Welcome to Raleigh, the City of Oaks! Also, the city of friendly people, great parks, amazing bakeries, history, and lots of beer, pizza, and coffee.
Without a doubt, when you Google what to see in Raleigh with kids, you are going to get Marbles Kids Museum, North Carolina Science Museum, and Pullen Park. These are wonderful places that my family has frequented, but Raleigh has many other places to see and taste that the locals enjoy. Keep reading to see how we Raleighites like to weekend (with kids).
This is a guest post in our Explore My City Series by Kristy McCay
Friday Afternoon in Raleigh
Baguettes on the Bridge
Let’s start our weekend at Boulted Bread bakery in the South Boylan District. Grab a sweet treat or coffee before they close at 4, walk around this historic and eclectic neighborhood.
If you have littles, the Boylan Bridge is right up from the bakery and overlooks Union Station – time it right and you may catch a train or two. Otherwise, get back in the car (or walk if you really need to stretch your legs) and take a short drive across Western Boulevard to our next spot, Dorothea Dix Park.
Raleigh’s Central Park
Dix Park offers something for everyone. This beautiful green space holds centuries of history, artwork, a stunning view of the Raleigh skyline, seasonal sunflower and daffodil gardens, and giant trolls that house birds and mesmerize the park’s many visitors. There are also wide open spaces for kite-flying and a dog park.
The Gibson Play Plaza is a rather new section of Dix park with an amazing playground, creative water play and sand area, swings and much more. This park holds quite a bit of history Raleigh isn’t proud of, including once being the site of a plantation and, before that, ancestral land of a number of different Native American tribes.
This plan cites that history and communicates how the City Council and Dix Park Conservancy are trying to educate and promote healing. There is so much to explore and take in that I recommend you spend your Friday afternoon exploring this Raleigh staple before heading over to an equally iconic Raleigh pizza spot, Trophy Brewing & Pizza, just 7 minutes down the road.
Pizza Night
There are three Trophy locations somewhat close to each other, but only the Morgan Street location takes reservations. There is indoor and outdoor seating at both locations, but I would recommend getting there at 5 if you don’t have a reservation. The parking lot can fill up quite early.
Some of our faves are the Balsamic Brussels small plate, the Trophy Wife IPA, and our kids like the Best Dressed pizza with a few modifications (aka no spinach or onion). If you get a later start, you could always order the pizza first and bring it to Dix Park. The Gibson Play Plaza stays open until 9, and to the right of the playground they have a spacious picnicking area with large tables.
My Kind of Homework
If you need a little something sweet, hop back in the car for a short 12-minute jaunt south to Howling Cow Dairy. It’s a quaint ice cream shop with a rural landscape that will make you feel like a city is nowhere nearby. The ice cream is actually made on NC State’s campus at the Feldmeier Dairy Processing Lab.
My recommendation is the 4-H Campfire Delight. I doubt you will be disappointed. They only take credit card, so make sure you bring the plastic, and be sure to check out their website if you’re interested in more information regarding their museum and tour.
Saturday Morning in Raleigh
To Brunch or Not to Brunch
Rise and shine, lovelies. I have two options for breakfast/brunch depending on your mood this morning.
Irregardless is a more sit and linger, farm to table brunch spot. It doesn’t open until 10 am and reservations would probably be a good idea. It’s quite close to the pizza spot you may have gone to last night and has found its home in Raleigh for over 50 years. Their website has a whole section of parking options if you want to avoid the morning parking scramble (no pun intended).
The second option is Benchwarmers Bagels, located in Transfer Food Hall. Not as historic but still making history here in Raleigh. This place can get quite a line, so I recommend ordering ahead for pickup, whether you plan to eat there or not. It’s nothing fancy, just a good ole’ quick and delicious bagel sandwich. Parking can also be a challenge at times, but this is a great option if you want to get an earlier start on today’s agenda. Both spots are kid-friendly.
Now, if you finish breakfast and decide to hit Google’s top Raleigh recommendations (mentioned earlier), both breakfast locations are convenient to most of the museums and parks on that list.
If you’re looking for something a little more off the tour circuit, Chavis Park and the Walnut Creek Wetland Center are two great options I recommend exploring.
A Park with History
Another great Raleigh park, John Chavis Memorial Park opened its doors in 1937. I came across this timeline and found it interesting as well as informative. The playground is awesome for bigs and littles alike. In the hot months, there is a splash pad and there are picnic tables with umbrellas located beside the playground.
For $2, you can enjoy the carousel that is as old as the park. Be sure to check out the website beforehand for hours because the carousel is not always running during outdoor park hours. The community center opens at 9am on Saturday. After the kids burn some energy at Chavis, hop in the car for a 4-minute drive to the Walnut Creek Wetland Park and Nature Center.
Tree Frogs, Box Turtles, and Snakes, O My!
Situated on a nature preserve beside Walnut Creek and a number of greenways, Walnut Creek Wetland Park and Nature Center has both indoor and outdoor spots to explore. Inside the nature center are two common NC snakes, Mr. T the box turtle, a cozy reading spot, artifacts from the park, and a few other fun surprises.
