Raleigh to Charlotte Ikea in one day? (construction, live)

[Funky Chicken]

64 West to 49. Skip 40/85. Leave early and be there when they open. I have done the trip a couple of times and was home before my daughter got home from school at 2:45 PM.

[saturnfan]

Be careful with IKEA if you buy things in sealed cartons.

Remember that any damaged or defective item will need to be brought back to Charlotte.

Trying to get them to send a part is a waste of time. IKEA customer service is very poor.

[danielbmartin]

Originally Posted by trumpetbutt

if you leave at 9 am, you'll get there by 11:30. Spend a few hours, have some dinner, drive back. Very feasible.

Special Lady did this last Saturday. Arrive in time for lunch (IKEA's Swedish Meatballs are recommended), shop until you drop, get home by 7:30pm.

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[JackieRTP]

If you go on a weekend, make sure you check the race schedule at Lowes Motor Speedway, which can really cause a lot more traffic than a non-race weekend

[superk]

I do it regularly, taking US-64 to US-49 as the route.

[JQ Public]

It's very doable. I've done it a few times.

[Tellurium]

I've also done a day trip a couple times and totally doable. I live in DT Durham so access to I-85 is easy for me.

Originally Posted by twoisbetter

I just did it recently. I registered on their website and you can create a shopping list and print it. It made the trip much faster....unless of course you want to take your time and look around. We just wanted to get our stuff and go!

I second this. As you know, Ikea store is huge and just looking through the showroom section is fun but exhausting. Having a list would definitely help for not to spend too much time on browsing (though I like that part, too). Also know that sometimes they don't have things in stock. If you are really looking to buy a specific piece, I recommend to check their inventory online before heading out. I did not know this first time and was sooo bummed that the main piece I was looking to buy was out of stock that day

[Francois]

I know lots of folks who do it as a day trip.

[Tracy5305]

Originally Posted by trumpetbutt

if you leave at 9 am, you'll get there by 11:30. Spend a few hours, have some dinner, drive back. Very feasible.

Thanks for all the replies. This ^ is the current plan. We have quite a list, so I'm sure we'll be there a while. We may then hit up Concord Mills and head home after dinner.

[MarkCanWrite]

There's also one in Richmond, which probably takes about the same time to get there. Might depend on which one's closer to you.
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