Raleigh Attractions
Things to do in Raleigh
Raleigh Attractions. Looking for something fun to do with your family? Want something kid friendly? Need to find a good park to play with your dog? Then look no further because HelloRaleigh.com has you covered. We've sought out the best attractions in Raleigh and have detailed information about parks, museums, festivals, zoos and more.
Every town worth its cinematic salt should have its own independent movie theater that caters to the sharp, thought-provoking specialty films floating around out there in the cultural ether. For cinephiles and anyone else that desires more than just the raging Hollywood blockbuster found at the generic multiplex, there's the single screen Rialto Theater in the center of Raleigh's Five Points.
Power plays, rivalries, speed, slap shots, penalties, shoot outs. Stir it all up and you’ve got an adrenaline-pumped night on the ice for the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.
Encircling a 150-acre lake, Lake Johnson Park offers 3.5 miles of paved greenway trails for walking and jogging and 1.9 miles of unpaved trails for biking and hiking.
So the slogan goes, “When you want the best, it’s got to be NC agriculture.” That applies to all of the local produce, poultry, beef, pork, seafood, dairy products, peanuts, herbs, flowers, plants and trees you can imagine. And all of these items and more can be found seven days a week at one of the largest farmers' markets in the state just off of Lake Wheeler Rd. in Raleigh.
Do you know why Joel Lane is considered to be the "father of Raleigh"? Perhaps you didn’t realize that the city’s namesake, Sir Walter Raleigh, never set foot on the land that was to be named in his honor. These factoids and more are shared with a welcoming smile and good ol’ southern charm to eager listeners during the picturesque ride on the Raleigh Trolley, a shiny red replica coasting along downtown Raleigh’s city streets on Saturday afternoons.
Downtown nightlife just got another exciting shot in the arm with the recent opening of Raleigh's new boutique amphitheater. The venue on the southwest edge of downtown promises entertainment bookings through October for a capacity crowd of 5,500 visitors to enjoy.
Finding an outing that is as alluring for adults as it is for kids isn’t always easy to come by. But when you are sitting in the stands at a Durham Bulls baseball game, it’s clear you’ve discovered the ideal spot for inexpensive entertainment for all ages.
The Triangle has its fair share of outdoor music venues, but the largest by far is Raleigh’s Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek. Located southeast of the city, off of I-40 and I-440 on an expansive tract of land known as Walnut Creek Park, this outdoor amphitheatre has played host to many of music’s biggest and brightest since 1991.
Rising 50 feet high and 70 feet wide, images on the IMAX screen command attention. Add the 3D glasses, 44 speakers and 16 amplifiers within the theater, and immediately you are moved from viewing a movie to actually being transported INTO it. And guess what else -- Raleigh is the sole city in NC where you can experience a truly 3D-capable IMAX adventure.
William Shakespeare wrote, “Of all flowers, methinks a rose is best." How fitting that the lovely Raleigh Municipal Rose Garden, boasting 60 rose beds of 56 varieties, is adjacent to the historic Raleigh Little Theatre and its 1,700-seat amphitheatre, one of the oldest continuously operating community theatres in the country.
On the corner of Davie and Blount Streets in downtown Raleigh sets 30,000 square feet of thriving artistic energy and inspiring creativity. Enter Artspace, one of the largest open-studio artists’ facilities in the country, and engage with professional artists within their personal studio spaces to truly experience the artistic process in action.
Grab some of the sweetest strawberries you’ve ever tasted and some of the brightest, freshest greens and veggies just out of the garden while you give a listen to a local musical performance and indulge in an old fashioned homemade cookie or artisan cupcake before you go back to your daily grind. All of this locally provided sustenance, entertainment, and more unfolds and transforms City Plaza on Fayetteville St. on Wednesdays from 10am-2pm through October 27.
At Marbles Kids Museum, prepare for a full on explosion of fun. From the minute you enter the light, bright lobby and turn the corner to see the life-sized chess pieces in Curiosity Square, children's imaginations are suddenly unleashed.
In the late 1700s, Raleigh was established on 1,000 acres. Today, the city spans approximately 115 square miles and has been named the eighth fastest growing city in the United States. Set in the historic Briggs Hardware Building on one of Raleigh's original, main thoroughfares is the Raleigh City Museum where visitors and residents are invited to enter and experience what the city once was in order to better appreciate what it is continuing to become.
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