A locals guide to visiting Raleigh

GW14158

Figure there will be a lot of people coming into Raleigh that have not been here before so I thought I’d weigh in on some favorite things to do. I’ve lived in Raleigh over 20 years and during that time hosted lots of friends and family from out of town. The thing about Raleigh (and the surrounding area) is that while it’s a great place to live, it’s admittedly not a destination city. There is no one THING to do or see, but still some great places to visit and things to experience:

Best Breweries (THE most important!):

Brewery Bhavana

Trophy

Burial

Crank Arm

Raleigh Brewing

Ponysaurus

Lynwood Brewing Concern

…Raleigh has GREAT beer

....nice outdoor drinking for wine enthusiasts: Raleigh Wine Shop & Wine Authorities

 

Personal Favorite Restaurants:

Five Star Chinese

Bella Monica

Sitti

Dos Taquitos

Warajii 

Sushi Blues

Transfer Food Hall

Wye Hill (great outdoor seating)

Taverna Agora

 

Favorite Southern Restaurants:

Mandolin 

The Pit

Tupelo Honey

Longleaf Swine

Big Eds City Market

Farmers Market Restaurant

 

Free Things to Do:

NC Art Museum (walking around the grounds is the best part)

CAM (Contemporary Art Museum) 

Pullen Park

Hiking Umstead State Park

Sarah P. Duke Gardens (Durham)

Walking around UNC and Chapel Hill

NC Science Museum 

Raleigh Farmers Market

Raleigh Fair Grounds (flea market)

American Tobacco Campus (Durham)

 

Local Shopping:

Pour House Records

Deco (great for local stuff)

House of Swank

Quail Ridge Books

The Village District (former Cameron Village)

Fenton (Cary)

…walk around Wilmington Street. 

…I obviously don’t shop much. 

 

Cheap Things to Do:

Boxcar Barcade (bar and vintage video games and pinball)

Marbles Kids Museum (for young kids…)

Museum of Life + Science (in Durham, again for kids…)

Rent rideshare bikes and bike the greenway (best starting point is the NC Art Museum and greenway maps are available online or at REI)

Minor League Baseball: Durham Bulls or Carolina Mudcats (Clayton)

Morehead Planetarium (Chapel Hill)

 

Pricer Things to Do:

Drive Shack / Top Golf

Rush Hour Go Cart Racing

Apex Racing Lab

Deep River Sporting Clays (Sanford)

 

Reasonable Day Trips:

Wilmington / Wrightsville Beach

Hanging Rock State Park

South Mountain State Park (about the furthest West you’d want to drive for a day trip. Would NOT recommend trying to visit Asheville in a day)

NC Zoo in Ashboro

 

Welcome other ideas!!

on2legs

Thank you!

PJNB

Awesome job thanks for this! 

darwinstheory

Thank you OP!

droptheleash9

Go play Pinehurst!

D-Day

 

Was looking for a view on Relaigh and this showed up too

lead direct to👇🏿27 best FUN things to do in Releigh
https://www.artofit.org/image-gallery/30258628740562063/27-best-fun-things-to-do-in-raleigh-north-carolina/

nicknyr15

Awesome info. I’m actually getting tempted to take the drive down. Is there a better beach for surfing between Wilmington and wrightville?

GW14158

From Raleigh Wrightsville is exactly 2 hours door to door to the Johnnie Mercer Pier. My cousin runs a surfing camp and lessons and works out of Wrightsville and Topsail. (https://ncsurfadventures.com/) From that would say those are your best beaches for surfing.  

Wrangler

This is great.  Thank you.  Coming from NY.

jasonw

Come to Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach on Monday everyone! 

Jdub5521

This rocks, thank you! Any recommendations for coffee/breakfast? 

walkunafraid

Thanks for sharing! I'll be hitting up a few of those breweries for sure. Any of them within walking distance of the venue? 

Imcoffeegirl

Thanks, @GW14158! Where would you recommend to get a great cheeseburger? 

nicknyr15

GW14158 said:

From Raleigh Wrightsville is exactly 2 hours door to door to the Johnnie Mercer Pier. My cousin runs a surfing camp and lessons and works out of Wrightsville and Topsail. (https://ncsurfadventures.com/) From that would say those are your best beaches for surfing.  

More and more tempting. You’ve been a huge help. Thank you. 

GW14158

OK!

Cheeseburger: Probably Bad Daddy's (there are a few locations but I've been to the one in the Seaboard part of downtown), also MoJos which is located on top of the hill of Glenwood South. (As others have noted here, Glenwood South is the main bar and club area for Raleigh.)

Coffee / Breakfast: LOTs of coffee places, but surprisingly not a ton of places for a hot sit-down breakfast.

First Coffee (with counter service food)

- The Optimist (located about 2-3 miles from the Lenovo Center off Glenwood Ave.)

