Area Attractions
Things to Do Around the Triangle
Area Hobby Shops
For local Area Hobby Shops, please visit our neighbor's website, the North Raleigh Model Railroad Club here:
http://www.trainweb.org/nrmrc/shops.html
Museums
North Carolina Museum of Art https://ncartmuseum.org/ Located in Raleigh near site of State Fair so traffic may be heavy. The museum is 10.5 miles from the hotel. Admission is free, but there may be a fee for some special collections.
Nasher Museum or Art https://nasher.duke.edu/ Located in Durham on the Duke University campus approximately 11.4 miles from the host hotel. Admission is free.
Carolina Basketball Museum carolina-basketball-museum Located in Chapel Hill on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus approximately 12.7 miles from the host hotel. Admission is free.
Museum of Life and Sciences https://www.lifeandscience.org/ Located in Durham approximately 14 miles from the host hotel. This museum is home to more than 60 species of live animals and many interactive exhibits. Admission is between $18 and $23 depending on age and other details.
Marbles Kids Museum https://www.marbleskidsmuseum.org/ Located in downtown Raleigh approximately 20 miles from the host hotel. The museum houses many hands-on exhibits, and a wonderful IMAX theater. General admission costs $9 (plus tax) in advance and $12 (plus tax) on day of visit. Note that tickets often sell out in advance so plan early.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences https://naturalsciences.org/ Located in downtown Raleigh approximately 15.6 miles from the host hotel. This is the largest institution of its kind in the southeastern United States. Admission is free.
Duke Lemur Center https://lemur.duke.edu/ Located in Durham approximately 15.4 miles from the host hotel. This is a 100-acre sanctuary for rare and endangered primates. Tours must be scheduled in advance.
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center https://moreheadplanetarium.org/ Located in Chapel Hill approximately 13.1 miles from the host hotel. This is a fantastic science museum on UNC-Chapel Hill campus. Admission is between about $10 and $16 depending on age and programs.
Civil war sites north-carolina-civil-war There are many historically interesting Civil War sites in and around the triangle. One favorite is the Historic Oakwood Cemetery https://historicoakwoodcemetery.org/ in downtown Raleigh approximately 16 miles from the host hotel which includes a large confederate soldier section.
Outdoors
Sarah P. Duke Gardens https://gardens.duke.edu/ Located in Durham at Duke University approximately 12 miles from the host hotel. These gardens are undergoing renovations so may not be fully accessible. Admission is free.
Pullen Park Pullen-park Located in Raleigh approximately 15 miles from the host hotel. This park with beautiful walking paths and huge playground. Admission is free.
Historic Yates Mill County Park historic-yates-mill-county-park Located in Raleigh approximately 17.8 miles from the host hotel. This park features a fully restored mid-18th century grist mill. Admission is free.
Phillips Farms https://www.phillipsfarmsofcary.com/ Located in Cary approximately 7.4 miles from the host hotel. This family fun park has a corn maze, sunflower field, and other attractions. Tickets cost $12/person for ages 2 and older.
Lake Crabtree County Park lake-crabtree-county-park Located in Raleigh approximately 5.2 miles from the host hotel. This park has 16 miles of trails including a 6-mile section that circles Lake Crabtree. No cost to visit this park.
Eno River State Park eno-river-state-park This park is located in Durham approximately 20.7 miles from the host hotel. This park has plenty of room to camp, hike, canoe and enjoy the outdoors. There is a cost for camp sites depending on when and which site will be used.
North Carolina Zoo https://www.nczoo.org/ Located in Asheboro approximately 72.6 miles west of the headquarter hotel. This zoo houses many interesting animals and does lots of conservation work. Admission is between $11 and $15 depending on age.
North Carolina Botanical Garden https://ncbg.unc.edu/ Located in Chapel Hill on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus approximately 12.3 miles from the host hotel. This site is a conservation garden designed to research, catalog and promote the native plants of North Carolina. Admission is free.
JC Raulston Arboretum https://jcra.ncsu.edu/ Located in Raleigh on the campus of North Carolina State University approximately 12.6 miles from the host hotel. This is a large botanical garden housing one of the largest and most diverse collections in the southeastern United States. Admission is free.
William B. Umstead State Park william-b-umstead-state-park Located in Raleigh approximately 8 miles from the host hotel. This is a large park which features lots of hiking, biking, and camping opportunities. Admission is free but there is a cost for boat rentals.
Areas to Explore
North Carolina State Fair https://www.ncstatefair.org/ Located in Raleigh approximately 11.3 miles from the host hotel. Dates are Oct 17-27, 2024. Super fun event but gets very crowded so plan for traffic. Admission prices are between $5 and $13 depending on age and advanced purchase.
American Tobacco Campus https://americantobacco.co/ Located in Durham approximately 10 miles from the host hotel. This large historic campus houses bars, restaurants, and other interesting sites including the northern trailhead for the American Tobacco Trail.
American Tobacco Trail American-tobacco-trail This 22 mile long trail from downtown Durham to New Hill is located on an abandoned Norfolk Southern Railroad corridor. It can be accessed from several locations along its route. It is a great trail for biking, walking, running and watching nature.
North Carolina State Farmers Market state-farmers-market-raleigh Located in Raleigh approximately 17.2 miles from the host hotel. This market is open daily with a huge selection of fresh foods and an excellent on-site restaurant.
North Carolina State Capitol north-carolina-state-capitol Located in downtown Raleigh approximately 15.7 miles from the host hotel. This historic structure started construction in 1792.
Sports and Physical Activites
Frankie’s of Raleigh https://frankies.com/raleigh/ Located in Raleigh approximately 5.5 miles from the host hotel. This amusement park features many games including go-karts, laser tag, batting cages and much more. Admission is free, but there is a cost for activities chosen to play.
Drive Shack https://www.driveshack.com Located in Raleigh approximately 11.2 miles from the host hotel. This is a golf ball driving range with great food. Prices range from $30 to $55/bay/hour depending on day and time.
Rush Hour Karting https://rushhourkarting.com/ Located in Morrisville approximately 5.5 miles from the host hotel. This all-indoor, high-speed carting site also features other games such as golf simulation and axe throwing. Prices vary depending on activity, day and time, but kart racing starts at $12 for a single race, for example.
Urban Axes urban-axes Located in Durham approximately 11.4 miles from the host hotel. Throw axes and drink beer. The cost varies depending on number of throwers in party, date and time. One person throwing for an hour starts at $27.50.