What’s New for Visitors to Raleigh, North Carolina
Here’s a list of new venues, activities, museum exhibitions and much more compiled by the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.
BLOCKBUSTER EXHIBITIONS
Rembrandt in America
The North Carolina Museum of Art
Oct. 30, 2011- Jan. 22, 2012
Museum Admission: FREE / Exhibition: $5 – $15
A first in the United States, the North Carolina Museum of Art prepares to welcome the largest collection of original Rembrandt’s to have ever been shown in America. Rembrandt in America gives the public the rare opportunity to explore the history of Rembrandt paintings in America. Bringing together approximately 50 paintings, some of which are autographed by the artist himself, the exhibition offers the public the opportunity to explore the opinions of scholars and collectors as they illustrate what constituted as an autographed Rembrandt, more than a century ago.
http://ncartmuseum.org/exhibitions/rembrandt/
The Story of North Carolina
The North Carolina Museum of History
Apr. 16, 2011- TBA
Museum & Exhibition Admission: FREE
The North Carolina Museum of History presents The Story of North Carolina, a two-part exhibition that details the history of our state in an engaging and exciting display. Part one of this chronological exhibition details the history of North Carolina’s earliest inhabitants through the 1830s. Part two, scheduled to open November 5, tells the most recent stories from our state and will be displayed in a new, 20,000-square-foot exhibit hall.
http://www.visitraleigh.com/visitors/calendar_of_events/event.details.php?id=18866
Genghis Kahn: The Exhibition
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
November 19 – January 16, 2012
Museum Admission: FREE / Exhibition: $8 – $14
While Genghis Khan is famous as the ruthless Mongol warlord who conquered half the known world of the early 13th century, he is also revered as an innovative leader and statesman who brought unity, stability and much more to his people. Join us for a spectacular and uniquely interactive exhibition that tells the amazing true story of Khan – his life, his land, his people, his culture and his enduring legacy. The exhibition highlights a unique collection of more than 200 rare treasures from jewelry and ornaments to musical instruments to sophisticated weaponry made famous by Khan and his warriors. A recent addition to this exhibition is a mummified Mongolian princess from the time of Genghis Khan – along with her wood coffin, fine silk robes, pearl earrings and many other tomb treasures. This exhibition, developed by Imagine Exhibitions Inc., is the largest collection ever assembled of the treasures of the Empire of Genghis Khan, from the Mongolian Ministry of Education, Cultu
re and Science and private collections.
OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS
Contemporary Art Museum (CAM Raleigh)
*Opened April 2011
Raleigh’s newest cultural attraction is the Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh (CAM Raleigh). CAM Raleigh is the state’s first museum to provide the community with a venue solely dedicated to contemporary art and began welcoming its first guest April 29. The CAM is located in downtown Raleigh’s trendy Warehouse District, near the Raleigh Convention Center and planned Union Station Transit Center. The approximately 20,000-square-foot facility is home to three galleries, an educational art space and a host area for exhibitions. Situated in a renovated downtown warehouse, CAM Raleigh is just one of many sites adding to the renovation and revitalization of downtown Raleigh.
http://camraleigh.org/
The Nature Research Center (NRC)
*Opens April 20, 2012
Adding to the Raleigh area’s progressive science scene, The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences prepares to open the Nature Research Center (NRC), it’s new, 80,000 square-foot wing. Featuring research labs, the NRC provides scientist with the necessary tools to conduct research, while providing visitors the opportunity to meet and interact with scientists. Additionally, the NRC houses three Investigate Labs, complete with hands-on activities designed specifically for visitors. And a 10,000-gallon aquarium is sure to impress!
http://naturalsciences.org/nature-research-center
Gregg Museum of Art and Design Gets New Home
*Opens October 2013
N.C. State University is undergoing a $7.5 million project to relocate the university’s Gregg Museum of Art and Design. The Museum will move from the university’s Talley Student Center into a new, free standing LEED Silver-certified facility that will include a renovated 7,000-square-foot chancellor’s house and a new 16,7000-square-foot wing.
Morrisville History Center Opens
The Town of Morrisville recently opened the Morrisville History Center, which details the history of Morrisville during the Civil War. The Center, located in the lobby of Town Hall, features several exhibits which recount the Town’s story during the 1865 Battle at Morrisville Station.
EVENTS AND FESTIVALS
Hopscotch Music Festival
September 8-10, 2011
Venues throughout downtown Raleigh
Wristbands: $35 – $80
Three days, 135 bands and 12 music venues makes the second annual Hopscotch Music Festival one of the premier music festivals in the southeast. Homegrown by the Independent Weekly, the Hopscotch Music Festival gives the Triangle something new and noteworthy – an event that celebrates the area’s rich local talent by pairing it with an abundance of amazing national and international bands. Featuring just about every genre imaginable – rock, hip-hop, alt-country, metal and dance, punk, classical, noise, drone, folk and more – the festival offers choices for every type of music fan. Linking 10 venues over three nights, including Friday and Saturday in City Plaza, the city’s premier public space, Hopscotch invites you to enjoy downtown Raleigh in a way you haven’t yet. www.hopscotchmusicfest.com
BugFest!
