Triangle downtime: Make the most of the area’s parks, museums, sports teams and more

In a previous Triangle Living story we talked about food — what to eat and where to get it. This time we’ll segue smoothly into all the fun things you can do in the Triangle when you’re not eating barbecue, sipping coffee or drinking craft beer.

First of all, if you’re new here and you’re a grownup, you may be lacking a crucial element of a happy social life in the Triangle: friends. You had them in school and you had them in your old town, but maybe it hasn’t happened organically for you yet since you moved.

Here are some tips on making new friends from N&O reporter Kimberly Cataudella, who moved to Chapel Hill last year from New York.

• Branch out from your workplace.

• Use social media to find groups of people with shared interests.

• Check to see if your town has adult sport leagues (most Triangle towns do).

• Volunteer. This is a great way to meet new people. If you don’t have a cause you’re interested in, you can start with Activate Good (activategood.org/opportunity) and NC volunteer opportunities (nc.gov/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities).

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Family fun in the Triangle: Parks, greenways and museums

There’s no shortage of activities to enjoy as a family (or on your own!) in the Triangle: we have parks, playgrounds, museums, greenways, hiking trails, festivals – you name it.

It’s enough to keep you and the kids busy for a very long time.

Here are just a few of the can’t miss highlights for getting outdoors:

• Dix Park: Even without the big features that are planned (waterfalls, playgrounds, etc), Dix Park has become the go-to gathering spot in Raleigh for picnics, dog walks and more. In the summer, the massive sunflower field is a major attraction, and when it snows, its sledding hills can’t be beat. The property was formerly the site of Dorothea Dix psychiatric hospital, and the campus still houses many of the historic buildings from that era. The mix of historic architecture and vast grassy common areas makes it the most appealing public space in the Triangle. Info: dixpark.org

• Pullen Park: This popular Raleigh park wears its “historic” bona fides with pride: It’s the first public park in North Carolina, the 5th oldest still-operating amusement park in the country, and the 16th oldest in the world. But this park’s biggest fans — the kids — don’t care about any of that. They come for the beautiful carousel, the pedal boat rides and the train. You can also take art classes here, have a picnic or reserve one of the covered gathering areas. Info: raleighnc.gov/places/pullen-park

• Greenways: You’ll find great greenways all across the Triangle. Raleigh has a fantastic greenway system (downloadable map here), and Durham has the American Tobacco Trail, plus a new hiking/biking trail in the works that will serve as a linear park. If you’re into hiking and biking, East Coast Greenway and Triangle Rails to Trails Conservancy are great sources. The best place to start? The N&O’s Josh Shaffer can tell you where to find the best trails: bit.ly/3Gi7J6g.

• Museums: Arts, sciences, history — the Triangle has some top tier museums you’ll want to visit. Start with these: NC Museum of Art (Raleigh), NC Museum of Natural Sciences (Raleigh), Nasher Museum of Art (Durham), The Ackland Art Museum (Chapel Hill), The Museum of Life + Science (Durham), NC Museum of History (Raleigh).

▪ And there’s a lot more info about parks, greenways, playgrounds, museums in this Family Fun Guide (bit.ly/3MGZkf7) and activities in towns outside Raleigh and Durham (bit.ly/38PQBIT) to check out — both by The N&O’s Kimberly Cataudella.

Gotta love the nightlife

Your down time doesn’t have to be all about entertaining the kids or seeking out wholesome family fun. Sometimes you need to get your groove on.

The Triangle is pretty laid back in most respects, but there are definitely places to go when you want to let your hair down, have a few drinks (know the NC booze laws!) with your crew and dance the night away.

Here’s the bullet version:

• Raleigh’s Glenwood South district is a hotspot for bars (though there are a bunch in downtown proper, as well). A little background: The party culture of Glenwood South and Downtown briefly earned the area the nickname “Drunktown,” all tied to a bizarre 2015 political ad targeting city council candidates who supported sidewalk dining.

• In Chapel Hill, it’s mostly a college crowd and they’re going to swarm the bars on Franklin Street.

• Downtown Durham — if we may tiptoe out on a limb — may have a slightly more grownup bar scene. In particular, check out the craft cocktails at The Kingfisher. (Closer to Duke campus, it gets much wilder, so pick your vibe.)

You’ll also find great LGBTQ nightlife options in Raleigh and Durham, from longstanding private nightclubs to dedicated queer spaces to gay-friendly dive bars.

You can find details on the area’s bars, breweries, nightclubs, bar arcades, LGBTQ spaces and live music venues in this Guide to Triangle Nightlife (bit.ly/3wNnqya) by N&O reporter Korie Dean.

