Welcome to the final part of my series on things to do in Raleigh. You can click here for part one and here for part two.
11. NC State Basketball Game at the PNC Arena
I could be biased but NC State has one of the greatest basketball teams in the ACC and the greatest basketball team in North Carolina. No list is complete without watching the Wolfpack take down their latest prey. Tickets are usually really cheap and, if you know a student, sometimes they can be had for free.
12. North Carolina State Capital
This is one of my favorite places to tour during the Fourth of July. It once housed the entire legislature of North Carolina until 1888 when it then only houses the General Assembly until 1961. But now it only houses the offices of the governor. It was built in the Greek Revival style with a father and son team spearheading the design efforts. The impressive pillars look out over the sweeping square with the massive trees standing at attention. When walking up the marble stars, you can see the wear left by centuries of government officials and constituents trudging up and down the stairs. If you do go, take the stairs and not the elevator. For one, the view is amazing as you climb the stairs. But, the elevator is very rickety and freaked me out a little bit so I would give it a wide berth if at all possible.
13. Raleigh Beer Garden
They claim to have the world's largest supply of beer under one roof. Is that true? No idea but I would like to believe it's true. Because of the sheer size of their supply, they don't have a paper menu so check their website before you go. Seriously, do it. If you're one of those people who go up to crowded bars and take 45 minutes to decide on what to drink instead of letting the people behind you order what they want, I hate you. You have bad bar etiquette. But, I digress. This bar also features a diverse menu of pizzas, sandwiches, crostinis (whatever that it) and salads. Monday through Thursday youo can call and make a reservation but on the weekends, it's every man for himself. They do have a seat-yourself section in the back garden if you're looking for something a little more unofficial.
14. The Raleigh Beer Trail
VisitRaleigh.com has a really cool Beer Trail set up on their website. All you have to do is simply visit their website, download the beer passport and visit 15 breweries located throughout Wake Forest, Holly Springs, Fuquay, Raleigh and more. The more stamps you get, the more prizes you can redeem them for. For five stamps, you get a Visit Raleigh bottle opener. Recieve 10 stamps and you get a cool koozie (they call it a pint class beer hugger but c'mon, we all know what it is). The grand prize is a limited edition t-shirt for 15 stamps. My personal favorite breweries on the list are: Aviator, Bombshell, Carolina Brewing Company, Crank Arm Brewing, and Oak and Dagger.
This concludes the third, and final, part of my series on what makes Raleigh unique.
