Raleigh North Carolina Arts District Raleigh North Carolina Downtown
The easternmost point of N Carolina's Research Triangle, Raleigh is where arts and smarts meet. Its population ranks second in the South in avant-garde degrees, and its creative scene is and then hot, urban center officials just drafted a plan to make the town the official "Arts Capital of the Southward." Here, we offer a crash form on the places no visitor to Raleigh should miss.
PERSON STREET
Once a quiet corridor, the Person Street district northeast of downtown is now a Raleigh hotspot jammed with shops, restaurants, and bars that rock a progressive, indie vibe.
Wine Authorities
Office retailer, part neighborhood hangout, Wine Authorities only carries labels from pocket-size, family-owned vineyards. This means you probably won't recognize nigh of the bottles (which retail for $fifty or less), but that's all the more reason to read the clever, staff-written descriptions (a 2008 Tre Ricci Cabernet Sauvignon is a "sports coupe of a cab with a smooth, throaty purr"). Driblet in for happy 60 minutes, when the small-scale lounge fills with young professionals sampling xx-iv wines from the dispensing machine and noshing on locally purveyed meats, cheeses, and breads. wineauthorities.com
Standard Foods
Lumina Clothing
Opened with funds raised past a Kickstarter campaign, this dapper men'south store sells its own line of Don Draper–worthy bow ties, pocket squares, shirts, and chinos. The four owners—all North Carolinians, 3 of them Due north Carolina State grads—named the store in honor of the cotton fiber looms that one time kept North Carolina's cloth-based economic system spinning. Everything they conduct is made in America, with many items manufactured in North Carolina. luminaclothing.com
Standard Foods
This highly anticipated Person Street newcomer showcases the considerable talents of Scott Crawford, 3-time James Beard Foundation semifinalist for "All-time Chef – Southeast" and former executive chef of the Umstead Hotel and Spa in nearby Cary. The eatery marks Crawford'south first foray into casual cuisine and offers creative spins on Southern comfort food (think chicken-fried rabbit served with mashed parsnips and thyme gravy). The adjoining grocery features a whole-animal butchery, fruits and vegetables from neighboring Raleigh City Farm, and a seafood counter displaying wild oysters, crab, and grouper from the North Carolina coast. standard-foods.com
PieBird
Green chili and black bean pie, anyone? Or peradventure you lot'd prefer a piece of "cleft pie" (chess pie sprinkled with powdered sugar)? Or maybe y'all'd similar your pie in liquid form—i.e. a pumpkin pie-tini? PieBird, a friendly little neighborhood buffet, whips upwards imaginative takes on pastries every 24-hour interval. Another unexpected offering: Y'all tin can pay by Bitcoin, if y'all are and then inclined. piebirdraleigh.com
Majuscule DISTRICT
As its name indicates, this district encompassing northeast downtown is home to the state government complex, including the Capitol Building and the Governor's Mansion. It'southward also where y'all'll find two top-notch museums—offering complimentary admission—that have helped earn Raleigh the nickname "Smithsonian of the South."
Keenan Hairston
N Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Nature Enquiry Center
The largest museum of its kind in the Southeast, this 200,000-foursquare-pes facility is the state's pinnacle attraction. Enter almost the 3-story landmark globe and head to the Naturalist Middle on the second flooring. Subsequently a cursory orientation, browse thousands of specimens, from preserved reptiles to paleontological holdings (fossils), and place your favorites on a computerized table that provides data about them. Over in the Nature Exploration Eye, a xl-foot-long Acrocanthosaurus fossil stalks its casualty, while a massive 3-D theater screens science and nature films. naturalsciences.org
North Carolina Museum of History
Daniel Boone. The Wright Brothers. Michael Jordan. North Carolina has known its share of history makers, and it salutes them all at this Smithsonian affiliate. The centerpiece exhibit, The Story of North Carolina, follows the state from prehistoric times to the modernistic age, introducing figures similar Blackbeard, explaining terms similar "tar heel," and exploring tough problems similar slavery and race relations. The museum is also home to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, where you can check out one of Richard Picayune's number-43 Plymouths. ncmuseumofhistory.org
WAREHOUSE Commune
Formerly an industrial zone filled with factories, this hip surface area in downtown'southward southwest quadrant now turns out some of the city's peak art and dining experiences.
