What They're Saying
"CIAA and Capital City team up for a big score. Raleigh, N.C., offers tournament basketball and other attractions for African-Americans."
Ebony, February 2003
"Civic efforts and a strong landscape architecture community have created a potpourri of gardens, urban green spaces and resources for gardeners. Marvel at 450-foot perennial border and diverse collection of plants at 8-acre J.C. Raulston Arboretum. For 'plants with an attitude,' check out Plant Delights -- Tony Avent's quirky Raleigh nursery with a trial garden displaying 10,000 plants; hope to see 'Elvis Lives' hosta."
Garden Design, November/December 2002
"North Carolina's capital is a city of history and culture -- most of it shaded by towering oaks. Raleigh offers country cooking, sweet tea, deep Southern accents, laidback attitudes and more."
AAA Home & Away, September/October 2002
"Cooper's Barbecue is as much about memories as it is the food. Since 1938, the restaurant has been in same (downtown Raleigh) location, has served essentially the same mouthwatering, eastern Carolina barbecue, ans is still A Good Place to Eat."
Our State Magazine, September 2002
"Sweet, in all the best ways. As in sweet tea (that's iced tea, heaps of sugar.) Sweet, easy accents -- not a long drawl like Georgia or Mississippi, but a definite roll. Sweet parks and gardens with crepe myrtle, azaleas, acres of green thick with the hum of cicadas. A sweet pace, never hurried -- though decidedly quicker than it was before big companies like Cisco, Nortel and GlaxoSmithKline moved into the area."
Miami Herald, August 11, 2002
"The Triangle arts scene is anchored by the North Carolina Museum of Art. This year, the museum will add to its growing reputation with such shows as 'Selections from The Birds of America by John James Audobon' (through December 1). Also make time to stroll along the museum's Park Trail. My own favorite is American sculptor Thomas Sayre's Gyre, three gigantic concrete rings that will have you puzzling over the tricks this piece plays with your senses."
Diversion Magazine, July 2002
"I love oysters. So when I find myself in the 42nd Street Oyster Bar and Seafood Grill in Raleigh, mere minutes after landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, I am already disposed to enjoy the entire state. We're talking oyster stew made with cream as thick as melted Haagen-Dazs. ... We're talking bliss."
Biography Magazine, June 2002
"What happens when you mix high-tech research parks, college campuses and the seat of state government with tree-line neighborhoods oozing Southern charm? You get a city like Raleigh, North Carolina."
Detroit Metro Parent Magazine, June 2002
"A real North Carolina breakfast is served at Big Ed's Restaurant (in Raleigh). They serve five different kinds of meat, cheddar cooked with eggs, homemade biscuits and of course grits. ... High tech is where many North Carolinians see their state going. Research Triangle Park, near Raleigh, employs over 30,000 scientists and computer programmers."
ABC's "Good Morning America", April 29, 2002
"Raleigh's downtown sizzles with several vibrant night spots. Powerhouse Square, City Market, Cameron Village and Glenwood Avenue draw those eager to find great food and good times. Tonight let's go to Glenwood Avenue, seven blocks northwest of the capitol, to see what's cooking.."
Southern Living, April 2002
"Although (Wake Forest University) moved to more spacious environs in Winston-Salem in 1956, its birthplace kept its name and small-town appeal. There are several enchanting burgs across the state, but few make you feel as immediately comfortable and welcome as Wake Forest."
Southern Living, March 2002
"It began in 1912, in the days of lynchings and 'separate but equal.' The Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association began with just four historically Black universities (Hampton, Howard, Shaw and Virginia Union). Ninety years later, the 12-college conference now known as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association has not only survived those reprehensible realities of the past, it has grown into the country's oldest African-American collegiate conference and holds one of the country's largest and most popular college events each year (the CIAA basketball tournament)."
Ebony, February 2002
"Start your day sunny-side up with breakfast at Big Ed's City Market Restaurant in Raleigh. For lunch, try Cooper's Barbeque. In between, poke around the shops in City Market, tour the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and visit the North Carolina Museum of History. And don't miss Exploris, an interactive museum about cultures, economies, and natural environments around the world."
Southern Living, January 2002
"But lurking just beneath the surface of all of (Raleigh's) progressive gentility, is a rougher, more colorful city, one whose stories are sometimes more interesting to hear, but more difficult for the casual visitors to find. Raleigh may be full of spreading oaks, stately brick homes and lovely squares, but it is also home to offbeat personalities who find meaning on the backroads of history, the farm fields and plain old dirt tracks that once dotted the countryside."
