Raleigh, North Carolina is a shining star of the South, a gem that blends innovative thinking with down-home hospitality and wildly creative cuisine. The craft-beer scene is thriving, as is the tech startup biz. From top-notch museums that have earned Raleigh the nickname “Smithsonian of the South” to an impressive lineup of musical events and festivals, you’ll find the cultural attractions compelling.
Enriching and energizing, North Carolina’s capital is the kind of place where one weekend just isn’t enough.
As always, check for travel restrictions and closures before planning your trip.
Friday: Take a Hike and Hit the Raleigh Beer Trail
Raleigh is known as a city in a park, since it lays claim to more than 10,000 acres of parkland encompassing 180 miles of greenway trails, lakes and other outdoor attractions. But before you hike, head to Sunny’s Diner for some fuel. Pancakes as large as the plates are a common sight here, as are massive omelets.
Once you’re settled up, an urban hike through William B. Umstead State Park (where you may see ruins of the city’s industrial past) is a beautiful way to begin a weekend-long immersion into the city.
Balance that morning workout by embarking on a different kind of journey: the Raleigh Beer Trail. Download the map and choose from among the 35 craft breweries around the city. There is an amazing diversity of offerings. One example, the West Texas-themed Lonerider Brewing Company, which is owned by an Indian immigrant and specializes in German-style Hefeweizen.
Plan an alternative kind of afternoon if you’re lucky enough to overlap with one of the annual festivals: IBMA Bluegrass Live, Dreamville Festival, Hopscotch Music Festival and Artsplosure are a few of the major ones.
If you have more drinking in you, head out on a tour of some of Raleigh’s most beloved and innovative bars and restaurants.The Haymaker takes its inspiration from ’90s rappers and fighters, blending cool vintage decor with awesomely named cocktails like the “Sing Like a Bee” and “PB & Jay.”
Foundation is open earlier but also even later — until 2 a.m. — and serves a curated selection of regional liquors, beers and wines in a room built of local materials by local craftspeople.
In between the two, dine at Raleigh institution Poole’s Diner, led by the city’s most celebrated chef, Ashley Christensen, who is another source of local pride. The retro-chic resto is a renovation of an original 1945 spot with the same name, and is nothing if not decadent, from the ooey-gooey mac and cheese to the out-of-this-world desserts, using ingredients from small area growers whenever possible.
Saturday: Visit the Museums
Fuel up at Morning Times, ordering up the “Sweet Chicken Biscuit” perhaps, plus a craft coffee. Then lean into Raleigh’s nickname, Smithsonian of the South, and patronize a few of the city’s many museums. Let curiosity be your guide. Are you a science geek or nature nerd? If so, don’t miss the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, the largest center dedicated to the subject in the Southeast.
At Morgan Street Food Hall, housed in a repurposed warehouse, grab a picnic lunch to go from one of the irresistible vendors that span continents, then check out a pair of art institutions that could easily eat up hours: CAM Raleigh, with its contemporary exhibitions, and the North Carolina Museum of Art, which includes Ann & Jim Goodnight Museum Park, a vast 164-acre park green space with recreational trails, gardens, public art installations and a terraced pond.
It’s an idyllic place to eat the picnic lunch you picked up earlier. Walk it off, slowly, on the 2.2-mile North Carolina Museum of Art Trail.
More museums beckon. If you have little ones with you, make a visit to the Marbles Kids Museum, which features innovative, hands-on exhibits, play spaces and larger-than-life movies. Otherwise the North Carolina Museum of History makes for a fascinating hour or two winding through exhibits that cover topics such as pirates, sports, beach music and “Downton Abbey.”
Next, wander north to Pearson Street in the Historic Oakwood District, an up-and-coming neighborhood with boutiques, bakeries and craft breweries.
Snag a reservation at one of James Beard Award semifinalist chef Scott Crawford’s two restaurants, Crawford & Son, which serves simple, expertly prepared comfort foods, like grilled beets with horseradish cream and roasted pork chops with bacon-braised collards and apple-cider jus, or the newer French bistro named for his daughter, Jolie.
Sunday: Eat (and Shop) Your Way Around Downtown Raleigh
Start the day with a brunch at St. Roch Fine Oysters, which slings Cajun-spiced bivalves, smoked local fish and a cocktail option called the “Mimosa Party” (a full bottle of bubbles with fresh-squeezed juice) in the energetic Fayetteville Street District. There, contemporary architecture rises up beside restored historic buildings, restaurants, bars and galleries.
Browse the art, then make your way toward the flourishing Warehouse District to shop at favorite local businesses like Raleigh Denim Workshop for custom raw-selvage jeans, and Father & Son Antiques, which specializes in vintage clothing and midcentury modern furniture.
Head into Videri Chocolate Factory to see how artisans make their sustainable bean-to-bar chocolate — and order some soft serve ice cream or a hot chocolate for an on-the-spot sugar rush.
Soak up more of the local spirit and root for the NWSL North Carolina Courage professional women’s soccer team, owned in part by tennis champion Naomi Osaka. If live sports aren’t your thing, head to the Raleigh Beer Garden for their Guinness World Record-holding selection of hundreds of beers.
End the weekend with a taste of classic Raleigh at the 60-plus-year-old Angus Barn, a destination for melt-in-your-mouth steak and an award-winning wine cellar. Admire the collection of more than 600 Wild Turkey decanters in the appropriately named Wild Turkey Lounge.
As a grand finale, sample more of Raleigh’s exceptional cocktails while carousing in Glenwood South at the Ark Royal Tiki bar or C. Grace, the Prohibition-style jazz and cocktail bar that’s as cool as the city around it.
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