Join Me on a road trip to My Corner of North Carolina AND find Insider Tips to Make You Feel like a local

Power up your GPS. We’re off on a virtual family-friendly road trip across the U.S and Australia in the #Gr8Blogs Summer Road Trips 2018. My writerly pals and I are sharing insider touring tips for your summertime fun. I’m excited to show you around my home in central North Carolina, 

My once quiet corner has morphed into a bustling metro area after topping many “best” lists. Best place to live.  Best area to retire. Be single. Start a business. Ride a bike. Etc.! With more than 2,156,253 people (and my Apex home town identified by Realtor.com as the fastest-growing town in America, with 307% growth in new construction!),   something is always jumping.

Photo: higgins-spoooner @unsplash.com

​Read on for my top five family-friendly stops AND find insider tips from me and my NC pals to have you living like a local.  

Then discover more summer road trip fun from the US coast to coast and Australia as you join my #Gr8Blogs pals linked at the bottom of this page. 

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welcome to North carolina!

Picture a triangle stretching long on one side.  Tip that length downward, plop it onto the center of a North Carolina map, and it points to my corner of the world.
 
This summer, JM and I moved to Apex, NC, a suburb of 51,000.  We decided to RIGHTsize to first-floor living living there, moving just three miles down the road from our beloved home of 20 years in Cary and another great place to live. 

​Central North Carolina is defined by three unique cities nestled in the corner of that triangle you imagined. Each boasts a major university, which further defines who are (especially during fevered college basketball tournaments!): Raleigh and NC State University; Durham with Duke University; and the University of NC flagship’s campus at Chapel Hill.  

Photo: qsl.net - Central North Carolina's RTP region

​Now draw a big X in the middle of this trio to find the Research Triangle Park (we call it RTP).  One of the largest high-tech corridors in the world, it covers 7,000 acres and employs more than 50,000 people in 260 companies focused on computers, artificial intelligence, biotech, pharmaceuticals, and a gazillion techy things I never knew existed.  (In fact, RTP lured me to the Triangle decades ago from my Connecticut home, with dreams of landing a high-tech career -Score!)  

Insider tip:
Don't be startled when strangers smile at you and passers-by toss a cheery, "Hey!" your way.  We're friendly here -:D.

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YOUR TOP 5 ROAD TRIP STOPS

​1.     Get Outside, Y’all!
​

​Blessed with four seasons, we spend tons of time outdoors.  Bask in perfect autumns and springs. Embrace mild winters (Sure, there's snow, but it melts in a day or two,) In summer’s sizzling humidity, you should drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen, and take things slow.  Hey, you can always head inside and crank up the AC.

Four-season climate: Cat's summer garden

Four-season climate: Winter Cat

Hit the Greenways (all over the Triangle)

Greenway Cat

Tie up your trainers.
Head for one of the 80 greenways (walking trails) linking neighborhood and parks in Cary alone.  

​Jog for miles,

    or take short strolls.  

​Ride your bike.

  Leash up Rover or....

pamper your pooch at one of our dog parks. 

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Go Green at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve and Stevens Nature Center (Cary)
Woodland trails in this park’s 140 acres and 3,700 square foot nature center make you forget you’re in a metro area. North-facing bluffs produce a cooler microclimate, allowing tall mountainous evergreen Hemlocks to thrive in our hot summer flatlands.  The park's environmental, nature, and children's programs will have you and the kids going green.  

Bring bug spray for spring and summer walks across the marshland.  Free park admission.

Hemlock Bluffs trail for grown ups

Hemlock Bluffs for kids

Recycle Garden - Stevens Nature Center

Catly visitor

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Ride a Train and Old-Timey Carousel at Pullen Park (Raleigh)
NC Pal Thu W. and her three kids adore historic Pullen Park.  This 66-acre gem was the first public park in North Carolina,  5th oldest operating amusement park in the US, and 16th oldest in the world.  Its grassy spaces, swings, picnic shelters, and rental pedal boats for the lake are devine.  But the real draw is riding the park’s stunning old-timey carousel and kid train.  

