Raleigh and the Triangle - A Visitor's and Local's Guide Pt. 2

LostInaLostWorld

Work?
Sponsor
Oct 25, 2016
3,747
12,838
Central City
backyard bistro parking is $20 now and can get pretty full pretty quickly from what i've seen

another couple free options are along kingdom way and in the business park down westchase blvd. i made this ms paint map for someone last year before a game we were doing a decent size tailgate, so ignore the random star and the prices (blue should be $30 now and the red by backyard bistro is $20):

View attachment 624340
Editing to add for the newcomer. The Bojangles parking lot - west end of Trinity Rd on map - is where HF26 goes to settle differences amonget each other.

Hope you enjoy the game as long as Canes win.
 

EverettMike

FIRE DON SWEENEY INTO THE SUN
Mar 7, 2009
44,676
32,024
Everett, MA
twitter.com
Hello everyone. I need some help. I was wondering if anyone could please give me advice on what to do with a little free time in Raleigh this weekend. I am coming for a wedding and staying in downtown. I won't have a car because my hotel is 5 minutes from the venue. My plan is to mostly stick to areas I can reach by foot.

If it helps I love eating regional dishes, historical sites, knocking out the "must-see" spots any first time visitor should, and going to the best restaurants. (But I don't mean the most expensive, just whatever you think is the best.) I am also a beer guy so brewery recs are also very welcome. But honestly, I am usually up for anything so if you think there's something else I should consider I am all ears. (for example, should I make sure i go to the national history museum?)

I probably won't have time to do 1/5th as much as I would like, so if you value one place/activity over another you can just give me your top choice.

Thank you very much and I promise to return the favor if anyone visits Boston.
 
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Boom Boom Apathy

I am the Professor. Deal with it!
Sep 6, 2006
48,406
98,113
There's a few places I'd recommend. I live in Durham now so haven't been down in Raleigh for a couple of years so things may have changed since then.

1) There are a couple of BBQ places downtown that you should check out. Some say The Pit, some say Clyde Coopers.
2) Ashley Christensen is a renowned chef who has a couple of places downtown. Either Poole's diner or Beasleys Chicken and Honey are good choices downtown for food. A 3rd one is Death and Taxes, but I've never been to it.
3) Brewery Bhavana and Bida Banda (Laotian food) are two very popular places with the same ownership group, but sometimes hard to get a reservation on short notice. Brewery Bhavana is a weird concept but kind of cool. It's a dim sum restaurant, a book store, a florist and a brewery all in one. I like both places.
4) There are a couple of food halls (Morgan Street Food Hall and Transfer Co. Food Hall) where you can try multiple different things. I haven't been to either one.
5) Over on Glenwood is the worlds largest beer garden (Raleigh Beer Garden) with over 350 beers on tap. The Flying Saucer off of Morgan and Harrington would be another good option. Clouds brewing is over that way as well. It's one of those "pour your own" places.
6) If Pizza is your thing, Trophy Brewing has great pizza but it's probably 1-1.5 miles from downtown so not too far, but probably best to Uber.
7) If you want Vegitarian/Vegan food, then Fiction Kitchen is fabulous.
8) For Breakfast, many people like Big Eds City Market. I haven't been there in about 5 years though.

I don't know of many "must see" historical things downtown. There's a history museum and science museum, but those aren't "must see" in my book. Probably one of the most historical places is Krispy Kreme donuts over off Peace and Pearson street. :laugh:
 

EverettMike

FIRE DON SWEENEY INTO THE SUN
Mar 7, 2009
44,676
32,024
Everett, MA
twitter.com
There's a few places I'd recommend. I live in Durham now so haven't been down in Raleigh for a couple of years so things may have changed since then.

1) There are a couple of BBQ places downtown that you should check out. Some say The Pit, some say Clyde Coopers.
2) Ashley Christensen is a renowned chef who has a couple of places downtown. Either Poole's diner or Beasleys Chicken and Honey are good choices downtown for food. A 3rd one is Death and Taxes, but I've never been to it.
3) Brewery Bhavana and Bida Banda (Laotian food) are two very popular places with the same ownership group, but sometimes hard to get a reservation on short notice. Brewery Bhavana is a weird concept but kind of cool. It's a dim sum restaurant, a book store, a florist and a brewery all in one. I like both places.
4) There are a couple of food halls (Morgan Street Food Hall and Transfer Co. Food Hall) where you can try multiple different things. I haven't been to either one.
5) Over on Glenwood is the worlds largest beer garden (Raleigh Beer Garden) with over 350 beers on tap. The Flying Saucer off of Morgan and Harrington would be another good option. Clouds brewing is over that way as well. It's one of those "pour your own" places.
6) If Pizza is your thing, Trophy Brewing has great pizza but it's probably 1-1.5 miles from downtown so not too far, but probably best to Uber.
7) If you want Vegitarian/Vegan food, then Fiction Kitchen is fabulous.
8) For Breakfast, many people like Big Eds City Market. I haven't been there in about 5 years though.

