A letter from Eryk Pruitt
You can tell yourself you’re just out for one drink, but Hillsborough’s waiting to make a liar out of you. Places like Yonder, Nash Street Tavern, Eno River Brewing, and The Rookery — each one with its own beat — line the night like cards in a gambler’s hand.
No cover charges, no wristbands, no velvet ropes… just follow the music spilling out of open doors, daring you to “find your vibe.” For the price of a pint or a mocktail and a few bucks for the tip jar, a nighttime walk through town could be like spinning the dial on a radio built just for you. You might find a songwriter bleeding his soul with an acoustic guitar at one venue, then find a tight-knit band from Raleigh, Durham, or Chapel Hill burning through a set like the rent’s due tomorrow. Hillsborough may be small, but it’s a magnet for originals — not just cover bands — and the kind of easy Southern charm that can make a Tuesday night feel like a Saturday in New Orleans or Nashville.
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a stroll.
After a plate of wings at the Wooden Nickel or a crab cake sandwich at Saratoga Grill, the first stop is the Rookery. It still wears its past on the outside — tin roof, tin walls, the bones of its bygone days as a garden supply shop—but the inside has been refurbished with an Instagram-worthy interior with warm wood and neon lights. The Rookery keeps its nights family-friendly, starting with Wednesday, where trivia with the public library has kids guessing and running answers to the table.
The Rookery
Thursdays, PG movies like “Top Gun” or “A League of Their Own” flicker on the lawn alongside the fireflies. By the weekend, the stage belongs to the singer-songwriters, crooning love-lorn ballads into the mic. And if you want your turn, come Sunday for karaoke, where the locals — and their kids — take their swing at the spotlight. Still hungry? Order an appetizer from sister business The Nomad to enjoy on the patio.
Haven’t found your vibe yet? Slip up the alley to King Street and into Yonder, where the lights are low, the cocktails are crafty, and there is live music at least four nights per week. The rest of the calendar is no slouch, filled with lively events such as a live script reading of a cult classic or an award-winning live stand-up comedy showcase.
What you’ll find at Yonder
“You can stop in any night, grab a cocktail or a glass of wine, and see what’s happening, dance in front of the stage, sink into the couches, or catch up with friends,” says Paige McNeal, Yonder’s bar manager. She puts it simply, and the appeal is clear from the moment you walk through the door.
Whether it be a bluegrass quartet or a down and dirty blues band rattling the walls until closing, Yonder is more than just a cocktail lounge — it’s Hillsborough’s living room, where music, libations, and a little bit of mystery share the same table.
Believe it or not, you’re only halfway through this pub music crawl. Follow the Riverwalk, the boardwalk tracing the Eno’s slow curves, out of downtown and into West Hillsborough, where the train tracks blow past and Nash Street Tavern can be found “down on the corner.” Looking for an expert opinion? Bob Johnson, host of WHUP 104.7 FM’s “Pass the Hat” and an authority on Hillsborough’s music scene, has gone on record:
“[Nash Street Tavern is] a small neighborhood bar in the center of West Hillsborough’s arts scene. Live music features heavily on the weekends, including Sunday residencies with regionally popular bands. A back porch and outdoor seating, and tasty food from next door restaurants and food trucks make this a fun and funky one-stop shop for evening and weekend entertainment.”
A performance in Nash Street Tavern
Inside, it’s got everything you’d hope for in a proper dive: dartboards, an old upright piano, and bartenders who greet regulars by name. The music is mostly homegrown — rowdy, raucous, and built for a crowd that likes to listen in or stomp along. On any given night, you might walk in for a drink and find yourself staying until the band plays its last encore.
From Nash Street, it’s a short walk to Eno River Brewing, tucked between the river and the old textile mills, which now house the Eno Arts Mill. You’ll find a tap room with non-alcoholic options and an open-air patio, as well as a broad lawn which slopes down to the riverbank, dotted with picnic tables and kids chasing each other while their parents sip what’s fresh from the taps. Their calendar is as full as their pint glasses with plenty of activities like craft nights, trivia contests, and bingo nights.
As snapshot from Eno River Brewing
Some evenings might find a singer-songwriter tucked into the corner, playing low enough to score the conversation without stealing it. All the beer is brewed in-house from bright, hop-forward ales to malty, slow-sipping stouts. They also host food trucks if you’d like to grab a bite. The vibe is family-friendly, slow and easy like the river flowing beside it.
By the time you’ve finished this Hillsborough music crawl — Rookery to Yonder to Nash Street to Eno River Brewing — you’ve tasted the drinks, soaked in the sounds of the town, and had a chat with the locals and out-of-towners. Maybe it was a slow, love-lorn ballad over a fresh pint. Or it might have been a raucous guitar riff that helped your whiskey go down. But there’s no need to call it a night. You can circle back to where you started or duck into any of Hillsborough’s doors again. Tell yourself you’ll head home after one more song, but you already know you’ll be lying. You’ve found your vibe. Tomorrow night, it might be a different band, a different beat, but it will still be Hillsborough after dark: different doors, unique vibes, and a living, breathing soundtrack you can’t help but carry home.
“Hillsborough After Dark” is a series sponsored by Visit Hillsborough and highlighting some of the best our town on the Eno has to offer! Hillsborough has charm, history and — if you know where to look — some spectacular spots to visit After Dark! Check back to see what else Hillsborough has to offer, and for more local essays guiding your explorations and outings!
