Guest Author - Kimberly Button

With the cost of gas and food, do you ever find yourself arriving at a vacation destination with nothing left in your travel budget to actually do anything. Well, there’s good news. A visit to Raleigh, NC is a guaranteed wallet-friendly destination, and with over 20 fun and free attractions in the city, a budget-minded vacation doesn’t have to mean boring.

The North Carolina Museum of History has over 250,000 artifacts that represent over 600 years of historical achievements in the state. A majority of the exhibits rotate throughout the year. Visit www.ncmuseumofhistory.org or phone (919) 807-7900 for more information.

Also located within the North Carolina Museum of History is the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame showcases memorabilia from notable sports personalities who are in some way tied to North Carolina. Many inductees are nationally known, such as Donald Ross, Richard Petty, and Arnold Palmer. Visit www.ncshof.com or phone (919) 852-4396 for more information.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is the largest natural history museum in the Southeast. The museum’s central focus is the massive Mountains to the Sea exhibit, complete with five North Carolina habitats with live animals, a 20-foot tall indoor waterfall representing the mountains, and giant whale skeletons representing the coastal portions of the state. There are popular dinosaur exhibits in the museum, too, as well as the world’s only dinosaur with a fossilized heart. Visit www.naturalsciences.org or phone (877) 462-8724 for more information.

The North Carolina Museum of Art has over 5,000 pieces of artwork, including work from the ancient Americas, Africa, Europe, the Oceanic islands and Egypt as well as modern and contemporary art. The museum also has one of only two galleries in the nation devoted to Jewish ceremonial art. Visit www.ncartmuseum.org or phone (919) 839-6262 for more information.

Two of Raleigh’s parks, Shelley Lake and Lake Johnson, allow visitors to borrow a fishing rod and reel for free through the Fishing Tackle Loaner Program which encourages everyone to enjoy the outdoors. Phone (919) 420-2331 for Shelley Lake and (919) 233-2121 for Lake Johnson.

Plants from 55 countries around the world are brought to the JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University to determine how well they can adapt to the Southern environment. Over 6,000 plants and trees can be enjoyed throughout the gardens, including over 100 different kinds of magnolias, a peaceful Japanese garden and the world’s only collection of dwarf loblolly pines. Visit www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum or phone (919) 515-3132 for more information.

While you’re visiting North Carolina’s state capital, you might be interested in exploring the buildings where North Carolina’s laws have been argued and passed. Visitors are welcome to tour both the North Carolina State Capitol, which has been restored to its original 1840s appearance, as well as the State Legislative Building. Visit www.ncstatecapitol.com or phone (919) 733-4994 for more information about the State Capitol. For the North Carolina State Legislative Building, visit www.ncleg.net or phone (919) 733-7928 for more information.

The Historic Oak View County Park, a 19th century farm, has an 1855 Greek Revival farmhouse and a Farm History Center which explains the state’s agriculture industry from colonial times to the present. A cotton museum, herb garden and the oldest pecan groves in the state round out the education component of a visit to the park. Visit www.wakegov.com/locations/oakview.htm or phone (919) 250-1013 for more information.

The Ray Price Legends of Harley Drag Racing Museum is located at one of the largest Harley-Davidson dealerships in the U.S. Named after drag-racing champion Ray Price, this is the only Harley-Davidson drag racing museum in the world. The showroom with exhibits from legends in the drag-racing field will definitely peak your interest in hopping on a bike and heading for the nearest open road. Visit www.rayprice.com/racing-mus.htm or phone (919) 832-2261 for more information.



Kimberly Button is the author of The Disney Queue Line Survival Guidebook, the only Walt Disney World® Resort theme park guidebook that features scavenger hunts, trivia questions, word puzzles and hidden Mickey searches tailored to each attraction to alleviate boredom while standing in lines. For more information and to read an excerpt, visit www.disneysurvivalguide.com