Top 10 Things to Do in Raleigh North Carolina

What are some things to do in Raleigh North Carolina? North Carolina is a beautiful state with history and greenery and Raleigh is a city filled with good food, history and beauty! The surrounding areas like Durham, Cary and Greensboro offer a lot as well. I have been to Raleigh four times and I love it there. So let me share with you places to eat, hike and explore within Raleigh and the surrounding areas.

Raleigh is a great spot to spend a weekend getaway with your partner, take a fun girls trip or even a family vacay. All the things listed below are family friendly but can also totally be fun for the full grown adult! Do you have any must see’s while in Raleigh? Let me know in the comments below, I’m always looking for new things to check out when I am there.

Planning other trips? Check out my Southern California Itinerary: How to Spend 7 Days or 8 Things to do in Tobermory!

While in Raleigh, you can eat, hike, swim, shop, and explore. There are lots of parks to check out, free museums, lots of history, and murals.

Good Places to Eat in Raleigh NC

If you know me, a good trip must include food! So here are some places I love eating at while in Raleigh.

O’ Charley’s

This is a casual dining spot with tons of food options all at great prices! I loved the chicken fingers and mac n cheese.

Cookout

This is such a fun place to go. And delicious! It’s basically burgers, BBQ, fries, milkshakes and all that jazz but the prices are amazing and the food is incredible.

Logan’s Roadhouse

This is a fun little place where they give you little dishes of unshelled peanuts at your table. You can munch on these while you wait for your food and the fun part is you can throw your peanut shells on the floor. Yes you heard me right. They have lots of yummy menu choices and I really liked their catfish!

Outback Steakhouse

I love the blackberry martinis here and the famous Bloomin’ Onion. Their steak is good and I love their sides too!

Mimi’s Cafe

This little place has sooo many options! There is breakfast options, burgers, salads, pasta, comfort food like pot roast, meatloaf and steak. There is also fish dishes, sandwiches, and seasonal specials. The French Onion soup is delicious. (I haven’t been here yet!) My friend goes here all the time and it’s next on my list when I visit again.

NOTE: I just found out the Raleigh location is now closed but there is one in Greensboro (an hour and a half away) if you will be near there!

Fun Parks to Check Out in Raleigh NC

Pullen park

Only 7 minutes from Downtown Raleigh, Pullen Park is a great stop if you’re on a girls trip! You can ride the little train through the park as well as hop on the carousel. It’s a cute place to walk around, rent a pedal boat, take photos, and enjoy the scenery. There is even a playground if you have kids with you making it a family friendly spot. It’s also quite romantic if you’re into that sort of thing haha.

Historic Oak View County Park

This is a perfect little gem for interactive history located just east of downtown Raleigh. Your kids will love it and it offers great photo ops for your girl’s trip. There are old buildings displaying things like cotton gins, kitchens in the 1800’s, tractors, and more! There are goats outside that you can feed and a cool old house to explore.

White Deer Park

Your kids will love this place and so will the kid in you! It has fun playground equipment, hiking trails, a nature center and all kinds of activities. It’s only about eight minutes from downtown Raleigh.

Historic Yates Mill Country Park

This is an amazing spot to hike, learn, fish, have a picnic, and just simply enjoy nature. The old mill provides cool photo opportunities and is a stunning piece of history. There is lots of acres to explore and trails to hike! I enjoyed this place a lot when we went (twice!). And it’s only 5 minutes south of Downtown Raleigh!

Things to Do: Check Out Downtown Raleigh

And while we’re checking out things to do in Raleigh North Carolina, we can’t forget about Downtown Raleigh. There are lots of little shops and places to eat. Murals are always a fun thing to see in a city. Check out 10 Murals in Raleigh!

Museums in Downtown Raleigh

There are quite a few museums in Raleigh and most of them are free (if not all!)

• North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
• North Carolina Museum of History
• North Carolina Museum of Art
• CAM Raleigh
• Marbles Kids Museum
• COR (City of Raleigh) Museum

As you can see there is lots of choose from depending on who you are traveling with and what your interests are! I really enjoyed the history and science museums.

A few of the museums are even located within walking distance of the North Carolina State Capital.

Raleigh is known as the “City of the Oaks” and for good reason as many of the city streets are lined with oak trees!

Cool Things to Do in Raleigh North Carolina: Hiking

There are tons and tons of amazing places to hike in and around Raleigh! I absolutely love hiking and most of these places are kid friendly. I went multiple times with my friend and her two young girls.

William B Umstead State Park

This is the perfect spot for all your outdoor fun! Hiking, swimming and fishing to name only a few. The views in this park are incredible and I enjoyed hiking when I went there. Only 20 minutes from Downtown Raleigh, it’s the closest of the three hikes I’m sharing with you.

Eno River State Park

There are options for hiking, picnicking, fishing, camping and exploring at Eno River. The hiking here was super fun and peaceful as some parts of the hikes are right by the river. This is the farthest spot from Downtown Raleigh that I mention as it’s about 40 minutes away. However, if you have the opportunity/time/a car I highly recommend this state park. It is by far my favourite hiking location that I’ve been to while visiting Raleigh.

Lake Benson

Lake Benson offers fishing, picnicking, boat rentals, playgrounds and hiking also. The lake offers a pretty view and there are lots of trees and greenery everywhere. It’s about a 30 minute drive from Downtown Raleigh but worth it for all the adventure you can have there!

I absolutely love visiting Raleigh! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post and were able to travel a bit through it if you aren’t able to travel there right now. Make sure to pin this post if you ever plan a trip to Raleigh North Carolina.