CAM Raleigh
Situated in a former produce warehouse, this contemporary fine art museum has been the district's heartbeat since 2011. It features rotating exhibitions showcasing a range of works, from mixed-media sculpture to solar-powered installations, as well as a slate of seminars and Q&A sessions with artists. October 2 through January iii, check out Sarah Cain: The Imaginary Architecture of Love, which includes a massive painting Cain created on the museum walls and floor. camraleigh.org
Raleigh Denim Workshop and Curatory
Married man-and-married woman team Victor Lytvinenko and Sarah Yarborough accept converted an quondam warehouse into an artisan denim factory, crafting jeans for clients such as Bloomingdale'due south and Saks (they also take their own store in New York City). Visit the Curatory, a small-scale retail infinite in the front of the workshop, where yous can watch the jeansmiths at work through a vertical window and shop the racks for the perfect pair. The boutique's other offerings reverberate the couple'due south wide-ranging tastes: Preppy button-downward shirts hang above studded leather belts, and silk ties are folded near graphic-print tees. Above it all, hundreds of chocolate-brown newspaper airplanes hang from the rafters, fitting symbols of this highflying brand. raleighworkshop.com; thecuratory.com
Videri Chocolate Factory
Walking into this century-erstwhile railroad depot, guests are greeted with a heady sensory experience. The massive brick walls catch your eye, the soothing sounds of brewing coffee fill your ears, and the smells—oh the smells. Organic cocoa beans are roasted, ground, and composite with cocoa butter and organic sugar on-site, creating petty $.25 of heaven like a special holiday bar with seventy-per centum dark chocolate and crushed peppermint. Wander the factory floor, reading signs almost the chocolate-making process, then buy a bar from the apothecary-similar counter. Enjoy it on the patio with a loving cup of hot chocolate or fifty-fifty a glass of wine (it'due south BYOB). viderichocolatefactory.com
The Junction Salon and Bar
In this trendy office of town, combining a salon with a full-service bar seems completely normal. Settle in for a pedicure or haircut, guild an Old Fashioned, and survey the building'southward exposed beams, wooden ceilings, and brick walls—reminders of its days as a railroad depot (information technology's the aforementioned one that houses Videri Chocolate Mill). junctionsalon.com
The Pit
In grand Eastern North Carolina tradition, this charcoal-broil joint—located in a 1930s meatpacking warehouse—smokes whole hogs over an open fire, chops the meat up, and serves information technology with a tangy vinegar-based sauce. Pair your 'cue with the mean solar day's fresh vegetables and a glass of bourbon ambrosia. There's even a barbecued tofu plate on the card for those who don't squeal over pork. thepit-raleigh.com
CARY
There'due south a local acronym for this well-to-practice Raleigh suburb only west of the city: "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees." All joking aside, information technology'due south easy to understand how this peaceful, leafy town would draw people from near and far.
Umstead Hotel & Spa
When billionaire James Goodnight approached the Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons resorts about opening a hotel virtually the headquarters of SAS, his Cary-based software company, they told him the surface area couldn't back up such luxurious accommodations. In 2007, Goodnight proved them wrong by building his own—it's now ane of only two North Carolina properties with a AAA V Diamond and Forbes Five Star rating for its hotel and restaurant (the Fearrington House Inn in Pittsboro is the other). Named for neighboring William B. Umstead State Park, the property is known for its modern artwork (much of information technology curated by Goodnight's wife, Ann) and elegant ambience (afternoon tea is serenaded past a harpist). At Herons, the hotel's signature restaurant, 30-five-year-old Executive Chef Steven Greene is shaking upwardly the culinary earth as one of the youngest people in the state to head a Five-Star, Five-Diamond dining establishment. Don't miss his signature 7-course kaiseki menu, which transforms the eating house's regional cuisine into plated fine art. theumstead.com
La Farm
From the street, yous'd never guess this bakery tucked inside an unassuming strip mall is the workplace of Lionel Vatinet, a 2015 James Beard Foundation semifinalist for "Outstanding Bakery." Simply one time inside, the long lines and crowded community tables make it clear you've stumbled upon something special. Order the croque madame and a café latte, plus a loaf of Vatinet'due south famous country French bread to take domicile. lafarmbakery.com
FAYETTEVILLE STREET DISTRICT
Fayetteville Street is Raleigh'southward Chief Street, slicing through the center of town. By day, it's a bustling commercial district; come evening, it crackles with some of Raleigh's hottest restaurants and bars.
