The further I keep reading the more towns keep popping up for the surrounding areas of Raleiegh, what is the Triangle Park section, Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, and now Cary. Again we will be traveling with 3 kids ages 3, 5, and 15 and currently have a reservation at Hilton Homewood Suites in Raleigh/Crabtree. Which of these towns is better then the other. Im not really looking to go to museums but rather maybe some shopping, kids activities, a motel which is close to dining or walking distance to. Is there anything that has it all that would fit. I dont care to be in total congestion in a downtown setting but to have stores and dining very close would be great. Is there any good place for families. I have just read on one of the messages that Cary had plenty of families. Would I be better off here. Again we will probably only stay one or two nights.
HELP-which town near Raleigh is good for family trip-
Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham are all w/in 30 minutes (don%26#39;t know much about Cary). Raleigh has good shopping at the %26#39;city market%26#39; downtown and there is a great mall (don%26#39;t recall name) about 15 minutes west of the airport. Chapel Hill is more of a college town, very nice. Durham campus is nice, but city is kind of blah. Greensboro has a good children%26#39;s museum/activities downtown. I%26#39;d choose Raleigh or Greensboro.
HELP-which town near Raleigh is good for family trip-
Raleigh also offers a big farmer%26#39;s market and shopping at the fairgrounds.
thanks for the info on the farmers market, I will definitely keep that in mind
The mall ncgator referred to is Southpoint Mall in Durham. It is adjacent to I-40, has lots of restaurants, and a new hotel (Four Seasons Southpoint) which is within walking distance of the mall.
If you%26#39;re looking for museums (though you say you%26#39;re not), your best bet is the Museum of Life and Science in Durham (basically a combo zoo, museum, and science exhibit all rolled into one). The Natural History Museum in downtown Raleigh is also reasonably good but Exploris is rather boring.
Your reservation at the Crabtree Homewood Suites puts you next to the second best mall in the area (Crabtree Valley). I%26#39;m not sure if you are in ';walking distance'; to the mall but you are quite close.
Other kids ideas include the NC Zoo in Asheboro (about an 1.5 hrs away but one of the best natural environment zoos I%26#39;ve ever visited) and Pullen Park in Raleigh.
Southpoint...that%26#39;s the mall. I%26#39;m not much of a mall person, but as far as malls go, that%26#39;s a great one.
thanks very much for the info
I%26#39;ve got to ask, why are you coming to the area on a family trip? I love the Raleigh/Durham/Cary area and have lived here for 30 years but I can%26#39;t imagine why someone would want to come here for a family trip. However, if you%26#39;re dead-set on coming here are some suggestions:
Walking: pretty much not an option here, especially if you%26#39;re traveling with 3- and 5-year-old kids.
Shopping: Nothing fantastic. There%26#39;s Belk, Nordstrom, Saks, and Macy%26#39;s department stores in different malls and if you are coming from a small town that does not have such shopping then you may want to look at Streets at Southpoint Mall (southern Durham off of I-40), Triangle Center Mall in northern Raleigh off of I-540 or Crabtree Mall. I also like Cameron Village near downtown Raleigh which does not have large department stores but lots of small boutique-type stores.
Lodging: Nothing fantastic other than maybe the Umstead in Cary which is new but I%26#39;ve never visited. If you want to be close to a mall I would suggest the Crabtree Marriott which is right across the street from Crabtree Valley Mall.
Restaurants: I%26#39;ll skip the good restaurants that are not kid-friendly. In Crabtree Mall there is a Japanese steakhouse which is always entertaining for kids (Kanki) and a Cheesecake Factory. Streets at Southpoint also has a Cheesecake Factory and a good Italian Restaurant (a little more upscale than Macaroni Grille but not ';fancy';).
Kid Activities: Sporting events are usually good (basketball/football/hockey) but all of those are out of season right now; however, going to a Durham Bulls baseball game is great. There%26#39;s good atmosphere, cheap tickets, playground area for kids if they get bored with the game, etc. The only negative on a Bulls game is the heat and humidity.
The 3- and 5-year-old kids should really like Pullen Park in Raleigh which is an old-timey park with a train, boat ride, paddle boats, and great merry-go-round. Pullen Park is truly one of the most beautiful city parks I%26#39;ve ever visited. The only drawback to Pullen from your perspective is that it%26#39;s not really close to lodging, shopping or dining.
If you have more specific questions I%26#39;ll be glad to answer them--send me an email via tripadvisor.
Your location is pretty good. You can walk to the largest mall between DC and Birmingham, and can also walk to the Greenway which is a very nice walking trail along a creek. There is a public pool off Ridge Road about two miles away. I recommend the Museum of Natural Sciences which will work for all age groups. That said, I would agree that the Triangle is not what one would consider a family vacation destination, but there are alot of families!
I go to the area quite frequently to visit my significant other as we live 2 hrs apart. In my opinion Cary is the best spot, because it is very clean, very new shopping options, and it has nice dining options. You are still relatively close to Raleigh to go and do the Farmers Market and Flea Market at the fairgrounds on the weekend. I believe I put on a post for the Cary Comfort suites...they run a special only on weekends for like 69 a night, and this hotel was great! It had a hot tub and indoor pool, with the newer extra plush matresses. Hope this helps!
Heres the link for the 69 dollar special...
http://www.tgifraleigh.com/hotels.asp
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