Things to do in Raleigh, North Carolina
March 3, 2023
Over the past few years I’ve heard so many great things about Raleigh, so I knew I had to come back and check out this cool North Carolina town. I recently spent a long weekend in Raleigh and packed as much as I could in those few days…but I could have easily spent several more days there exploring. Below are some of the things I really enjoyed so hopefully it might help you when planning your next trip to Raleigh.
Visit Pullen Park- this park is a great for people of all ages and I thought there were so many cool things to do. Pullen Park is the first public park in North Carolina and it has a carousel, train rides, an amazing playground, pedal boats, ball fields, tennis courts, green space and an aquatics center. You can spend hours here on a nice, sunny day.
Grab some southern breakfast- Raleigh has a lot of great breakfast spots and Big Ed’s in the City Market part of town is one of the most well-known breakfast restaurants. This time though, I went to the State Farmers’ Market Restaurant, where I enjoyed a great, no-frills southern breakfast. It gets crowded on the weekends so be sure to get there early.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences- I love a good museum and this one had so many different things to offer- the best thing is that it’s free of charge! There are some great exhibits including ones specific to North Carolina, one about the history of the museum itself, anthropods, a conservatory, one featuring dinosaurs, etc. Be sure to make your way across the bridge to the other side of the museum where you can see some other cool exhibits as well as labs where you can watch scientists working during the week.
Howling Cow Dairy Education Center and Creamery- I had some of the best ice cream of my life at the Howling Cow, located on the outskirts of downtown Raleigh. This place was recommended by my friend and I loved it. This creamery is staffed by NC State students and their ice cream is made with fresh milk and cream from their Raleigh farm. I’m still dreaming about that chocolate peanut butter ice cream.
Walk around downtown Raleigh- there are a lot of cool shops and things to see in downtown Raleigh. Just take a few hours to explore. I loved looking at the murals and old churches. Also downtown is the Morgan Street Food Hall, if you’re looking for some food options that will please a large group of people.
Visit some cool bars- Raleigh has several neat bars in the downtown area and we were able to check out a few of them. Once home to the Raleigh Times newspaper, the Raleigh Times Bar has a fun atmosphere, all while keeping the local history in tact through old newspaper articles on the bar’s walls. We also enjoyed a speakeasy called Watts & Ward- they had fun drinks and I loved that there were so many people of all ages in the bar. The final bar we visited was Brewery Bhavana- not only do they have a bar on one side of the restaurant, but they also serve dim sum on the other side and have a small shop in between with books, candles and more. I loved the vibe of this place.
North Carolina Museum of Art- this was another great free museum in Raleigh. Not only do they have some wonderful exhibits (I loved how different they all were), but they also have some great outdoor space. They have 5 miles of trails outside of the museum and woven throughout the trails are some neat art installations. This was a much-used trail system which I loved seeing.
Videri Chocolate Factory- this chocolate factory and cafe is a great experience tucked away in the Warehouse District in downtown Raleigh. Not only can you enjoy delicious chocolate treats and a coffee shop, you can also take a tour of the chocolate factory. During the week you can watch the employees make chocolate but if you’re there on the weekends, you can still do a self-guided tour and see and read about how they make their chocolate from bean to chocolate bar.
North Carolina State Farmers Market- this farmers market is huge and while I visited in the winter, I was still highly impressed with the amount of great produce, baked goods and meat. I would love to come back during the spring and summer months, as I’ve heard that it is incredible and fun to explore. More of a reason for me to come back and visit Raleigh! Thanks Raleigh, for being such a cool town.
