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The Rodin Garden at the North Carolina Museum of Art
in 1911. The kids will love catching a ride on the miniature train that winds through the park. There are also kiddie boats and pedal boats for a jaunt around Lake Howell. Admission is free, although there is a small fee for rides. After an afternoon at the park, head back into downtown to the Warehouse District for decadent treats at the Videri Chocolate Factory (viderichocolatefactory.com), located in the historic Raleigh Depot building. The chocolate counter features luscious “bean-to-bonbon” confections, and the coffee bar offers silky, rich chocolate-based drinks. Then, remember to cross the street to check out Boxcar Bar + Arcade (theboxcarbar.com). The venue features hundreds of arcade-style games, including classic ’80s games, over a dozen pinball machines, and close to 200 console games. The budget-friendly bar features two-dozen American craft draft beers. Children are allowed but must be accompanied by an adult over 21.
Day 3: Further afield
We’re heading west of town today, but on your way stop in for breakfast at Boulted Bread (boultedbread.com), an artisanal bakery and pastry shop nestled on the fringe of downtown. Their breads feature locally-sourced, heirloom ingredients, and in just five short years the place has become a Raleigh favorite. Now find some deals at the Raleigh Flea Market (raleighfleamarket.net), the state’s largest indoor/outdoor flea market where you can rummage through the old and new and check out local arts and crafts. The market is at the NC State Fairgrounds Videri Chocolate Factory
Boxcar Bar + Arcade
Boxcar Bar + Arcade
For dinner, cross the street back over to the Raleigh Depot building to Jose & Sons (joseandsons.com). This bustling breezy restaurant offers a fusion of Southern soul food and Mexican classics. (Note: as of press time, Jose and Sons Chef Oscar Diaz is nominated as a James Beard Semi-Finalist for Best Chef in the Southeast).
(ncstatefair.org), so check its events calendar to see what’s happening during your visit — the fairgrounds host more than 500 events each year. Just a hop, skip, and a jump from the fairgrounds you’ll find the North Carolina Museum of Art and its Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park (ncartmuseum.org). Here you’ll find families picnicking and walking dogs among stunning massive public art installations. Admission to the museum is free and features 12 galleries with works from around the world. On the weekends, the museum offers family-friendly “choose your own adventure” tours. Located about 25 miles southeast of Raleigh, the Daniel Dyers Action Sports Complex (ddasc.com) is not to be missed. The largest familyoriented, year-round skating and biking training facility in the world features an indoor skatepark and biking terrain. International athletes regularly visit to compete and show off their skills to the public. Angela Perez is a Raleigh-based food, travel and technical writer. She particularly enjoys documenting the ever-evolving foodways and food culture of the American South.
Still hungry?
For brunch, lunch or dinner, be sure to check out at least one of these Raleigh favorites: For innovative vegetarian eats, don’t miss downtown’s Fiction Kitchen (thefictionkitchen.com). A Raleigh staple for nearly 15 years, located on the edge of downtown, J. Betski’s (jbetskis.com) features Central and Eastern European cuisine. J. Betski’s remains a favorite of many Raleigh chefs. One of Raleigh’s newest and most buzzed-about restaurants is Hummingbird (hummingbirdraleigh.com). This cozy restaurant exhibits the vision and finesse of owner Chef Coleen Speaks, who has carefully curated and lovingly presented every detail: the cuisine, the décor — even the music.
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3/11/19 11:21 AM