I drove in from Charlotte area to attend a 'First Friday' event hosted by my daughter-in-law. Her…read moreand my Son live in New Hampshire so she came into town to for the entire month of July to paint and get prepared for the 8/1/25 event. Molly is a talented and experienced artist, primarily in oil and acrylic. They had invited about a dozen or so people from around CLT Region who came into town to see her and James since they live in NH. It was an interesting evening because it started raining hard just about 7p as the event was getting in gear. I'm sure it deterred quite a few from attending. There are two floors with other 'artist in residence' so it was a lively and diverse Friday crowd. I did make it 'upstairs' to meet Caitlin Cary, a local artist who has a studio there. Some may know here as vocalist/violin player with Ryan Adams formerly of the band Whiskeytown.

A great eclectic collection of local artists. Friendly front desk receptionist. Fun to see some…read moreartists currently working in their studios. Inspiring experience.

Is a beautiful museum on beautiful grounds well curated properly taken care of and the café is the…read morecherry on top of everything. The food there is amazing.

Summary: 4.0 - Free and art go hand-in-hand here. If you like both, NC MoA is worth your time…read more Free admission to the NCMA to see art and history is a gift. If one doesn't mind the West Building (although new, it felt old to me), the different galleries containing historical art pieces (new and old, and very old) organized by continents are educational and surprisingly full of variety. The East Building (original one) hosts both permanent and limited-time collections. I've enjoyed a car exhibit, but my favorite limited-time exhibit featured Academy Award winner Ruth E. Carter's costumes for the movies "Black Panther", "Selma", "Amistad", and others. Her showcase exhibit was well worth the price of admission. A huge museum park provides miles of trails and places for picnics. If one plans accordingly, a series of trails connects all the way from the museum to downtown Raleigh! MISC Opened in 1956. Has pieces that originate from about 5,000 years ago (but thankfully it doesn't take that long to go through the museum). The museum is accessibility-friendly. A museum store and café are onsite. Tours are available. Outdoor concerts are on hiatus at the time of this review for "facility improvements." Be sure to check the museum's website for updates.

Very interesting for all ages. Great use of the natural landscape for animal enclosures and…read morehabitats. My personal favorite was the butterfly house. Especially loved the pollinator garden outside the insect building. Climbing feature was well loved by the little in our group. The digging for artifacts and fossils was appreciated by the teen in our group. Red wolf exhibit was awesome once we spotted the mom dad and baby on video. Also appreciated the sensory room.

Amazing place to visit with your family. Lots of place for the kids to get busy and roam around…read more The place isn't that hot on a sunny day since it is surrounded by tall trees.

Update: As someone who values local businesses, I am saddened that my relationship with this venue…read morehas ended this way. I did everything 'right' by buying my season tickets the first day of subscriber pre-sales (September 9th) and selecting a specific seat for my needs. Only to show up for my performance to learn that my seat had been changed. Instead of enjoying a performance of my favorite show, I was forced into a position that shouldn't have happened. There has been a complete lack of transparency or any communication from the venue, from my seat being changed in January 2026 without my knowledge, to another refund I received 'out of the blue' that I had already attended. Was this unexpected refund for a past show an attempt to cover the taxes and fees they withheld from the first refund? Or was it an attempt to avoid apologizing for the original error? Over the years, I shared 157 photos and many reviews to support this venue's growth. I have removed most of these photos. I will leave the documentation of my seating error. I also organized group outings to the venue, which led others to purchase tickets. One person's voice matters. I hope my experience ensures that future subscribers are treated with the respect that their loyalty deserves, rather than being treated as a single seat that can be moved to accommodate a more lucrative sale. Update: Management stepped up and provided me with a full refund for the season, including the performances I've seen, excluding taxes and fees. This was after the box office called me a liar and unkind, not in the spirit of the show. Kindness starts with respecting your customers and believing them when they have the evidence in hand, with the paper-timed-stamp ticket. I have uploaded photos showing my original September 9, 2025, purchase date and the handwritten seat change forced upon me at check-in as proof." Then, with the Ludus system, they likely know who moved my season seat to sell two seats together. "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." Theatre Raleigh does not seem to respect its season ticket holders or donors. When I select a seat with my season ticket package, that is the seat I expect to sit in for the show. I specifically chose aisle seats as my preference, and the extra room helps with my knee injury. So I was upset when I arrived at a performance and was told my seat had been moved. Usually, it has been from a changed seating chart, but in my last performance, the actual seat number was changed. The aisle seat I had purchased on the first day of season-ticket sales was occupied by another patron. It appears that someone at the box office chose to relocate my seat so that two seats were available for sale together when individual tickets went on sale in January. So this tells me that they do not value season ticket holders and are more concerned about another sale. This was the final straw for me, and I cannot recommend this theatre to others. It feels like a slap in the face as a donor to be treated with such disdain. Granted, I am a low-level donor. When I complained at the show that my seat, purchased in September 2025, had been moved from the aisle, I was told the show was sold out. No, that is not acceptable. I will support and donate to other performing arts organizations that better value and recognize their patrons, and walk away from those that treat me like a transaction. I can no longer donate to an organization that prioritizes last-minute sales over the explicit seat selections of its long-term supporters.

