2 days
A Weekend in Raleigh
Downtown on Saturday, west Raleigh and the art museum on Sunday, with the best of the food scene in between.
Saturday
Downtown and Oakwood
- 9:00 AM$
State Farmers Market
South Raleigh
Year-round local produce and a hearty breakfast at the Farmers Market Restaurant.
Next: 10-minute drive
- 11:00 AM
Historic Oakwood walk
Oakwood
Victorian homes under huge oaks and Historic Oakwood Cemetery.
Next: Short walk
- 1:00 PM$$
Lunch at Person Street
Oakwood
Cafés and bakeries at Person Street Plaza.
Next: 5-minute drive
- 3:00 PMFree
NC Museum of History
Downtown
Free exhibits on 14,000 years of North Carolina.
- 7:00 PM$$$
Dinner downtown
Downtown
Chef-driven Southern at Poole’s Diner or another downtown favorite.
Sunday
Art, carousels and lakes
- 10:00 AMFree
NC Museum of Art & Museum Park
West Raleigh
Free galleries and outdoor sculpture trails.
Next: 10-minute drive
- 1:00 PM$
Hillsborough Street lunch
NC State
Casual student-favorite spots by campus.
Next: Short drive
- 2:30 PM$
Pullen Park
West Raleigh
Ride the 1911 Dentzel carousel and the miniature train.
Next: 15-minute drive
- 5:00 PMFree
Lake Johnson boardwalk
Southwest Raleigh
Evening loop over the water.
Local tips
- •Weekend parking is often free in city-owned downtown decks — check signs.
- •Bring walking shoes for Oakwood and Museum Park.