Discover Raleigh

Raleigh offers a variety of ways to spend your stay: historic homes and tours, trails through natural areas leading to works of art, and attractions focused on science, art and neighborhood history. If you’re looking for a hotel in Raleigh, it helps to first decide which interests you want to shape your stay. The options vary by theme and format: a tour lasts one hour, trails are defined by their length or route, and museum offerings range from exhibitions to live presentations. This lets you plan your activities around specific interests.

Historic Sites and Tours

Mordecai House is the oldest house in Raleigh that remains at its original site. This distinction therefore relates not just to the age of the house, but explicitly to its original location as well. Mordecai Historic Park offers one-hour tours of historic buildings and the park grounds. The duration gives the tour a clear time frame, while its scope includes both the buildings and grounds. If you’d like to include historic architecture and park grounds in your itinerary, this tour offers a specific option. Its format also differs from a museum visit featuring exhibitions or a trail defined by its route and length.

Nature Trails and Exploring the City

In Museum Park, 4.7 miles of recreational trails wind through natural areas to commissioned works of art. Their length, natural setting and art give this trail network a clear thematic focus. The Capital Area Reedy Creek Greenway has a different emphasis: this paved, multi-use trail system runs through western Raleigh and connects the eastern part of Museum Park with Downtown Raleigh via a pedestrian bridge over Highway 440. This lets you choose between trails that feature natural areas and works of art, and a paved trail system with a described connection between Museum Park and Downtown.

You can also include ways of getting around Downtown Raleigh in your plans. The streets there are easy to explore on foot, by bike using Cardinal Bikeshare, or with a short rideshare or taxi trip. These are different options for exploring the city; the Greenway, meanwhile, is defined by its paved surface and its connection to Downtown.

Science, Exhibitions and Live Programs

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences offers exhibitions, programs and excursions focused on science and nature. Its two centers have different emphases: the Nature Exploration Center features permanent and special exhibitions, live programs and educational films. The Nature Research Center offers interactive exhibitions and live presentations by scientists. So when choosing what to visit, the format matters as well as the subject of science and nature. The Exploration Center combines different types of exhibitions with programs and films, while the Research Center focuses on interactive exhibitions and live presentations.

Pullen Park, Art and Neighborhood History

Pullen Park is the first public park in North Carolina. The Pullen Aquatic Center has an indoor, covered Olympic-size pool measuring 50 meters by 25 yards. The Pullen Arts Center offers programs in pottery, jewelry making, painting, printmaking, bookbinding, drawing, textile art, weaving and glass art. The descriptions highlight different features: the Aquatic Center specifies the pool type and dimensions, while the Arts Center describes the range of artistic techniques. This lets you choose activities based on what interests you.

The Cultural Center offers historical exhibitions and programs on the history and culture of the South Park and East Raleigh neighborhoods. This focus complements the topics of science and art with a perspective on the history and culture of these specific neighborhoods. If you’re planning to explore the city on foot, by bike or with a short ride, you can combine these cultural and scientific topics with the options mentioned for Downtown Raleigh.

Discover more destinations: Millbrook, Morrisville, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Wendell, Wake Forest, Cary, Holly Springs.

For the broader travel overview: Wake.