I don't know of many "must see" historical things downtown. There's a history museum and science museum, but those aren't "must see" in my book. Probably one of the most historical places is Krispy Kreme donuts over off Peace and Pearson street. :laugh:

This is awesome. Thank you so much.
 

tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
85,370
139,214
Bojangles Parking Lot
Hello everyone. I need some help. I was wondering if anyone could please give me advice on what to do with a little free time in Raleigh this weekend. I am coming for a wedding and staying in downtown. I won't have a car because my hotel is 5 minutes from the venue. My plan is to mostly stick to areas I can reach by foot.

If it helps I love eating regional dishes, historical sites, knocking out the "must-see" spots any first time visitor should, and going to the best restaurants. (But I don't mean the most expensive, just whatever you think is the best.) I am also a beer guy so brewery recs are also very welcome. But honestly, I am usually up for anything so if you think there's something else I should consider I am all ears. (for example, should I make sure i go to the national history museum?)

I probably won't have time to do 1/5th as much as I would like, so if you value one place/activity over another you can just give me your top choice.

Thank you very much and I promise to return the favor if anyone visits Boston.

Tip: Before leaving the reception, Doordash a bag of Bojangles to your hotel so that it arrives at the same time as your drunken self. Thank me later.
 

Boom Boom Apathy

I am the Professor. Deal with it!
Sep 6, 2006
48,406
98,113
Looks like a fun spot to catch a game...


So my wife and I went there with another couple last night. That place is pretty remarkable. With all the huge screens showing different games, I could see how it would be an ADHD's nightmare though. It has 3 floors and the 2nd floor has a bull riding "cowboy" bar. It wasn't open last night but the waitress told us that on Fridays and Saturdays, there is a line waiting to get into that part of the bar. There's also a rooftop bar that isn't ready yet. There's all sorts of games there people were playing. Our friends got there at 4:30 to watch their baseball team, we got there at 5:30. The place was packed and people were still streaming in by the time we left around 7:30-8:00.

Pros:
-The screens, technology and overall appearance and atmosphere of the place is impressive.
-The food was surprisingly good for "bar food".
-The service was excellent, of course that will depend on the server, but ours was very good.

Cons:
-It's LOUD in there. the open space, music, all the people talking, cheering games, playing games, etc... Felt like we were screaming across the table just to have a conversation (and no, it's not an old person hearing situation). Can't imagine what the place would be like on an NFL Sunday. It started to almost be uncomfortably loud when it was full.
-The beer selection was surprisingly weak.
 
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hblueridgegal

Timing is Everything
Sponsor
Sep 13, 2019
7,614
26,815
Old North State
So my wife and I went there with another couple last night. That place is pretty remarkable. With all the huge screens showing different games, I could see how it would be an ADHD's nightmare though. It has 3 floors and the 2nd floor has a bull riding "cowboy" bar. It wasn't open last night but the waitress told us that on Fridays and Saturdays, there is a line waiting to get into that part of the bar. There's also a rooftop bar that isn't ready yet. There's all sorts of games there people were playing. Our friends got there at 4:30 to watch their baseball team, we got there at 5:30. The place was packed and people were still streaming in by the time we left around 7:30-8:00.

Pros:
-The screens, technology and overall appearance and atmosphere of the place is impressive.
-The food was surprisingly good for "bar food".
-The service was excellent, of course that will depend on the server, but ours was very good.

Cons:
-It's LOUD in there. the open space, music, all the people talking, cheering games, playing games, etc... Felt like we were screaming across the table just to have a conversation (and no, it's not an old person hearing situation). Can't imagine what the place would be like on an NFL Sunday. It started to almost be uncomfortably loud when it was full.
-The beer selection was surprisingly weak.
Thank you for the review! Sounds like a lot is happening there especially for the young folks. I haven't made it there yet but it is relatively close to my office so I thought it might be a fun spot to catch the away or playoff games when in town for work stuff.

I have found that my tolerance for noise during dinner out is diminishing. Last weekend, I met a friend at Mandolin and even that was a bit much. It was a lovely spring evening so we asked to dine outdoors.
 

Burgmania

Buffalo's Hockey Soundtrack
Apr 16, 2007
4,730
565
Buffalo, NY
Just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for all of this information. I'm flying in for a week next month - headed to the All-Star Weekend in North Wilkesboro. We're flying into RDU and will have some time to kill before heading to our base camp near Winston-Salem.
 

HisIceness

This is Hurricanes Hockey
Sep 16, 2010
40,525
71,396
Charlotte
Just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for all of this information. I'm flying in for a week next month - headed to the All-Star Weekend in North Wilkesboro. We're flying into RDU and will have some time to kill before heading to our base camp near Winston-Salem.

North Wilkesboro? All-star?

Nascar? They still race at that track?
 

Burgmania

Buffalo's Hockey Soundtrack
Apr 16, 2007
4,730
565
Buffalo, NY
North Wilkesboro? All-star?

Nascar? They still race at that track?
The last NASCAR event at Wilkesboro took place in '96. Largely abandoned after that. The track has been restored, thanks to a coalition led by Dale Jr. At first, they restored it to the point where it could be laser-scanned for use in iRacing . . . and things improved to the point where races could be held.

I understand some funds in the NC state budget were earmarked for the Speedway this past year as well.
 
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