Category: Leisure
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Travel Editors Go Nuts Over Raleigh's New Year's Party
Would you believe that the way we celebrate in Wake County has earned us national attention? It’s true.
TripAdvisor, which hosts the world’s largest travel community, came out with a listing last year from its editors and travelers that ranked First Night, the annual downtown Raleigh celebration, as one of the top 10 New Year’s Eve celebrations in America. Actually, it was among the top 10 “quirkiest” ones, but we do not think it’s too odd.
Really, what is so unusual about having a giant, 1,250-pound copper acorn drop in Moore Square to show the changing of the year? The acorn is appropriate for Raleigh, as it is known as the City of Oaks. And Moore Square is in the heart of our artistic district. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Seriously, this celebration has been going on for nearly 20 years, and people across the Triangle have made it a beloved tradition in the area. It is fun, safe, family friendly (children under 5 are admitted free, and they have a special activities to enjoy that afternoon as well), and it offers music, comedy, dance, and stage shows in two dozen downtown locations – even transportation on the Raleigh tram and a horse-drawn sleigh that goes around the Capitol. How can you beat that?
Efforts like this, to go beyond what is typically expected, have helped define Wake County as a unique place in North Carolina. Events such as First Night Raleigh are the reason why businesses and their employees look forward to relocating and staying here.
Admission is $9 in advance, otherwise it is $12 for adults and $10 for children 6-12. For more details on First Night Raleigh – one of the top 10 events in the nation, remember that – visit http://www.firstnightraleigh.com/home.html.
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Wake County - A Golfer's Haven
Many people think of Southern Pines when you say the world “golf” in these parts, but you do not need to drive an hour or so south of Wake County to have a good time on the links. There are more than 20 courses available within Wake’s borders for duffers. Here are some notable ones:
Prestonwood Country Club
Consisting of three 18-hole, championship-level courses (Fairways, Highlands and Meadows), this has long been Wake’s biggest (and some would argue best) facility for golf play. Located in Cary off High House Road, this hosts the annual SAS Championship tournament as part of the PGA Champions Tour.
Lonnie Poole Golf Course at N.C. State University
Designed and developed by famed golfer and North Carolina native Arnold Palmer, this facility opened this summer after two years of construction. Located on the southwest corner of N.C. State’s Centennial campus, the par-71 course tips out at an impressive 7,358 yards. The Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research held its annual celebrity golf classic tournament here in August.
The Raleigh Country Club
Arnold Palmer played several rounds at this course while in college. Established in 1948, this club has hosted professional tournaments on its challenging yet beautiful 18-hole course, located at 400 Donald Ross Drive in Raleigh. It claims to have the largest golf-teaching facility in the county.
Hasentree Golf Course
This was the first Wake County course certified with the Audubon Silver status, a designation from Audubon International that the course operates in an environmentally friendly manner. Located in Wake Forest, it features a course designed by Tom Fazio that includes a challenging 88 bunkers.
A listing of many other Wake golf courses can be found here. Wherever you wind up playing, have fun and good luck. -
Home for the Holidays in Wake County
With the holiday season approaching, we would like to remind you that there are plenty of ways to celebrate without leaving the area. Here is a sampling by upcoming special days:
Halloween
Cary is offering scary movies at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre through Friday, Oct. 30, for $3 per adult and free for kids under 12. On Oct. 30, Zebulon Community Center hosts “Trunk or Treat” for kids in the early evening, while the “Family Fall Day Festival” occurs Oct. 31 at Michael Blake’s Garden Center and Gift Shop in Knightdale before evening of trick-or-treating begins. Some Halloween-related activities also take place Oct. 31 at Fuquay-Varina’s “Day in Downtown” and Holly Springs’ “HollyFest”.
Thanksgiving
For those who want to dine out rather than eat in, in Raleigh Margaux’s Restaurant and the Angus Barn offer buffets. Reservations are recommended for both. A less pricey option is the K&W Cafeteria buffet at Cameron Village in Raleigh.
Christmas
The many activities include the Centennial Community Christmas Gala in Wake Forest and the Historic Oakwood 2009 Candlelight Tour. There will be Christmas parades held in downtown Raleigh (it’s held early, before Thanksgiving on Nov. 21), Fuquay-Varina and Zebulon (both Dec. 6). For eating out lunch or dinner Christmas day, the Irregardless Café is open in Raleigh.
New Year’s Eve
For New Year’s Eve, there is the big acorn drop in Raleigh as well, but we will tell you more about that when we approach that date. For now, enjoy the merriment and learn why Wake is not just a great place to do business, but take it easy as well. -
Our Rich Cultural Heritage
The cultural advantages of living in North Carolina’s Wake County are as rich and robust as just about anyone could desire. From performing arts to museums to arts festivals to educational or business opportunities for artists and designers, the Triangle’s offerings are among the nation’s best.
