We visited Still Life's new location in Chapel Hill a couple weekends ago. I was impressed. I…read moredidn't know Chapel Hill had an "upscale" dance/nightclub with a sexy, big city vibe to it. We hung out at "The Loft" bar and lounge on the 3rd floor which I believe is 25-and-up only. The Loft is like a covered rooftop patio with outside views on three sides, none of which face Franklin St directly, unfortunately. But still, it's a cool, sleek spot with a nice-looking bar, white couches, and high-tops.
We stayed up in The Loft and never went downstairs where, presumably, the main club and dance floor are located. As we drove down Franklin St to get here, after 11pm on a Saturday night, we saw a line of what looked like undergrad-aged kids waiting to get in. So, I'm not sure what the atmosphere was like downstairs, but things were very "mature," chill, and relaxed upstairs. I didn't feel like I was on Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill.
We parked for free in the James Wallace Parking Deck, accessible behind Still Life via E Rosemary St. The deck is next to "Amber Alley," which connects the back side of the buildings to Franklin St. On the deck side of the alley, our big group (who had a connection and called ahead) literally got red carpet treatment. Our IDs were checked and we were given wristbands to access The Loft. We took the glass elevator up and down and there were stairs too.
Parking in the Wallace Deck was free because we parked outside the hours of operation: 8am-8pm, Monday-Saturday except holidays.
According to Still Life Chapel Hill's Instagram page, their rooftop-only soft opening was July 8 and their entire-venue grand opening is two weeks from today on Friday, August 19th: https://www.instagram.com/stilllifeunc/. Currently, there is another Still Life location in Greenville (NC): https://www.yelp.com/biz/still-life-greenville-6. And there used to be a Still Life in Raleigh: https://www.yelp.com/biz/still-life-nightclub-raleigh.
I believe this space used to be The Strowd (https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-strowd-chapel-hill) and before that, the Players club (https://www.yelp.com/biz/players-chapel-hill). When my friends were undergrads at UNC, they came to Players. Yep, we're old.
Anyway, we had a good time at Still Life and I think this is a club worth checking out. Also, the bartenders were nice and the espresso martini I tried was good. Well made, and nice and strong.