Triangle-Wide

• Walk, run, bike or even ride a horse on the American Tobacco Trail.
• Hop on the Amtrak for a train ride from Raleigh to Cary to Durham and back again.
• Volunteer with a local nonprofit in your county, from Meals on Wheels to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina to Habitat for Humanity.
• Adopt a pet from a local animal shelter or rescue – a few of our faves are the Animal Protection Society of Durham, Independent Animal Rescue, Orange County Animal Services, Paws4ever, Chatham Animal Rescue and Education, SPCA of Wake County, Wake County Animal Center‘, Second Chance Pet Adoptions, Safe Haven for Cats and Saving Grace.
• Stop by Durham’s Visitor Info Center, Pittsboro’s Welcome Center, the new Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau and Raleigh’s Visitor Information Center for printed maps and guides, personalized recommendations and more from destination experts.
• Stroll the sacred grounds of Historic Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh and Historic Maplewood Cemetery in Durham. Preservation Durham also hosts walking tours of Maplewood in which guides share information about the people buried in the cemetery as well as funerary traditions, grave artand architecture.
• Purchase local produce, meat and eggs from your nearest farmers market or at a year-round farm stand like Perkins Orchard in Durham, Howard’s Farm & Mema’s Fruit Shack in Pittsboro and Raleigh City Farm’s Pay- What-You-Can Farmstand.

• Learn about hoops history at the Carolina Basketball Museum, Duke Basketball Museum and Duke Athletics Hall of Fame or NC State Athletics Walk of Fame & History located inside Reynolds Coliseum. (Still want more sports history? Visit the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame on the third floor of the North Carolina Museum of History in downtown Raleigh.)
• Play a round of golf at the newly renovated UNC Finley Golf Course (reopening in late summer 2023), Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, Hillandale Golf Course, Lonnie Poole Golf Course and/or Heritage Golf Course.
• Watch a Broadway show at the Durham Performing Arts Center or catch the North Carolina Symphony at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh.
• Try every vendor at our local food halls: Blue Dogwood Public Market, Durham Food Hall, Morgan Street Food Hall, Transfer Co. Food Hall and Craften.

• Take an Intro to Bouldering class at Triangle Rock Club, which has locations in Raleigh, Morrisville and Durham. TRC will open a new 39,000-square-foot facility, which will be its largest location and the largest climbing gym in North Carolina, at 1249 Wicker Dr. in Raleigh in 2024.
• Go canoeing, kayaking, fishing, camping, picnicking, boating and swimming at Jordan Lake, Falls Lake, Lake Michie, Lake Johnson, Lake Crabtree, Lake Wheeler and the Eno River State Park (the latter celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023!).
• Enjoy art, live music, and food and drink as you gallery hop during First Friday Gallery Walk in Raleigh, 2nd Friday ArtWalk in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, Third Fridays in Durham and Last Fridays in Hillsborough.

Wake County

• Preorder a meal by Catering Works at the North Carolina Museum of Art and picnic at the Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park, which features temporary and permanent public art installations, environmentally sustainable landscapes, colorful contemporary gardens, miles of recreational trails and a terraced pond.
• Take in the sights and sweet smells of the Raleigh Rose Garden, one of three accredited rose gardens in the state with grounds that include 60 rose beds filled with varieties of hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, miniatures and antique roses, surrounded by an arboretum of evergreen and deciduous trees.
• Pack a picnic dinner to enjoy a concert or movie screening outdoors at Apex Nature Park Amphitheatre.
• Challenge yourself on the Bond Park Challenge Course at Fred G. Bond Metro Park.
• Catch a show at Raleigh Little Theatre, one of the oldest continuously operating community theaters in the country.

• Peruse antiques, furniture, collectibles, clothing and more from more than 500 vendors at The Raleigh Market at N.C. State Fairgrounds, a flea market that’s been around since the 1970s!
• Visit PLUS Dueling Piano Bar, “the largest dueling piano bar in the United States,” in downtown Raleigh.
• Indulge your sweet tooth with a visit to the Videri Chocolate Factory – don’t leave without a box of bonbons!
• Or hit up the 18-hole disc golf course at Cedar Hills Park in North Raleigh.
• Skate or bike around at the Daniel Dhers Action Sports Complex in Holly Springs, one of the largest family- oriented, year-round skating and bikingtraining facilities in the world with more than 37,000-square-feet of indoor and outdoor riding terrain.
• Catch a concert at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek.

• Catch a North Carolina FC or North Carolina Courage soccer game at Cary’s WakeMed Soccer Park.
• Take a ride on one of the Historic Raleigh Trolleys to learn more about the City of Oaks’ past.
• Purchase your own pair of locally made jeans from Raleigh Workshop.
• Enjoy a performance, art show or free movie at the Halle Cultural Arts Center in Apex.
• Have a family-friendly afternoon out at Jack Smith Park in Cary, where there’s a splash pad, playground, dog park, 10-foot-tall climbing rock and unique sculptures from artists Vollis Simpson and William Moore.

