Local Information

^{All travel times are approximate driving times from the Raleigh Convention Center (500 S. Salisbury St.). A handful of venues are an easy walk from the conference and marked with a red asterisk(*).}

• North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences^*
  The largest natural-history museum in the Southeast — free admission, four floors of exhibits.
  ^{(walkable from the convention center, ~10 min)}

• North Carolina Symphony — Meymandi Concert Hall^*
  The state symphony, performing in Meymandi Concert Hall inside the downtown Performing Arts complex.
  ^{(walkable from the convention center, ~10 min)}

• Carolina Ballet^*
  Professional ballet company performing downtown at the Performing Arts complex.
  ^{(walkable from the convention center, ~10 min)}

• North Carolina Museum of History^*
  History museum on the downtown mall — free admission.
  ^{(walkable from the convention center, ~12 min)}

• North Carolina Museum of Art
  Free-admission art museum with a renowned permanent collection and a 164-acre outdoor art park with walking trails.
  ^{(~10 min)}

• Nasher Museum of Art
  Duke University’s modern and contemporary art museum in Durham.
  ^{(~30 min)}

• DPAC — Durham Performing Arts Center
  One of the busiest theaters in the country — touring Broadway, concerts, and comedy.
  ^{(~30 min)}

• Carolina Theatre of Durham
  Historic 1926 theater showing independent films and live performances.
  ^{(~30 min)}

• Duke Arts (formerly Duke Performances)
  Duke’s presenter of music, dance, and theater across campus venues in Durham.
  ^{(~30 min)}

• Ackland Art Museum
  UNC–Chapel Hill’s art museum, free admission, with a collection of roughly 19,000 works.
  ^{(~35 min)}

• Carolina Performing Arts (UNC–Chapel Hill)
  UNC’s acclaimed presenting series at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill.
  ^{(~35 min)}

• Marbles Kids Museum

• North Carolina State Capitol

• JC Raulston Arboretum
  A 10-acre NC State teaching garden, free and open daily — lovely in October.
  ^{(~10 min)}

• Lonnie Poole Golf Course
  Arnold Palmer–designed course on NC State’s Centennial Campus, open to the public.
  ^{(~10 min)}

• Topgolf Raleigh
  Climate-controlled driving-range bays, food, and drinks — a fun group outing.
  ^{(~15 min)}

• Sarah P. Duke Gardens
  55 acres of landscaped and woodland gardens at Duke in Durham, free admission.
  ^{(~30 min)}

• William B. Umstead State Park
  5,600 acres of forest, lakes, and trails for hiking and biking between Raleigh and Durham.
  ^{(~20 min)}

• American Tobacco Trail
  A 22-mile paved rail-trail for walking, running, and cycling.
  ^{(trailheads ~20–30 min)}

• Cary Tennis Park
  A large public tennis complex in nearby Cary.
  ^{(~20 min)}

• UNC Finley Golf Course
  Tom Fazio–designed university course in Chapel Hill.
  ^{(~35 min)}

• City Market

• Warehouse District

• Pullen Park

• Dorothea Dix Park

• Visit the exhibits and IMAX theater at Marbles Kids Museum.

• Ride the historic carousel at Pullen Park.

• Explore interactive science exhibits at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

• Enjoy outdoor recreation and picnic areas at Dorothea Dix Park.

• Village District

• Crabtree Valley Mall

• NC State Wolfpack
  ACC athletics are adjacent to downtown Raleigh; the football season is in full swing in early October.
  ^{(~10–15 min)}

• Duke Blue Devils
  ACC athletics in Durham — football, soccer, and more during conference week.
  ^{(~30 min)}

• UNC Tar Heels
  ACC athletics in Chapel Hill.
  ^{(~35 min)}

• Durham Bulls
  The famous Triple-A ballclub. Note: the baseball season ends in late September, so no games during the symposium — but the American Tobacco Campus around the ballpark is still a great visit.
  ^{(~30 min)}

^{The mountains and the coast are each 3–4 hours away — best planned as a full day or an overnight before or after the symposium rather than an evening outing.}

• Pinehurst Resort
  Historic golf village and resort, home of the famed Pinehurst No. 2 course.
  ^{(~1 hr 15 min)}

• Wrightsville Beach
  A classic Atlantic beach town just outside Wilmington.
  ^{(~2 hr)}

• Grandfather Mountain
  A Blue Ridge nature preserve famous for its Mile High Swinging Bridge and animal habitats.
  ^{(~3 hr 30 min)}

• Asheville
  A vibrant mountain city known for its arts, food, and craft-beer scene.
  ^{(~3 hr 30 min–4 hr)}

• Biltmore Estate (Asheville)
  America’s largest private home, with grand gardens and a winery.
  ^{(~3 hr 30 min–4 hr)}

• Outer Banks
  Barrier-island beaches, historic lighthouses, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
  ^{(~3 hr 30 min–4 hr)}

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  The most-visited national park in the U.S., with peak fall color in October.
  ^{(~4 hr)}