Having moved Downtown in August of 2008, my husband and I are still discovering new things to love. Most recently, though we have no children (being Double Income No Kids – D.I.N.Ks) we had the opportunity to find many amazing things to do with our 3 and 4 year old niece and nephew within Downtown Raleigh. During their first visit, it was cold and rainy, so we took them to see Under the Sea at the IMAX Theater before heading next door to the Marbles Museum. (They currently offer Story Time every other Wednesday at 10:30.) We found this indoor museum for children to be everything a child could hope for – on a rainy day, or any day! To top off the visit, we took advantage of: Kids Eat Free at Tobacco Road offered on Tuesday nights.
During their next visit, we took a ride on the R Line. They had never been on a city bus. My sister and her husband (from the DC area) were surprised to find that the bus was FREE. We made our way to the Ice Rink on Fayetteville Street. Although it was too cold and windy that day for them to take a loop around the ice rink, they did enjoy the Krispy Kreme Kiosk across the street. We stepped inside out of the cold and picked out 2 Mini doughnuts each. (I didn’t even know they had mini doughnuts!) It was 3:30 so we had time to head over the NC Museum of History. We were all pleasantly surprised over the appeal of this museum. However, it should be noted, never head to the museum with your 3 and 4 year old niece and nephew on a sugar rush! I’m glad the Museum closed at 5:00. It was Monday evening so we headed over to Sauced Pizza for Cheese Pizza by the slice for $1.00.
The kids had so much fun. When it was time to load the car and head back to Maryland, they both cried and said, “We don’t want to leave!”
So next time you’re on kid duty and it’s a rainy or cold day, you’ll know where to head. Downtown Raleigh. It’s not just for DINKS!
We had a similar experience with our family. Guests are always amazed that our state museums are free and the local Raleigh City Museum on Fayetteville Street is too. You can always find fun events for kids on the weekends Downtown.