Raleigh, NC Road Trips

As of 2020, the city had a population of about 468,000, with a metro area population of about 1.4 million. Raleigh is one of the few U.S. state capitals that was specifically established and planned to serve as a capital. Its location was chosen partly for being near the center of the state and partly because it was close to Isaac Hunter's Tavern, where North Carolina legislators and other government officials liked to stay. The story goes that the commissioners couldn't decide on an exact plot of land until Isaac Hunter and his friend Joel Lane had the idea of throwing a big party with plenty of local jam and whiskey. The next morning, the hungover commissioners voted 5–1 for a plot owned by Joel Lane himself. The new city was established as the state capital in 1792 and was named for Sir Walter Raleigh. The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau operates the 1 Raleigh Visitor Information Center. The Visitor Information Center (VIC) is at 500 Fayetteville Street between the Raleigh Marriott City Center and The Raleigh Convention Center. ☏ +1 919-834-5900 or ☏ +1-800-849-8499. The VIC is open Monday through Saturday, 9AM to 5PM and offers brochures, event calendars, coupons, maps, and other visitor information. Stop by and pick up a brochure or visit the website to view a visitor guide online or order one to be mailed before your trip. Raleigh has a four-season humid subtropical climate as with much of the US Southeast. Summers are hot and humid with on average 48 days over 90 °F (32 °C).

1 City of Raleigh Museum, 220 Fayetteville St. Tu-F 10AM-4PM, Sa 1-4PM. Local history museum, an excellent place to start your visit to the City of Oaks. Free. (updated Jan 2018) 2 North Carolina State Capitol, 1 E. Edenton St. M–Sa 9AM–5PM. Built between 1833 and 1840 and to house the governor's office and cabinet offices. It's now a working capitol and a museum of North Carolina history, especially the period between the building's construction and the Civil War. Several rooms are restored with furniture and items from the era so you can see how they might have looked, including original legislative rooms, a collection of geological specimens, and a library. Full of plaques and informational signs. Gems include spittoons (for tobacco) in the legislative rooms, and a big statue of George Washington in the style of a Roman soldier. Guided tours are available Saturdays at 11AM and 2PM or by appointment for large groups, or take a self-guided tour whenever the building is open. Free. (updated Jan 2018) 3 N.C. Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Rd, ☏ +1 919-839-6262. With rotating exhibits, summer outdoor film series, and groovy sculpture garden. Main gallery and sculpture garden: free; Special exhibition, films, music: Varies. 4 N.C. Museum of History, 5 East Edenton St, ☏ +1 919-807-7900. Temporarily closed. Extensive museum of North Carolina history, from ancient Native American cultures through colonization and independence up to the World Wars and the Civil Rights Movement.

1 Adventure Landing. 2 Sky Zone Raleigh. 3 Carolina Hurricanes, 1400 Edwards Mill Rd, ☏ +1 919-861-2323, toll-free: +1 866-NHL-CANES (645-22637). Raleigh's NHL hockey team plays at Lenovo Center. A good atmosphere and family-friendly crowds make this an excellent place to spend an evening during fall and winter. The 'Canes won the 2006 Stanley Cup, and have become famous for their fun "Storm Surge" celebrations after home wins. The Hurricanes have also been one of the NHL's best teams since 2019, and as a result of this success, tickets have risen in price moderately with Lenovo Center filling up close to capacity for most games. However, tickets to weeknight games can still be had for as low as $40-$45, making a 'Canes game one of the cheaper tickets in the NHL. The regular season runs from early October to mid-April, with the playoffs running as late as mid-June. (updated Jan 2026) 4 Pullen Park, 520 Ashe Ave, ☏ +1 919-831-6468. Outdoor plays, a 1911 carousel, pedal boats, a miniature train, and an excellent aquatic center. 5 William B. Umstead Park, 8801 Glenwood Ave, ☏ +1 919-571-4170, [email protected]. Referred to as Umstead park, this state park is accessible by car, bus, or bike, Umstead is a natural haven from the Triangle's urban zones, next to RDU Intl. Airport. Miles of trails, both paved and unpaved, provide access for hikers, campers, bikers and joggers to three lakes and over 5,380 acres (2,180 hectares). (updated Jun 2021) NC State Wolfpack.