Every year, the Raleigh Arts Festival is celebrated in downtown Raleigh, drawing thousands of participants -- visual artists, performers, volunteers, sponsors, and patrons. North Carolina boasts the first local arts council in the nation and the first state-supported symphony and museum of art. If you want to see the nation’s largest art museum park, come to the North Carolina Museum of Art which features paintings and sculpture representing more than 5,000 years of artistic heritage from ancient Egypt to the present.
North Carolina Theatre strengthens the cultural vitality of our region, producing outstanding professional Broadway musicals and developing the next generation of artists through youth training, performance and outreach programs.
Because of escalating production prices and the movement of manufacturing offshore, the textile and apparel industries -- once a staple of the North Carolina economy -- have suffered during the past decade. The upside is that today there is a region-wide industry trend toward producing more technically advanced products through fields such as nanotechnology or other knowledge-based approaches.
For instance, Tumbling Colors is a Raleigh-based business whose research and development supports big name designers with worldwide reputations. The N.C. Dept of Commerce says that graduates of the company’s student internship program, in partnership with N.C. State, have gone on to careers in the fashion industry in New York, London and Hong Kong.
ArtBistro.com named Raleigh-Cary the #5 Top City for Designers and Artists in May 2009. And in its April 2009 issue, American Style Magazine recognized Raleigh as a Top Arts Destination among Mid-Size Cities.
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More Cuisine Options Than Ever
With more than 600 restaurants to choose from in Raleigh alone, Wake County offers a variety of dining to suit the most discriminating palate. Our municipalities boast numerous ethnic restaurants -- from American, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Southern Soul to Vietnamese and everything in between.
But our region is especially known for its classic barbecue -- chopped pork with a vinegary, spicy sauce, pulled from a whole hog that has been pit-cooked over charcoal and wood.
Travel + Leisure magazine’s list of 50 Best New U.S. Restaurants 2009 names “The Pit” in Raleigh among its choices. The Pit is one of the best places you can go to for authentic North Carolina barbecue. Praised by The New York Times, Gourmet Magazine, and Bon Appetit, The Pit was established by North Carolina’s legendary pit master, Ed Mitchell, in a former meatpacking warehouse.
Listing the “Best Burgers in the Country,” Food Network Magazine hit the road to find the one burger you absolutely have to try in every state. In North Carolina, they settled on the Raleigh Times Burger at the Raleigh Times Bar.
It’s not just the food that’s great here. In selecting their top restaurants, Travel + Leisure said, “We gravitated toward spots that offered us warmth and a sense of human connection.”
That’s us, all right. Y’all come visit. You just might end up staying.
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Wake Forest Monitoring How Big Projects Turn Out
In her State of the Town address Feb. 16, Wake Forest Mayor Vivian Jones said that in regard to future growth, “We’re just going to try and sit back and look at where we are and make sure our finances are coming in properly and try to make sure we are just keeping everything stable.” Considering how quickly Wake Forest has expanded (in August 2007, Forbes magazine ranked Wake Forest as 20th among the country's fastest-growing suburbs between 2000 and 2006), her cautious approach is understandable.
Wake Forest is spending about $25 million right now, according to Jones, including a new town hall under construction, more than $5 million worth of improvements to Franklin Street, its main road, and a plan to promote ridership on the town’s new bus service. For a town of some 27,000 residents, those are ambitious activities.
At the same time, state and local officials are working on ways so that traffic improves on heavily traveled U.S. 1, which bypasses Wake Forest as it runs north-south between Raleigh and Interstate 85. The construction a few years ago of Interstate 540 just south of the border between Raleigh and Wake Forest has made it easier to live in Wake Forest and work in other parts of the Triangle with this new access.
In her address, Jones made sure to note that the town’s slowdown, “steady-as-she-goes” approach does not mean Wake Forest has any plans to cut back on services or programs. In fact, more new businesses are arriving or planning to open shop this year. But with so much occurring, the mayor said she felt it is prudent to take a breather and assess what has been done and where Wake Forest wants to go from here, particularly to keep its small-town feel.
For more information about Wake Forest’s plans for the future, see this News & Observer article.
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Holly Springs Keeps On Growing Distinctively
If there was any doubt that Holly Springs has moved up its status in Wake County these last few years from being just a small town – and it definitely has – it was erased on Jan. 15, 2009. That was when Novartis Vaccines announced it had a $486 million, eight-year contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the design, construction, validation, and licensing of U.S. cell-based influenza vaccine manufacturing facilities in the town.
That’s the latest good news for Holly Springs, which has doubled in size since the 2000 Census to nearly 20,000 residents. Its growth is rather remarkable given that its one main access road is NC 55 between Apex and Fuquay-Varina in the southwest corner of the county. But despite the town’s being somewhat off the beaten path, many people have found it to be worth the effort to get to visit.
Its appeal is similar to that of its neighboring communities – small-town charm combined with big-city convenience and activity. Regarding the latter, the Holly Springs Cultural Center schedules indoor and outdoor art shows and performances regularly. It collaborates with other local art establishments to host the Art After Dark event downtown the second Friday of each month.
