Add places around Raleigh/Durham for people to visit

[drewbrew]

Helpful categories, in no particular order:

• Restaurants (varying price points, ideally no chains that aren't based in the Carolinas)
• Breweries
• Coffee shops
• Museums
• Zoos
• Nature
  • Hiking trails
  • Botanical gardens
  • Biking trails
  • Other outdoor sports
• Sightseeing
• Music stores
• Universities

[emullaney]

Coffee shops

• Cocoa Cinnamon has made Buzzfeed lists and is very popular. Try the Dr. Durham latte. Their beans are from Little Waves Coffee Roasters.
• Everlou is a 6 minute walk to the convention center and is my personal fave for a good latte.

Museums/Art

• 21C is a "Museum" Hotel in that they have rotating art displays and are open to the public, even if you are not staying at the hotel.

Food:

• Walkable: Luna Rotisserie for South American bowls and a pretty casual atmosphere with plenty of outdoor seating.
• Walkable: Neomonde for excellent mediterranean fair right downtown. Try a pick-four dish and choose four different items.
• My favorite soul food restaurant is Pure Soul which is a 12 minute drive from downtown Durham. It's all plant-based. Some of my favorites there: southern fried chicken, kale caeser salad, mac and cheese, and corn bread.

Food: Desserts

• Walkable: Simons Says Dip This is soft serve ice cream (vanilla vegan or dairy) with over 20 different dip options, countless toppings. Around half of the dips are vegan.
• Walkable: The Parlour is super close by and has homemade hard ice cream and desserts with vegan options

Stuff to do:
Boxcar Bar & Arcade has lots of arcade games and an area outside to hang out. It's also pretty close to an axe throwing place, if that's your thing.

Raleigh:
Raleigh is a good 45 minutes to an hour drive from downtown Durham, depending on traffic. There is plenty to do in Durham and Chapel Hill which are both fairly close to each other. But if you want to hit up Raleigh, it's a slightly bigger city (but not a big city by any means!)

[drewbrew]

This is an excellent start. Thanks, @emullaney!

[drewbrew]

Some outdoorsy stuff I've found:

• City hike/bike map (GIS and PDF forms) https://www.durhamnc.gov/1031/Durham-Bike-Hike-Map
• North/South greenway https://www.dprplaymore.org/265/North-South-Greenway
• American Tobacco Trail (22 miles of rails to trails) https://triangletrails.org/american-tobacco-trail
• One rental shop https://durhamcycles.com/rentals/
• some routes from a semi-defunct bike shop (lost their lease): https://ridewithgps.com/users/526614/routes
• East Coast Greenway for those who really want to stretch their legs https://www.greenway.org/states/north-carolina
• Carolina Tarwheels (great name, btw): road riding group with a bunch of routes published from various start points
• Falls Lake State Recreation Area (25-30 minute drive from hotel): 15 miles of MTB and 25 miles of hiking https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/falls-lake-state-recreation-area
• Rollingview Marina: paddle board, kayak, and canoe rentals at Falls Lake https://www.rollingviewmarina.com/kayaks-canoes-paddle-boards/
• https://www.trianglemtb.com/index.php good (albeit outdated) hub for MTB stuff in the area
• https://trianglebikerentals.com/service-areas/durham-nc/ e-bike rentals

[sodevious]

to pigyback on drews comment: the Town of Cary which is a 20-30 min drive from durham has boat, kayak, etc rentals for $8/hr which is significantly more affordable than the rollingview marina: https://www.carync.gov/recreation-enjoyment/facilities/bond-park-boathouse

i went myself last weekend, the park that the boathouse is in has a lot to do and is quite large, free entrance/parking

Fred G. Bond Metro Park, at 310 acres, is one of the largest municipal parks in Wake County. Like an oasis in the middle of town, the park preserves the environment and offers opportunities for many types of recreation.

[emullaney]

Also the mountains to sea trail (MST) (in my backyard! :) )
https://mountainstoseatrail.org/the-trail/

Riverwalk trail (connects to the MST) for a fun walk in the woods around downtown Hillsborough (15 min from downtown Durham)
https://www.hillsboroughnc.gov/community/recreation-facilities/riverwalk/