Theater and music lovers, this is the place for you! Performances of the highest caliber, whether…read moreit's cabaret type shows or full blown productions, this is where you can see them in an intimate environment. Think Below 54 in NYC, only better. We have seen amazing performers like Stephanie J Block and Norm Lewis and amazing shows like Once, Bridges of Madison County and most recently Waitress. Absolutely everything we have seen here is outstanding. To say that Lauren Kennedy knows how to run a Theater and bring theater lovers what they want is an understatement. Highly recommend keeping an eye on their website for what's coming up next.

Had an amazing meal at La Taqueria…read more The food was fresh and the drinks were great. As a whole the Boxyard is very well maintained and a good environment for a variety of people. It was clean, well organized, and provides a nice outdoor space with food and drinks. There's a variety of different cuisine and shops and you can definitely spend a lot of time browsing. There are outdoor games that you can play as well. I feel like things were priced reasonably and I would definitely visit again.

First time visiting this place - specifically the Makery at Boxyard. The Makery is the extension of…read moreKidzu that closed due to flooding in 2025 and we missed going there. I made an appointment and had to wait for a few minutes for them to open but once we were in - Emma gave us the low down of the place. Crafts galore! Pretty much you pick any project and pay $20.00 pp for a 2 hour window. We had a lot of fun making crafts - using the 3d printer and I carved a pattern on a piece of wood. I recommend taking your kids or friends here and then grabbing a bite as there's lot of businesses here and it's popular.

Such a great place to take the kids or as an adult go wander through…read more Staff and volunteers were super friendly and helpful. The museum is mostly free- if you want to extra stuff (the movie or special exhibits) there is a charge. There are two buildings each 4 floors- plenty to see and do. If you want to park close the is a pay per hour parking garage

The NC Museum of Natural Sciences was the perfect way to spend a very cold, wet, afternoon in…read moreRaleigh. It was a few miles from our AirBNB, so while we had to drive, there's a large parking lot right across the street. I'm not sure if parking is normally free, but it was on this particular Saturday. No one was monitoring the gate or could figure out how to pay, so we didn't. I *think* the sign said it was normally $5 on days they do charge or monitor. VERY reasonable. The museum itself is FREE unless you want to see an IMAX movie, which is reasonably priced. If you're into dinosaurs, plants, geology, or natural science in general, you'll enjoy yourself here, but the museum definitely adds a local flare and incorporates NC history and geography. While the museum is kid-friendly, it is not kid-focused. It is family focused and for all ages. My husband and I are child-free and had a great time. Of course, we are nerds and had science classes together in college. I do think this is a great museum for kids who are school aged and able to read well and ask questions. It is probably not the best option for toddlers or preschoolers when it comes to museums. The museum hosts birthday parties, and a group was there for that- what a fun idea! If you visit, plan to spend a morning or afternoon here- it definitely takes a few hours to see everything but not the full day.

This is a really fun festival that I try to get to every year. They get lots of great vendors (my…read moredescription will not do any of them justice - that's why I take so many pictures). I buy friends and family one of a kind presents every time I come. Sometimes I feel like I need a chaperone, it's seriously hard not to walk away with spending a bunch of money! lol They have food trucks, all sorts of art vendors, a kids section, and live entertainment. It's a great event!

I remember going to Artsplosure in years past and enjoyed it this was when it took place in Moore…read moreSquare and other parts of downtown. It was fun to stroll through and see the local art work and purchase unique pieces. I was in downtown Raleigh this year during the event so decided to check it out on Fayetteville St. It just seemed like vendor after vendor up and down the street trying to sell rather than showcasing their art. I'm not sure if it would help to return to Moore Square as the event seems to have grown so they want more vendors rather than an art festival. It isn't the event I enjoyed so I will skip it in future years.

I visited for a Juneteenth event. I thought the event was organized well. I enjoy educational…read moreevents geared towards Juneteenth. I'm glad I could attend the event. The staff here for the event were welcoming and pleasant.

Such a great local museum and located right in downtown area where other cool places can be seen…read moreand visited! The museum gives a great snapshot of Raleigh's historical beginnings and significance. And it's free! But donations are welcomed. Friendly and helpful staff at the reception area. And they have a gift shop with cute merchandise