At the same time, its citizens are acutely aware of encouraging and managing their growing population. The Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce holds an occasional Government and Business Relations Breakfast for its members to meet community and county leaders to discuss economic issues.
Still, the biggest opportunity remains Novartis, which no doubt will create hundreds of jobs in the area. That can be a challenge for a community to handle, but Holly Springs has accommodated explosive growth with ease this last decade or so, and all indications are that the “fastest growing town in North Carolina,” as one publication called it, is ready for its bright future.
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Knightdale - Gateway to Many Places
Knightdale used to be known as the first town you encountered outside of Raleigh when heading east towards Wilson, Greenville, Rocky Mount or the Outer Banks. But within the last five years, with the U.S. 64 Bypass in place, and Interstate 540 having completed its final north/east exit at the outskirts of town, people who formerly sped past the town’s stoplights for other points now are taking the time to re-examine a less-congested community with excellent access to virtually all major parts of Wake County. It is just a half-hour drive without stoplights from Knightdale to Research Triangle Park.
Though it only surpassed 10,000 residents over the past year (according to town estimates), Knightdale is expected to grow nearly four times that amount by 2025. Nearly three-fourths of homeowners live on their properties, and the median family income is around $62,000, making it more attractive for people to work and reside in the town.
Knightdale is planning for growth as well. Though its corporate limits are just a little more than 6 miles at present, its extraterritorial jurisdiction covers nearly 8 more square miles. It already borders Raleigh to the west for a short span, but there is plenty of room every other direction for Knightdale to expand.
The town has its own chamber of commerce, regional library, six public schools and more than 100 local businesses and business franchises, including dozens of attractions designed for children. Though Knightdale has increased its population from five times what it was in 1990, making it one of the top 10 fastest-growing communities in North Carolina, it has developed a sewer system connected to Raleigh that makes it ready to handle all new businesses and residents.
Knightdale truly is the gateway to more than just eastern North Carolina from the Triangle.
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Wake County a Leader in Business Recycling
If you lead or work for an environmentally conscious company and wonder how your recycling practices will be impacted by a move to Wake County, relax. Wake is one of the state’s leaders in proactive business recycling programs.
The main decision you must make is whether you will hire a private hauler to collect materials or haul them yourself to a recycling drop-off that accepts materials from businesses. For the former, there is a list of firms that hold a required Solid Waste Hauler’s Privilege License to handle recyclables in Wake. Collection costs vary, so check to see which of them offers your business the best deal for your needs in picking up recycling.
If you choose the other option, there are two recycling facilities, one in Raleigh for northern Wake and the other in Apex for southern Wake, which accept everything from telephone books to large appliances. You may not need this process or a private hauler, however, if you are in a multi-tenant office building or complex that already has a recycling program in place.
Also, if your company is involved in construction and demolition (C&D) debris, including lumber, drywall, metals, masonry (brick, concrete, etc.), carpet, plastic, pipe, rocks, dirt, paper or cardboard - you must recycle it, as any waste load with more than 10 percent C&D debris is subject to Wake County’s Construction & Demolition Surcharge Ordinance.
Whatever the situation, do not hesitate to examine what is in place and consider improvements. Every year Wake County Solid Waste Management accepts Commercial Waste Reduction Grant applications of up to $100,000 for businesses that start, expand or improve their waste reduction and/or recycling programs. That can be a real money saver.
Recycling is good for the local economy and the environment. It is another reason why Wake is one of the fastest-growing counties for business in the nation.
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Apex a Top Community in Wake County
They call the town Apex because at 500 feet above sea level, its train depot in the late 1800s was the highest elevation of any stop along the old Chatham Railroad line between Richmond, Va. and Jacksonville, Fla. But plenty of its more than 30,000 residents will tell you that the train depot is not the only high spot for Apex.
Located along N.C. 55 (which heads north to Research Triangle Park) between U.S. 64 and U.S. 1 (both of which head northeast to Cary and Raleigh), Apex is a growing bedroom community that supports more local businesses every year. It has managed to maintain its small town character in the face of development by creating bypasses around its vibrant downtown area, including one for the heavily-traveled N.C. 55.
Its efforts to preserve the past while preparing for the future have impressed outsiders. In 2007, Apex was named the 14th Best Place to Live among America’s small towns by Money Magazine. It was the highest-ranked community in North Carolina on the list.
Indeed, Apex provides an excellent mixture of the quaint and the modern. For example, it has convenient access to all points of the Triangle on major highways, yet quiet, longtime residential neighborhoods are bountiful. Businesses that favor tradition or innovation will find equal welcome here, as both are encouraged and cultivated. That approach has helped make Apex one of the fastest-growing towns in North Carolina throughout the last decade.
By the way, its 1800s railroad stop is preserved in downtown and is included on the National Register of Historic Places as one of the best examples of an intact, turn-of-the-century railroad town. Locals say it is just another reason why Apex lives up to its motto of “The Peak of Good Living.”