Downtown Raleigh
The Capitol, free museums and Raleigh’s civic heart.
Where it is
The original 1792 city grid around Union Square, bounded roughly by Peace Street, Person Street, South Street and the rail corridor to the west.
The vibe
North Carolina’s capital at its most walkable — state government by day, Fayetteville Street patios, rooftop bars and concerts at night.
Neighborhood highlights
- North Carolina State Capitol (1840)
- Free NC Museum of Natural Sciences and NC Museum of History
- Moore Square and City Market
- Red Hat Amphitheater and the Martin Marietta Center
Neighborhoods within 27601
Where to eat
- Poole’s DinerAshley Christensen’s downtown diner, famous for its macaroni au gratin.
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Claim this business — free - Beasley’s Chicken + HoneyFried chicken, biscuits and pie on Wilmington Street.
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Claim this business — free - Morgan Street Food HallDozens of local vendors under one roof on the western edge of downtown.
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Claim this business — free - The PitWhole-hog barbecue in a restored warehouse.
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Things to do & see
- NC Museum of Natural SciencesFree; dinosaurs, a living conservatory and the Nature Research Center.
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Claim this business — free - NC Museum of HistoryFree exhibits on North Carolina from prehistory to today.
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Claim this business — free - First FridayGallery night on the first Friday of every month.
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Claim this business — free - ArtsplosureFree spring arts festival on Fayetteville Street.
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Where to shop
- City MarketIndependent shops and galleries on cobblestone blocks.
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Claim this business — free - Fayetteville StreetStreet-level shops between the Capitol and the performing-arts center.
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Parks & green space
- Moore SquareRestored public square with lawns and a splash pad.
- Nash SquareOak-shaded square near the Warehouse District.
Schools
- Exploris School (charter)
- Wake Tech and Shaw University campuses nearby
Housing
Mostly apartments and condos in new mid- and high-rises, with a few historic rowhouses and townhomes on the edges.
Getting around
GoRaleigh buses converge at the GoRaleigh Station — check goraleigh.org for current routes. Downtown decks are the easiest parking. Amtrak stops at nearby Union Station.
A little history
Raleigh was laid out in 1792 by William Christmas as a planned capital on land bought from Joel Lane. The Capitol burned in 1831 and was rebuilt in granite by 1840. Fayetteville Street was the main retail street for generations and was reopened to traffic in 2006 after decades as a pedestrian mall.
Living here
Living downtown means walking to the museums, festivals and restaurants, with the trade-off of event noise and parking costs. The residential population has grown quickly since the 2010s.
Visiting for the first time
Start at the Capitol, cross to the free museums, lunch at the food hall, then catch sunset from a rooftop and a show at Red Hat Amphitheater.
A capital by design
Few American cities were planned from scratch to be a capital. Raleigh’s five original squares — Union, Moore, Nash, Caswell and Burke — still shape the downtown grid, and the long axis of Fayetteville Street was designed to frame the statehouse.