First the article. Here is a condensed version of what they like. I've included links to places we've actually been to:
Sights:
North Carolina Museum of Art
Eno River State Park
Durham Bulls Minor League Baseball
Shopping:
Father & Son Antiques
The Scrap Exchange
Food and Drink:
Poole's Downtown Diner
Raleigh Times
Taqueria La Vaquita
The Pit
Mama Dip's
Venue:
Cats Cradel
Stay :
Umstead Hotel, Carolina Inn, or Arrowhead Inn
Being two year residents here, I liked the article and wanted to give you our version on the triangle in 36 hours if you were to come visit us. So 36 hours in the triangle, a little Raleigh heavy, Lindgren style:
Sights:
It seems our favorite places to go with people are to these three:
Duke Homestead and Tobacco Museum
The famous Duke family earned all of there money bringing Tobacco to the masses, and later gave their fortune to Duke University and Hospitals to try to make up for it. This sight of their old homestead has a cool tour where you learn how tobacco was cured and get to tour their old home and see how tobacco is grown in a field nearby. There is also a cool museum to Tobacco that was done in the 80's before Tobacco companies became the villains they are know as today. There are heroic pictures of tobacco farmers, and even a Liberty Bell replicated from hundreds of pounds of compressed tobacco.
Umstead State Park
Right in the middle of everything is a 5,579-acre park park that is about 15 minutes away from our apartment. It is a great place to see fireflies on a summer hike, ride your mountain bike, or canoe in the lake.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Right in downtown Raleigh near the State Capitol, this museum is free, big, and modern. They have a Butterfly Arboretum at the top, Whale Skeletons on the first floor, and lots of fun things to see in between.
Honorable Mentions: Durham Bulls games are cool and so is the Tobacco district in Durham. We've been to one Tar Heels game since we've been here and would go to more but tickets are hard to come by.
Shopping:
eh Target? We have a few Trader Joe's around which is essential, but does grocery shopping count?. Cameron Village has some fun shops if you're into the whole shopping thing.
Food and Drink:
Best BBQ place the Pit? Not good enough to try to those I've spoken to. I've tried out about seven different BBQ places in the area and my favorite is Clyde Coopers' BBQ. It's a cash only greasy spoon in an old brick building downtown. They sell pig ears for your dog in a bucket near the cashier. There are booths and a lunch counter. They bring out pork rines and super tasty fluffy hush puppies when you arrive. Every plate is around six bucks. The BBQ sauce is vinegar based with pepper and no tomato in it at all. True Eastern Carolina Q. The slaw is heavy on the vinegar as well. A true treat you can't get anywhere outside of the area.
Dessert and Large portioned dinners can be found at the cute 40's themed Hayes Barton Cafe. The Chicken Pot Pie and salads are great. The best part is the pieces of cake for dessert that are as big as your head. The coconut cake and chocolate pecan are definitely the best thing there.
Big Eds City Market is a great place to eat breakfast for a hot bowl of grits. They have a brass band outside some mornings. Also if you are in a hurry, the triumph of the Southern Culture is the chicken biscuit. If you like it a little sweet, go to Chick-fil-A, If you like it spicy, go to Bojangles.
Venue:
They close down the main street in Raleigh one night in September For Raleigh Wide Open. We went right after we moved here. Last year we tried to go but it was too rainy. Last year we missed Chuck Berry and Arrested Development. This year who will it be?
Also at Moore square park in downtown Raleigh in the summer they invite formerly famous bands to play for free. This years highlights are Joan Jett, the Charlie Daniels Band and Candelbox.
Stay: We have an extra bedroom and love to have visitors. It's near a lake with a walking trail. We always clean for guests. We cook some, play board games, and probably wake up after you.
7 comments:
I can't wait to have an excuse to go to North Carolina and visit with you guys. I loved my very quick trip through there several years back. I wish I could sell Waco the way you guys sell the Triangle.
Oh fun. It makes me want to come see you guys . . . if I can get past the idea of being in the car with four kids for 8 hours. Also worthy of an honorable mention is Marbles Chidlren's museum downtown--my kids still talk about it. I like your BBQ review, Bird--we should go into business together. You do the chicken and I'll roast the pig.
Little known Christy fact: in high school and college we thought we were big stuff going to the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill and I may or may not have skipped a math quiz in college to go see Tanya Donnelly there (a choice I fully stand behind years and years later). We are trying to do the things available in Raleigh -- I think I've been here so long that I forget how to be a tourist here. Good blog topic.
That looks like a good trip. I especially like the clean for guests and wake up times. My kids are cute enough I wonder if you'd rouse yourself to play with them. . . at 6:30. Actually, with the time change, they wouldn't roll out of bed until 9:30. That's more your style, right?
I liked your post about Ra-ra; Leigh-Town; The Big Ral; Blue Devil/Heelville; use any of these hip nicknames, I don't mind. Anyway, there is a ton of great stuff in your town it sounds like. I hope to make it one day, mostly so that we can out your outrageous claims on hotels.com.
I want to come visit you guys!
Mmm, grits. I haven't visited the south in so long... Wouldn't it be nice to meet at a few of these places? Someday.
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