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We recently purchased a home and are planning a family visit over Spring Break. It will be our kids first trip to Raleigh and we want to get them excited about their new town. They are 10, 7 and 2 years old. What are some must see attractions in the Triangle for kids? Our new home is in NW Raleigh (Leesville Road area) and we’re also looking for great burger and pizza spots nearby. This forum has been so helpful and we really appreciate any recommendations.
Definitely visit the Museum of Life and Science in Durham - your children are the perfect age for the visit. Marbles in Raleigh is also a good place to visit. For parks, Pullen Park will be a big hit. My son has always loved the NC Museum of Natural Science, but your youngest child may not appreciate it as much. For food, your children may like Char-Grill, where you can grab a table outside and enjoy the meal. Head over to Goodberry's for some frozen custard. Pizza places are a long-discussed topic on this board, so I would recommend finding one you like. My personal favorite is Lilly's, which would work well if you are heading to Marbles or the NC Museum of Natural Science.
We recently purchased a home and are planning a family visit over Spring Break. It will be our kids first trip to Raleigh and we want to get them excited about their new town. They are 10, 7 and 2 years old. What are some must see attractions in the Triangle for kids? Our new home is in NW Raleigh (Leesville Road area) and we’re also looking for great burger and pizza spots nearby. This forum has been so helpful and we really appreciate any recommendations.
I moved to the Leesville Rd area this past summer (not from far away; from Chapel Hill and after having grown up in Western Wake) and my favorite burger place I've discovered in the immediate vicinity is Leesville Tap Room. There is also a Goodberries Frozen custard in the same parking lot for a nice treat right after. (If you don't mind venturing a little further out to a different area; Al's Burgers in Chapel Hill is by far and away my favorite burger in the Triangle and highly rated; and thus far hasn't let their publicity get to their head!)
There are tons of pizza places around. My personal favorite is Slice of NY in Briar Creek.
Museum of Life and Science in Durham and Marbles in downtown Raleigh are solid recs as well. Those were among the fan-favorites for field trips when I was previously a camp/youth programs director. Your kiddos could spend the whole day at either of them and you wouldn't run out of activities for them to do and for you to do as a family.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Definitely the Museum of Life and Science. I moved here when my kids were 10, 6, and 4 and they always loved it. There is an indoor section and an outdoor section. And it can take several hours to see it all. If you are moving here soon then it is worth it to buy a year-long membership because just a couple visits will pay for itself. Children's museum in Raleigh is good too. Your 10-year-old will probably be on the upper age of enjoying it. I am not impressed by the Natural History Museum, but we moved here from DC.
Thank you so much for the recommendations! We are flying in next weekend but will catch a Bulls game in the future. I am very excited to explore the museums and food scene.
If you find yourself in the downtown/NC State area of Raleigh, Pullen Park is a fun visit. They have a great playground and 2 amusement rides are open with limited hours (train & carousel). Also, make sure you secure your tickets to Marbles or Museum of Life & Science; they are still limiting admissions and often sell out. This may be helpful too: https://northraleigh.macaronikid.com/
I’m partial to the NC Museum of History in downtown. It is free and parking is free on the weekends (the lot is right across the street). It has a very nice exhibit on the timeline of NC’s history along with other exhibits.
Check out Oakwood Pizza Box if you go to Marbles. Two Roosters Ice Cream is also down the street. I like the NC Museum of Natural History. It's nicer and bigger than I thought it would be.
Yeah the museum in Raleigh is fine, it's great if the weather is raining as there's plenty of room for kids to get some energy out.
School will be in session while you're here (well, it's almost always in session here with year round schools) so it would be a good time to visit your kids' school(s). That was literally the first thing our kids wanted to do when we moved here.
When you’re near Leesville Road, be sure to visit Lake Lynn. There’s a biking/walking/jogging path, boardwalks, geese, swans, ducks turtles. Up near the entrance on Millbrook, there’s big grassy areas for the kids to run around on too.
When I lived in NW Raleigh, I was there every day.
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