Here’s some visitors information for those of you who haven’t been to our beautiful city before.

We are pleased to be working with the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau to welcome guests to WordCamp Raleigh and to our city. The GRCVB have provided us with lots of information for you our guests and their website www.visitraleigh.com has lots more information.

Raleigh has much to offer any visitor – from great food and world-class museums, to boutique shopping and beautiful parks and gardens. Raleigh is known as the “City of Oaks” because of the high concentration of green space in and around the city. It has an unmistakable southern charm and the history of the area is visible everywhere.

Outside of Raleigh there are 11 fascinating cities and towns that make up the Greater Raleigh area. Each has its own personality and charm, the historic downtown areas and tree-lined streets are some of the best in the state.

There is an abundance of parks and lakes in the area offering scenic walks and recreational activities for all ages both on the land and on the water. The J.C. Raulston Arboretum on the North Carolina State University campus is especially beautiful with over 8 acres and 5,000 species of plants, shrubs and trees on display.

Raleigh is also well-known as a sports city. The city is home to the Carolina Hurricanes National Hockey League Team and winners of the Stanley Cup in the 2005-06 season. The Carolina Railhawks Football Club play out of the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary which is one of the premier soccer complexes in the United States.

North Carolina State University is the home of the NC State Wolfpack which boasts an active and very successful NCAA sports program including the NC State Football Team, ACC Mens Basketball and Womens Basketball Teams. And of course if you’re a college basketball fan then everyone knows that Duke and UNC find their homes here in the Triangle making this the hub for college basketball.

If culture is what you seek then Raleigh has a plethora of museums and performing arts. The NC Museum of Art has just re-opened after receiving a $138 million expansion featuring new galleries and public spaces including 23 Rodin sculptures. There is also the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, the NC Museum of History, and the Marbles Kids Museum.

The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts is home to the Carolina Ballet, the North Carolina Symphony, and the North Carolina Theatre. There is also The Opera Company of North Carolina, the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild, and the North Carolina Master Chorale in downtown Raleigh.

For more information and ideas of things to do in and around Raleigh go to www.visitraleigh.com

For a full calendar of events click here.

We hope you enjoy your visit to Raleigh, the City of Oaks!