The Top 10 Things To See And Do In Raleigh, North Carolina

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is the largest natural history museum in the southeast USA. The permanent exhibitions in the Nature Exploration Center reflect North Carolina’s diverse natural history, from flora and fauna to geology and fossils. On display is the only real Acrocanthosaurus skeleton on view in the world. And in the Nature Research Center, you’ll find exhibits on the tools and techniques scientists use to study the planet. You can watch videos and presentations inside the SECU Daily Planet and meet Stumpy the Right Whale.

The North Carolina Museum of History showcases local, state, and regional history for generations to come. The 20,000 square foot Story of North Carolina is the museum’s largest permanent exhibit. The exhibit displays more than 14,000 years of the state’s history, from its earliest inhabitants to the 20th century, through artefacts, dioramas, and hands-on interactive displays. The museum also features a number of changing traveling exhibits that cover everything in regional history from sports to art.

William B. Umstead State Park has an extensive network of trails reaching over 20 miles surrounding three man-made lakes. To access some of the most scenic and secluded parts of the park, travel the multi-use trails on horseback or bike riding. Big Lake, the largest of the lakes, offers canoe and rowboat rentals, and fishing is allowed at all of the lakes. Tent camping is popular during the summer months, as well as primitive group camping. The exhibit hall features displays of the natural and cultural history of the parkland.