Bottom line: Morrisville Dog Park is a new resource in the Town of Morrisville for residents and…read moreguests to bring their dogs to enjoy. It appears very nice and well kept. I am pretty surprised that it is a pay-for-use resource however. I witnessed one of the areas would not accept the digital pass the day I went by...for a pay resource, I'd need it to work well consistently (thus minus a star). The Deets: I saw that the Town of Morrisville had recently completed a dog park so I had to go over and check it out (this reason will become evident later as to why I did). It is very nicely done with seating areas/landscaped areas, dog waste bags/trash cans provided, and fenced in for security. There is adequate parking available near it including accessible parking also. Note that it is not free to the public for use though, you must acquire a dog park pass which can be annual for Single Dog or Multi Dog (apparently only for two dogs) or you can get a Day Pass for same day entry use only which you can purchase on Morrisville's ActiveNet webpage. I realize that it must cost to maintain a dog park but was a bit surprised by it being a pay-for-use park. On top of that, apparently the Large Dog Area side was not working/registering the pass from people's phones while I was there, so everyone had to use the Small Dog Area side that did scan successfully at that time. I gotta say, that's a star off for me when you pay but you cannot access, since it is not staffed, that would seem to be an SOL feature. However, this dog park is nice with green grass and plenty of trees for sun relief/shade, which is...cool...you know. If they get all the kinks out, it would be more towards 5 star, but again, if you pay then make sure it all works. Now...I'm dedicating this review to the best lil nugget ever, Emma Bear, as today is her birthday but she crossed that Rainbow Bridge last year. I miss that little French bulldog so much, knowing that she was living her best life in this world made it a better one for me...will always love her to the moon and back!

A small neighborhood park, I stopped in to eat some takeout and get in a quick walk. The facilities…read morewere quite nice and there was a wildflower garden. The trails were only a mile or two and not as clear as I would have liked.

A peaceful retreat from the busy hubbub of the city, Strickland Road Neighborhood Park features a…read morenumber of nature trails that meander through the park. There is also a playground for children ages 2 to 12 which is great for helping those little ones burn off some energy. The park has several shaded picnic areas with benches. There two ponds which add to the tranquil nature. I did not spot any restrooms here and there is not much parking so be prepared on sunny days in nice weather. I had a very pleasant visit and would definitely return. [Review 2468 of 2024 - 3922 in North Carolina - 23480 overall]

I am honestly not sure how I originally found the Canoe Launch. I think my partner stumbled upon it…read morewhen we were looking for entrances to the Greenway. As the name implies, it is a canoe launch. What that means is that there is a small (very small, like 4 spaces) parking lot that spits you right out on the Greenway AND is a way to get onto the Neuse River. My partner and I like to use it to float down the river. You can get in at the Canoe Launch and get out around Milburnie Dam, which is about 4 miles. Also, you can get on the Greenway and bike or run if you would like. Perfectly little spot but there are very few parking spots, so just be aware if you plan to go during the summer or peak hours.

Terrific trainers, great barn family and quality horse to ride! We love SOEC!! My rider has…read moreprogressed so much since we started and the show season is a lot of fun!!

We started taking lessons here over the summer for my 9 year old daughter. So far, we've been very…read morehappy with the level of service, and Annie is a fine instructor. My daughter is always so excited to come to her lessons. The facility isn't fancy, but the horses seem well taken care of and well selected for my daughter's lessons.

This was a very nice race (I ran the half). It's not too big, so the most awesome thing is that I…read morewas able to leave my hotel and be in my corral in five minutes. Also, the race ended right at my hotel so that was great. Corrals were very orderly. Music along the course was good but not as much as other Rock N Roll events I've run. Volunteers everywhere were outstanding. They really did a good job there. Plenty of course support from spectators, policy and EMTs. Really pretty well organized. The weather was perfect the day I ran so I won't even bother to complain about the hills, although the one before mile 7 and the little one right before mile 12 I thought would kill me. Expo was small but efficient. On the not so great side, I don't like the company that did the timing for this race. It was hard to navigate on mobile and if you were a runner they made you sign up to get data (so just pretend you're a specator) and even then, the data was bare minimum. They need to look at how timing is done at other races to see it done correctly. Another thing I have to say is that Rock N Roll races make their websites overly complex and hard to navigate. To find info about the start corrals, I had to click a lot and then I just got a map. There were no instructions that said how you should enter the corrals, which would have been helpful since the bag check was in front of the start line across the course and the corrals went around the block. Make the logistics easy to find with one or two clicks. Especially on mobile. When people are traveling around they are more likely to have a phone or tablet than a full PC so optimize your website for mobile. Very poor mobile experience. I don't advocate traveling to NC due to their regressive and repressive governor but if they ever get their act together and decide to join the 21st century, this would be a fun race for everyone.

