So since this a travel and adventure blog I thought I would start with the first adventure that Lee and I went on together. This was definitely an adventure for both of us, and it started at the airport. Lee flew into the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. This was the first time we saw each other in 10 years! I have to admit I was very nervous. On the way to the terminal, I said my parking spot over and over again in my head (pro-tip use google maps or another map app program to pin where your car is....or do it the old fashioned way and write it down). During the excitement of seeing Lee I forgot where I had parked my car. We shared our first kiss and held hands for the first time. My shoes also broke so I had to walk through the parking deck barefoot. Thankfully I had an extra pair of shoes in the car.
There is so much to see and do in Raleigh. Lee and I only had a day to spend in this interesting city. I will share with you where we went and what we were able to see. Since we only had a few hours we couldn't see everything. Thanks to Pinterest we found many family-friendly ideas, which were also free or inexpensive. I want to share these hidden gems with you as well.
After breakfast at Denny's (this was our first official meal together) we headed towards the North Carolina Museum of Art (https://ncartmuseum.org/) This museum is free of charge, but donations are encouraged. This museum holds classic and contemporary art and even has some interesting outdoor exhibits. As we walked inside it was a wide opened space. One side held the classic artwork, while the other side held contemporary art. It was interesting to see the difference in artwork throughout the years. My favorite part was the classic religious artwork. Lee enjoyed the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian pottery. The inside part was small, but there was, even more, to see outside.
We meandered along a pathway through the trees. We saw a fascinating whirlygig that spun and turned in the wind. This was made out of some kind of recyclable material. https://ncartmuseum.org/blog/view/return_of_the_whirligig
As we walked along the path we observed a lot of natural things. Along the trail, there were park benches to sit and rest along the way. You would see many people cycling or walking their dogs. We enjoyed looking at the plants and trees along the way.
The most interesting part of the outdoor exhibits was the Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky. This was a hut-like building that was very dark on the inside. There was a hole cut in the roof. When you closed the door the light shone threw the hole casting shadows of the surrounding trees all over the walls and floor of the chamber. This was very fascinating, and probably my favorite thing at the Museum.
After the museum, we ventured to The Prairie Ridge Eco-Station. It was an outshoot of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. There were a nature trail and a small garden with different types of grass and plants. We saw some beautiful butterflies. They had swallowtail houses set up, as well as a bird-watching trail. https://naturalsciences.org/prairie-ridge
Before we headed back to my house we drove to the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. This was by far my favorite part of our day trip. We walked along the sidewalk observing the many different types of plants. We even found an adorable duck pond, with a park bench nestled under some trees. My favorite thing about the gardens was the fact it was a quiet place. You can hear the trees rustle, the ducks quack, and even a turtle splashing. There were several bridges. There was also a gazebo where Lee and I enjoyed some fresh fruit popsicle.
There is so much to see and do in North Carolina's State Capitol. Below are some ideas and links.
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