River views from the deck of The Eddy Pub (right) complement menu items like (clockwise from top) chicken, potatoes, and broccoli; pad Thai; shishito peppers; and ceviche. photograph by Anna Routh Barzin

The Eddy Pub

Large, original windows and exposed wooden beams frame diners at The Eddy Pub as they sip local ciders and Saxapahaw’s namesake pale ale. The gastropub, known for its comfort food, is one of many local institutions bringing new life to the historic Saxapahaw Rivermill. The wooden tabletops blend seamlessly with the interior, allowing the restaurant’s delicious offerings to shine. On the weekend, stop by midmorning for fried chicken and maple slaw sandwiched between Belgian waffles. Dinner calls for a charcuterie board packed with local meats and cheeses, a juicy smashburger, and a chance to settle in on the pub’s porch, where meals are served with a view of the Haw River.

Saturdays in Saxapahaw

Visitors who’ve caught wind of this festive gathering approach the big hill across from the old Saxapahaw Rivermill and follow the sound of saxophone wails and drumbeats to find a patch of grass facing the main stage. Hosted by the Haw River Ballroom since 2005, Saturdays in Saxapahaw features mostly local musicians and vendors on summer weekends. The show is a decidedly family affair, with children zipping down a makeshift Slip ’N Slide and couples enjoying the show from picnic blankets as the music carries the crowd into another warm summer night.

Owner Jeff Barney (top left) offers up (bottom right, clockwise from right) caprese salads; grits bowls with salmon, roasted red peppers, spinach, and feta; and club sandwiches. After lunch, shoppers can grab other provisions. photograph by Anna Routh Barzin

Saxapahaw General Store

Through the door of Saxapahaw General Store, customers enter a culinary tour of Alamance County and beyond. Inside, day-trippers and paddlers fresh off the Haw browse shelves full of locally made goods from more than 135 North Carolina farms and businesses. The store doubles as a restaurant with a menu full of Southern classics — biscuits and gravy, tuna melts, and fried catfish sandwiches — as well as more creative selections, like a pork shoulder braised in coconut milk and emu sourced from Amaroo Hills Emu Farm in Liberty.

Donovan Zimmerman (left) paints massive creations for the Paperhand Puppet Project. Catch the latest show, The Gift, premiering at Chapel Hill’s Forest Theatre on August 8. photograph by Anna Routh Barzin

Paperhand Puppet Project

Many Saxapahaw businesses embrace values of free expression, creativity, conservation, and community. At Paperhand Puppet Project, you’ll find all four. During Paperhand’s traveling shows, actors don giant handmade masks and costumes that blend the human form with natural elements while a rainbow of puppets dances around them, some soaring 12 feet high. The group, founded in 1998, shares stories through sculptural creations (many made from recycled materials), evocative music, and choreographed ensembles in an experience that some might call otherworldly, but we call distinctly Saxapahaw.

Owner Ross Flynn and his team want to make it easy for home chefs to incorporate sustainable meat, so they spend significant time making hamburgers, paella mix, meatballs, and broths. photograph by Anna Routh Barzin

Left Bank Butchery

Butcher and manager Jason Powers places a round cut of beef into a Dutch oven, and a loud sizzle erupts. The group gathered in the Left Bank Butchery kitchen for a cooking class watches Powers sear the osso buco. “We’re going to braise it,” Powers says as he adds mirepoix, garlic, tomato paste, beef stock, and a glug of red wine. “It’s going to go from the toughest cut of the cow to the most tender, flavorful meat.” Left Bank Butchery owner Ross Flynn opened the sustainable whole-animal butchery in 2014 after working at nearby Braeburn and Cane Creek farms. At Left Bank Butchery, customers find not only a variety of proteins but also homemade bone broth, make-at-home ramen kits, charcuterie, foie gras butter, and a passionate team ready to help make supper special.

Fabian-Leonardo Gonzalez and Eamon Graham-Fitzsimmons play on the giant fish structure at Saxapahaw Island Park. photograph by Anna Routh Barzin

Saxapahaw Island Park

You don’t need to cast a line into the Haw River to find fins in Saxapahaw. A 45-foot-long wooden bowfin eyes curious children who make their way into the hollow creature to ride the slide into the Saxapahaw Island Park playground, which also has a collection of swings and a giant rope spider web. Sitting between downtown and the west bank of the Haw, Saxapahaw Island Park opened in 2018 and is a frequent stop for outdoor enthusiasts. Head out on the park’s main trail, a 1.5-mile loop, to explore this little island paradise in the Piedmont.

“If I owned this by myself, it wouldn’t be what it is now,” K. Frances Pape says. Her pieces, like Content to Bloom (bottom left), grace Riverside’s walls and shelves with work by artists like Julia Greenwood (top right) and Ruth Mae Turner (bottom right). photograph by Anna Routh Barzin

Riverside Collective

Peer beyond the artist boutique into the shared studio space of Riverside Collective, and you’ll likely see a Saxapahaw resident working on a masterpiece. It could be textile artist Chris Nygren weaving at her loom, Julia Greenwood buffing leather for a handcrafted bag, visual artist Ruth Mae Turner working on her next digital design, or painter Leigh Brown swiping her brush across canvas, as natural a movement as the flow of the nearby Haw, one of her favorite subjects. Owner and oil painter K. Frances Pape put out a call to local female artists in hopes of finding a creative community, and in the spring of 2024, Riverside Collective was born.

A quick stroll down from The Eddy Pub leads to Haw River Farmhouse Ales, where guests can order a flight (bottom right) to try beers like Saxapahaw Lager, “Livin’ the Low Life” lager, Javaberry cream stout, and “Where I End and You Begin” IPA. photograph by Anna Routh Barzin

Haw River Farmhouse Ales

After lunch at The Eddy, another memorable culinary experience awaits beneath the restaurant’s balcony. The taproom at Haw River Farmhouse Ales reflects the history of the town and its namesake mill, while the brews on draft celebrate the surrounding natural environment and the flavors it produces. Fill a flight with seasonal beers like the tart Farmstand Pickle; peachy Fuzzy Buttons; and Sun Hands, a hoppy Belgian with honey.

Heather LaGarde enjoys sunset kayaking on the Haw River, which was named after the Sissipahaw Tribe. photograph by Anna Routh Barzin

Haw River Canoe & Kayak Co.

Kayaks and canoes glide across the Haw River, leaving ripples in the otherwise still water. Soon, the paddlers become an audience for a symphony of ribbits, chirps, hoots, and the rhythmic buzz of cicadas, all musicians guided by darkness, their conductor. The group is out on the Haw for a sunset paddle, one of the many guided tours offered by Haw River Canoe & Kayak Co. Joe Jacob started the business after a 20-year career at The Nature Conservancy in Chapel Hill, and he hopes to show paddlers the beauty and tranquility of the Haw while also protecting its wildness. “You want people to get connected with nature,” he says, “because that’s when they will become its defender.”

With standing capacity of 750, the brick-walled Haw River Ballroom frequently sells out shows for artists like Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. photograph by Anna Routh Barzin

Haw River Ballroom

What was originally the dye house of the old textile mill is now one of the region’s favorite venues. Since opening in 2011, the Haw River Ballroom has hosted weddings, events, conferences, national acts, and, notably, some of the best musicians in the state, including Chatham Rabbits, Sylvan Esso, and Steep Canyon Rangers. The original brick walls, exposed beams, and soaring ceilings create a historic backdrop for modern light effects, state-of-the-art sound quality, and cheering crowds.

This story was published on Jun 23, 2025