Raleigh travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Raleigh, planned over three days
Best time to visit Raleigh
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is a best season, mild in the 60s and 70s, with azaleas, dogwoods and patio dining. Pine pollen is heavy in late March and April.
Hot and humid, 88 to 95 degrees, with afternoon storms. Build days on museums, lakes and evenings, and start outdoors early.
Fall is a best season and the festival peak, cooling to crisp October and November, with the best hiking weather of the year.
Winter is mild, quiet and cheapest, with daytime 50s, lowest hotel rates, no restaurant waits and empty weekday museums.
Late April to May and late September to October are the best months overall.
What's on
- Art in Bloom March
Floral designers interpret artworks in flowers at the North Carolina Museum of Art for a few days only. Ticketed and sells out.
- Brewgaloo late April
More than 100 North Carolina breweries downtown with food trucks and live music, during NC Beer Month in April.
- Artsplosure, The Raleigh Arts Festival third weekend in May
About 175 juried artists, two stages and more than 75,000 attendance in downtown Raleigh.
- Dix Park Sunflowers July
The sunflower field blooms for a two to three week window in July only.
- Hopscotch Music Festival early September
More than 120 bands over three days across downtown venues, Raleigh's coolest weekend.
- BugFest September
Beloved free festival at the Museum of Natural Sciences, crowded with families.
- NC State Fair 11 days in mid to late October
North Carolina's biggest annual event over 11 days at the fairgrounds. Book hotels months ahead or avoid that fortnight if you hate crowds.
- Oakwood Ghost / Lantern Tours October
Ticketed Oakwood ghost and lantern tours in October sell out.
- Oakwood Candlelight Tour December
The neighbourhood's signature December event, a candlelight tour of Oakwood homes.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Raleigh
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Largest natural science museum in the Southeast, with dinosaurs, whale skeletons, butterflies and labs you can watch.
North Carolina Museum of Art + Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park
Five thousand years of art plus a 164 acre park of trails, large sculpture and picnic lawns.
Dorothea Dix Park
Huge former hospital grounds with the best skyline view, five Thomas Dambo trolls and the Gipson Play Plaza.
Pullen Park
Historic municipal park from 1887 with a 1911 carousel, miniature train, pedal boats and playgrounds.
Historic Oakwood Walk + Oakwood Cemetery + Mordecai Historic Park
Raleigh's intact Victorian district walk, linking Oakwood Cemetery and the 1785 Mordecai House.
Marbles Kids Museum
Two floors of hands on exhibits for ages 1 to 10, plus North Carolina's only 3D capable IMAX theatre.
Red Hat Amphitheater + Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts
Downtown's live performance spine: open air touring shows at Red Hat and symphony, opera and ballet nearby.
Lenovo Center
Home of the Carolina Hurricanes, one of the NHL's loudest home crowds, with tailgating before games.
Where to stay in Raleigh
Downtown, Fayetteville Street / Moore Square / Warehouse District
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the free museums, Marbles, performing arts, most restaurants and both food halls, the only realistic no car base.
North Hills / Midtown
families, shoppers and a quieter night
Walkable within itself with shops, cinemas and restaurants, easier parking, but you drive or rideshare downtown.
Village District / Cameron Park / Boylan Heights
character and quiet
Residential, tree lined districts between downtown and NC State where Raleigh feels most like itself.
Cary, Umstead Corridor
luxury and spa
Base here only if spa and resort time is the trip, or business is in Cary or RTP, and drive to downtown sights.
Brier Creek / RDU Airport Corridor
flight stop and practical car-based stays
Not walkable or charming, but practical and often cheaper than downtown for a one night airport stop.
Think twice about
- Capitol Boulevard motel strip and New Bern Avenue east of downtown
High speed car only arterials lined with older budget motels, nothing to walk to and more crime than the rest of the city at night.
- South Wilmington Street south of the Beltline
Industrial and arterial, isolated at night, with nothing a visitor needs nearby.
- Moore Square immediate blocks
Not an avoidance zone, but visible homelessness and panhandling concentrate here. Stay on lit Blount and Hargett streets at night rather than cutting through the dark square alone.
- Glenwood South late on Friday and Saturday
Very drunk, loud and rideshare congested after 11 p.m. Families and light sleepers should not book a room facing Glenwood Avenue on a weekend.
Best restaurants in Raleigh
Herons
The Triangle's fine dining summit, a five-star seasonal prix fixe built from 14 area farms.
Crawford and Son
Scott Crawford's small neighbourhood restaurant doing refined New American cooking, the best pure dinner in Raleigh.
Death & Taxes
Ashley Christensen's wood fire restaurant where everything touches ember, smoke or flame.
Poole's Diner
Restored 1940s diner with a daily chalkboard menu and the macaroni au gratin that became a national reference dish.
Bida Manda
Laotian restaurant across from Moore Square serving crispy pork belly, green papaya salad, pho and curries.
Brewery Bhavana
Four in one brewery, dim sum restaurant, flower shop and bookstore around a marble bar.
