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Raleigh and the Triangle - A Visitor's and Local's Guide

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garnetpalmetto

garnetpalmetto

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Jul 12, 2004
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Durham, NC
VaCaps Fan said:
Traffic wasn’t bad Tuesday afternoon during my visit.
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Considering you're probably comparing our traffic to NoVA/DC...that's not a good metric. When I first started working in Chapel Hill we were still living in N. Raleigh (near Falls and Durant) and there would be times I-540 West was more parking lot than interstate, especially between the airport and Six Forks.

@Sore Loser, there's definitely better options closer to that location than Wake Forest. Pretty much all of Wake County's schools are good and recognized as some of the best in the nation. Definitely don't subject yourself to that commute. Again, many of the neighborhoods off of Falls or Six Forks would likely serve your needs, especially in the 27615 zip code. I'd stay away from the area around Mini City. There's a niceish neighborhood off of Brentwood - Timberlake, I think?
 
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JordanGalhanth

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Apr 21, 2012
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Oilers fan in peace. Visiting friends in the Raleigh area and am taking in the game against Chicago on the 12th. I always love visiting NHL arenas that I've never been to before, and am excited to cross a Hurricanes game off my list.

Things I'm thinking about for the day I'm in Raleigh:

- Best burgers in Raleigh
- Best local museums/novelty attractions
- Hotels close to the arena
- Best food at the arena
- Gameday traditions that I should know about
- Can I move down to an empty lower row at the arena without getting in trouble? ;)

Thank you in advance! Really looking forward to visiting your arena, your city, and your state! I've heard it's beautiful down there!
 
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garnetpalmetto

garnetpalmetto

Jerkministrator
Jul 12, 2004
12,476
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Durham, NC
JordanGalhanth said:
Oilers fan in peace. Visiting friends in the Raleigh area and am taking in the game against Chicago on the 12th. I always love visiting NHL arenas that I've never been to before, and am excited to cross a Hurricanes game off my list.

Things I'm thinking about for the day I'm in Raleigh:

- Best burgers in Raleigh
- Best local museums/novelty attractions
- Hotels close to the arena
- Best food at the arena
- Gameday traditions that I should know about
- Can I move down to an empty lower row at the arena without getting in trouble? ;)

Thank you in advance! Really looking forward to visiting your arena, your city, and your state! I've heard it's beautiful down there!
Click to expand...

  • Best burgers are, without any question, Chuck's.
  • Best local museums - depending on what you're into, the NC Museum of Art is right near PNC Arena. Located downtown are the Contemporary Art Museum, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, the NC Museum of History, and Marbles Kids Museum (which also has an IMAX theatre). Novelty attractions - not thinking of any off the top of my head aside from the Shimmer Wall at the Convention Center across from Red Hat Amphitheatre, the Acorn Sculpture located at S. Salisbury St. at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts (Raleigh's the Oak City and the acorn gets dropped on New Year's Eve), and the statue of Sir Walter Raleigh by the Convention Center.
  • Hotels close to the arena are listed in the OP but to recap a few hotel options close to PNC are the Ramada Raleigh, the Hampton Inn & Suites Raleigh/Cary I40 (PNC Arena), the Hyatt Place Raleigh West, and the Wingate by Wyndham State Arena Raleigh/Cary.
  • Best food at the arena is, without any question, the barbeque. Be it the BBQ sandwiches or the BBQ nachos, you can't go wrong.
  • Gameday tradition - tailgating prior to the game. The parking lots open early and people come out to grill, drink, and have fun. People tend to be pretty welcoming so even in Oilers gear you're probably going to be fine.
  • And no. The ushers at the lower level are pretty serious about ticket checking - whenever we've had seats in the lower bowl they're pretty vigilant about checking tickets at least the first time they see you come through.
 
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JordanGalhanth

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Apr 21, 2012
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garnetpalmetto said:
So what did you and your friends end up doing other than the game, where did you stay? Always like to know if the recommendations worked out!
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Didn't make it to Chuck's. The weather made traffic an absolute nightmare. We stayed at the Hampton Inn by the airport though, and that was good.

Had supper at the Babymoon Cafe, dessert at the Cheesecake Factory in Crabtree Mall, and also checked out some of the small towns east of Raleigh. Planning a trip to Kings Dominion in Virginia for next time!
 
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Navin R Slavin

Navin R Slavin

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Jan 1, 2011
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Durrm NC
JordanGalhanth said:
Didn't make it to Chuck's. The weather made traffic an absolute nightmare. We stayed at the Hampton Inn by the airport though, and that was good.

Had supper at the Babymoon Cafe, dessert at the Cheesecake Factory in Crabtree Mall, and also checked out some of the small towns east of Raleigh. Planning a trip to Kings Dominion in Virginia for next time!
Click to expand...

Did you make it to Zebulon?
 
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lunch pail gang

lunch pail gang

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Jun 10, 2009
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Quick question for the Raleigh faithful. We’re heading up to the game tomorrow night from Wilmington, and would love to have lunch at the Backyard Bistro. When is a good time to arrive at the restaurant? We tried going to the restaurant before the Bruins game, arrived two hours ahead of time, saw the line out the door and decided not to bother. Thanks in advance for any assistance!
 
