Family travel destinations attractions and things to do with kids in raleigh

Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest

Raleigh, North Carolina, is a city that aims to make kids feel welcome and entertained. If you are planning a vacation in this area, you can do so happily with the knowledge there will be plenty to do for both you and your children. Below you will find twenty things you can do with even your youngest child in Raleigh. Most are free or involve very minimal cost. There is bound to be something for even your fussiest and hard to please child.

Raleigh is a city with many specialized museums. The North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina Museum of Art are both located here. Both of these are free to the public and contain many interesting displays that are sure to have your children seeing history and art from a whole new perspective.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Science is a favorite of many. This museum boasts the first dinosaur skeleton found with a fossilized heart and a two-story waterfall. If these do not capture your childs attention, the live animals and daily hands on programs definitely will. This museum is a place you could spend an entire day exploring.

Another hands on place that caters to very young children, from the age of six months to seven years, is the Playspace Childrens Museum. This child-oriented museum features a computer lab, art room, castle hospital and store rooms for pretend play and a mock train depot. The waterfront area offers many water related activities and there are music and dress-up areas.

Raleigh offers over 150 parks and lakes for families to enjoy the outdoors. While many offer picnic areas and trails to explore, there are a few worth seeking out for the additional features they offer. Pullen Park tops this list. This park has an antique carousel, a train ride, kiddie boat rides and pedal boat rentals. There is a large picnic area, ball fields, tennis courts and a playground. You might also want to check out their theater and art center. This is another place your family could spend an entire day exploring.

Two other parks worth giving special mention to are Laurel Hills Park and Kids Together Park. Laurel Hills offers a large playground that is designed to accommodate kids of all physical abilities.. No child will feel left out in this park. Kids Together Park is divided into four separate, but adjoining, areas. Each area is designed for a different age group and will enable every child to enjoy age appropriate activities in their own section. Both these parks will keep children entertained for hours.

For those who prefer a more relaxing atmosphere, there is Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, which is considered one of the citys most beautiful, and the J.C. Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University. This arboretum features over 60,000 varieties of plants from 55 different countries. A truly spectacular collection.

Artspace is an area that features over forty-four area artists displaying their works. Children often love seeing demonstrations of the various techniques represented here. A visit to the State Farmers Market is a wonderful experience for children. Hundreds of vendors display their merchandise and the variety of sights, as well as the over all festive atmosphere, appeals to children of all ages.

For some specialized interests, the city of Raleigh also contains the African-American Cultural Complex, the Solar Center, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and the Harley Drag Racing Museum. For those who want to be right in the midst of the action, there is the B & H Stables, which offer horseback trail rides as well as hay rides and a horseshoe pit, and Battlezone Ultimate Lazer Adventure, where a rousing game of lazer tag will keep the kids occupied. While your older kids enjoy a game of lazer tag, younger ones will find entertaining puppet shows at Kazoom Childrens Theater.

One final place the whole family will enjoy is Blue Jay Point County Park. This park offers conservation and environmental activities, hiking trails, a playground and a picnic area. It makes an excellent winding-down stop to a day full of activities. The city of Raleigh, North Carolina is truly a family vacation spot, one you can enjoy for many years to come and still find new and interesting things to do and see.