City of Raleigh Museum
Situated in the nineteenth-century Briggs Hardware building, this free museum tells the city'south story through well-maintained exhibits and interesting artifacts. Uppercase Cartography showcases 200 years of city maps, while Our War shares touching memories from some of Raleigh's Globe War II veterans. In the souvenir shop, check out the edifice's original tin can ceiling and pick up locally made products such as Holly Aiken handbags. cityofraleighmuseum.org
Ashley Christensen'south Empire
Named "All-time Chef – Southeast" by the James Beard Foundation in 2014, Ashley Christensen put Raleigh's culinary scene on the map. Her first restaurant, Poole'south Diner, opened in 2007 with a chalkboard menu of kicked-upward condolement foods like lobster and dumplings. In 2011, she opened a trio of ventures: Beasley'due south Chicken + Honey (think fried chicken biscuits and creamed collards), Chuck's (house-ground burgers and fork-and-pocketknife chips), and Fox Liquor Bar (bitter Mai Tais and charcuterie plates). Two years afterward, she unveiled Joule Java & Tabular array, a cheerful buffet with a copper ceiling, aromatic pour-overs, and a killer brunch menu. Her nearly contempo offering, Expiry & Taxes, brings wood-burn cooking to the metropolis's Moore Square district. ac-restaurants.com
MOORE SQUARE Commune
Listed on the National Register of Celebrated Places, this due south-east downtown district is home to cobblestone streets lined with restaurants, galleries, and boutiques—many of them located in and around the 1914 City Market.
Bida Manda
One of simply a handful of Laotian restaurants in the country, this popular spot was opened past Vansana Nolintha, an NC State alum, and his sister Vanvisa. The duo, who moved from Laos to N Carolina as children, wanted to share the flavors of their native country with their adopted hometown. The restaurant's name means "father and female parent" in Sanskrit, and a black-and-white portrait of the siblings' parents greets visitors at the entrance. Endeavour the crispy rice lettuce wrap and the greenish papaya salad, and whatever you practice, don't miss the pork abdomen soup with kokosnoot curry broth and peanuts. Information technology's bliss in a bowl. bidamanda.com
Tedd Anderson
Artspace
This former Metropolis Marketplace warehouse is habitation to 30 studios for established and emerging artists who welcome visitors to their workspaces. Enter through the three-story lobby, climb the spiral staircase, and wander the halls, pausing to watch painters, jewelry makers, and textile artists at work. Everything in their studios is available for purchase, and they're glad to respond questions about their methods. Don't miss the cura-ted pieces hanging in the corridors or the ii galleries featuring rotating exhibits. artspacenc.org
Busy Bee Cafe
Known every bit much for its wide pick of beers equally its food, this lively joint prepare in a 1913 building serves 10 categories of brews, from malts to hops, as well every bit vintage beers such equally a 2006 J.W. Lees Harvest Ale. The card changes daily, but on a recent visit, a sixteen-ounce cascade of French Wide Rye Hopper was an astounding $3. The restaurant too takes bar food up a few notches (try the short rib tacos), and the upstairs lounge, known as "The Hive," starts buzzing at 10 p.m. busybeeraleigh.com
Ramble
North Carolina native Jessie Connor opened this shop specializing in handcrafted home and lifestyle products in late 2014. Inside the brick-walled boutique, you'll notice a host of Raleigh-made items: terrariums from the Zen Succulent, plates from Arrow and Sage, and quilts from Rye and Hardy. Retail runs in Connor's genes: Her blood brother is Lumina co-founder Paul Connor. ramblesupplyco.com
BONUS POINTS
Although these three places aren't located within our spotlighted areas, no trip to Raleigh is complete without visiting them.
Raleigh Beer Garden
Three hundred sixty-six. That'south how many beer taps it took to state this new Glenwood South hotspot the championship of "globe'due south biggest beer garden." Of those taps, 144 are dedicated to Due north Carolina–made brews. Yous'll discover the home-state pours on the starting time floor, forth with a patio shaded past a pecan tree transplanted from a North Carolina farm. In fact, the holding on which the beer garden sits was once home to a number of pecan trees, which have establish a new incarnation equally the institution's countertops, bars, and tables. theraleighbeergarden.com
North Carolina Museum of Fine art
It's well worth the ten-infinitesimal drive from downtown to this museum's Due west Raleigh campus. Northward Carolina was the first land in the nation to buy works of art, and the free museum showcases the Tar Heel State's acquisitions since 1947. Browse works by Raphael, Claude Monet, and Georgia O'Keeffe, too equally the largest drove of Auguste Rodin sculpture in the South. Save fourth dimension to wander Museum Park, dotted with sculptures and crisscrossed past trails. Spanning 164 acres, it'south the largest park of its kind in the country. ncartmuseum.org
Mandolin
Tucked within the historic Hayes Barton residential neighborhood, Mandolin is 1 of those off-the-beaten-path places locals adore and visitors rarely discover. Raleigh native Sean Fowler left the AAA Five-Diamond Fearrington House Inn in nearby Pittsboro in 2011 to open the eatery in a historical pharmacy he frequented every bit a boy. Club the housemade ricotta and warm Brussels sprouts salad mixed with white potato skins, hazelnuts, and honey. Wash it downwards with the signature Negroni made with Matthiasson vermouth, gin, and Campari. mandolinraleigh.com
Source: https://www.atlantamagazine.com/southbound-articles/raleigh-101/