Photo: Google Earth/Maps: Old-timey carousel

Photo: visit raleigh.org_ Pullen Park train ride

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Insider Tip:​

• ​Great kid zone in Waverly Place Park: Tucked behind the lower level of this shopping center, you can join the fun or watch from nearby benches. Waverly also offers places for good eats and cool drinks.  Arrive on a Wednesday evening to catch Wind Down Wednesday,  a free family-friendly outdoor concert series. 

Photo:waverlycary.com_Waverly Park

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2.  Explore World-Class Gardens
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White Garden Gazebo at the JCRA

As a southern gardener, I hope you'll  wander our luscious landscapes.  

Discover a 10-acre gem at the NC State University’s JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh.  As an arb volunteer, it's been a joy leading tours through the 18 display gardens and 6,000 unique plants collected from all over the world.  

I also LOVE its adult workshops and children’s programs (nature, arts and crafts, interactive learning stations for school tours, junior chef cooking classes in a yurt, and more).  If you're lucky, you'll spot a glowing bride and groom at an outdoor wedding ceremony in the White Garden gazebo.  

​The JCRA is open to the public and free, except for special events, and operates free Sunday afternoon tours.

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Photo: ncsu.com/jcra.edu Garden Story Time at the Raulston Arboretum

Photo: visitraleigh.org -Historic Mordecai House and kitchen garden

Photo: LocalWiki: display garden at Duke Gardens

Photo: jlb.org - Grotto Garden at Juniper Level Botanic Garden

Insider Tips:

• NC Pal Sam I. suggests the 19th-century kitchen garden behind Raleigh’s oldest home, the Mordecai House.  Built in 1785, the garden is based on memoir and letters left by former occupant Ellen Mordecai.  Some say ghosts haunt here at night, but I'm sure they're friendly southern spirits -:D.
• NC Pal Jane T. gives a shout out to Duke Gardens on the university’s campus in Durham.  Small admission fee, but worth it to see its stunning display gardens.
• Plants Delight at Juniper Level Botanic Gardens operates as a garden catalogue company, specializing in exotic perennials that grow in our zone 7 climate.  However, its amazing 28-acre display garden and 21,600 unique plants open to the public several times yearly.  

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3.  Chill at an Outdoor Concert

We love summertime concerts,  Headliners, like Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney and the Pentatonix, perform at large venues like Raleigh's Walnut Creek and Red Hat Amphitheaters.
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​North Carolina Symphony Summerfest at Booth Amphitheater (Cary)  
Classical, jazz, or pop float your boat? NC Symphony's  Summerfest, a 6-week concert series offers fantastic music, contests, instrument zoos, and more.  Bring lawn chairs and goodies to picnic under the stars.  Kids under 12 get free admission with lawn seating. 

Photo: Laura on Unsplash

Wide Open Blue Grass (Raleigh)

Visit during summer’s last hurrah in September for a Bluegrass street spectacular with foot-tapping tunes as more than 100 bands perform on 7 outdoor stages (all free!) and headliners, like Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, fill nearby Red Hat stadium. I love the informal jamming sessions that are everywhere. It's a good mix of local, national, and international talent, plus food trucks, musical instruments for sale, and all manner of NC-made wares.  Hey, check out the dance tent to watch clogging performances. You can also join the square dancers and late-night open dancing.

International Bluegrass Festival: 1 of 7 free stages

Downtown festival-goers, vendors

Food truck

​Insider tip:

• Cary Town Band offers rousing-good free concerts for the whole family to have you marching and clapping along.

 

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4.    Yum Down Regional Treats
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We have tons of restaurants serving food from around the world, but you gotta try southern eats.  

We’re all about fried everything.  
And ‘cue - barbeque that is.
Pork laced with vinegar in eastern NC  

Whatever you decide,
be 
sure
​to try
iced tea.  
                                                                                    Insider tip: Sound like a native! 
Specify 'sweet' or 'unsweet' iced tea when ordering.

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Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen (Cary)
This farm-to-table restaurant rotates seasonal fare, like buttermilk-fried green tomatoes, pulled pork with voodoo sauce, and bacon-wrapped meatloaf with pig and whistle sauce.  Its patio seating is yummy, too.
 
