First-time visitors to Raleigh and those particularly keen to check out the city’s cultural highlights should stay Downtown. Not only is this area the financial and commercial lifeblood of the city, but it is also its cultural epicentre.
Downtown’s industrial and edgy Warehouse District, however, has become the hipster hub of the city. Its red-brick buildings house all things indie form art spaces to brewpubs and alternative eateries which draw foodies from miles around.
Whilst the Warehouse District offers an exciting evening out, it is more alternative than University Park, a student-centric neighbourhood centred around North Carolina State University. Of course, nights out here will often last until the early hours, and they won’t break the bank.
Families might prefer the quieter and more wholesome atmosphere exuded by the leafy Historic Oakwood. Despite feeling like a suburban sanctuary, it is just minutes from the action of Downtown.
Some of Raleigh’s most luxurious hotels, shops, and restaurants are found in North Hills, an upscale shopping and dining destination a few kilometres north of Downtown. Crabtree Valley, on the other hand, is one of the city’s more affordable neighbourhoods.
Raleigh has an extensive bus system running throughout the city which allows you to explore every neighbourhood easily from your chosen accommodation.