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
September 17, 2011
Admission: FREE
Open your mind, eyes and mouth to the curious world of bugs. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ annual BugFest! creeps into downtown Raleigh, and as the nation’s largest single-day bug event, BugFest! offers quirky bug-filled fun for adventurous people of all ages. In addition to learning about insects, arachnids, and crustaceans from around the world, BugFest! visitors can even taste them as the main ingredients of the delectable gourmet dishes at Cafe Insecta and the BugFest! critter cook-off. www.bugfest.org
LEGO KidsFest
Raleigh Convention Center
October 7-9, 2011
Admission: $18 – $20
LEGOs – from castles to spaceships and everything in between, the timeless toy that every kid loves to build with brings a giant traveling LEGO expo to the Raleigh Convention Center. This hands-on, educational, all-ages LEGO extravaganza features millions of LEGO bricks not to mention lots of construction zones, dozens of life-sized LEGO models and displays, LEGO Universe and LEGO Games, group builds such as Creation Nation and the Mystery Mural, live LEGO Master Builders, and so much more covering three acres of space.
NC State Fair
NC State Fairgrounds
October 13-23, 2011
Admission: $8 admission; ride books extra
Deep fried corn might be one of the most normal culinary delights found at the annual NC State Fair, North Carolina’s largest annual event and the nation’s largest agricultural event welcoming more than one million fair-goers a year. Fair rides, games, agricultural displays and competitions are just part of the fair experience. This year’s unique flavor combinations include: Krispy Kreme Burgers, Kool Aid Pickles and Chocolate Covered Bacon. www.ncstatefair.org
TRAVEL BUZZ
The Umstead Hotel and Spa Receives Prestigious Awards
For the fifth consecutive year The Umstead Hotel and Spa is proud to announce it has received the AAA Five Diamond Award, one of North America’s most respected symbols of excellence in the hospitality industry and the highest honor bestowed by AAA. The Umstead Hotel and Spa, which has received the AAA Five Diamond Award annually since 2007, is nestled on 12 acres of lakeside grounds and celebrates a passion for artful public spaces. With southern sophistication and hospitality, the property invites guests to relax completely at the plush Umstead Spa and indulge in the artful, refined American cuisine of chef de cuisine Steven D.Greene at its signature restaurant Herons.
The Umstead Hotel and Spa was also listed as one of the Top Ten Hotels in North America by Travel + Leisure Magazine.
The Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Receives AAA Four Diamond Award
The Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel received the Four Diamond ranking from AAA and was named Marriott International, Inc’s 2010 Hotel of the Year. The Raleigh hotel was selected from more than 60,000 properties nationwide to receive the highly prized AAA Four Diamond ranking. The Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel joins Cary’s The Umstead Hotel and Spa in receiving the diamond status.
AROUND TOWN
visit Raleigh Gets a Bite of the Apple
A guide to all things “Greater Raleigh” is in the palm of your hand with the new visit Raleigh iPhone app. The app is the smartest way to make the most of a visit to the area (and will prove quite handy for newcomers as well as locals). Get on-the-go access to updated events, deals, destination videos, accommodations, restaurants and things to do. Either see all the Wake County listings, or see just the listings closest to your GPS location. The Greater Raleigh CVB is providing the app free of charge to all iPhone users (and remember that the visitRaleigh.com mobile site launched in February to aid on-the-go visitors who aren’t using the iPhone platform).
Rodin iphone App at the NC Museum of Art
The North Carolina Museum of Art launches its first official iPad app with the release of “Rodin.” The free mobile application, which is now available on the iTunes App Store, allows users to virtually experience the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation’s generous gift of 30 sculptures by French artist Auguste Rodin. Featuring high-resolution images, a 30-minute documentary video and commentary by Curator of European Art David Steel and Director Lawrence Wheeler, the application allows users to engage with the art in an entirely new way. The NC Museum of Art is home to the most extensive collection of Rodin sculpture between Philadelphia and the West Coast. Featuring works from all phases of the master’s career which are beautifully installed both indoors and out, the collection offers visitors the opportunity to experience the depth and breadth of Rodin’s formidable genius.
RALEIGH ACCOLADES
Raleigh Gets Two ‘Twos’ From Forbes’
In less than one week’s time, Raleigh received two “twos” from Forbes.com’s “best of” list. Forbes.com ranked the Capital City number two on its list of “The Next Big Boom Towns in the U.S.,” and just six days later Raleigh again placed tops on the list when it ranked second on the website’s list of “America’s Best Cities for Young Professionals.”
Raleigh Makes Other Cities ‘Green With Envy’
The Triangle region of the Greater Raleigh area was ranked as the second-fasted growing region for green jobs by the Brookings Institution. With nearly 17,000 clean economy jobs in 2010, Raleigh saw a 13.7 percent increase in green sector jobs from 2003. North Carolina boasts the nation’s 11th largest statewide green economy, and the Triangle had the 30th largest regional green economy.
Raleigh Ranked Among Top 15 Cities for Job Growth
Raleigh was ranked 14th on Joel Kotkin’s list of 2011 Best Cities for Job Growth. Topping cities such as Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Austin for quality of life, Raleigh outperformed each of these cities in population growth and educational attainment and boasted a better median household-to-cost-of-living ratio than each city except Boston. Raleigh also outperformed New York City and Philadelphia in unemployment rate.
Raleigh Ranked Among Top 25 Mid-Sized Cities
Raleigh was ranked 21st on American Style Magazine’s list of Top 25 Mid-Sized Cities. Known for its big-city energy and small-town accessibility, it’s no surprise that Raleigh ranks tops, ranking higher than cities such as Cleveland, St. Louis and Cincinnati.
GQ Magazine Calls Raleigh a ‘Cool City’
GQ Magazine named Raleigh to its list of The Coolest Small Cities in America. Noted for its great downtown hang outs like Poole’s Downtown Diner and the Raleigh Times Bar, Raleigh is quickly making a name of itself as a great, little big city.
The Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau, as the official destination marketing organization of Raleigh and Wake County, accelerates sustainable economic growth and development by increasing visitor and convention business.
For all the info:
August 16, 2011
Posted in: United States East