Hey y’all, it’s November already! Time flies when you’re having fun, which I sure did over the weekend! In fact, I finally got the chance to go see one of my best friends Jessica in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she recently moved. I had booked my flight over a month ago and we had been counting down the days ever since!

The reason for my visit was to not only see her, her boyfriend Michael and their new apartment, but also check out the city of Raleigh, which I had never been to.

Both Jessica and I are foodies, meaning that we were planning to explore the city by trying some of the best restaurants there. However, there were two main issues with that: first of all, you can’t spend the whole weekend just eating (though you can always try!), therefore we needed to also find things to do and places to see. The second problem was that going out to eat for every meal when you’re on a budget barely leaves out money to do anything else.

Therefore, we compiled a list of free attractions to visit in the city of Raleigh and its surroundings: I am now sharing this list with you all in case you were planning on traveling to this unexpectedly lively city!

Downtown Raleigh

Most of Raleigh’s attractions, such as the next five, are located in the downtown area of the city. However, I think that downtown is an attraction in itself, with its many restaurants, beer gardens and bars (most of which look like regular houses – so weird for someone who comes from a big city!) I’m currently compiling a list of *insta worthy* Raleigh restaurants that we’ve checked out while I was there. It’ll be up on the blog soon! – UPDATE: it’s here!

The State Capitol

The State Capitol is a must-see if you’re visiting Raleigh. Sadly, I was only able to see the outside of this historic site because we went there on a Sunday and it was closed. However, it is in fact open everyday but Sunday from 9AM to 5PM so that you can visit the inside. It is open for both self-guided and guided tours (the latter are every Saturday at 11AM and 2PM), admission is free and you get access to rooms such as the House of Representatives Chamber, the Senate Chamber and the State Library room. I’m excited to check it out next time I’m there!

North Carolina Museum of History

I loved the Museum of History! There were exhibits on a number of different things: the history of North Carolina, Carolinian indigenous tribes, the Wright brothers’ first flight (which happened in North Carolina, I had no idea!), as well as World War I and II. There are also many fun reconstructions such as the ones of eighteen century residences, or of World War I trenches, and of airplanes used by the Wright brothers for their first flights. There is even a real, re-created 1920s drugstore, which was honestly my favorite part of the whole museum! Admission is free.

North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences

Raleigh has a Museum of Natural Sciences, and it’s cool. There are skeletons of whales, reconstructions of dinosaurs, and a whole lot of fishes, lizards and bugs, if that’s your thing. For some reason I love staring at crustaceans so I had fun. The museum also organizes fun activities for kids, and admission is once again free.

The Globe

It’s just a gigantic globe, but it makes for great photo ops.

It’s part of the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences.

It was crazy windy when Jessica took this picture of me so trust me, your pics will look a lot better. It’s a cool spot.

Glenwood Ave

Okay, I’m not sure if it’s because I was there during Halloweekend, but downtown Raleigh is LIT at night! That is especially true for the area around Glenwood Ave, located at the edge of downtown, which is full of restaurants, rooftops, beer gardens, bars and many more hot spots! People were bar hopping like there’s no tomorrow on both Friday and Saturday night, and though we didn’t join them, it looked so much fun! This is definitely the area I would go out to if I were to go back; we were only there for dinner, but if you want a good night out, this is the place to be. Prices vary – but you’ll never spend more than what you already do to go out in Chicago.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 

UNC at Chapel Hill was the nation’s first public university. It has a beautiful campus, with a lot of fraternity and sorority houses scattered around, as well as many cute boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants on Franklin Street. Chapel Hill is about 30 minutes away from Raleigh, but it is worth checking out.

Although we are retired sorority girls, the first thing that Jessica and I did in Chapel Hill was taking pictures in front of the Phi Mu house. Once a Phi Mu, always a Phi Mu, am I right?

We also unintentionally visited UNC on their Homecoming. We had no idea! That made our visit even more fun, since the whole town was partying in the streets and in frat houses, everyone was wearing the school’s colors, and people seemed to be having a great time!

Duke University

After visiting UNC at Chapel Hill, we drove to Durham to visit a different campus: Duke University. Once there, we immediately got a completely different vibe from the school! Duke seems to be a lot preppier, and it conveys that Ivy League feel.

Although the people of Raleigh will tell you that you should never drive to Durham because it has nothing to offer (God, how I love city rivalries!), I highly recommend that you do drive up to Durham and that you check out Duke. The campus is absolutely gorgeous with its Gothic-style buildings, and so is the school chapel. Everything at Duke took our breath away, including the swinging tables!

Yes, these swing. Yes, the whole thing.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

Right next to Duke University are the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, 55 acres of botanic paradise. If you have an even remote interest to plants you will love this place: there are so many different plants, including a whole section of the park dedicated to Asiatic plants (cough cough… the prettiest!). However, even if plants are merely green oxygen dispensers to you, the Gardens are an amazing location for a stroll. The weather is still nice in North Carolina, so we walked around and spent about an hour there just exploring the park. Admission is free.

Last Remarks

As you might have noticed, admission to these attractions is almost always free! I highly suggest that you take advantage of this, and that you explore all that the Oak City and its surroundings have to offer. That way, you’ll have more money to spend on food, which I’ll write about in the next few days! Don’t forget to come back to the blog and check that post out!

Have I missed any Raleigh spots or landmarks that are a must-see? Let me know in the comments below!