Sports & Recreation

Sports

When it comes to spectator sporting events, Raleigh has an embarrassment of riches. For full disclosure, this is ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Country where collegiate powerhouses NC State, Duke and Carolina battle each other in various sports pretty much year round. A word of caution, be prepared to answer "Who's Your Team" and remember, sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Regardless of your response, just remember, the Fall brings tailgating with friends at area football stadiums. The Winter is time for trash talking with friends and family about the best basketball teams. Baseball is a great spring and summer pastime. And again, that’s just the college side of things.

For professional sports, the NHL Carolina Hurricanes have done something previously thought impossible. They have brought together fans from Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill together to cheer for the same team. And no one will ever forget, during the Canes Stanley Cup championship season, in game 7 when we so desperately needed to win, not a single fan sat during the game. You simply don’t find that kind of energy elsewhere.

The Durham Bulls and Carolina Mudcats are the Triangle’s boys of summer. These professional baseball teams, triple-A and single-A respectively, give residents access to top-notch talent at a family-friendly price. Additionally, the Carolina Railhawks, a professional soccer squad, has seen tremendous growth in support in the few seasons they’ve played in the area.

Recreation

For those not content to just sit on the sidelines, Raleigh has dozens of ways to get out and build up a sweat. The City is nationally recognized for its parks. And its greenway trails stretch from one edge of the city to the other, allowing people to easily ride, walk or run from downtown through the grounds of the NC Museum of Art and Umstead State Park all the way to RDU airport. Public and private courses await hackers and scratch golfers alike. And for those with an interest in golf royalty, the world-famous Pinehurst resort is just an hour south. And then there are the lakes. Falls Lake, Lake Johnson, Lake Wheeler, Jordan Lake, Harris Lake, Lake Benson. Whether you like to wet a line, wakeboard, swim or watch birds, there are a range of options to be sure you never get bored.