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Since Im relocating the end of August to the raleigh area, Im wondering if any of you can give some of the festivals and things to do that they have around town and annual "going ons". Ive been trying to look it up but it only lists a couple of things and from what I hear...there is SOOO MUCH MORE than whats listed on google.
Thanks for all your input! Im sooo psyched about the move, I cant explain where Im at now in Michigan but I love to shop and everyone here thinks a day out shopping is (im serious here) dressing up and going to walmart. Im not knocking walmart but hey, thats not what I call shopping! Ive lived in Germany from California and for the last 6 yrs here in Michigan and it was more of a culture shock to move here than it was to move to Germany!
So, tell me what all there is, any area! I love to drive so any areas work
There are definitely plenty of things to do in Raleigh and surrounding areas. It kind of depends on what you are in to. For instance, for more laid back artsy stuff, you just missed the Festival for the Eno, which has jazz and bluegrass music and crafts and art. For something more active, there is Downtown Live which is a free outdoor concert held every two weeks on Saturday with a variety of good rock bands. They have everything from The Connells to Alter Bridge to Blind Melon to Bad Company. The World Beer Festival is held each year in April and the Raleigh International Festival in September. One of the bigger festivals is called Lazy Daze, which is coming up in August. Good local musicians, food, and crafts. You'll also want to drive to the beach for the beach music festivals there. It is only an hour and a half to 2 hours away.
You also don't want to miss the State Fair each October. Although you will most definitely see some of the more interesting of NC's natives (read: rednecks), there is plenty of good southern food, tons of rides and games, and lots to see and do.
Don't know if you are into sports, but there are lots of big-time teams around here: Carolina Hurricanes hockey, Durham Bulls baseball (I'd be remiss if I didn't also include Carolina Mudcats baseball), UNC, NCState, and Duke basketball and football, and a short drive to Charlotte for Carolina Panthers football.
Now, for shopping. There are 4 large malls within 20 miles of Raleigh (ex: Crabtree Valley Crabtree Valley Mall: Mall Directory (broken link)), and several very large outdoor shopping centers. Yes, there are also Wal-marts, but Target is at least as popular! There are also many specialty high-end stores scattered throughout the Triangle (the name given to Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill).
Let me know if you had something particular in mind, and I'll definitely give you an idea of what he have!
as the previous poster stated, it totally depends on what you like to do - there's such a variety!
drive to the beach
drive to asheville (biltmore.com) and great restaurants and shopping
drive to washington DC to see the mall and the capitol
sports
choosing a college bball team - we are in the epicenter of college bball during the season, and I was told upon arriving here that I had to choose my colors.
the state farmers markets are AWESOME - I regularly go to the one in raleigh, there's also one on 40 just after the 85 split in greensboro (I think that's where it is)
shopping in durham
NC botanical gardens in Chapel Hill
Sara P Duke Gardens in Durham
Biking trails/greenways
Falls Lake recreation area
and so much more! There's tons of fun stuff to do, it's up to you to decide what you like and then go for it.
I'm going to start by seconding the State Fair in October. Pick a day/evening, grab a hundred bucks in small bills and dive on in. Eat everything. Even the weird-sounding stuff. Ride the biggest ferris wheel you find. But try to take public transport. Parking isn't nearly as fun as the bus ride home with all the other exhausted fair-goers! We LOOOVE the fair.
A day trip to the beach is easy enough. Wear your suit under shorts, drive 2 hours to Wrightsville Beach, park on a public lot and hit the sand. When you're sandy, salty, and exhausted later, hit a fast-food place to change and refuel for the drive home. It's a great day for the cost of gas and if you have another family to split that with, pile everybody in a minivan and have a BIG day it.
For a little quieter weekend, spend a Saturday touring the museums in downtown Raleigh. The history museum is excellent and from there you can walk all around to Exploris and other places nearby.
For nightlife, we love RumRunners though it gets more and more vulgar the later the hour (lots of fun for us, but we can't take our folks!)
It really does decide what you like to do. Find it and jump on in. I'll nearly guarantee that when you get to where you're going, the people will be nice.
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