Winston-Salem Journal, December 9, 2001
"The CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are a week-long succession of parties, concerts, step shows, contests, educational forums, fashion shows and, oh yes, basketball. The CIAA tournament has evolved into a social, cultural, educational, business and multi-generational happening. Fans look forward to the CIAA all year and treat the occasion as a vacation. Extended families view it as a chance to reunite because so many relatives have attended the participating CIAA schools. For others, it is a mini-class reunion.
Pathfinders Travel, Winter 2001
"Within a few minutes' drive of Raleigh-Durham International Airport, you are enveloped by dense, dark Carolina forest. A billboard tells you that you're in the state's high-tech zone, the Research Triangle Park, but there's not a building in sight. This is industrial development, North Carolina style."
Business Traveller, November 2001
"Sadly, summer is over. But who says the family can't take any more trips? Now is the time to starting planning family weekend getaways. Raleigh, North Carolina might be that pleasant surprise you're looking for in a great, fun, affordable family weekend trip. Pleasant weather, clean streets, southern hospitality and lots of fun are only a few ways to describe Raleigh. This versatile capital city of North Carolina has activities and adventures for everyone in your family."
Cincinnati Woman, September 2001.
"North Carolina's once sleepy Research Triangle wakes up with new museums and a lively nightlife, while retaining its Southern charm… In Raleigh, politicians declaim near the Capitol dome by day and jazz musicians entertain in the bars of the burgeoning Warehouse District by night."
National Geographic Traveler, July/August 2001
"Saddle up for an insider's tour of the capitals of smoke: San Antonio, Raleigh and Memphis. þ The recently revived downtown, framed by stylish boutiques, a gentrified City Market shopping area and a constellation of new museums, seemed more prone to cyber cafes and mocha latte than pig pickings and iced tea. But then I saw I was wrong. Huddled right in the middle of this boomtown, just around the corner from a die-hard barber shop, was Clyde Cooper's Barbecue, a red-brick restaurant that takes it job as Raleigh's oldest barbecue shack very seriously indeed."
Bon Appetit, July 2001
"Raleigh, North Carolina, makes the top of nearly every 'Best Places to Live' list — and with good reason. What's not as widely known is that it's an equally wonderful place to visit."
Woman's Day, April 24, 2001
"This Triangle is so accessible, so quiet and so close that you might not even think of entering into it but so lovable that you might decide not to leave it once there. This may seem like a chamber of commerce slogan, but it honestly summarizes our own recent visit to the Triangle. There are four remarkable — and free — museums for which Raleigh is not so wrong in claiming the title 'the Smithsonian of the South.'"
Gayot.com, March/April 2001
"Shhh. Don't tell the kids, but a visit to the capital of North Carolina is as educational as it is entertaining. Start at the new North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (home of the first dinosaur discovered with a fossilized heart and the current exhibit 'Extreme Deep: Mission to the Abyss'), then cross Bicentennial Plaza to the North Carolina Museum of History. Next, help your kids find their place in the global community at Exploris, an interactive museum about the world, its people and cultures. From Exploris, walk through Moore Square to the City Market and sample country cooking at Big Ed's."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 4, 2001
"Raleigh, North Carolina's capital, has been dabbling in a kind of magic: transforming itself into a thriving metro-center while maintaining its Southern charm. Sound like sushi with a side of biscuits and gravy? Perhaps, but Raleigh's three-year cultural revolution, which began in 1999, has produced two world-class museums and a mammoth arena complex, with two performance theaters still on the horizon."
Distinction, February 15, 2001
"Unearthing secrets and surprises: The prehistoric meets high tech in Raleigh. The capital of The Tar Heel State is an artsy-trendy town. The infusion of cash from the Research Triangle, old money, sports and a healthy appreciation for its roots makes for a good mix of contemporary culture and down-home hospitality."
Boston Herald, February 8, 2001
"The qualities that make the Triangle a good place to live for more than one million people … have also built a foundation which makes the area an attractive destination for meeting planners. The Triangle is a region rich with character and charisma, and the proximity of its three corners allows visitors to sample the pleasures of each place."
Meetings South, February 2001
"So many downtowns have packed up and gone to the suburbs, it's like discovering gold to step into the heart of Raleigh and find it beating with youthful vigor. …After stuffing ourselves with culture and cuisine, we left Raleigh convinced that Sir Walter would be pleased with the city that bears his name."
Savannah Magazine, January/February 2001
"Maybe it's the canopy of hardwoods and pine trees that shelter city neighborhoods and surrounding countryside. Or it could be the hearty doses of Southern hospitality served up in countless outstanding restaurants. Perhaps what makes Raleigh such a memorable place to visit is its surprising number of cultural attractions, many of them free and family-friendly."