Sports: From hoops to hockey

If you’ve lived here any amount of time, you know the Triangle is strongly identified with college basketball. Specifically of the ACC variety, and even more specifically of the Duke, NC State and UNC varieties. (With props to NC Central, a strong showing in the Division I MEAC).

The men’s teams get most of the attention (as was evidenced in March 2022 when a Duke vs. UNC Final Four matchup nearly shredded our social fabric), but all three Triangle ACC schools have great women’s teams, too, and the games are super exciting. You can’t go wrong with either.

There’s also college football, which most notably brings tailgating — elevated to an art form at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. And baseball. And soccer and wrestling and swimming and tennis and all that other stuff, but this is basketball country.

At some point, you’re going to have to pick an allegiance to one of the schools, just to be able to participate in conversations that happen each year in March, during North Carolina’s unofficial state holiday: ACC Tournament Week.

Be prepared: A native might regale you with stories from childhood of schools suspending studies on ACC Friday, as teachers rolled TVs into classrooms for all to cheer on their favorite teams. A native might also insist you know that “back in the good ole days,” the ACC was a more manageable seven or eight teams, ballooning to 15 by 2013.

And at some point, you’re either going to give in and buy tickets to a game, or a co-worker or neighbor is going to give you some: LUCKY YOU!

FOLLOW: The N&O has the best sports coverage, so once you’re hooked on a team, you’ll want to follow our writers: Steve Wiseman (Duke) @stevewisemanNC, Jonas Pope (NC State) @JEPopeIV, CL Brown (UNC) @clbrownhoops and Luke DeCock (hot takes) @LukeDeCock.

If pro sports are more your speed, we have you covered there, too.

• There’s NHL hockey in Raleigh with the Carolina Hurricanes (formerly the Hartford Whalers). Hockey in the South, you say? Yes, we say. In fact, the Canes won the Stanley Cup in 2006 (after making it to the finals in 2002). It’ll happen again. The Canes have made the playoffs the past four seasons, most recently losing to the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the second round on May 30. If you hear your neighbor shouting “Wooooo! Woo Wooo!” at their TV, accompanied by what sounds like wrestler Ric Flair, odds are the Canes just scored a goal. The mascot, Stormy, is a pig that looks a little like a bear, but we love him. N&O legend Chip Alexander will keep you up to date on hockey news. Follow him on Twitter at @ice_chip.

• We also have the NC Courage, a Div. 1 NWSL women’s professional soccer team based in Cary. The team has players who have competed at the Olympics and in the Women’s World Cup, and they won the NWSL championship in 2018 and 2019.

• For baseball fans, we have the Durham Bulls. This Triple-A Tampa Bay Rays affiliate is the best minor league baseball experience you can have. The stadium is beautiful, the food and beer options are above par, the mascot Wool E. Bull is supreme, and if a batter hits the giant bull over the left-field fence, it snorts and blows smoke from its snout (and the batter wins a steak). Oh yeah, they also made a little movie in Durham based on this team. You may know it: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins? Remember, candlesticks always make a nice gift.

• We also have the Carolina Mudcats, a Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, playing in Five County Stadium in Zebulon. The team’s Muddy the Mudcat (catfish) mascot can be a little intimidating, based on personal run-ins.

• And if you’re into cricket, we have the MiLC team Morrisville Cardinals, the only professional cricket team in the state. Why is there a professional cricket team in tiny Morrisville, you may ask? Over the past 20 years, Morrisville has become a hub for the South Asian community, with about one-third of the town’s population being Asian, and 80% of that segment being from India. Within that community, there is much love for cricket. The team’s Church Street Park is set for a major expansion.

For much more information, check out this guide to Triangle sports teams (bit.ly/3NFWXcJ) by N&O reporter Korie Dean.

Finding your place of worship

Becoming part of a religious group can be a great way to serve your local community, connect with others and make good friends — and the Triangle has churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, gurdwaras and other houses of worship to fit your needs.

But if you’re new to the area, maybe you haven’t found your place yet.

N&O reporter Kimberly Cataudella talked to Triangle religious leaders to get advice on how to find the right house of worship for you.

Here are some tips:

• Start your search online to learn — you can get a good sense of a place by its website.

• Narrow your list and visit a few (in person or through virtual services).

• Have an open mind and reasonable expectations.

There’s much more in Kimberly’s story (bit.ly/3wLs5kc), so be sure to read it if you’re looking for a place of worship.

Read more about life in the Triangle

You can find other installments in our Triangle Living series — about food, weather, transportation, NC culture and more — at newsobserver.com/living/newcomers.

This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Triangle downtime: Make the most of the area’s parks, museums, sports teams and more."

Brooke Cain

The News & Observer

Brooke Cain is a North Carolina native who has worked at The News & Observer and McClatchy for more than 30 years as a researcher, reporter and media writer. She is the National Service Journalism Editor for McClatchy.