Join Us on the Community Murals Walking Tour
As local foliage sports an ombre palette and the air regains that familiar, yet distinct fall crispness, getting outside sounds like the perfect way to spend a Saturday. But after a summer of swimming, hiking and trying Chapel Hill treats, it’s time for a new adventure.
Combining public art and an opportunity to wear your newest sweater, Glen Lennox is proud to present our Community Murals Walking Tour. Read about the masterpieces on our two-mile path below. Then, when you’re ready to experience them in-person, find our customized map linked below.
This walk is filled with plenty of stops and lots to see. And as a community overflowing with creativity, there are certainly murals to spot outside of this list; see how many more you find!
East Franklin
Starting off strong at the eastern edge of our journey are two murals near Zog’s Art Bar and Pool Hall. On the side of the bar is a piece by Artie Barksdale in 2022 for Chapel Hill’s Hip Hop South Festival. As you admire this colorful creation, notice the lyrics on the tape, “The South Got Something to Say.”
It’s hard to miss the bright yellow painting across from Zog’s on Henderson Street. Titled “Pencil,” this is our first mention of famed muralist Michael Brown, who painted over a dozen works in Chapel Hill. Bonus points if you can read the words on the painting without tilting your head sideways (they’re upside down)!
From Henderson Street, make your way up to “Parade of Humanity,” a monochrome mural in Porthole Alley, beside Carolina Coffee Shop. Finished in 1997 by Brown, the piece sits conveniently on the threshold between campus and downtown. It is partially inspired by Brown’s own visits to Carolina basketball games.
Finally, round out East Franklin by looping back to the Rosemary/Columbia Lot. There, you can admire the beginning of Brown’s career, referred to as “The Blue Mural.” Brown painted this cobalt blue sky in 1989, including silhouettes of downtown. If you visit at dusk, there’s a chance the piece will blend seamlessly with the evening sky.
West Franklin
Continuing down Rosemary Street, see the iconic “Greetings from Chapel Hill” mural in the parking lot of He’s Not Here. Artist Scott Nurkin modeled the piece off of a 1947 postcard, designed by Curt Teich. Carolina alumnus Nurkin received permission to give the postcard a Tar Heel theme, contributing to its popularity as a local photo opp.
Further down Rosemary and opposite to He’s Not, the side of Pantana Bob’s sports another Tar Heel-themed mural. The painstakingly detailed “Paint By Numbers” of Carolina Football players is Brown’s last piece in Chapel Hill. The artist even included paintings of his student volunteers in the mural.
Cutting back up to West Franklin Street, there are four murals within 0.3 miles of each other. Spot them all on the right side of the road as you journey toward Carrboro: a colorful, abstract masterpiece on the side of CholaNad Restaurant & Bar, “Hands” on the side of Chapel Hill Cleaners, a lighthouse by The Pit Chapel Hill and a comic-book style design adorning Chapel Hill Tire.
At the intersection of Merritt Mill Road and West Franklin, head south to see “African American Trailblazers” by Kiara Sanders. This mural displays the portraits and names of 12 residents and unsung civic leaders in the community. Take time to stop and read their names, and learn more about the mural and Sanders through this video.
Walking back to the intersection and north up Merritt Mill, you will come face to face with another monochrome mural. Completed on the edge of Carrboro, “Elizabeth Cotten” is a portrait of this local musician. Cotten composed “Freight Train” and played her folk-blues tunes upside down on her guitar because she was left-handed.
Carrboro
We now cross into Carrboro for the last leg of our art adventure! First up is a Michael Brown work at Gates of Beauty Body Shop. Painted on the side of Mr. Brother Peacemaker’s business, the mural was a trade for the work the body shop did on Brown’s car. The man in the image is Mr. Peacemaker himself.
As you round the corner of Main Street, your breath will be immediately taken away by one of the newest additions to the Carrboro “mural-scape.” On either side of WomanCraft Gifts and Grey Squirrel Coffee Company are murals, the newest a magical mix of butterflies by Loren Pease of SweetPease art. The other side of the building is a patchwork of people, sporting the message: “We Are Community.”
The next Main Street coffee shop, Open Eye Cafe, has a mural of their own. Depicting a rich green field with the red, vibrant berries of the coffee plant, this on-theme Michael Brown piece was inspired by a picture from the cafe’s owner Scott Conary.
Further down the street, one of Carrboro’s Black Lives Matter murals is painted on the side of CommunityWorx Thrift Shop. Tyrone Small created it in 2020, saying:
“The BLM mural done by myself and the students was a testament to what we can all do as a people if we can just put our differences aside and come together to create something beautiful and lasting forever.”
And finally, for the last leg of your journey, “buzz” over to the Carrboro Fire and Rescue for Matthew Willey’s mural of honey bees, displaying the words “The Good Of The Hive.” Carrboro received a Bee City USA distinction in 2014, making this piece nothing short of fitting. Willey started The Good Hive Initiative, a mural project that aims to ignite radical curiosity and active engagement around planetary health issues through art, bees and storytelling. Across the county, he plans to paint 50,000 honey bees.
We hope you learned some community and art history here, and that you will take advantage of our free and beautiful mural tour in-person! Get outside and feel the fall air, support local art and adventure in your neighborhood. Happy exploring!
East Franklin Street
- The South Got Something to Say / Pencil — 110 Henderson Street
- Parade of Humanity — 138 East Franklin Street
- The Blue Mural — 101 East Rosemary Street
West Franklin
- Greetings from Chapel Hill — 114 West Rosemary Street
- Paint By Numbers — 305 West Rosemary Street
- Mural at CholaNad — West Franklin Street at Kenan Eastbound
- Hands — 434 West Franklin Street
- Lighthouse / Mural at Chapel Hill Tire — 502 West Franklin Street
- African American Trailblazers — 111 South Merritt Mill Road
- Elizabeth Cotten — 109 North Merritt Mill Road
Carrboro
- Gates of Beauty — 405 East Main Street B
- Butterflies / We Are Community — 360 East Main Street
- Coffee Plants — 101 South Greensboro Street
- Black Lives Matter — 125 West Main Street #100
- The Good Of The Hive — 104 Bim Street
