a kid-friendly road trip to raleigh
If you’re like me then you’re always looking for fun road trip ideas. And boy do I have a good one for you – RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA! We recently spent 30 hours there and here is what we did for this kid-friendly road trip to Raleigh.
DISTANCE FROM MB | 2.5-3 hours
BEST TIME TO VISIT | Anytime of year! Raleigh always has events going on and even if the weather isn’t ideal there are so many indoor options to keep you busy.
WHERE TO STAY | The city isn’t too large, geo-wise so as long as you’re within 5-7 miles of downtown you shouldn’t have long drives. We usually stay near the Crabtree Mall area.
what we did –– and more we want to do
NC Chinese Lantern Festival | This was the biggest draw for us. It’s an annual event from mid-November until early January. It’s at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary (also a great venue for concerts). Check the IG page for a reel to get a better sense of it and our top tips.
NC Museum of Natural Sciences | This spectacular place cannot be missed. It’s 4 giant floors packed with the story of NC’s geography, animals, plants, and more. And it is F-R-E-E. We especially loved the main floor’s display of huge whale skeletons and the dinos on the 3rd floor.
NC Museum of History | This museum and the Museum of Natural Sciences sit together so you could do them both in one day but that would probably be too much for the kids (and adults) to handle. This place is equally packed and tells the story of the people who lived in and contributed to the state for hundreds of years. It is also F-R-E-E.
*Note both museums have additional exhibits you can see for a fee. Both museums are closed on Mondays.
Historic Yates Mill County Park | This is a beautiful old grain mill with an education center, trails, and waterfall over the dam. The education center is open daily from 8:30a–5p and the grounds themselves are open from 8am until sunset. The historic mill can be toured only on certain weekends (check their website for that). It’s still worth the visit if the mill itself is closed.
NC State Capitol Building & Grounds | This is within walking distance of the two museums so it would be a good thing to do after visiting one of those. You can walk the grounds anytime and see several statues and monuments. The inside is also available for self-guided tours Monday–Saturday.
other things you may want to see
NC GOVERNORS MANSION • Tours available but also just pretty to see from outside.
MARBLES CHILDREN’S MUSEUM • We’ll try to hit this on a future visit.
ORIGINAL SELFIE MUSEUM • Looks kinda cool and says its kid-friendly.
NC Museum of Art • Free and there is an outdoor museum park!
Mordecai Historic Park • Wanted to visit this but ran out of time! Will be back.
NC State Farmers Market • This is amazing and close to the park below.
Dorothea Dix Park • Huge and so full of history and beauty.
food
Morgan Street Food Hall • We love places like this because it has so many options!
Lime & Lemon • We love Indian food and this place was really good.
Torchy’s Tacos • We used to live in Austin and this was one of our go to spots. Love that Raleigh has one!
Person Street Area • We popped around here because it had so many good food options and other cool shops. We ate at The Station which was fine but I think there are better options.
Need more road trip options?
Check out our favs or browse the day trip/road trip page for some ideas.