Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We just moved to Raleigh two days ago. We are living near the Crossroads shopping center near Cary. I stay home with my 2 yr old daughter for now and needless to say ...we are getting a little stir crazy.
Can anyone please give me some suggestions on some fun things to do with her in the Raleigh / Cary area.
Are there any lakes to walk around which maybe have ducks..etc? Good playgrounds? I would love a place to get some exercise, be outdoors and play.
The library is a good place to start to find these things. You might also find other mothers that have a lot in common with you and maybe a two year old story time.
Museums. Try Marbles in downtown Raleigh or the Science Museum in Durham. My son (also 2) loves both of those places. There are others in the area, but those are our favorites.
The science museum in Durham has a nice outdoors place to play, there are farm animals to look at and there are several outdoors exhibits with both experiments to run and animals to look at. We love it.
City of Raleigh | Seasonal Pools - Hours of operation (http://www.raleigh-nc.org/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_306_209_0_43/http%3B/pt03/DIG_Web_Content/category/Leisure/Parks_and_Facilities/Swimming_Pools/Cat-PG-2006130-172143-Seasonal_Pools.html - broken link)
I love Kids Together Park. Also, check out meetup.com to find a playgroup near you. I think there's a Cary SAHM group. That was a great resource for me. Also, there's a website called triangletracks.com I think that lists all kinds of great family oriented things. I saw that posted on here once and I now visit it regularly. Welcome to the area!
The Kids Together park is great, and is really close to you (just take HWY 1 down to Cary Parkway, hang a left, go a mile or so, take another left just before the stoplight at Tryon, and the park is on the left - they recently renamed it after some lady, so it may not actually be called Kids Together park anymore), see the Google map, here.
MacDonald Woods park, the other way up Cary Pkwy, is also close by and nice (you can see it on the map linked above).
Buy a family pass to the zoo. It's about an hour drive from here. Family passes are cheap. They also get you in free or 50% off at a whole lot of other zoos. When we were in Tampa we got in free at their zoo. The Riverbanks zoo in Columbia, SC is also free, as well as some in Virginia - here's the list (http://www.nczoo.com/join/reciprocal/list - broken link).
Go for a walk at Umstead Park on one of the many trails (don't forget bugspray). The Entrance off of Harrison is closest to you, here. There's another entrance off of Glenwood in Raleigh.
Some people like Pullen park - I think it's beyond trashy - but you can judge for yourself.
There's also the State Farmers Market - open year round and 7 days a week. It's close by and fresh fruits and veggies are on the way. Gets you out of the house, into fresh air, and into fresh foods.
Trianglemommies is a great place to start in making friends and finding playdates, not to mention a wealth of info for things moms in regards to schools, pediatricians, etc.
A couple more suggestions on things to do: Hoppers House Planet Child
Kids Towne Park on Kelly Rd in Apex (big wooden playground)
Morrisville Community Park
Crowder Park, Apex
Hemlock Bluffs in Cary
My 2 yr old adores the science Museum in Raleigh. It's free, easy to get to, and has a great discovery room geared towards the younger kids.
In addition to these suggestions already mentioned:
Kids Together Park: very nice facility. Good play areas for all age groups
Crowder Park: Nice walking trails and a good sized pond with lots of turtles. Con: no swings
Marbles: again lots of activities for all ages, but not free
We also like to go to some of the story times at local libraries and book stores (free!). And. . . . to really get them tired out. . . .we go to Monkey Joes right there in Crossroads mall.
Here's a 6th vote for Kids Together. Great park and playground!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
