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Bill Leslie

Bill Leslie's Carolina Conversations

"People are always asking me where to take vacation. What’s a cool place? What’s the most scenic drive?" WRAL News Anchor Bill Leslie attempts to answer those questions and others in his Carolina Conversations blog.

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Red Hot Raleigh

Posted: March 16, 2010

What do you think of Raleigh as a vacation destination? Well, according to one survey Raleigh is the eighth best in the country.

Hotwire.com ranks cities on entertaining and affordable vacations and Raleigh broke the top ten behind Atlanta, Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Denver, Houston and Los Angeles and just ahead of Chicago and Miami. 

Raleigh scored highest on affordability  but also did well in entertainment. 

I know you’ve probably heard the cynics: Raleigh is a great place to live but there’s nothing to do here. What do you think? Does Raleigh sound like an exciting vacation destination? 

Raleigh has some wonderful museums. Dining and nightlife have certainly improved in recent years. We have the Carolina Hurricanes and great college sports. Excellent baseball is close by in the Bulls and Mudcats. We're also a springboard for a splash in the ocean or a hike in the mountains. But is Raleigh truly a destination vacation? I would love to hear your comments.
 

Copyright 2011 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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19 Comments


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Lived in Raleigh all my life. Great place to live? Yeh. Great vacation spot? That's quite a stretch.
Click to view my profile piknowles4
March 16, 2010 7:55 p.m.
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raleigh.......mmmyes great location to find good local beer and women....good college atmosphere.....the lakes are good to fish
Click to view my profile jfizzle
March 16, 2010 6:16 p.m.
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Raleigh is a great place to visit...but would not want to die there..oops..live there I mean
Click to view my profile BraveHeart
March 16, 2010 2:27 p.m.
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Maybe for a long weekend, especially during the spring and fall when there are lots of fairs or festivals going on, but otherwise, what in the world did they use as criteria in their ratings? There's just not that much "vacation" type stuff to do here. We're always trying to come with something new to do when the family comes to visit, and it's not always easy!
pulstar40
March 16, 2010 2:25 p.m.
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Don't see how Raleigh is a vacation spot.
br549znc
March 16, 2010 1:28 p.m.
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I don't see how Raleigh could be a vacation hotspot. As others have noted, the museums are great, but after that . . . what's in Raleigh to make it vacation-worthy? Leaving Raleigh for the beach or the mountains is just that, leaving Raleigh. Taking in a Mudcats or Bulls game - not in Raleigh. It was a real stretch to select Raleigh for this distinction.
Click to view my profile 2thebeach
March 16, 2010 1:10 p.m.
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Perhaps a vacation during the cooler months, or if you have friends or family in Raleigh. My friends from the Boston area are avid ice hockey fans and they say it's difficult to get tickets to Boston Bruins home games. I suggested that they come to Raleigh when the Hurricanes are hosting the Boston Bruins. They could make it a mini-vacation and visit me also. That could be called a "destination vacation." :-)
iamyeary
March 16, 2010 10:53 a.m.
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I haven't always lived here...only in the past decade or so. And no, our family never considered Raleigh as a vacation destination. Maybe a stop-over with better restaurant choices than just fast food, but definitely not a destination.

I think Raleigh would need a lot of changes before it truly became a vacation destination. Improved public transportation would be a good start - but I think that would have to include transportation to other areas in the Triangle (Chapel Hill, Durham).
Click to view my profile justbcauz
March 16, 2010 10:27 a.m.
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I love living here in Raleigh. The Mountains and the beach are great destinations, and we have a ton of great stuff here in the area, but some issues as a vacation destination. In the summertime, a lot of the good stuff goes away. No college sports, no Hurricanes hockey, etc. The museums are great, and the fact they are free is awesome (sans Exploris and Durham Life and Science) but how many days can you go to a museum? How many Bulls or Mudcats game can you go to? I love Raleigh, and perhaps for a short trip it would be great (3-4 days). But a weeklong trip would require at least a day or two in the mountains or beach. My thoughts only...
mindofreason
March 16, 2010 10:07 a.m.
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I have heard that trying to find where the vine is constitues a trip by itself!
HeyYou858
March 16, 2010 9:55 a.m.
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