Favorite Places to Explore Nature in Raleigh

Today’s guest post is part of the “Favorite Places to Explore Nature” series and comes from fellow outdoor-loving mama, Melissa of Adventuroo. Her blog is fun, educational, thought provoking and most of all, honest. With two sons under the age of 4, I don’t know where she found the time to write this, but I’m glad she did. Enjoy!

When I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina two and a half years ago, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of “outdoorsiness.” (I put that word in quotes since I made it up). I had never been to Raleigh and all I really knew was that it was tucked between the mountains and the ocean. And that there were three REIs in the area (obsessed much?).

I was pleasantly surprised to find all sorts of great places to explore without even leaving town. Sure there weren’t majestic mountains or sandy beaches, but exploring nature is never more than a short car ride away (if even that).

Here are a few of my favorites spots in and around Raleigh:

Eno River State Park

When I first moved to Raleigh and would ask what the best places to hike were, nearly every person at some point mentioned Eno River State Park. Just a little north of Raleigh in Durham County, Eno River State Park has trails perfect for the little ones. And there’s nothing more interesting to kids than bodies of water so we were happy to hike along the stream.

We also noticed lots of families there setting up picnics by the stream. I’ll have to remember that for next time!

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Who says exploring nature has to be outside? Earlier this year, we became members of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences when Big Roo had his third birthday party there.

Located in downtown Raleigh, the museum is the largest one of its kind in the Southeast. You can see everything from dinosaur bones to life-like exhibits to real turtles and fish. It’s the perfect place for kids because there’s plenty to see, hear and touch. There’s even a special room just for kids to explore. The best part about the museum? It’s free!

Durant Nature Park

Enjoying this park is the perfect way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. There’s a playground, lots of easy trails for kids, a butterfly garden and even a lake that you can swim or canoe in. One of the reasons I love Durant Nature Park is that it’s less than two miles from my house! We can even walk the greenway to get there if we want to.

There are lots of signs throughout the park describing trees or plants which Big Roo really liked. The dog even enjoyed the park, being the water dog that he is. Durant Nature Park was also the home to Little Roo’s first hike when he was six weeks old. As you can see, he was absolutely mesmerized.

I hope if you’re ever in Raleigh that you have a chance to visit one of these great places!

When Melissa isn’t pounding trails or exploring nature with the fam, she blogs over at Adventuroo about playing outdoors and mommyhood. As a mom of two boys under four, she hopes to remain sane enough to take them to the Grand Canyon when they’re a bit older and point out all the cool places she and Daddy used to hike.

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Eno River State Park

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Durant Nature Park

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