Salem Street Pub (SSP) (Apex)
A laid-back eatery in an 1800s brick building in downtown historic Apex, SSP offers good food and family fun.  Grab the chalk provided at every table to write or draw on the blackboard-like tablecloth.  I have not tried it, but Spouse JM gives thumbs up to My Wife Said It Would Never Sell, the house specialty featuring a beef burger topped with peanut butter, honey, cheddar cheese, and bacon. Somehow, it works! Grownups, try local brews on tap.

State Farmers' Market

Southern wisdom

Roadside stand: honor system

Insider tips:

• Road-side stands and farmer’s markets are everywhere, but the 75-acre indoor/outdoor State Farmers Market in Raleigh is easiest to find. Try free samples and talk directly with the people who grow your food.  They’ll explain, in the most authentic southern accent you'll hear, the best way to fry okra or store fresh peaches. In addition to produce, vendors offer NC products like plants, honey, and sides of pork; crafters sell NC-made wares.

• Give our food trucks a try.  NC Pal Donna B., originally from New Orleans, got me hooked on Mr. A's beignets.

Beignets and coffee with pals...nothing better!

Food truck goodies

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5.     Take in a Festival
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Peak City Pig Fest (Apex)
Yippy! My new home mixes a traditional southern barbecue cook-off with free music and fun.  (Locals know Apex got its name in the mid 1800s by being a water stop for the railroad and highest point, or apex, along a 30-mile stretch of the Chatham Railroad.)

Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival (Cary)
Full disclosure:
As a longtime Cary resident, Lazy Daze tops my list of summertime fun.

Catly festival goer

Nearly 330 artisans, 35 bands/entertainers spill over downtown sidewalks over this two-day festival, one of the largest juried events of its kind in the southeast US. I often snag garden art and one-of-a-kind jewelry here.   

​Dress for hot weather, wear comfy shoes, bring water and a big bag to carry one-of-a-kind crafted treasures you'll find.

Lazy Daze

I grab a free shuttle running every 20 minutes from nearby parking lots.  It drops me off at the entrance and back to my car when afterward.

Check out Kids World, with games, storytelling, faceprinting, and crafts.  Oh, find the Beer Garden for big peeps. 

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Insider tip:

• NC Pal Benita B. takes in the NC Japan Festival with her daughter to experience Japanese culture, music, art, and dance.

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your turn

I LOVE having you virtual visit North Carolina!  What was your fave stop? What must-sees are in your corner of the world? Please share in the comment section.  

Before you go, I’m blogging more about North Carolina over the next weeks.  For National Book Lovers’ Day on 9 August, I’m featuring my pick of books for adults and kids that are set in North Carolina and written by NC authors.  Y’all come back!
 
Don't go yet .....
There's more tons of fun ahead with the #Gr8blogs Summer Road Trips!  Click over to your next destination and join my pals below.  (And if you blog and want to hop with us, add a live hyperlink to your family-friendly road trip post in the comment section. My #Gr8blog pals and I will swing by and give you some blog love!) 

​Thanks a ton!  Beyond grateful for your company.

Photos: by Cat Michaels unless credited

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Visit More #Gr8Blogs 
​Summer Road Trips
​

​North America
​
Carmela Dutra - Take a tour of family-friendly places in California’s San Jose Bay Area.

 Julie Gorges -
Julie shows you the best Southern California has to offer.


K. Lamb -
Buckle up as Kristen takes you through historical sites in California.

Rebecca Lindsey -
Check your tire pressure and take off on a virtual road trip through West Virginia
.

Rosie Russell -
​Dust off your maps as Rosie guides you through her home home town,
Kansas City, Missouri

Rhonda Paglia - Power up your GPS as Rhonda rocks you around Western Pennsylvania.

Australia
​
Sandra Bennett -
​Transfer to a sea plane to find Sandra Down Under in Canberra.  Hey, it's winter in Australia, so bring cold-weather clothes!

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Join Cat’s Tribe of Readers

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