Author Archives: TriangleExplorer

TriangleExplorer's avatar

About TriangleExplorer

I moved to Raleigh fourteen years ago and enjoy exploring all that the Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill) has to offer. I like to carry a camera with me wherever we go and take photographs of different locations and events. I decided to start this blog to share my pictures and provide a forum for discussing things to do, places to eat, and events going on in the Triangle.

Durant Nature Park ~ North Raleigh’s Hidden Gem

Right now the cold of winter is upon us, but Spring will be here before you know it and people will be headed back outdoors to the many parks and trails in the area. A few years ago I discuvered the Durant Nature Park in North Raleigh. I couldn’t believe this park is just 5 minutes from my house . It truly is an amazing escape from the surrounding suburban area! The park is 237-acres and has 2 small lakes and Five miles of trails to explore. There are different recreational and picnic facilities and open air lodges there and that can be reserved for events like a child’s birthday party. 

While taking the easy 1.5 mile hike around the lake you will likely see deer in the forest and turtles sunning on logs in the lake. Some of the trails are wide have a gravel base while others are more narrow bumpy with lots of roots under your feet, but it is a great place to go for a walk in the woods. This park is very convenient to folks living in Bedford, Falls River, and Durant Trails. Below are a few quick pictures that I snapped while we were there. If you want to read more about the Duran Trails Nature Park and the events offered there check out these links Durant Nature Park | Features and newsobserver.com | Take A Child Outside

Leave a comment

Filed under Parks

The Broad Street Cafe in Durham ~ Great Music and People!

Last night my wife and I made a visit to the Broad Street Café in Durham. Its website describes the café as a “full-service restaurant, bar and entertainment venue”. In many ways the café feels like community anchor as its customer base seems like a great mix of people of all ages. The crowd regularly includes people from older couples, college aged students, to families with young children. We have been to the café before and were really looking forward to grabbing some drinks and catching some live music. They serve many local beers on tap including Raleigh’s own Big Boss brews as well as Durham’s local Triangle Brewery beers. My personal favorite is the Triangle Winter White (a traditional Belgian Wheat Beer). They have a full menu of salads and sandwiches and they specialize in wood fired pizzas that come from a brick oven you can view from the bar.

Broad Street typically has music performances 5 nights a week ranging in styles from bluegrass to Jazz. They have a nice size stage for the performers and seating is spread out enough that you have your choice of being closer to the stage or in the back of the restaurant where you can more easily have a conversation. A regular on Sundays, and performing on the night of our visit was the Aaron Mills Project. A jazz/funk trio group featuring keyboard, drums and Aaron Mills on the electric Bass. Listening to their funky jazz jams was great. Later in the evening they welcome other musicians from the audience to join them onstage to jam so bring your instrument along if you go on a Sunday!

Leave a comment

Filed under Music, Restaurant Reviews

A visit to Glasshalfull Wine Bar in Carrboro

A few weeks ago my wife and I visited Glasshalfull in Carrboro to taste some wines and have lunch. It is located in the center of downtown Carrboro, and includes  a wine bar, wine shop, and restaurant under one roof that combines big-city sophistication with small-town geniality. It is a great place to meet friends for a drink and a bite or a delicious bottle of wine and a full dinner.
This was our first time there and we truly enjoyed it. The have a great selection of wines that you can try in 3 oz or 5 oz glasses or by the bottle.

The food is excellent too.  For lunch I had the Slow-Roasted Porchetta sandwhich on Ciabatta bread. My wife enjoyed the Tuna Confit salad with radishes, cucumbers, braised leeks, and pimnetos. They only serve lunch to 2:30 on Saturday and we arrived on the tail end of that and UNC game was also going on at the same time, so there were not a lot of people there which was kind of nice for a quiet lunch. We tried a variety of their wines too. All of which were excellent. But don’t take my word for it. You can read Greg Cox’ review  on the News and Observer website. For more information about the wine and food they offer check out their website here: Glasshalfull

Leave a comment

Filed under Restaurant Reviews, Wine Tasting

Finding Treaure at the NC State Fairgrounds Flea Market in Raleigh!

Back in 1971, the Stewart family founded the Raleigh Flea Market at the Historic State Fairgrounds with a mere six tables and just a handful of vendors. By the 1980s, the Stewarts had grown the flea market into one of the Triangle’s most popular shopping destinations with nearly 1000 vendors, spanning six buildings and several acres on the fairgrounds campus. The outdoor portion contains many regular vendors selling everything from old books, records, and jewlery to unique furniture pieces and old trunks and other oddities that one might discover while cleaning out the attic. The inside portion of the market contains many antique vendors as well as others selling leather goods, sunglasses, and herbal teas and sea salts among other things.

The Raleigh Flea Market at the NC State Fair Grounds Flea Market  is located at the intersection of Hillsborough Street and Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh. It is open pretty much year round (Except for parts of October / November when the state fair comes to town) I highly recommend checking it out if you come for a visit during the warmer months. It is a great way to spend the late morning or early afternoon before it gets too hot. Lots of great old furniture to check out and great people. I love going there on the weekends to grab a hot dog or ice cream cone and see what treasure I can find! For More Information check out the Flea Market Website

1 Comment

Filed under Markets

Enjoy Wine and Art at Seaboard Wine Warehouse in Downtown Raleigh!

Recently I took an out of town guest to downtown Raleigh last night to check out some art as part of the local “First Friday” celebration. Usually we head to Artspace but decided instead to check out the artwork being featured at the Seaboard Wine Warehouse located in the Seaboard Station next to Logan’s Nursery. I love this wine store because they have agreat selection of wines, friendly staff, and they offer free wine tastings on Saturdays from 12-4 and also sell wine “flights” on Thursday and Friday evenings. They now even have some new tables set up in the tasting bar area where you can relax and drink a bottle of your favorite vino with friends.

Each month Seaboard features the photography or paintings of a local artists. During my most recent visit they were featuring the oil paintings and photography of Annelies Gentile. I highly recommend you check out Seaboard if you are in the downtown area and looking to pick up a great bottle of wine or just looking for something different to do. It is a great way to meet people if you are new to the area. You can read more about the Seaboard Wine Warehouse and its tasting bar and other events on their website here: Seaboard Website

Leave a comment

Filed under Wine Tasting