Due to the large influx of residents from around the USA and the world as well as the large student population, there is a fairly large variety of cuisine available at a wide range of prices. And, being a Southern city, there are still plenty of options for traditional Southern food and a few modern interpretations of those traditional foods. Of course, no visit to North Carolina would be complete without trying some NC-style barbecue pork. There are actually two major styles in the state: Lexington-style (named after Lexington, NC) which uses only the pork shoulder and is served with a tomato and vinegar sauce and Eastern-style which uses the "whole hog" and is served with a vinegar-based sauce. Both styles are available around Raleigh and some restaurants include both types of sauce on the table. 1 Big Ed's, 220 Wolfe St, ☏ +1 919-836-9909. Big Ed's signature breakfasts are the Southern standards: homemade biscuits, grits with red-eye gravy, etc. Come Saturday mornings for live Dixieland jazz. Second location on Falls of Neuse Road and Millbrook in Quail Ridge Shopping Center. 2 Farmer's Market Restaurant, 1240 Farmer's Market Dr, ☏ +1 919-833-7973. M-Sa 6AM-3PM, Su 8AM-3PM. Solid, hearty food with fresh ingredients from the state farmer's market right next door. Serves breakfast and lunch. Guasaca. Local chain for Venezuelan arepas. Two locations in Raleigh, vegetarian and vegan options available. (updated Aug 2020) 3 Guasaca-Lake Boone Trail, 4025 Lake Boone Trail Suite #107, ☏ +1 919-322-4928, [email protected].

Southwest Raleigh, particularly the area along Hillsborough Street, resembles a college town, so there are plenty of places to find a drink. What is more, the city has a number of microbreweries. For cheaper places, try near the campus of North Carolina State University on Hillsborough Street. (A scene in "Bull Durham" was filmed in Mitch's Tavern.) The downtown area known as Glenwood South has a few more upscale bars and is located between Glenwood Ave and Harrington Street and between Peace Street and Hillsborough Street just northwest of downtown. The City Market area around Moore Square and the area around Fayetteville Street also offer a good mix. Those not from the American South should be sure to order "sweet tea". Sweet tea, along with Sundrop and Cheerwine, has long been considered a native beverage, and is served in most restaurants. The sweetness will vary in accordance with the locale, but is nevertheless much sweeter than any tea served elsewhere in the nation. 1 Carolina Brewing Company, 140 Thomas Mill Rd. In Holly Springs - CBC conducts weekly tours on Saturday afternoons, and it's best to arrive anywhere from 15-30 minutes early to make sure you get a sample of their beer both prior to the tour. No fear if you arrive late, however, as the taps are typically open for an hour afterwards as well.

There are many hotels in the Raleigh area: 1 Hyatt Place Raleigh-Durham Airport, 200 Airgate Dr, ☏ +1 919-405-2400. Adjacent to Raleigh Durham International Airport and the Research Triangle Park. 2 Holiday Inn Raleigh (formerly the Clarion), 320 Hillsborough St, ☏ +1 919-832-0501. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. From $115. (updated Mar 2020) 3 Best Western Plus Raleigh Crabtree Valley Hotel, 6209 Glenwood Ave (6 mi (9.7 km) from Raleigh Airport, with free airport transfers), ☏ +1 919-782-1112. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. $75-115. 4 The Longleaf Hotel, 300 North Dawson St, ☏ +1 919-867-5770, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Closest to Glenwood South, where many bars and restaurants are located. 5 Embassy Suites Raleigh - Crabtree, 4700 Creedmoor Rd, ☏ +1 919-881-0000. All-suite hotel with tropical atrium featuring full-service amenities, indoor pool, and fitness center. Free breakfast and reception daily for all guests. 6 Hilton Garden Inn, 1500 RDU Center Dr (Exit 285 off I-40), ☏ +1 919-840-8088. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: Noon. Airport hotel. 7 Marriott City Center, 500 Fayetteville St (Attached to the Convention Center), ☏ +1 919-833-1120. 8 Marriott Crabtree Valley, 4500 Marriott Dr (Close to Crabtree Valley Mall, NC Museum of Art and Time Warner Cable Pavilion at Walnut Creek), ☏ +1 919-781-7000. 9 Ramada Raleigh, 1520 Blue Ridge Dr, ☏ +1 919-832-4100. (updated May 2017) 10 Renaissance Hotel, 4100 Main (at North Hills St.). 11 Sheraton Hotel, 421 South Salisbury St, ☏ +1 919-834-9900.

