

| Flights to Raleigh | |
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Raleigh is the capital and second largest city in the state of North Carolina in the south eastern United States. It was named after Englishman Sir Walter Raleigh and has some beautiful neighbourhoods, historical buildings and lots of museum to see.
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Raleigh is a historic city, first established in 1792 and named after the famous Englishman Sir Walter Raleigh. The central location (within North Carolina) was specifically chosen for the state capital and Raleigh became one of only a few cities in the USA to have been built from scratch to serve this purpose. The remaining history of the city is one of the top tourist attractions here now.
Raleigh Historic Buildings The imposing North Carolina State Capitol building is not as attractive as some in the country but it is historically important. The common Greek revival style is used, and the building was completed in 1833. Nearby to the state capitol is the historic neighbourhood called Historic Oakwood. This is the best place to go if you want to see some attractive old mansions and houses that were lived in mostly by the members of Raleigh’s ‘prominent’ society! Most of these are still private residences so not generally open to the public, however during the city’s Christmas Candlelight Tour some of them are open to the public for viewing. If you’re not visiting Raleigh during the Christmas Candlelight Tour you can still visit one of the city’s historic houses. The Joel Lane Museum House is open Wednesdays through Fridays, and on Saturdays, when tours are given at specific times of the day of this impressive Georgian style plantation manor, that was built in 1770. Museums in Raleigh For museum buffs, Raleigh has a good assortment, including several ‘state’ museums. There is the North Carolina Museum of Art for example, with its rotating exhibitions, plus the free to enter North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. For children the interactive Marbles Kids Museum is sure to be a hit, plus there’s an IMAX cinema here too. Raleigh Parks Raleigh also has a good selection of parks and open spaces. At the William B Umstead State Park you can enjoy hiking, fishing, boating, and more, whilst at the Lake Johnson Nature Park you can enjoy similar activities including hiking and biking, or rent a paddleboat and go out on the lake. If you’re visiting Raleigh in mid-October, try to get along to the North Carolina State Fair. This is one of the largest of its kind in the States and is held over the course of 11 days, attracting around 800,000 people. The fair includes fairground rides and there’s a large arena from which fairgoers can watch events. |