A Walkable Itinerary in Downtown Raleigh

Here is a walkable itinerary for downtown Raleigh that I created when I had a few hours there with no car. This focuses on the area near the Capitol, where there are several worthwhile attractions all within a few blocks. Better yet, many options are free, many are indoor options in case of bad weather, and all are family-friendly.

All of these attractions are easily walkable from Union Station if you arrive by train or bus. Parking can be found easily in nearby Municipal parking lots which sometimes offer the first two hours for free. There is also free street parking outside of business hours, and various lots that only charge about $2 per hour.

Add the North Carolina Capitol Building and Executive Mansion to your Itinerary

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, newly renovated, and open to visitors. It is a national historic site, as well as being the active capital. Hours are week days from 8 to 5, Saturdays from 9 to 5, and Sundays from 1 to 5.

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.

Walkable Downtown Raleigh Museums

There are two excellent museums that are right across from each other, and in between the Capitol and Executive Mansion. The NC Museum of History is currently closed due to renovations. It is affiliated with the Smithsonian, and like their other museums, was excellent when I visited (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. I look forward to checking it out again once it reopens in the next couple of years.

While we are waiting, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is another great option which includes 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 habitats of the savanna, mountain, and coastal regions of the state.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences downtown location is currently open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 to 5 and general admission is free.

Dining

Walking this section of downtown Raleigh was a pleasure in itself, and there are ample options for dining and shopping. Some of the most highly rated and unique restaurants include:

• Bida Manda (Laotian)
• Brewery Bhavana (dim sum/brewery)
• Second Empire (fine dining).
• Gringo A Go Go (Mexican, with lots of vegetarian options)
• Big Ed’s City Market Restaurant (for Southern comfort food)
• Morgan Street Food Hall, for a wide variety of options

Additional Kid-Friendly Options in Downtown Raleigh

A couple of attractions to add to your walkable downtown Raleigh itinerary if you have children are the Marble Kids Museum and Pullen Park. Visit the Marble Kids Museum for hands-on, play-based displays such as a kids-sized town, power station, camp, garden, and lots more. The museum is highly rated and includes several floors of fun.

Tickets are $9.50 per person online and a couple dollars more in person. You can also save by going after 3 on a week night for less than half the price. Hours are 10 to 5 Tuesday to Sunday, but open till 7 on Thursdays.

If the weather is beautiful and you’re willing to walk a little farther (about a mile and a half from the other attractions), Pullet Park is a great option for families. The park has been called the “Central Park of Raleigh.” Admission to the park is free, with options to purchase ride tickets for a kids-sized train, boat ride, or carousel ride. It is the state’s oldest park, and one of the oldest amusement parks in the country. A huge playground, walking paths, and picnic areas are a few other features of the park.

 Find other family-friendly destinations easy to access from the Mid-Atlantic at this page.