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My family and I will be making a trip down to the Triangle area from NY over Thanksgiving break to look at a few houses and to check out the area in general.
We are on a limited time schedule (one day) but would like to see as much of the area as possible. Can you guys/gals suggest which areas to visit and in what order? We will be arriving into Raleigh during the evening and spending the night. Any recommendations on affordable but nice hotels? (Doesn't necessarily have to be in the city)
Any information and directions will be greatly appreciated.
Maybe tell us what type of area you are looking for. Suburban, urban, country, golf community, Liberal college town (aka Chapel Hill), area w/ diversity, etc. Each area of the Triangle has a slightly different flavor. So if we know what you are looking for we can make a better recommendation on where to concentrate your one day efforts.
Normally on Thanksgiving hotels have very low occupancy. So you should be able to get a deal just about anywhere you want. If you want to be in Durham, try the Washington Duke. I think Mike's Raleigh hotel suggestions are good. If you want even nicer/pricier then try the Umstead in Cary.
There's a new Springhill Suites off 15-501 and a Homewood Suites in the same area that probably have reasonable rates around Thanksgiving. I've stayed at both chains (though not those specific locations) with with my kids and I find them nice because they have more spacious rooms, free breakfast and free wi-fi. It's a pretty business oriented location, so may not be a good location to just wander around if you're trying to get to know Durham (unless you know where you're going, in which case it's actually a pretty good central location).
There's also a Four Points by Sheraton and a Hilton Garden Inn by Southpoint Mall in Durham. Both good family hotels in a good location.
Last edited by TinkaMcKirk; 11-13-2011 at 05:37 PM..
Thanks for all the feedback everyone, we have booked our hotel near the Southpoint area. Our plan is to arrive in Durham, spend the night, explore Durham next morning and then drive to Cary/Raleigh. Any suggestions on where to go in each of those towns to get a good feel of the area?
You might want to try Priceline or Expedia for booking the hotel. We used Priceline & got a nice 3-star hotel near Duke Univ. for $40 +tax/night when we came down last year for my husband's job interview.
Where is your job going to be? And as others said, what exactly are you looking for (urban/suburbs/etc) and what are your needs? Pet friendly, schools, etc. Durham is so large & diverse that knowing that would help with making recommendations.
As far as Durham is concerned, I'd make a point to hit the visitor's center downtown. They are a great resource & will have some useful maps & booklets for you.
Durham, NC - Official Visitors and Newcomers Information (http://www.durham-nc.com/ - broken link)
Since you are house hunting, do you have a realtor? If not, you might want to get one. That person can line up the houses for you to view, and if you do find one you like, start the process for you. Might be more efficient, time-wise, to let a professional coordinate all that for you.
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