Travel America, January/February 2001
"If old-fashioned holiday festivities are what you crave, a visit to Raleigh, North Carolina during early December is like going home for the holidays — a hundred years ago. Each year, the city offers an array of events including plays, concerts, parades, tree lightings and house tours."
Victorian Homes, December 2000
"Raleigh has got nearly everything a well-seasoned traveler could want: gracious (in this case, Southern) hospitality, wonderful restaurants and antique shops, numerous cultural institutions, including more than 12 museums and historic sites."
Spotlight Magazine, October 2000
"As summer turns to fall and the last of the warm weather cools, the possibility to get away to North Carolina and spy autumn's painting of hues begins to blossom. Surrounded by miles and miles of parkways, Greater Raleigh is a prime location for leaf-viewing expeditions. … Is there too much to do in a weekend? Decidedly so. But like the many colors of Mother Nature's palette, the colors of Raleigh are also a wonder to behold."
AAA Going Places, September/October 2000
"'Wrap your paws around this.' Big Ed Watkins, dressed in his trademark denim overalls and red-checkered shirt, plops down a plate and challenges the early morning diners to 'take a bite and guess what it is.' … Big Ed's is an oasis of down-home fun in the center of a sophisticated city. The large eatery is filled to the rafters with toys, farm implements and assorted memorabilia. Just outside its door are some of the city's finest cultural venues and first-class museums. City Market is one of Raleigh's hottest attractions."
San Antonio Express-News, October 8, 2000
"What makes Raleigh, the capital city, so great for travelers is that it not only has a number of fun family destinations itself, but it is also located in the center of the state, making it the perfect 'base camp' for state exploration. … Whether you're looking for a one-stop vacation destination or a jumping-off point for further exploration, what they say about Raleigh is true: You really CAN see the whole state from here!"
Nashville Parent, September 2000
"North Carolina's capital city is worth a visit any time of year, whether it's your final destination or a stop along your way vacationing at the beach, picking up a child from camp or driving an older child to college."
Washington Parent, August 2000
"Raleigh isn't the sleepy state capital that drew Mayberry's Andy and Barney — it's a worthy tourist destination in its own right. The capital of 'The Tar Heel State' is an artsy-trendy town. The infusion of cash from the Research Triangle, old money, sports and a healthy appreciation of its roots makes for a good mix of contemporary culture and down-home hospitality."
The Sunday Journal (Fairfax, Virginia), June 11, 2000
"When planning a family trip or a weekend getaway, what do you look for? Museums? History? Entertainment? Restaurants? Head to remarkable Raleigh, N.C., and you'll be sure to find it. This city has it all."
AAA Journeys, May/June 2000
"As a die-hard Northeasterner, why head south to take in museums, experience a world premiere ballet and enjoy a different take on fine cuisine? Because, I found out after a whirlwind weekend, Raleigh tries harder. … But two days is enough to convince this city girl that Raleigh is worth a second visit."
Courier-Post of New Jersey, June 4, 2000
"Bones and bronze never seemed more alive than they do now in Raleigh. And they're bringing new vitality to the city as a destination for visitors. … The rest of us don't have to wait to be appreciative of Rodin — or the city where his works now reign. Raleigh is ready for life."
Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 7, 2000
"Sir Walter would be proud. The North Carolina capital city that bears his surname is positioning itself as a major Southeastern cultural mecca this spring. … By then, we were waving our white napkins in surrender to cultural overload and excessive cuisine. Raleigh, we decided, really is a city of plenty."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 30, 2000
"Dubbed the City of Oaks soon after its founding in 1792, Raleigh in spring could just as easily be called the city of redbuds or crape myrtles or Yoshiro cherries. This time of year, balmy temperatures coax into bloom a seas of tulips, azaleas and irises."
The New York Times, April 9, 2000
"And opening this year is North Carolina's new and even more spectacular Museum of Natural Sciences. The ultimate in Raleigh freebies, its star attraction is "The Terror of the South"— a 40-foot-long, 110-million-year-old skeleton of the predatory dinosaur Acrocanthosaurus about to sink its 68 knife-like teeth into a much larger but much gentler sauropod."
Toronto Star, March 4, 2000
"The no-nonsense Robert Weiss of Carolina Ballet insisted on raising enough money to ensure quality. He got both."
The New York Times, January 30, 2000
"You're in love, and you're in North Carolina. What to do? The selection of the 'Romantic North Carolina Hall of Fame' … includes a picnic to the outdoor music or movie screening at the North Carolina Museum of Art."
The State (Columbia, S.C), October 17, 1999
"Raleigh is quickly developing into one of America's most talked-about cities and one of the South's most intriguing, and affordable, visitor destinations … discover many free family attractions, special events and festivals and a seemingly endless array of shopping and dining options."