• Stroll the grounds of the JC Raulston Arboretum, which are open every day of the week throughout the year. Next time you visit, peruse the Plant Sale Buggy outside the Bobby G. Wilder Visitor Center and purchase a plant of your own to take home!
• Explore the four floors of exhibits – topics range from DNA to animal health – at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, the Southeast’s largest natural history museum.
• Play your way through the exhibits at Marbles, the children’s museum in downtown Raleigh.
• Ride the carousel or train, pedal a boat or play on the playgrounds in Raleigh’s Pullen Park, the first public park in the state.
• See a Theatre in the Park performance. One of the theater company’s longest- running and biggest hits, “A Christmas Carol,” which was adapted into a musical comedy by Artistic and Executive Director Ira David Wood III, is always a sellout during the holiday season. This year marks the show’s 50th anniversary as well as Ira David Wood III’s final season performing as Scrooge.

• Learn more about our state’s past at the North Carolina Museum of History, a Smithsonian affiliate, which is located across from the Capitol. (Don’t miss “Signs of the Times,” an exhibition about the history of protest in North Carolina, which is on display until March 31, 2024.)
• Run, walk or bike the Neuse River Greenway Trail, 27.5 miles of paved trail along the Neuse River that winds through wetlands, historical sights, interpretive signs and agricultural fields. It’s a segment of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, a long-distance trail that runs across North Carolina from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks and includes other trails in Hillsborough as well as along Falls Lake and the Eno River.
• Eat your way around downtown Raleigh on a Triangle Food Tour in the Boylan Heights or historic Oakwood neighborhoods or take your pick among downtown Raleigh or Durham tasting or dinner and drinks tours with Taste Carolina.

Durham County

• Step back in time with a tour of the working West Point Mill at West Point on the Eno. While you’re there, visit the McCown-Mangum House and the Hugh Mangum Museum of Photography.
• Take a tour of the Duke Lemur Center, which houses the largest group of these endangered primates in the world.

• Check out the latest exhibit at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University – below, visitors explore “Spirit in the Land,” which is on view until July 9 – and visit the outdoor space and sculptural garden that connects it to the Rubenstein Arts Center, where you can also peruse exhibits, hear live music or see a dance troupe perform.

• Watch a minor league baseball game at either the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham or the Carolina Mudcats’ Five County Stadium in Zebulon.
• Watch a show by the Bouncing Bulldogs, a youth jump rope team of international acclaim.
• Visit Bennett Place, the site of the largest surrender in the Civil War.
• Snap a picture with Major the Bull in CCB Plaza.
• Catch a live show with Duke Performances.
• Recycle your old technology with Triangle Ecycling, which handles computer refurbishing and has a strong youth education program with Durham Public Schools, teaching hands-on computer repair skills to students.
• Get a library card at your closest library branch (Durham County residents, be sure to visit the recently renovated Main Library!).
• Spend a spring afternoon at Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
• Immerse yourself in the stories of the Bull City’s past at the Museum of Durham History.
• Walk around University Hill in Durham to look at all the incredible murals, then head to BB’s Crispy Chicken for dinner and Apéritif for wine and dessert.
• Become a member of the University Club on the 17th floor of University Tower. Often referred to as “The Pickle” by locals, the tower is home to offices and a penthouse restaurant and bar.

• Learn how to build your own terrarium, hang macramé planters and create floral arrangements at plant and gift shop The ZEN Succulent (which has locations in Durham and Raleigh).
• Learn all about downtown Durham’s history and architecture on a free walking or bike tour hosted by Preservation Durham.
• Tour Duke Homestead State Historic Site, the early home, factories and farm where Washington Duke first grew and processed tobacco.
• Grab a brew at Beer Durham and then hop on the Bull City Laughs bus for a comedy tour around the city.
• Take your rambunctious youngsters to Durham’s most central playground, Mount Merrill.
• Pick up your groceries at the locally owned Bulldega Urban Market or the Durham Co-op Market.
• Make movie night more interesting with the unique flavors of popcorn from The Mad Popper.
• Check out work by African American artists at the art museum at N.C. Central University.
• Find new, used or children’s books at The Regulator Bookshop, Letters Bookshop, Books Do Furnish a Room, Golden Fig Books, Wentworth & Leggett Books and Rofhiwa Book Cafe.

• Grab local fare or gifts for friends and family next time you fly out of Raleigh-Durham International Airport – we heartily recommend La Farm Bakery, Raleigh Brewing Co., Beyu Caffe and American Meltdown (you can order the latter two from the getREEF Virtual Food Hall in Terminal 2!). Stay tuned for more homegrown options coming soon to Terminal 2 – Durham Distillery announced it is opening a Conniption Cocktail Bar, and five-time James Beard Award nominee Scott Crawford is slated to open a bar and grill concept, Crawford’s Genuine, in 2024.
• Come to a blues show at The Blue Note Grill.
• Attend a service at Duke Chapel.
• Watch or join in the action at the Durham Skate Park – make sure to wear your helmet!
• Get crafty at creative reuse center The Scrap Exchange, and visit its thrift store while you’re there. 