Second Empire Restaurant & Tavern
White tablecloth contemporary American cooking in the restored 1879 Dodd-Hinsdale House, plus a cosier tavern below.
The Pit Authentic Barbecue
Whole hog Eastern North Carolina barbecue in a restored meat packing warehouse, with Brunswick stew.
Outdoor things to do in Raleigh
William B. Umstead State Park
More than 5,600 acres of forest with the 7.3 mile Sycamore Trail, bridle trails for biking and running, and Big Lake.
Neuse River Greenway + Art-to-Heart Trail
About 27.5 miles of paved, mostly off road river trail, the single best bike ride in Raleigh.
Lake Johnson Park
A 150 acre lake with a paved loop and seasonal kayak, paddleboard, canoe and pedal boat rentals.
Lonnie Poole Golf Course
Arnold Palmer Design public course on Centennial Campus with skyline views, rolling terrain and fast greens.
Kentwood Disc Golf
Short, hilly, beginner friendly 18 hole disc golf course, voted North Carolina's most popular on UDisc.
Falls Lake State Recreation Area
A 12,000 acre lake with swimming beaches, kayak launches, mountain bike trails and Mountains to Sea Trail hiking.
Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
Bigger water for boating and swimming beaches, with one of the East Coast's most reliable bald eagle populations.
Tobacco Road Golf Club
Mike Strantz design carved from a former sand quarry and tobacco farm, ranked among America's top public courses.
Best hotels in Raleigh
The Casso, Raleigh, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
Modern, plant filled downtown boutique with the Good Day Good Night restaurant and the Warehouse District on foot.
Raleigh Marriott City Center
Large convention hotel directly on Fayetteville Street with an indoor pool, reliable for conferences and events.
Sheraton Raleigh Hotel
Large convention hotel directly on Fayetteville Street with an indoor pool, chosen for location and loyalty points.
Heights House Hotel
Nine room, adults oriented Italianate mansion from 1858, the most memorable bed in Raleigh proper.
The Longleaf Hotel
Renovated 56 room 1964 motor lodge with a destination lounge and patio locals visit even when not staying.
Guest House Raleigh
Small inn style lodging praised for its staff, on the edge of Glenwood South near downtown.
Hampton Inn & Suites Raleigh Downtown
Reliable cheaper downtown chain pick in Glenwood South, the budget option when event rates allow.
Holiday Inn Raleigh Downtown
Downtown chain hotel with free parking, rare in the centre, and a short walk to the museums.
Is Raleigh expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $105 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $210 a person |
| Splurge | $450 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Marbles Kids Museum: a few days ahead
- Red Hat Amphitheater: weeks ahead
- Lonnie Poole Golf Course: weeks ahead
- Tobacco Road Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Heritage Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Pinehurst Resort: months ahead
- Herons: weeks ahead
- Crawford and Son: weeks ahead
- Herons, Crawford and Son, Death & Taxes, Second Empire and Angus Barn in December: book 2 to 4 weeks ahead for Friday and Saturday.
- Book hotels early for the NC State Fair, NC State weekends, Hurricanes playoff runs, Hopscotch and Art in Bloom.
- Lonnie Poole weekends, Tobacco Road and especially Pinehurst No. 2 need the longest lead times: book as soon as your dates are set.
- Special exhibitions, IMAX at Marbles and Art in Bloom are ticketed and timed. Buy those online before you travel.
Is Raleigh safe?
- Do not leave valuables visible in a car, anywhere. Car break ins in surface lots and parking decks are the main visitor risk.
- Hydrate and start early in summer. Heat exhaustion on trails is a real risk in July and August.
- Do not try to walk the high speed arterial corridors such as New Bern, Capital and Western Boulevard.
Raleigh travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Fayetteville Street alone is not downtown Raleigh. The life is one block east in Moore Square and City Market and west in the Warehouse District.
- The State Capitol is handsome and free but a 30 minute visit, not a half day.
- Chain dining at North Hills or Crabtree Valley Mall wastes Raleigh's food advantage. Crabtree is not a visitor destination.
- Do not pay for a generic downtown tour before the free museums and Oakwood walk. Mordecai House is the one paid add on.
- Durham is a distinct city 25 minutes away, not part of Raleigh. Budget a full day if you go.
Getting around Raleigh: public transport and more
- You probably need a car unless you base downtown, where Oakwood, the Warehouse District and one rideshare to Dix Park cover two days.
- RDU Airport is 15 to 20 minutes from downtown, 25 to 35 in rush hour. GoTriangle Route 100 bus is the cheap option.
- Downtown parking decks generally cost 10 to 20 dollars a day, with some free street parking on Sundays and after hours.
- Amtrak at Raleigh Union Station is genuinely good, with the Piedmont to Charlotte and Carolinian to New York.
- I-440 and I-40 clog 7:30 to 9 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Greenway trails double as bike transport.
Who Raleigh suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Raleigh your trip
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