Gwinnett (GA) Daily Post, September 19, 1999
"Visitors to North Carolina's capital city tend to be more than casual vacationers, simply looking for a place to cool their heels on their way east to the beach or west to the mountains. Instead, most are casing the city as a possible place to live."
Chicago Sun-Times, August 22, 1999
"Raleigh is certainly worth a stop-over to take in at least two of its superb eating houses. Try Angus Barn, now there's a place that is film set in itself. Stretch limos and in-restaurant paging service, singing staff and prawns as big as your head this time. Steaks so large that they look like they should be still grazing the land. And then there's Big Ed's. He serves brains and eggs for breakfast. Most toothsome. And so is the rest of his 'momma's' style cooking. A breakfast like that and the New Orleans-style jazz band playing on the sidewalk just makes you want to have a nice day."
Birmingham Post (United Kingdom), May 8, 1999
"Even (North Carolina's) capital Raleigh seems to have just sprung up from ground recently cleared of freshly felled trees. This is not the America of New York or Los Angeles where rudeness has become an art form. Throughout (North Carolina) a courtesy of the special Deep South variety has permeated every aspect of life."
Belfast Telegraph, May 8, 1999
"Raleigh is one of the fastest growing cities in America and has been described as one of the best places to work, to do business in the US and one of the finest places to live. The golf's not too dusty, either. There are 20 public-access courses in Wake County, of which Raleigh is part, all within a 25-minute radius of downtown."
(United Kingdom's) Golf Monthly, May 1999
"The vibrant capital city of Raleigh, North Carolina, is in the midst of a renaissance that's likely to boost its standing as a vacation destination. … The Triangle offers heaps of southern charm and enough big-city amenities to satisfy everyone."
Woman's Day, April 20, 1999
"Greater Raleigh is at work reinventing its appeal to new and larger groups from Amway conventions to religious convocations. Attracting them is an increased hotel inventory of over 12,000 rooms, a newly-expanded convention center, a new multi-purpose arena and more. "
Facilities & Destinations Magazine, April 15, 1999
"There's nowhere in the southeast where the 'New South' is more visible than in North Carolina's Research Triangle. … The region offers one of the best sites in the United States to conduct business. In terms of weather, the area boasts a four-season climate."
Meetings South, February, 1999
"The cultural diversity and affluence of North Carolina's Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area have proved a powerful magnet for culinary creativity. In this region devoted to science, food is a fine art."
Hemispheres, January 15, 1999
"Raleigh, N.C., is celebrating being named one of the top 10 business cities in the country by Fortune magazine. This 200-year-old city offering some 20 free attractions and the first state-supported art museum in the country will open this year the first children's museum devoted to global learning and awareness (Exploris)."
The Boston Globe, Jan. 10, 1999
"Not long ago, Raleigh was little more than home to the state government. … Then came a renaissance spurred by the Research Triangle and influx of museums and artists. Today, Raleigh is a bustling, thriving cultural center that mixes high-tech energy with Southern charm."
Boston Herald, December 20, 1998
"For those sports travelers wanting to tour on their own and experience a wide variety of activities, Raleigh, North Carolina is an excellent destination. Aside from being the mecca for college basketball, the area supports a number of minor league baseball teams."
Sports Business Journal, November 16, 1998
"Much of the nation thought the state of North Carolina was making a foolish mistake back in 1947 when the General Assembly appropriated $1 million to purchase art [and start the N.C. Museum of Art]. … It was, indeed, an unusual move. But it has turned out to be a wise one that has put us in the forefront of the cultural world."
North Carolina Magazine, November 1998
"The Triangle is Southern and cosmopolitan, laid back and bursting with activity, crazily diverse but somehow intertwined. The Triangle is hillbilly hip. … You can gnaw on pork barbecue and then get a soy milk latte. It's three cities for one low price. As much fun as a weekend in Manhattan, but nothing like it. And a lot cheaper."
The Memphis Commercial Appeal, September 13, 1998
"Raleigh is not the average urban, state capital meetings destination. It is the pulse of North Carolina — a thriving cosmopolitan and cultural mecca; a regional center for business and activity; and a pop culture hot spot. That's why delegates to meetings in Raleigh have at their fingertips one of the South's longest lists of free-time fun and after-hours entertainment."
ConventionSouth, September 1998
"All over the world, people are anxiously awaiting the millennium — the minute the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2000. In Raleigh, N.C., however, meetings and hospitality industry professionals could care less about the millennium. They are waiting for 1999. … Through the end of 1998 and into 1999, the face of hospitality in Raleigh will change completely."
ConventionSouth, September 1998
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