Things to Do in Raleigh, North Carolina
A Guide to Family Entertainment in the Capital of NC
Somewhere I saw Raleigh referred to as the "Smithsonian of the South," and though I myself had never considered it in that regard, it is true that the city has a number of pretty cool cultural attractions, many of them free.
In addition to the North Carolina Museum of Art, several attractions are well worth checking out.
First, Exploris, downtown, at 201E. Hargett St. (www.exploris.org). Exploris is an interactive global learning center, and a real kick for kids and adults alike. Exploris' mission is "to encourage visitors to make connections with the people of all cultures." Its exhibits truly are interactive - the "Many Voices" exhibit, for example, which allows you to listen to news from all over the world and respond to it by building a personal website. Canstruction is another cool one, in which local architecture and design firms have built giant sculptures made entirely of canned and packaged food items. Or TradeWorks, which allows you make connections between everyday household items and global trade systems. There's also an IMAX Theatre, showing current first-run movies and more.
Playspace, at 410 Glenwood Ave. (www.playspacemuseum.com), billed "A Child's First Museum," is targeted for kids six months to seven years. It's all about play here, with hands-on exhibits that allow kids to be a chef, a fireperson, a bank teller, an actor, musician or dancer; to shop for groceries, climb around on a castle or poke around on a computer. There's a train. And puppets. Great for birthday parties.
For big kids, there's Artspace, downtown, at 201 E. Davie St., a nonprofit visual and performing arts center dedicated to "promoting art by making the creative process accessible." Artspace is home to more than 30 artists who open their space to the public. For information on exhibits, talks, classes, demonstrations and more, go to www.artspacenc.org.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at W. Jones St. is a 70,000-square-foot collection of walk-through natural environments that includes live animals. Among the cool exhibits is a 66-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton named Willo with a fossilized heart. For information, go to www.naturalsciences.org.
The African American Cultural Complex at 119 Sunnybrook Rd. is a relative newcomer to the Capital City cultural scene. The complex offers a collection of artifacts, documents and displays of contributions made by African Americans toward the development of the state and the nation, including innovations in science, business, politics, medicine, sports and the arts. It also has a nature trail. Each year during the last two weekends in July, an outdoor drama is produced: "Amistad Saga: Reflections," which, according to the AACC, is "the only outdoor drama written, produced, and directed by and about African Americans in the US." Find out more at www.aaccmuseum.org.
The North Carolina Museum of History is at 5 E. Edenton St., also downtown, and features exhibits on … well … the history of North Carolina. It hosts concerts and craft exhibits and other such activities, and is also home to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Learn more at ncmuseumofhistory.org. And the Raleigh City Museum (www.raleighcitymuseum.org) in the Briggs Building on the downtown Fayetteville Street Mall, has a variety of exhibits honoring the history of the city.
Mordecai Historic Park is one of the oldest residences in Raleigh and the oldest on its original foundation, built in 1785 by Joel Lane (see Raleigh History). In 1824, William Nichols, an acclaimed architect of the time, was hired to enlarge the original house, transforming it into a Greek Revival mansion, which is today a museum. The grounds also include the birthplace of Andrew Johnson, our 17th president and the first to stand an impeachment trial, which was relocated from its original site downtown. Go to www.raleighnc.gov/mordecai to learn more.
Into Harleys? Visit the Ray Price Legends of Harley Drag Race Museum, located upstairs from the showroom of one of the largest Harley dealerships in the country, Ray Price Harley, at 1126 S. Saunders St. Price is himself a member of the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame, and is known as the "Father of Funnybike." The museum features exhibits on such legends as "Pearshape" Pearson, North Carolina native Jay Turner and Greenville, South Carolina's Pete Hill. Find out more at www.rayprice.com.
The State Capitol building and the Governor's Mansion (called by Franklin Roosevelt "the most beautiful governor's mansion [interior] in America") are both worth checking out, and are within spittin' distance of each other downtown, which also puts you in the general vicinity of a number of choice Raleigh Restaurants and Bars.
The North Carolina Symphony (www.ncsymphony.org) is a full-time, professional, 65-member orchestra, and it makes its home in Raleigh's Meymandi Concert Hall. The symphony offers one of the most extensive educational components of any orchestra in the country, providing over 50 concerts a year to schoolchildren throughout the state. The Carolina Ballet company (www.carolinaballet.com) often performs with the symphony, as does the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute (www.ajf.org).
Then there's the North Carolina Theatre (www.nctheatre.com), the state's largest nonprofit professional regional theatre, at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. All shows are locally produced, casting a mix of local and Broadway talent. For drama, there's also the Raleigh Ensemble Players Theatre Company (www.realtheatre.org), Flying Machine Theatre Company (www.theflyingmachine.net), Burning Coal Theatre Company (www.burningcoal.org), Raleigh Little Theatre (www.raleighlittletheatre.org) and Theatre In The Park (www.theatreinthepark.com), the largest community theatre in North Carolina, best known for its annual original production of A Christmas Carol.
In the world of sports, there's the National Hockey League Carolina Hurricanes; the Carolina Mudcats Double A professional baseball team (see also Things to Do in Durham for the scoop on the Durham Bulls); and a plethora of college athletics, courtesy of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's Shaw University and St. Augustine's College and the Atlantic Coast Conference's North Carolina State University which of course includes College Basketball.
As for participatory sports, among the finest Raleigh-area golf courses (see also Golf in NC) are Tobacco
Road Golf Club (having been described, according to their website, as "Pine Valley on steroids" and
"golf's rock and roll thrill ride," it was voted a "Top Ten Upscale Public Course's by Golf Digest
magazine) and Wil-Mar Golf Club (voted one of the 100 most women-friendly courses in the country by Golf
for Women magazine).
Where else can you get some good exercise, have fun, enjoy tasty morsels, learn first-hand about unique restaurants & insights about the downtown areas of Raleigh and Chapel Hill / Carrboro? TriangleFood Tour – Offers two Walking Food Tours in Downtown Raleigh & Chapel Hill / Carrboro. Guided food tasting tour with historical tidbits and unique insights are scheduled on Saturdays at 2:30pm, $28 + svc chg. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Tours typically fill up a week ahead. See www.trianglefoodtour.com for additional information, available dates and tickets.
And, oh yeah, don't forget the North Carolina State Fair in the fall and the Raleigh Flea Market which is every weekend at the fairgounds.
Other Related Sites: Raleigh Intro, Raleigh Restaurants, Raleigh History, Historic Neighborhoods, NC State Fair, Museum of Art, Chapel Hill, Durham