- Sola (a little further up in North Raleigh)
- 321 Coffee (Hillsborough St. & The Farmers Market. They employ people with develepmental disabilities)
- A Cup of Joe (Also Hillsborogh near NC State. It's an NC State Insitution.)
- Sir Walter (downtown)
- Black & White Coffee, Warehouse District (near Videri Chocolate Factory which is also really cool to check out!)

Breakfast:
- Best Bagels (and good coffee): Benchwarmers in Transfer Food Hall (downtown near Moore Square)
- Big Eds (Another Raleigh insitution downtown near Moore Square.)
- Farmers Market Resturant (probably #1 place for breakfast. I've certainly been there more than any other places combined)
- First Watch (It's a chain, but good food and not far from the Lenovo Center off Glenwood)
- Biscuit Belly (Seaboard. Have not been there but hear it's good)

Breweries near the venue... Thing about the Lenovo Center is that it's not near anything! There is a bar, The Local right across the street, but that's really it. That used to be Backyard Bistro until the owner of the Canes bought it and changed the name. But the cloest Brewery is probably Raleigh Brewing. Maybe 4 miles away. Raleigh Brewing is near some other stuff as that area is across the street from Meredith College and not far from NC State. 

Oh, and other free / cheap things to do: Duke Chapel. While not too enamored with Duke's campus, the Chapel is very very impressive. It's basically a catheral. Also in Duke is the Nasher Museum. But been a while since I've been there. And on NC State's campus is the Gregg Museum of Art & Design. Lastly, some others here have mentioned Raleigh Beer Garden on Glenwood South. Most taps ANYWHERE, but they also have mini-golf in the back. Haven't played it, but hear it's surprsingly good! 

Jdub5521

Amazing thank you!

Lost In Ohio

https://theraleighbeergarden.com/

300 taps...and I think you pour it yourself.

Go big or go home.

In 2016 when I flew to Fenway, I flew through Charlotte. I wanted to stop at Bad Daddy's so...ummm...bad, but I had recently eaten and I didn't have enough time, so...yeah. NC owes me.

Wrangler

@GW14158 sorry to bother you.  Thinking about going to the Canes game Saturday night.  Tickets are a little pricey.  Is there a cool arena bar where people watch the games?  Outside bar area?

GW14158

Not a problem! Yeah, even for regular season games tickets are $$$! Playoff games are through the roof. But to watch the game at a bar, there is The Local, but personally would stay away from there between traffic and parking. Next best is likely Rundinos which is only two miles away up Edwards Mill. There will be a lot of Canes fans there to watch. More downtown, Tobacco Road Sports Cafe would be a good choice. Village Draft House in The Villages (formally Cameron Village) also gets a game crowd (been there for NFL, but assuming it will for playoff hockey). The this might sound weird, but Drive Shack. It's only a mile from the arena and has a really nice bar and serves food. Those are the ones I can personally attest to.  

Wrangler

Thank you!!

cincybearcat

If you only have time for one brewery…I highly suggest Burial. 

pjhawks

GW14158 said:

Not a problem! Yeah, even for regular season games tickets are $$$! Playoff games are through the roof. But to watch the game at a bar, there is The Local, but personally would stay away from there between traffic and parking. Next best is likely Rundinos which is only two miles away up Edwards Mill. There will be a lot of Canes fans there to watch. More downtown, Tobacco Road Sports Cafe would be a good choice. Village Draft House in The Villages (formally Cameron Village) also gets a game crowd (been there for NFL, but assuming it will for playoff hockey). The this might sound weird, but Drive Shack. It's only a mile from the arena and has a really nice bar and serves food. Those are the ones I can personally attest to.  

Any good sports bars in North Hills area?

billybob7088

Foodies should should check out

Poole’s
Death and Taxes
Crawfords and Son’s
Jolie
Bordeto
Hummingbirds

Angus Barn if you can get in if not try grabbing a seat at the Wild Turkey lounge.

Prime BBQ for the best brisket in the country and first James Beard Nominated BBQ joint. Yes it’s that’s good and usually an hour or two weight.

billybob7088

Jdub5521 said:

This rocks, thank you! Any recommendations for coffee/breakfast? 

Hummingbirds

billybob7088

Imcoffeegirl said:

Thanks, @GW14158! Where would you recommend to get a great cheeseburger? 

Morgon Street Food Hall

billybob7088

Don’t forget

Paul and Jacks for the best breakfast pasteries you can find in the states, legit European yummies.

GW14158

@pjhawks  ....wish I could recommend something, but I don't spend much time over in North Hills. Used to go to Fox and the Hound there, but that closed in 2022. 

pjhawks

GW14158 said:

@pjhawks  ....wish I could recommend something, but I don't spend much time over in North Hills. Used to go to Fox and the Hound there, but that closed in 2022. 

No worries.  I’ll ask at the hotel,  I know there is a Yards in the area.  Can’t wait to get there 

GW14158

Bump. For everyone coming into town, enjoy Raleigh! 

EV44689

Anyone in line for GA, wondering how long the line is already with the rain today?