What’s more fun than visiting Raleigh N.C.? Visiting as part of a larger group! Here are eight fun activities and experiences, designed specifically for groups of all types and sizes, to add to your list of things to do while visiting the Raleigh area.
Drive Shack—the interactive golf complex that caters to big groups looking for big fun—opened a 65,000-square-foot facility in summer 2019 in Raleigh. It includes 96 golf bays, a full-service restaurant, a rooftop bar, more than 300 televisions, an arcade area and meeting rooms.
Drive Shack allows guests and groups to rent bays by the hour, giving them access to wait-service (the food and drink menu consists of burgers, wings, tacos, nachos, salads, local craft beer, cocktails and more), unlimited driving range balls, full sets of TaylorMade golf clubs, a climate-controlled seating area, televisions and more.
The 260-yard-long driving range combines physical targets to aim for with augmented reality and virtual games. On the second floor, a free-to-play arcade room features Golden Tee, Skee-Ball, shuffleboard and mini basketball goals. On the rooftop patio, space for live music and comedy nights is expected to be in use on a weekly basis. Cornhole tournaments may appear on the future schedule as well.
Release your inner artist and enjoy a nice glass of wine at the same time. At Wine & Design, private parties of five or more create masterpieces and make memories during a two-hour painting class led by a local artist. Best part: it’s BYOB—bring your own bottle of wine! You’re also welcome to bring additional beverages as well as food to enjoy. Wine & Design will happily provide music, cups, plates, cutlery, corkscrews and paint supplies. With locations all across the Raleigh area, planning a party or group outing here is super simple.
Insider tip: For a different type of BYOB class, book a group outing at Taste Buds Kitchen, where guests can dive into an adult cooking class and learn new recipes (handmade pasta, classic French cuisine, Mediterranean favorites and more).
Adventure courses
For some high-flying fun, strap on a harness and tackle a treetop ropes course where you can scale nets and ladders, walk across tightropes, zip through green-leaf canopies, swing on ropes like Tarzan and enjoy an epic view of Mother Nature. Both TreeRunner Adventure Park and Go Ape Zip Line & Treetop Adventure Park can provide you the adrenaline rush you and your group are looking for.
Billed as the premier aerial adventure park in the Raleigh area, TreeRunner features 70 exciting obstacles, three difficulty levels and seven different courses. The park can host groups large and small, ranging from 10 to 300 people. Insider tip: You’ll want to plan for at least three hours in the park to check in, get harnessed, complete orientation and enjoy a couple hours of climbing fun. Reservations are required.
Go Ape, on the other hand, offers two different ropes courses for varying levels of experience. If you have young children in your group, then this is the park for you as kids ages five and under can also have a blast tackling Treetop Junior—the perfect introduction to a high-ropes course.
Carolina Touring Company (Trikke and walking tours)
Have the most fun you can have on three wheels while touring our great city in the process. With Carolina Touring Company, your group can experience fascinating points of interests from Historic Oakwood to the North Carolina State Capitol while driving maneuverable, light electric vehicles (LEV) called Trikkes. The tour company also provides equipment orientation and training, helmets and a wireless radio pack for listening to live narration from your tour guide.
Choose from tour options ranging from one to two hours for groups up to nine people. If you have a larger group, Triangle Glides can create a custom tour schedule to accommodate you. They can even offer team-building Trikke adventures. Insider tip: Carolina Touring also offers walking tours, if that happens to be more your speed.
Explore Raleigh through your taste buds by taking a walking tour with Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours. This company connects visitors (and residents) to not only the history of our city but also to the innovative ethnic and Southern cuisine found here. Sign your group up for one of their weekend tours to enjoy delicious food while going behind the scenes to chat with chefs and artisans about their culinary creations. There are several themes to choose from, including a downtown speakeasy tour as well as a dinner-and-drinks tour that will surely appeal to your inner foodie. Recently the tour company was named by USA TODAY as one of "10 must-try food tours in North America!"
Ropes courses aren’t the only option for active groups looking for a thrill here in the Raleigh area. Plan a trip over to Triangle Rock Club (TRC) for a chance to scale the highest indoor rock wall in a five-state radius. You’ll be amazed at how much your group can bond over this amazing experience. In addition to wall climbing, you can also get your fitness on with indoor rope climbing, bouldering, a functional fitness space, fitness classes including Yoga and Pilates and much more.
For a group of six to 20 climbers, TRC will organize a two-hour visit staffed by knowledgeable team members to ensure safety and maximize fun. First-time climbers in your group? No problem! The folks at TRC staff—managing partner Joel Graybeal included—will gladly show you the ropes. Insider tip: TRC can accommodate groups larger than 20. Organizers will need to contact a programs manager to arrange the details.
Meet Joel Graybeal, managing partner of Triangle Rock Club
At Rush Hour Karting, your entire crew can enjoy the fast track to a seriously good time! Rush Hour, located in Garner, offers indoor, high-speed karting on a 1/3-mile track. Visitors can hop behind the wheel of European-designed karts which boast max speeds up to 40 mph. Race around hairpin curves, high-speed straights and winding turns to claim your place in the winner’s circle!
Rush Hour hosts everything from bachelor parties to birthdays to corporate functions of 200+ people. Insider tip: Get discounted rates for groups of five people or more. Reservations are strongly encouraged.
Escape rooms
The exploding popularity of escape rooms simply can’t be denied. Whether you’re escaping from zombies, breaking out of a locked cell or solving a mystery before the clock runs out, no themed experience melds teamwork and problem solving together quite like an escape room.
For truly immersive and theatrical escape scenarios, go with Raleigh Room Escapes. Your group will become the protagonists in an exciting plot that evolves based on your group dynamic and personalities. To survive, you’ll tackle clues, puzzles and riddles that will have your mind racing and adrenaline pumping. You’ll also interact with actors that only add to the authenticity of the experience.
Raleigh Room Escapes can accommodate up to 34 players at one time, divided amongst their three “shows.” Larger groups can be accommodated with back-to-back sessions. Shows are 60 to 90 minutes long and come with a wrap-up session, where group members receive awards based on strengths exhibited during the experience. Insider tip: Enjoy yourself even more by gathering either before or after at one of the many bars and restaurants within a five-minute drive of the facility.
Other awesome escape room experiences in the area include Cipher Escape (get 15% off here!), Times Up Escape Rooms and tic toc escapes. Good luck!
Sporting events
Got a group that's into sports (and likes to eat and drink while they're at it)? Then snag some tickets to a live sports event. Raleigh and Cary are home to both a professional hockey team and two professional soccer teams. See the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes play at home in the PNC Arena from late Sept. through early April. In addition to discounted rates on group tickets, you can also enjoy group experience packages that give you access to the ice, penalty box, fan tunnel, private suites and much more.
There’s also soccer (football, futbol) here, too. Both the North Carolina Football Club (NCFC) and the North Carolina Courage (the reigning National Women's Soccer League champions!) play at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary from late March until early Oct.
Header photo by Brian Strickland
