Summer is coming (and we have big plans!). But first, a glorious long weekend is straight ahead—baseball games, good eats, museum exhibits, outdoor exploring and more are on the docket. Here's what's in store in the Raleigh area for Memorial Day weekend!
Dedicated at Lake Benson Park in 2013, the Garner Veterans Memorial was designed to honor all veterans, especially those who died during conflict and war. The monument features rows of tall, engraved concrete slabs flanking the Walkway of Honor—a brick path engraved with the names of servicemen and servicewomen. Smaller, north-facing slabs bear the names of Garner-area residents. Visitors can also read a historical narrative about the wars and conflicts in which the U.S. has been involved, and an audio tour was created in 2020. The design and build was done by local architect Mon Peng Yueh and artist Thomas Sayre.
A Memorial Day Observance event will take place at the Garner Veterans Memorial on Mon., May 30, at 9:30am, with guided tours taking place before and after the event.
Also recommended: Memorial Day Remembrance will take place at Veterans Freedom Park in Cary on Mon., May 30, at 2:30pm.
Visit breweries, earn rewards! The Raleigh Beer Trail is a choose-your-own-brew adventure, with barstools waiting for you from Apex to Raleigh to Wake Forest and beyond. Use your digital Passport to check in at the area's 40-plus breweries, and we'll mail you prizes (a bottle opener, a beer hugger and a custom t-shirt)!
Located just east of Raleigh in the town of Wendell, Robertson Millpond Preserve is a hidden 85-acre refuge for nature lovers, canoeists and kayakers. Opened to the public in 2015, the blackwater swamp property is the only bald cypress habitat in the Raleigh area, creating the unique experience of paddling through a forest-like setting. Now open seven days per week, the preserve's 1.15-mile loop paddling trail (marked by more than 70 buoys) is the main draw for canoeists and kayakers.
On Saturdays (plus Sunday and Monday for Memorial Day weekend), Tar River Life, a private rental and guide company, has kayaks available for hourly rentals. A parking and launch area allows you to bring your own canoe or kayak as well for no fee.
Looking for big entertainment? Drive Shack—the interactive golf complex that caters to big groups—opened in 2019 in Raleigh. The three-story complex includes 96 climate-controlled golf bays, a full-service restaurant, a rooftop bar, more than 300 televisions, an arcade area, meeting rooms and more.
The 260-yard-long driving range combines physical targets to aim for with augmented reality and virtual games. The range utilizes TrackMan technology, pinpointing the flight of your golf ball and allowing you to virtually play real-world championship golf courses or go head-to-head against friends to collect points for hitting physical targets (games are tracked and scored on television screens inside your bay).
Go big on desserts at NC Sugar Rush
One of the sweetest events of the year, NC Sugar Rush is an all-dessert food truck rodeo held in downtown Raleigh's City Plaza. More than 20 vendors—offering a range of goodies from cotton candy to cupcakes to cherry pies—will be on hand, along with face painters, balloon artists and more to keep the kids entertained. The event will take place Sun., May 25, noon-6pm.
You'll never need an excuse to indulge in good barbecue in the City of Oaks, but a long holiday weekend practically demands it—luckily, there's plenty to go around. The recently opened Sam Jones BBQ is serving up old-school, whole hog Carolina 'cue in downtown Raleigh, and a more new-school grade of barbecue at Christopher Prieto's Prime Barbecue in Knightdale brings together the flavors of Texas, North Carolina and Kansas City in the best way possible. The two critically acclaimed spots have earned praise that pits both among America's best new 'cue joints of recent years (and the out-the-door lines at both restaurants prove it!).
Downtown Cary Park—a seven-acre, state-of-the-art playspace for all ages—opened in the heart of downtown Cary in late 2023.
From places for views (the elevated Skywalk) to places for brews (beer at The Bark Bar, coffee at Market 317)—plus a playground, performing arts pavilion, fire pits, a sports lawn, dog park and so much more—the park now acts as the anchor of a fast-growing, easily walkable downtown area that has become a popular destination for visitors in recent years.
The park will host a free outdoor movie night on Fri., May 23 (Moana 2), plus you can visit the year-round Cary Downtown Farmers Market, held on Saturday mornings.
At the 174-acre Historic Yates Mill County Park, more than 250 years of history waits to be explored. Yates Mill, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, was restored to working order through a grassroots community effort in 2005 and today stands as the area's last operating water-powered gristmill (the park is open sunrise to sunset, but the mill itself is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from 1-4pm). The park also features approximately three miles of hiking trails, winding through hardwood forests and using footbridges and boardwalks to cross wetland areas.
Bring the family and tackle a hike, then head just a couple hundred yards up the road to Howling Cow Creamery, a North Carolina State University-owned farm that produces some of the area's best ice cream right on site.
It's never a bad time to sneak in a 'treat yourself' retreat. In the Raleigh area, Southern charm meets your sweet escape (and relaxing days at the spa and outdoor adventures await!). Book your stay now at Cary's The Umstead Hotel and Spa, one of 12 properties in the world to earn triple Five-Star status from Forbes Travel Guide; The Mayton, a 44-room independent boutique hotel in downtown Cary where no two rooms are alike; or The Longleaf Hotel, a revitalized downtown Raleigh hotel that opened in 2020 and retains the character of the 1960s-era motor lodge it once was.
Rooms may already be sold out for Memorial Day weekend at Heights House Hotel, a renovated Italianate-style historic mansion in the Boylan Heights neighborhood in downtown Raleigh, but keep this 10,000-square-foot, nine-room boutique property in mind for future stays—it was named one of the world's best new hotels upon opening in 2021!
Join in on the fun at Animazement
At Animazement, a three-day Japanese animation and culture celebration that draws 15,000 attendees to the Raleigh Convention Center, the entertainment options are endless (arts events, game rooms, panel discussions, celebrity meet-and-greets and more). Of course cosplay is a huge draw: guests are encouraged to dress up as their favorite characters simply for fun, or to participate in contests showcasing their talents!
Up for an adventure? The Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST)—known as "N.C.'s hiking trail"—stretches more than 1,000 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks, cutting through North Raleigh near Falls Lake and the Neuse River Greenway Trail along the way. Two recommended ways to get a short taste of the trail—where the terrain is easy to tackle and provides plenty of unique plant and wildlife—are to start at either Blue Jay Point County Park or Wilkerson Nature Preserve, where you'll connect to the MST by spotting and following the white dots on tree trunks. Headed east from Wilkerson Nature Preserve to the Falls Lake Dam Visitor's Center is three miles, making the out-and-back route one of the area's best short hikes.
One of Raleigh, N.C.'s longest-standing and unique neighborhoods, Historic Oakwood—on the edge of downtown Raleigh—is a 19th-century gem, full of tree-lined streets, incredible architecture and homes with tons of character. A visit for a walking or driving tour—especially in the spring or fall—is on our annual must-do list. It helps, too, that a few favorite eating and drinking spots are just a block or two away—Oakwood Pizza Box, Crawford and Son, Jolie, Standard Beer + Food and Two Roosters Ice Cream are enough to keep anyone happy for a full weekend (or much longer!).
- Beats and Eats: Country and BBQ at Chavis Park, May 23
- An Evening with Jim Lauderdale, May 23
- Rauw Alejandro, May 23
- Special Exhibit: The Time Is Always Now, through June 29
- Godfrey at Raleigh Improv, May 23-25
- North Hills Night Market, May 24
- Rhapsody in Blue with the North Carolina Symphony, May 24
- Rooftop Yoga at The Willard, May 25
- Theatre Raleigh sings...Disney, May 25
Header photo courtesy of VisitNC.com