3/15 runs for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame 2015!…read more WHERE IS RALEIGH? jk. If it weren't for this Rock n Roll thing, I would have never even considered Raleigh as a travel destination, running destination, or anything destination. I'm from sunny San Diego, and we have everything. lol. jk. THE EXPO If you've been to one RnR Expo, you've been to them all. There were a bunch of booths promoting some type of fitness food, gadget, destination, ect. Outside of the convention center, I loved how they dressed up the statue of Sir Walter Raleigh with racing gear. It was cute. I love the community spirit. THE SHIRT Also cute. Loved the squirrel! Wish the medal and the shirt would coordinate because they were two completely different designs. RnR should probably consider that for all its races. And you Raleigh folks, someone should have dressed up as a squirrel, or even Sir Walter Raleigh. Show your pride in your city. lol. THE ROUTE It was a little challenging, but doable. There were hills, and a lot of trees. Raleigh is known for being "The City of Oaks" thus a piece of bark flew into my mouth and it made me choke during the race. lol. Considering that this was a spring race, and with things starting to bloom... hello allergies! Pollen levels were HIGH. In addition to choking, I was sneezing a lot, and my eyes kept watering up. To my allergy-friendly friends -- start taking some allergy medicine prior to the race, and make sure it's the non-drowsy kind. You don't want to look drunk on the course. Despite the hills and the allergy attacks, I actually did fairly well. THE SOUTH You need to remember, you are in the South, home of the Chick-Fil-A. lol. jk. (They were everywhere though!) Sunday's in the South... prepare for closure! A lot of restaurants, grocery stores, sightseeing places were closed. Surprisingly, the half marathon was on a Sunday, as opposed to the typical South hosting races on Saturday's. The places I had in mind to check-out were all closed -- especially the restaurant I had plans to pig out at after the race, and unexpectedly, convenience stores for allergy medicine. I was hungry with a runny nose. Luckily Jimmy John's (gourmet sandwich joint like Quiznos) were handing out free sandwiches after the race, so half my problems were solved. It may not seem like I had a good time in Raleigh, but I did. A lot of funny stories came out from this mini vacation. (ie I ALMOST DIED VIA UBER. Well not really, but I had the potential to. And, weird people asking for my number... are Asians non-existent in the South or something? lol. jk.) Would I probably do it again? No, but you gotta do what you gotta do for the bling-age. lol. **If you run the 3 out of the 4 Rock n Roll marathon/half marathons in the same calendar year - New Orleans, Raleigh, St. Jude Country or Savannah you will earn the Southern Charm medal!

Dogs. Everywhere. This is the biggest organized area dog walk -- it benefits the SPCA of Wake…read moreCounty and is held in April. I've done it twice and love it almost as much as Rex (my min-pin). Come out early for the pre-walk events (best kisser, best trick, best dressed) and browse the vendors (from big-box stores like Petsmart to local breed rescues and organic, gourmet doggie treat-makers). Perhaps best of all -- score swag! Freebies, giveaways, coupons, on-site discounted microchipping and pet portraits! Free water on hand, so pups and people don't get dehydrated. You can pre-register online, and this year they added a nifty and convenient online giving program where walkers can create a unique profile and cultivate sponsors. (Bugging people for money has never been so painless!) The 3K is through the streets of downtown Raleigh. Police help coordinate the walk and stop traffic. There's also a shorter 1K offered for senior dogs. After the walk, they host a Bark after Dog festival with live music and beer. Grab a table at a nearby restaurant patio to listen to the music over dinner. So much fun; and for a good cause too!

