There are several worthwhile attractions all within a few blocks in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Better yet, they are free, indoor and family friendly.
The North Carolina Capitol Building and Executive Mansion
The capitol building of North Carolina can be found within easy walking distance of the Executive Mansion and several excellent museums. It is free to enter but is currently undergoing renovations, so only the grounds are open to visitors. It is a national historic site, as well as being the active capital.
A few blocks beyond you will find the Executive Mansion, where the NC governor has been living since the late 1800’s. I didn’t know the governor had been alive that long! (wah wah). While the building can be viewed from the outside, it is not typically open to the public, since it is a residence. They do have a holiday tour each year, so you can see it then if you time it right. When I visited, it was tastefully decorated throughout the grounds, though I did not get to the tour.
The North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science
These two excellent museums are right across from each other, and in between the Capitol and Executive Mansion. The NC Museum of History is affiliated with the Smithsonian, and like their other museums, was excellent (and free!). The museum included sections on the North Carolinians in the armed forces, protests, a sports hall of fame, and my favorite part was a walk through of the entire history of the state, from Native people to colonization, various conflicts, industrialization, through contemporary times.
The Science museum included a theater, arthropod zoo and butterfly room, and the usual collections of fossils and prehistoric displays, gemstones and geology. I always enjoy looking at the displays of a state’s various habitats and this was no exception, displaying savanna, mountain, coastal habitats and more.
Walking this section of downtown Raleigh was a pleasure in itself, and there are ample options for eating and shopping throughout.