Day Trip to Raleigh

After living only a couple of hours away from Raleigh for about 4 years and saying every year we wanted to take a road trip out there, we finally did it last summer. My main motivation for the trip was to visit some sunflower fields. I looked up other ideas of things to do in the area and came up with my to-do list.

There are actually a lot of free options in the city which is great if you are on a budget or trying to save but still want to have fun. While I did the planning, I really tried to incorporate things that everyone in our family would enjoy for the trip. So we packed up the kids and made the drive for our day trip to Raleigh, NC.

Duke Lemur Center

Quick Facts:

Founded in 1966.
Located on the campus of Duke University.
Houses more then 200 animals across 14 species.
Houses the world’s largest and most diverse population of lemurs outside of their native home on Madagascar.

The first stop on our Raleigh day trip agenda was a visit to the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, NC to take a tour. For those who aren’t familiar with Raleigh, it is part of “the triangle” which consists of three cities: Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. My kids love animals so I wanted to include a fun animal stop during our trip. Enter The Duke Lemur Center.

Prior to this trip, I didn’t know that there were multiple types of lemurs. The Duke Lemur Center is a part of Duke University. They study and care for lemurs which are the most endangered mammals in the world. They have 14 species of lemurs at their facility and house the largest and most diverse population of lemurs in the world aside from their native Madagascar.

We had to set up an appointment time, which is why it was our first stop. It was also the furthest away from our home so we went there first and then worked our way back. They have tour guides who take you on a walking tour of the grounds where you can see the different lemurs they have. They have some that are nocturnal and kept inside in dark rooms and some outside. The guides are so knowledgeable and we honestly learned so much. They didn’t give us a time limit, so we were able to spend as much time as we wanted on the tour at each stop.

It was so cool getting to see all the different species of lemurs. They had cute paint prints on the sidewalk of the different lemur paw prints that lead you along the pathway. They have a great gift shop full of cute toys and souvenirs. The giftshop proceeds go directly back into the facility for care and research of their lemurs. They also have some cute photo opp areas which we took full advantage of. We had a blast on this stop and would definitely visit again.

North Carolina State Capitol

Quick Facts:

Opened in June 1840.
Has been the active capitol building since it opened in 1840.
At one time, the building housed the Governor’s office, the Supreme Court, and the chambers of the General Assembly.

Our second stop was to the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh, NC. I had never been to a state capitol before and wanted to just see the building and walk around. We went on a Sunday so it wasn’t open but we were able to walk around and see the building and statues. It is so beautiful. I was honestly surprised at how big it was.

I’m so thankful we went last year so that we were able to see everything still intact. In recent days one of the statues has since been taken down. It was a great time walking around and taking in the historic beauty. The Law & Justice building is right across the street from the capitol building. I hope to visit more state capitols in the future and think everyone should visit at least one state capitol in their life.

Dorothea Dix Park

Quick Facts:

Located in the heart of Raleigh.
Housed on 308 acres.
There is a dog park.
Each year there are sunflower and daffodil flower fields.
Events and activities are the highlights of this park.

One of my main reasons for planning our Raleigh trip was to visit some sunflower fields while they were in bloom. Due to this, we visited Dorothea Dix Park. A public and free park. It is big and a lot of open spaces and fields. There are multiple entrances. We just visited where the sunflower fields were in our visit but it was such fun. It made for some great photos too.

Pullen Park

Quick Facts:

Established in 1887.
Seated on 66.4 acres.
The first public park in North Carolina.
The 5th oldest operating amusement park in the U.S., and 16th oldest in the world.

Quite possibly my favorite stop on our Raleigh trip was to Pullen Park. It is a jackpot for family fun. The park is big and beautiful. The entry into the park itself is free and they have playgrounds, walking paths, a big lake, shelters for gatherings, an aquatic center, an Andy Griffith statue, and more. They also have a gift shop and snack shack.

If you don’t mind spending a little money they also have paddle boats, a mini train, and an old carousel that requires tickets to use. The carousel is absolutely gorgeous. We took the train ride around the park too. We walked around the lake, enjoyed the views, and also went into an old caboose. There is so much to do here for kids of all ages. It was a huge win for our whole family. We had a blast visiting this park and plan to go again.

Like with any big city there are so many things to see and do it’s hard to do them all in one trip, especially if that trip is only a 1-day trip. There is still so much we’d like to see in Raleigh so we want to plan another trip. All in all, we loved this trip and made lots of wonderful memories. It made for a long day with two littles but it was a blast. Sometimes the things closest to home can be the most fun.