1 Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU IATA). A former hub of American Airlines and Midway Airlines, the airport today is a fairly large focus city for Delta Airlines and well served by Southwest Airlines. The airport has bus service in the form of GoTriangle Route 100, which stops at the airport on the way from the Regional Transit Center to downtown Raleigh. (updated May 2023) Interstate 40 goes to points west including Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Asheville. 2½ hours east on I-40 is Wilmington. Interstates 85 and 95, though they do not directly enter Raleigh, provide easy access to the city from up and down the Eastern Seaboard; large access routes from these interstates provide easy access to the city. US 1, the East Coast corridor route, cuts through Raleigh on its way from New York to the Florida Keys; within the city limits US 1 is known as Capital Blvd. Amtrak provides train services to Raleigh; the Piedmont runs three times per day from Charlotte, a trip of just over three hours. There are also two daily long-distance routes: the Carolinian and Silver Star lines, both of which head north through Richmond, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia to New York City. Southbound, the Carolinian follows the Piedmont south to Charlotte and the Silver Star heads south through Columbia and Savannah to Florida. The new 2 Raleigh Union Station, at 510 W Martin St, has completely replaced the old station. 3 Greyhound, 2210 Capital Blvd, ☏ +1 919-834-8275. (updated May 2023) Megabus stops in nearby Durham. GoTriangle, ☏ +1 919-485-7433.

Within the I-440 Beltline are mostly fashionable older neighborhoods and the NC State University area. The North Raleigh neighborhoods are aligned along the "spokes of the wheel"—major thoroughfares emanating from the I-440 loop and passing through the northern edge of the much larger I-540 loop. Downtown Raleigh provides easy travel and access through its grid of one-way streets. If you're just passing through, the major thoroughfare is Capital Boulevard (US 401), which splits into Dawson Street heading south and McDowell Street heading north. From the west, it is Hillsborough Street, interrupted midway by the state Capitol building. To the east, it continues as New Bern Avenue (US 64). The I-440 Beltline was once denoted with "Inner" and "Outer" labels, but they have been phased out in favor of "East" and "West." I-440 West used to be the Outer Beltline, and I-440 East used to be the Inner Beltline. I-440's concurrency with I-40 through the souther portion of Raleigh has also been removed; therefore, the Beltline no longer loops back on itself. Raleigh is known for particularly aggressive parking enforcement and towing, so be sure to follow all parking signs and rules. Most parking meters have been converted to electronic pay stations that accept coins and MasterCard/Visa. Most metered areas are only enforced on Monday-Friday from 8AM-5PM. Some parking garages are free on evenings and weekends as well, but "special event" rates are common during major downtown events regardless of the time or day.

Raleigh's crime rate is below average for an American city of its size (and one of the lowest in the Southern USA), but one still must be cautious and intelligent. In particular, stick to the busy and well-lit parts of downtown after dark, and avoid the neighborhoods immediately south or east of downtown after dark. The NC State University campus and vicinity are safe and heavily trafficked during the day and evening, but use the university's public safety escort service in the early hours of the morning. Throughout Raleigh, you should think before using an automated teller machine (ATM) after dark, unless it's in a mall or other heavily travelled, well-lit area.