This is my first summer in Raleigh and I want to explore all the city has to offer. With Raleigh growing so quickly, I know there are a lot of other new people in the area who want to experience the City of Oaks too. The list of suggestions has 6 different areas including Play Outside, Live Music, Good Eats, Relax & Refresh, Adventures and Local Gems.
Play Outside – Summer is my favorite season to be in nature even when it gets super hot out. These are some of the place that have been suggested to me and look fun!
- Dorothea Dix Park (website) – you can go walk around with friends or have a picnic. There are also events at the park like yoga and foodie fridays.
- Jordan Lake (website)
- Drive shack (website) or golf course (List of Raleigh courses)
- William B. Umstead State Park (website)
- Duke Gardens (website)
- Greenway hike (website)
Live Music – There are lots of options for concerts in the Raleigh area ranging from club venues to larger amphitheaters.
- Red Hat Amphitheater (website)
- Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek (website)
- The Ritz (website)
- The Pour House (website)
- Koka Booth Amphitheater (website)
- Park Concert
Good Eats – Food is my favorite and I love trying new restaurants. The restaurant scene here is so fun!
- Try 10 New Restaurants
- Local Chef
- Ashley Christensen, Scott Crawford, Saif Rahman at Vidrio, Cheetie Kumar, Eric Montagne at Locals Seafood, Oscar Diaz at Cortez, Katsuji Tanabe at A’verde, and Giorgios Bakatsias
- Southern Food
- Hummingbird, Mandonlin, Parkside, Big Ed’s, Tupelo Honey
- Rooftop Views
- Level 7, The Willard, Highgarden, Wye Hill, Tin Roof, Raleigh Beer Garden
- Brunch
- Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Flying Biscuit, La Farm Bakery, Coquette, Driftwood Cantina, Wye Hill, Plates Neighborhood Kitchen, Whiskey Kitchen, Neuse River Brewing Co, Herons
- Food Truck Rodeo
- Downtown June 12th (website)
- NC Oysters
- 42nd St. Oyster Bar, Mandolin, Locals Seafood, St. Roch, STIR, Cortez
- Food Hall
- Craften, Morgan Street, Transfer Co.
- Breweries
- Crank Arm, White Street, Brewery Bhavana, Neuse River, Lynnwood, Clouds, Standard Beer, Trophy, Heyday, Lonerider
- Raleigh Beer Trail
Relax & Refresh – Take care of yourself and take time to unwind.
- The NOW Massage (website)
- Umstead Hotel Spa Day (website)
- Dose Yoga and Smoothies (website – 10 days for $25!)
- Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (website)
- Local Nail Salon
- Play with animals
Adventures – Miscellaneous fun. Feel free to think of your own ideas to add here. This can be whatever you want it to be.
- Join a club – Search for something you are passionate about like books or wine or start your own club.
- This is Raleigh Meetup – follow @thisisraleigh to see when they are
- Durham Day
- NC Beach Trip
- Take the AMTRAK
- Learn Raleigh History
Local Gems – Support the area and its people at markets and museums.
- Farmer’s Market
- Raleigh Market
- NC Museum of Art
- NC Museum of Natural Science
- CAM
- NCMA
More fun suggestions – Ideas that others have added after I posted the original list. Let me know what else should be added.
- The MAKRS Society Events – Pop Up Market at North Hills June 12th, July 10th and August 14th
- Boxyard RTP
- Local bookstores like Quail Ridge
- Pullen Park – website and This is Raleigh blog post
- Baseball – Bulls or Mudcats game
See below for Instagram story templates you can use to post about your own Raleigh Vibrant Badass Summer adventures.
Instagram story version with all the ideas in one place.
Letter sized version of the full Raleigh Vibrant Badass Summer list.
