GREATER RALEIGH: THE HEALTHY VACATION ALTERNATIVE

Raleigh, NC - November 2013 - Named one of the Fittest Cities in America, Greater Raleigh provides travelers to the south a healthy alternative to traditional travel escapes. Offering ample opportunity to combine fitness and fun, the destination features 10,000 acres of wide open green space - parks, campgrounds and recreational fields, plus 1300 acres of water and over 100 miles of greenway trails. Get fit (or stay fit) and have a good time doing it - while on vacation in Greater Raleigh.

Wide Open Spaces
In this day and age of zero lot lines, office cubicles and "screen time" serving as the new down time, few things are as inviting as wide open green space - and Greater Raleigh is home to 10,000 acres of just such prime "playtime" real estate. The destination's vast array of unique outdoor spaces include such treasures as the North Carolina Museum of Art's "Museum Park," the largest of its kind in America featuring 164 acres of outdoor works of art. Area gardens and arboretums invite travelers to literally stop and smell the flowers - including roses, orchids and azaleas! Family parks range from Pullen Park, North Carolina's first public park with its vintage carousel, aquatics center and children's amphitheater, to Historic Yates Mill Park, home to Wake County's last remaining gristmill - fully restored and operable. Campers will find their choice of quiet places to pitch a tent and enjoy starry solitude - or park an RV for a little less "roughin' it."

Water, Water Everywhere
Greater Raleigh's recreational waterways include lakes and streams perfect for fishing, boating, floating, swimming and even scuba diving - in fact, the destination's Fantasy Lake Scuba Park is the largest diving park on the east coast. The Neuse River Canoe Trail runs through Greater Raleigh, and the RideButter Wakeboard School is also located here.

Capital Area Greenway
The Capital Area Greenway System that runs throughout Greater Raleigh is a network of 28 recreational trails that encompass 115 miles and provide pleasant pathways for walking, jogging, hiking and biking. The newest addition to the system is the Blue Loop, a one-mile multiuse trail that opened in April 2013 and runs through the North Carolina Museum of Art's Museum Park. Funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield NC as part of its "Get Outside NC" statewide initiative, the trail is often referred to locally as the "Art to Heart" trail for its skillfully placed pieces of art combined with nature that inspire people to get up and get moving.

Sports
Sports enthusiasts will appreciate Greater Raleigh's abundant recreational outlets offering a wide variety of options to fine-tune athletic skills ranging from golf and tennis to rock climbing, motocross cycling and horseback riding - and most everything else in between. The destination also plays host to several major races, including an Ironman 70.3, the City of Oaks Marathon and the Krispy Kreme Challenge.

Travelers seeking a getaway that is more "do" than "see" will find a healthy vacation alternative in Greater Raleigh. Go to www.visitraleigh.com

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