• Get a season pass to the Museum of Life and Science and take the kiddos often. Or, leave the kids at home and attend an adults-only AfterHours event. 
• Get creative at the Durham Pixel Wall at Durham Central Park.
• Support artists from around the globe at Bull City Fair Trade.
• Take a selfie at the Duke Arts Annex‘s Satellite Park.
• A fan of vinyl? Peruse the impressive collection of LPs at Chaz’s Bull City Records, Carolina Soul or Hunky Dory. 

• Walk through American Tobacco Campus, home to the famous Lucky Strike Tower, an eclectic mix of restaurants and retail, a beautiful green space and quarter-mile long river. 

View the entire Ultimate Durham County Checklist.

Orange County

• Catch an afternoon show with the family at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.
• Visit the Civil War-era Burwell School Historic Site, and learn about the bravery of Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, who escaped life as a slave to become a close confidant of first lady Mary Todd Lincoln.
• Relax on the lawn of Weaver Street Market in Carrboro.
• Watch a movie at the historical Varsity Theatre.
• Drink from the Old Well.
• Visit Chapel Hill’s most perfect sunset spot – Merritt’s Pasture.
• Catch an independent film at the Chelsea Theater.
• Take a nature walk at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.
• Beat your friends in a round of pool at Zog’s Art Bar & Pool Hall or play your favorite old-school arcade game at The Baxter.
• Use your Italian dinnerware purchased at the Vietri outlet store in Hillsborough.
• Buy a cut of meat from Cliff’s Meat Market.
• Hike the trails in the Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area.
• Slurp a milkshake at Sutton’s Drug Store.

• Dance through an evening of music outside at Fridays on the Front Porch at The Carolina Inn (April-October).
• Enjoy a relaxing turn down Poet’s Walk at Ayr Mount in Hillsborough.
• Take a step back in Chapel Hill town history at the Horace Williams House, home to Preservation Chapel Hill.
• Learn pottery or drawing at the newly relocated The ArtsCenter in Carrboro.

• Ride your bike down Franklin Street in Chapel Hill and keep an eye out for all the local art on bus shelters and crosswalks, as well as the many murals, thanks to Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture.

• Learn about the historic Alexander Dickson House, which also serves as the Hillsborough visitors center.

• See a Carolina Performing Arts show at Current ArtSpace + Studio or Memorial Hall.
• Walk or bike along the banks of the Eno River on the Riverwalk in Hillsborough.
• Order a Blue Cup at He’s Not Here in Chapel Hill.
• Enjoy the latest exhibition at the Ackland Art Museum or stroll through the artist-owned FRANK Gallery, which recently relocated from University Place to Carrboro.
• Look sharp in a Carolina blue tie from Julian’s.
• Order a single, double, or, if you dare, a triple BLT at Merritt’s Grill.
• Explore a historic residential neighborhood like the Franklin-Rosemary Historic District or Gimghoul and admire the distinct architecture and beautiful homes.

• Experience the purple fields at Lavender Oaks Farm in Chapel Hill at the height of lavender season in the summer.
• Feel like family as you’re greeted by Vincenzo Marrone and Angelo Marrone at Italian Pizzeria III.
• Kiss your sweetheart below the Davie Poplar tree on UNC‘s campus.

Chatham County

• Travel on miles of vintage track through scenic woods and over a trestle during an hourlong New Hope Valley Railway round trip from Bonsal to New Hill and back, enjoying food, drinks, music and other entertainment on certain days.
• See the Belted Galloway cows and stroll through Fearrington Village.
• Sip award-winning chambourcin at FireClay Cellars, the only commercial vineyard in Chatham County.
• Release some steam by ax-throwing at Chatham Axes.
• Enjoy one of the rotating exhibits featuring local and regional artists at the NC Arts Incubator in Siler City.

• Tour the Chatham Historical Museum located in the Historic Chatham County Courthouse to learn more about the area.
• Check out Mosaic at Chatham Park, a new mixed-used venue with retail stores, restaurants, a coworking space and concert venue.
• Get your work clothes and see where Charlie Daniels Played his first paying gig at JR Moore & Son in Gulf.
• Sip different flavors of honey wine at Starrlight Mead.

• Visit the Carolina Tiger Rescue, a nonprofit wildlife sanctuary in Pittsboro on a mission to save and protect wild cats in captivity and in the wild.
• Stop by Steel Roots Home Decor for stylish yet functional home goods.
• Celebrate a special occasion with dinner at The Sycamore at Chatham Mills and a nightcap at The Beagle.
• Order a coffee and treat at The Chatham Rabbit in Siler City or at Aromatic Roasters in Pittsboro.

View the entire Ultimate Orange County and Chatham County Checklist.