Outside are numerous trails to explore wildlife and plant life. My kids love spotting the many frog pipes and peering down to find a green tree frog smiling back. The staff are great and are there to answer questions and hold the wildlife so kids can get to know the few animals they have on site. It is a low-key, fun treasure that’s free and informative. If your kids are backyard explorers, this spot is well worth the hour or two it will take to explore.
Saturday Afternoon in Raleigh
It’s a Go Go
If your kids are like mine, after these two outings, you guys will be ready for some lunch. For this meal, I’m going to send you to a local spot called Gringo a Go Go – an eclectically decorated Mexican restaurant serving simple but delicious eats. I haven’t been since before my youngest was born, but I remember them going out of their way to accommodate us when we were a party of 4 with two little ones.
The food, decor, and hospitality aren’t the only characteristics that make this restaurant unique. It also happens to be neighbors with the Governor of North Carolina. You can see the Executive Mansion just a block away. One of our local periodicals, Walter Magazine, wrote an article if you’d like to learn more about this fine establishment.
A Tour of the Capitol
A few blocks East is the North Carolina Capitol building. They provide guided tours to the public on Saturdays at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. You don’t need to make reservations unless you are bringing a larger group, but it is first-come, first-served.
You can explore the Capitol grounds at any time, and there is paid street parking around the Capitol. If you are traveling around national holidays, check out their events page. We had the privilege of watching a naturalization ceremony on the Capitol grounds years ago on the 4th of July.
Souvenirs for the Frugal
At this point, you have explored history and science and are probably ready to shop. Thrifting is definitely a popular thing in Raleigh among both the young and less young. A few months ago, I wrote a brief article highlighting a few of my favorite thrift shops – you can check out the article here.
I love thrifting on vacation because, to me, it is like the city’s own sustainable, economical souvenir shop. The last shop on the list is about 7 minutes from our dinner spot tonight.
La Cena en Raleigh
After you have worked up an appetite, close the night at Lafayette Village. Venturing here will feel like you veered left onto a European side street. It is located in North Raleigh, which is about 20 minutes north of downtown. I have wanted to try Farina Neighborhood Italian, located in Lafayette Village, but haven’t yet.
Children are welcome, and I would suggest getting to dinner close to 5 pm and making reservations for this spot, or any in the area for that matter. There aren’t many restaurants at Lafayette, and it can get pretty busy on a Saturday night.
Sunday Morning in Raleigh
Un Deux Trois
That’s how many days you have been in our great city, and that’s half as many croissants as you’ll want to buy at our next stop. We will begin this morning at a small bakery, Paul and Jack. You absolutely cannot go wrong with anything here, but the spinach croissant is my favorite.
We like to buy a handful of different croissants for our family of 6 and divide them up so we can share and taste them all. There is a patio, some indoor seating, and a small space for littles to play inside. The Raleigh location is most convenient to the spots on this itinerary.
Morning at the Market
After croissants, we will head back down to where our journey began, just south of downtown, this time at the State Farmers Market. Both the market and the restaurant open at 8. If you want a more sit-down breakfast experience this morning, I have heard good things about the Farmer’s Market restaurant, but have never been myself.
The market has an excellent supply of fresh produce, indoor and outdoor plants, flower bouquets, and on weekends the Annelore’s German bakery has a stand with delicious treats. I have pretty much bought my whole herb garden from here, building on it each year. And the Silver Dollar Eucalyptus I purchased here just a few years ago is now as tall as my house.
Don’t miss the indoor section of the market across the back parking lot, which has vendors from all over NC. It’s hard to tell how much time you’ll spend here, but there is a little something for everyone.
A Portrait of North Carolina
Okay, the last stop on this itinerary is the North Carolina Art Museum. One great thing about visiting Raleigh is that even if you can only visit one city in North Carolina for 36 hours, you can get a glimpse of what artists, lawmakers, athletes, philanthropists, educators, gardeners, historians, and scientists are working on all across the state by visiting our many museums, department buildings, gardens, and universities. NCMA is just one example of this.
The museum’s exhibits and the gift shop showcase works from a variety of NC makers and artists. They have exploration sets for kids to engage with the art and nature in and around the museum. The museum grounds are just as much fun to explore as the museum itself. Most of the museum is free, but there are some events and exhibits that have a fee. Lots to explore and see here. On Sundays, they open at 10 AM.
This concludes our fun weekend together. But Raleigh has so much more to explore! I came up with a whole list of other “must-see” spots as I was writing this first itinerary — we didn’t even get to theaters, gardens, or much history on this first trip.
Whether you find yourself here on purpose or just passing through, take some time to experience our good ole’ Raleigh hospitality and thoroughly enjoy your time in the beautiful City of Oaks!
About the Blogger
Kristy is a mother of 4 wildly fun kids living between two giant Magnolias in Raleigh, NC. She writes about motherhood, marriage, hospitality, traveling, grief and the rest of life in between these two giant trees as well as the adventures outside of them.
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With thanks to Kristy for her contribution to our guest series. You may also like to read about Fun Thing to do in Columbus, Ohio With Kids, or take a 48-hour tour around the best of Philadelphia.
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