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Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary The Triangle Area
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Old 07-20-2015, 05:17 PM
 
11 posts, read 19,145 times
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Hi everyone! In less than 2 weeks, I'll be arriving in NC for grad school. Any advice on how to enjoy NC to the fullest- things to try, places to go etc.? So far I have trying "Moonshine", "Cheerwine", "pig-picking (maybe, if I allow myself to eat pork again)... go for a Duke-UNC game if possible (I don't even like basketball but seeing that I'll be at Duke, tickets shouldn't be too hard to secure- I hope)... I basically want to meet locals, get to learn more about the culture, enjoy the food and take it all in! I want to make sure that when I leave, I can comfortably say I know not just Durham but NC!

I'm open to everything innocent and fun! I also want to go Shipwreck diving (I hear NC has awesome dive sites), the outer banks... if there are places you can recommend for weekend getaways do let me know too!

Oh yeah, I've also never been to the US, not American so this will be the first first-hand experience I'll have of the States and Americans IN the US. Let's hope first impressions is a good one!

Thanks so much!
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Old 07-20-2015, 06:20 PM
 
750 posts, read 851,432 times
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Where are you living now?
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Old 07-20-2015, 07:22 PM
 
Location: Southport
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Duke v. UNC basketball tickets are very hard to obtain, even for students. Duke students camp out for weeks to get tickets. Maybe try a Duke v. UNC football game...
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Old 07-20-2015, 09:18 PM
 
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It will be a bit of a drive from Durham to Raleigh, but you should visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural History. I just moved here (from FL) a few months ago, and I love that place! They have rooms with glass walls where you can watch researchers at work, plus all sorts of workshops and citizen science projects to participate in. I think it's the best science museum in the southeastern US!

And if you like low to moderate intensity hiking, try Umstead Park (also in Raleigh). The changes in elevation aren't that extreme, the trails are well-marked and not too long, so it's a great hiking site for a beginner.
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Old 07-20-2015, 09:31 PM
 
Location: Raleigh NC
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Whoever suggested moonshine didn't have your best interests at heart.
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Old 07-21-2015, 04:54 AM
 
Location: Durham, NC
2,024 posts, read 5,906,711 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carolinadawg2 View Post
Duke v. UNC basketball tickets are very hard to obtain, even for students. Duke students camp out for weeks to get tickets. Maybe try a Duke v. UNC football game...
Duke grad students have a different camp-out event than undergraduates. It's a camp-out weekend that gets you a season ticket to Men's Basketball, if I remember right (assuming it hasn't changed.) GPSC, Duke's graduate/professional student council, organizes it.

The absolute best way to get to get access to the games! When my wife was at Duke Law, I tried to persuade her to do it (I think you get 1+1 to allow spouse/SO access) but she's not a sports fan.

Diving/shipwrecks sounds like a neat idea!

Other things to check out: the mountains of western NC are beautiful. If you're in to hiking, there are some amazing trails. Rent a car (or take your own) and drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. Spend a weekend in Asheville, especially if there's a band or festival you want to see. Good luck!
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Old 07-21-2015, 07:01 AM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
386 posts, read 604,007 times
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Drive to Boone, drive the Blue Ridge Parkway down to Asheville and then on to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park - stop along the way at Grandfather Mountain, Linville Falls, Mount Mitchell (highest peak on this side of the Mississippi), Asheville, Biltmore, Pisgah National Forest, Sliding Rock/Looking Glass Falls and then when you get to the Smokies check out Clingmans Dome and Cades Cove. (also if you want to go whitewater rafting, check out the Nantahala)

In Charlotte - check out the US National Whitewater Center, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Lazy 5 Ranch

Outer Banks - go to Kill Devil Hills, Corolla to see wild horses, Wright Brothers National Monument, Jockeys Ridge State Park, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the national seashore down there, Ocracoke Island

Wilmington is another cool beach town with Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach and Fort Fisher State Historic Site and the Aquarium.
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Old 07-21-2015, 07:43 AM
 
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Some things to experience in the Triangle:

1) Durham Bulls - watch "Bull Durham", then head out to the ballpark.
2) Breweries - if you like beer, there's a ton of good breweries in the area. Start with the ones in Durham (Fullsteam is a fun place), and if you enjoy doing it, plan a trip to Raleigh to hit some.
3) Local music - lots of good places to see live music in the area (Durham itself has Motorco and Pinhook), and a very healthy local music scene. Durham has the Art of Cool jazz festival and Moogfest next spring. Raleigh has Hopscotch in early September (and perhaps the best of Hopscotch is the free day party aspect that takes place each day from around noon to around 6pm at venues all over downtown). Durham also has some nice larger venues like the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) and the Carolina Theater.
4) Duke has a nice little art museum, The Nasher, across from the wonderful Duke Gardens. The Gardens has some outdoor concerts in the summer.
5) There's often free events like the farmer's market and food truck rodeos at Durham's Central Park.
6) Art - there's several local art festivals, as well as monthly art events. I'm pretty Raleigh-centric as far as that goes (festivals include SPARKcon and Artsplosure. Monthly there is First Friday all over downtown), but I know Durham has Centerfest and a monthly Third Friday event. The annual Festival for the Eno just happened over the July 4th weekend.
7) Speaking of the Eno, the river has some nice trails, as well as "wafting" trips in inflatable rafts.
8) The American Tobacco complex in Durham has an outdoor ice skating rink that starts around December.
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Old 07-21-2015, 07:45 AM
 
1,994 posts, read 5,952,943 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BitterBat View Post
Hi everyone! In less than 2 weeks, I'll be arriving in NC for grad school. Any advice on how to enjoy NC to the fullest- things to try, places to go etc.? So far I have trying "Moonshine", "Cheerwine", "pig-picking (maybe, if I allow myself to eat pork again)... go for a Duke-UNC game if possible (I don't even like basketball but seeing that I'll be at Duke, tickets shouldn't be too hard to secure- I hope)... I basically want to meet locals, get to learn more about the culture, enjoy the food and take it all in! I want to make sure that when I leave, I can comfortably say I know not just Durham but NC!

I'm open to everything innocent and fun! I also want to go Shipwreck diving (I hear NC has awesome dive sites), the outer banks... if there are places you can recommend for weekend getaways do let me know too!

Oh yeah, I've also never been to the US, not American so this will be the first first-hand experience I'll have of the States and Americans IN the US. Let's hope first impressions is a good one!

Thanks so much!
Highly suggest doing camp out for basketball tickets, even if you are only interested in going to a few games. Great place to bond with other grad students, a lot of folks will pool their lottery tickets. The season ticket isn't really necessary for all but the 4-5 biggest games of the year (including UNC), you can get into most games for free as a grad student (you wait in line until after tipoff and then they let the grad students without tickets fill up any empty spots in the undergrad bleachers). You'll also be able to get in free to football games and any other sports event at Duke.

Hit the farmers market in downtown durham on saturdays. It's really turned into almost a festival with the food truck rodeo each saturday.

Lots of hiking and mountain biking nearby campus.

Known many grad students who have volunteered at the Lemur Center, if you are into pro-simians.

You are under 3 hours from the coast (wrightsville beach) and 3 hours from the mountains. Amazing camping at both.

Have fun in grad school, it was the funnest time of my life!!
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Old 07-21-2015, 08:54 AM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
5,825 posts, read 6,890,629 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dire Wolf View Post
1) Durham Bulls - watch "Bull Durham", then head out to the ballpark.
Note - the Bulls now play at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP). The movie was filmed where they used to play - Durham Athletic Park. The DBAP is a great place to see a game, but it is not where the movie was made.
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