in the late eighteenth century, Franklin Street was an unpaved thoroughfare dotted with a few mills, stores, and houses. In the two-plus centuries since then, the road named after Benjamin Franklin has come to be called "North Carolina's Main Street". Whether you are looking for a quick lunch, fine dining, a quiet coffee shop, a hopping nightclub, or a bar where you can catch some live music on the patio, you’ll find it here. With its collection of restaurants, clubs, bars, and boutique shops, Franklin Street is the heart of Chapel Hill's vibrant night life and downtown scene.

The western stretch of the three-mile-long road borders the UNC campus, making it the place to be for students looking for a night out on the town. After big basketball victories, Carolina fans spill out onto the street and set up celebratory bonfires. On Halloween, Franklin Street comes alive when the dead come out to play, as more than eighty thousand trick-or-treaters commandeer the road in full costume.