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Nashvols

Nashvols

Registered User
Jun 8, 2011
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Nashville
Greetings, my Southern hockey brethren. My brother and I are going to be coming in for a super quick weekend stop next month when my Preds visit town. Basically going to be a one night stay (fly in Saturday, matinee game Sunday, fly out Sunday evening), so not much time to get around and actually visit. We'll be renting a car and staying within a couple miles of the arena.

I have just a few questions:
-Is parking still $15 at the arena?
-Is Uber or Lyft (prefer Lyft) a decent alternative to parking? Or would you spend as much or more on a rideshare than you would on parking (~2 mile trip)?
-My brother really wants some Carolina BBQ. What place or places would you recommend? We will be free pretty much all Saturday evening, and will probably drive around some, so it doesn't have to be limited to Raleigh or Cary. If there's a great spot in Durham or Chapel Hill, we'd be willing to drive.

Thanks in advance!
 
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HisIceness

HisIceness

This is Hurricanes Hockey
Sep 16, 2010
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Charlotte
I parked for either $10 or $15 by the stadium last year. That seems to be the cheapest parking.

BBQ? Depends on how much you want to spend but The Pit is highly recommended here. It's more "upscale" and less mom and pop if that makes any sense.
 
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garnetpalmetto

garnetpalmetto

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Jul 12, 2004
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Durham, NC
Nashvols said:
Greetings, my Southern hockey brethren. My brother and I are going to be coming in for a super quick weekend stop next month when my Preds visit town. Basically going to be a one night stay (fly in Saturday, matinee game Sunday, fly out Sunday evening), so not much time to get around and actually visit. We'll be renting a car and staying within a couple miles of the arena.

I have just a few questions:
-Is parking still $15 at the arena?
-Is Uber or Lyft (prefer Lyft) a decent alternative to parking? Or would you spend as much or more on a rideshare than you would on parking (~2 mile trip)?
-My brother really wants some Carolina BBQ. What place or places would you recommend? We will be free pretty much all Saturday evening, and will probably drive around some, so it doesn't have to be limited to Raleigh or Cary. If there's a great spot in Durham or Chapel Hill, we'd be willing to drive.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

  • Parking is now $20.00
  • Uber and Lyft are decent alternatives - the only thing to be aware of is that surge will likely be going on immediately after the game. That said, I doubt it'd be $20.00 for 2 miles or so. Make sure you tell your rideshare driver which waiting area they put you in, though.
  • BBQ recommendations would be The Pit in Raleigh or Durham, Clyde Cooper's in Raleigh, Picnic in Durham, The Pig in Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough BBQ Company in Hillsborough. The Pit and Hillsborough BBQ Company are my faves out of those with the edge to Hillsborough.
 
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CandyCanes

CandyCanes

Caniac turned Jerkiac
Jan 8, 2015
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Nashvols said:
Greetings, my Southern hockey brethren. My brother and I are going to be coming in for a super quick weekend stop next month when my Preds visit town. Basically going to be a one night stay (fly in Saturday, matinee game Sunday, fly out Sunday evening), so not much time to get around and actually visit. We'll be renting a car and staying within a couple miles of the arena.

I have just a few questions:
-Is parking still $15 at the arena?
-Is Uber or Lyft (prefer Lyft) a decent alternative to parking? Or would you spend as much or more on a rideshare than you would on parking (~2 mile trip)?
-My brother really wants some Carolina BBQ. What place or places would you recommend? We will be free pretty much all Saturday evening, and will probably drive around some, so it doesn't have to be limited to Raleigh or Cary. If there's a great spot in Durham or Chapel Hill, we'd be willing to drive.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Can confirm parking is $20.

The Pit is good as recommended above, but I still think the mom n pop shops got a slight edge on them. My favorite is Smokey’s BBQ Shack in Morrisville about 15 minutes from PNC Arena.

If you do go to The Pit, be weary that a lot of times there’s a long wait. Though right next door to The Pit is Boxcar Barcade to kill sometime, it’s a superfun time over there. One of my favorite hangout spots in Raleigh.
 
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MinJaBen

MinJaBen

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Dec 14, 2015
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garnetpalmetto said:
  • Parking is now $20.00
  • Uber and Lyft are decent alternatives - the only thing to be aware of is that surge will likely be going on immediately after the game. That said, I doubt it'd be $20.00 for 2 miles or so. Make sure you tell your rideshare driver which waiting area they put you in, though.
  • BBQ recommendations would be The Pit in Raleigh or Durham, Clyde Cooper's in Raleigh, Picnic in Durham, The Pig in Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough BBQ Company in Hillsborough. The Pit and Hillsborough BBQ Company are my faves out of those with the edge to Hillsborough.
Click to expand...
Picnic is fantastic! That said, it is an easy 40 minutes from the arena (I live walking distance to the place, so I am well aware).
 
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Lempo

Lempo

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garnetpalmetto said:
Uber and Lyft are decent alternatives - the only thing to be aware of is that surge will likely be going on immediately after the game.
Click to expand...

The Surge....

2p9ne2.jpg
 
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