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We are leaving Fri for our quick long weekend trip to Cary, Apex, North Raleigh, Holly Springs - scouting for possible retirement. Returning home Mon. so time is short.
We will be touring with a realtor on Sat.
Wondering what - if we have time - we should see while there to give us a "flavor" of each town/city.
Usually we check out a bookstore or two, a few independent shops and restaurants. The downtown area if the town has one, the parks, dog parks, the farmers market if there is one going on.
We try to go to/do the things we would do if we lived there, vs the touristy things, at least the first couple of visits.
We will be staying at the Umstead. Want to stay close to the hotel at night for dinner - in fact may eat in the bar (cheaper)- as we find it hard to drive new areas in the dark. Lunchtime will be our "exploring" time in between seeing subdivisions.
I hope your enjoy your visit. I'll let someone else speak to Cary, as I avoid Cary because I can't stand the traffic.
Apex has a very nice downtown with a handful of local restaurants. You can park on the street and walk the downtown to get a feel for it.
Holly Springs has no downtown to speak of, although there is one restaurant/sports bar and one wine bar "downtown". I would suggest Niche wine bar if wine is your thing. The owner is very knowledgeable and it's a cozy little place.
Another area you may consider, as it's only about 10 minutes south of Holly Springs, is Fuquay Varina. Nice little downtown, a few local restaurants and a local brewery/smokehouse.
In the above points I was speaking of the downtown, as that is something that gives you a feel for the town. Each town mentioned has it's share of shopping and eating.
I'm not sure if you're looking for more laid back, quiet living or shops and shopping plazas. In order of density/congestion I would rate the towns from (dense to least dense) Cary, Apex, Fuquay Varina and Holly Springs, although don't be fooled Holly Springs is catching up to the issues plaguing the other towns.
To your point about night driving - this isn't like MA. Very few street lights here so most roads are dark. Watch for the deer, as they are out and about this time of year.
I hope your enjoy your visit. I'll let someone else speak to Cary, as I avoid Cary because I can't stand the traffic.
Apex has a very nice downtown with a handful of local restaurants. You can park on the street and walk the downtown to get a feel for it.
Holly Springs has no downtown to speak of, although there is one restaurant/sports bar and one wine bar "downtown". I would suggest Niche wine bar if wine is your thing. The owner is very knowledgeable and it's a cozy little place.
Another area you may consider, as it's only about 10 minutes south of Holly Springs, is Fuquay Varina. Nice little downtown, a few local restaurants and a local brewery/smokehouse.
In the above points I was speaking of the downtown, as that is something that gives you a feel for the town. Each town mentioned has it's share of shopping and eating.
I'm not sure if you're looking for more laid back, quiet living or shops and shopping plazas. In order of density/congestion I would rate the towns from (dense to least dense) Cary, Apex, Fuquay Varina and Holly Springs, although don't be fooled Holly Springs is catching up to the issues plaguing the other towns.
To your point about night driving - this isn't like MA. Very few street lights here so most roads are dark. Watch for the deer, as they are out and about this time of year.
This is misleading. I'd agree that there is congestion in Cary over near Crossroads but I can't really agree that there is congestion elsewhere. Similarly, I'd say that Apex is congested on Hwy 55. Like Cary, little pockets here and there but overall I don't see congestion being an issue in Cary or Apex as a whole.
We retired to Raleigh last year. You bring up one of our few points of discontent: Night Driving is very difficult. The lighting is minimal or non existent. Many roads are narrow and twisting. Signage is less than ideal, even on the highways.
I admit, we were spoiled by the excellent, well defined, newer street system (grid) and highways in Phoenix. But adjusting HAS been hard, and we've actually turned down invitations because of the drive home.
Without our GPS, we never would have made it out of our immediate neighborhood at night. Don't leave home without one.
Fuquay-Varina has a nice downtown, couple of blocks near the springs and a couple of blocks on the Fuquay side by the railroad station. It is nice but small.
All of these smaller towns are newer, filled with newer neighborhoods. Some have cute small downtowns but really, how much time does anyone spend downtown???
I'm not sure I understand the fascination with the downtowns area. I'd love help in understanding this.
If the idea is to be closer to healthcare, that isn't downtown. Mostly, this area is suburbia! Hard to get too many places without transportation. Walking sounds good but you can only walk so far. I think that is why the 55+ communities have become such a big hit.
If the idea is to be closer to healthcare, that isn't downtown. Mostly, this area is suburbia! Hard to get too many places without transportation. Walking sounds good but you can only walk so far. I think that is why the 55+ communities have become such a big hit.
Vicki
If the idea is to be close to healthcare options AND 24-hour vets AND well-lit roads, then Fuquay (while a cute downtown and a decent area) would not be my first choice for the OP.
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