What a great event! There was a wonderful turn out even though the weather was a little dreary at…read morefirst...it drizzled a few times but that was nothing compared to the water that was coming down at the finish line of the race! Everywhere you turned there was a cute pup and its owner(s) enjoying the wonderful turn out of vendors and activities. This event is a must for the person who just added a 4 legged friend to the family or for the family who has had their loyal pup for years. From toys to dog massages, they have it all! Plenty of information on everything you could/should know about k-9s.

Love that this bike service exists. It took some time to…read morenotice these at the Museum park I have visited often. It's fairly inexpensive, and you usually get what you pay when purchasing rides. I checked out one where the electric assist did not work and put it back. The app will take some time to get used to until you've gone through your first use. It was nice to be with someone who had used and understood the service. I didn't struggle with the technology or retrieving the bike for rides. I was underwhelmed with the bikes. The handlebars appeared filthy and sticky, which was hard to notice until after I started riding. My hands were dirty until I could get near water and soap. Bike shares are known to be much safer, but I didn't feel safe. I could not control the electric assist speeds, and the seat started twisting after riding for a while. Seat twisting was dangerous for me. I'm still alive and well, but this wasn't the most enjoyable experience with rental bikes. The bike I rode seemed poorly kept up. Overall, the bikes allowed me to enjoy nature and socialization (without walking) with my friend, who I joined for the bike ride.

No slight against the Citrix Cycle program. I've used similar in London and Seattle and elsewhere…read more The docks are well placed around downtown Raleigh and as far out as the Museum of Art. It's a growing system and I did enjoy my short right a bit. That said, Raleigh is absolutely not a flat city. Even in downtown there are hills. Be sure that if you have any hills planned that you're getting one of the pedelic "electric assist" bikes. Otherwise, you're probably not going to have a good time. For an occasional rider, it's just $2 per trip or $6 for the day pass. It is hard to go wrong at that rate. Do bring a helmet because lots of people do not respect bicyclists. [Review 11735 overall, 1517 of 2019.]

I visited Rocky Branch Greenway a recent morning while staying nearby for business. I searched and…read morefound it was not too far from the hotel and it being a nice morning to get out and exercise I did just that. I found the trail to be shaded and varying terrain. Some parts flat, but more common were gently hills. The scenery was beautiful, even for parts of the trail along a busy road. I found it a great way to get away from the city and into a little nature. My main complaint would be a lack of good signage. I seemed to be on the trail for the most part but may have gone off into a nearby trail system by accident. Either way I enjoyed the walk/run, the scenery, the available trash bins (as there was some trash I picked up and was appreciative of the bins) and the experience was very pleasant. I'll certainly go again.

I live near downtown, but I don't love running on sidewalks all the time--especially Raleigh's…read moresidewalks, which can be really bumpy, uneven, and easy to trip. And, there are a lot of lights, which can mean a lot of stopping/waiting. Therefore, I was thankful to learn that the Rocky Branch Greenway--part of the Triangle's wonderful trail system--goes within a half mile of most parts of downtown Raleigh! It is a 3.5 mile trail from south of downtown through NC State's campus. You have to cross several roads, including Western Boulevard at a stop light. Parts of it are wooded (passes through part of Pullen Park), part of it are along the NC state athletic facilities, part of it is along Western Boulevard itself (my least favorite stretch), part is near neighborhoods/apartment complexes, and one stretch is in front of a grassy green at the Dorthea Dix campus. I would caution against running it at night because the wooded parts aren't well lit and there are several tunnels. Although parts of this trail can be boring and it isn't very long, it's still nice to have a trail so close to an urban area. And, it is easy to connect from the ends of the Rocky Branch Greenway to other parts of the Capital Greenway--e.g. from the NC State side you can easily get to the Reedy Creek Trail and from the Wilmington Street Side you can get to the Walnut Creek Trail just by going a block up the road (there are signs). I can't imagine doing a longer run from downtown without using it! If you're curious, here's a link to a Wiki with a lot of information and pictures: https://trianglewiki.org/Rocky_Branch_Greenway.