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Check out these places fellow parents in the Triangle have given an overwhelming thumbs-up!
Kids’ Menu
Red Robin offers the usual favorites, such as macaroni and cheese, pizza, grilled cheese or chicken fingers, but also provides added interest with items such as grilled chicken on a stick and chick-n-cheese quesadillas. In addition to steak fries, side offerings include apple slices, baby carrots, mandarin oranges, side salad or melons. Locations in Apex, Cary, Durham, Raleigh and Wake Forest; www.redrobin.com.
Non-Chain Family Restaurant
Elmo’s Diner is known for its friendly atmosphere, homemade food and community focus. It offers breakfast and lunch all day with an extensive menu of everything from vegetarian tacos, BLTs, burgers and sandwiches to salads and entrees such as salmon and enchiladas. Kids can choose from a wide range of selections, including a turkey sandwich, burger, veggie burger, spaghetti or hot dogs. Side dishes include French fries, applesauce, cottage cheese, fruit cup and warm cinnamon apples. The first Tuesday each month, 10 percent of the day’s sales benefit a local school. 200 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro; 776 Ninth St., Durham; http://elmosdiner.com.
Ethnic Eatery
Neomonde Deli, founded 30 years ago by Lebanese brothers who came to America, serves authentic Mediterranean cuisine. Repeat customers are affectionately known as “Neomande Nuts.” 10235 Chapel Hill Rd., Morrisville; 3817 Beryl Rd., Raleigh; www.neomonde.com.
Pizza Place
Mellow Mushroom serves pizza with a side order of eccentricity. This offbeat restaurant is all about quality and a bit about quirky. The menu offers an eclectic mix of pizzas, hoagies and calzones, with side dishes such as soft pretzels and fried pickles. Triangle locations in Durham, Raleigh and Wake Forest; www.mellowmushroom.com.
Honorable Mention – At Z Pizza, pizzas are made with organic wheat flour prepared fresh every day, hand-thrown and fire-baked. Toppings include organic tomato sauce and MSG-free pepperoni. Gourmet salads and sandwiches are also on the menu. Stone Creek Village, 96 Cornerstone Dr., Cary; 9630 Falls of the Neuse Rd., Raleigh; www.zpizza.com. (Another location is planned at 421 Fayetteville St., Ste. 103, Raleigh.)
Ice Cream/Treats
Goodberry’s always draws a crowd with its frozen custard. The Carolina Concrete is a favorite made by mixing a custard flavor with a variety of toppings. Locations in Raleigh as well as Cary, Durham, Garner and Wake Forest; www.goodberrys.com.
Maple View Farm makes ice cream fresh from its own dairy. The online calendar shows the weekly ice cream specials. Find the creamy treat, as well as fresh milk, at the Country Store at the farm at 3111 Dairyland Rd., Hillsborough. Other Maple View Farm locations: 100 E. Weaver St., Carrboro; 525-A Hampton Pointe Blvd., Hillsborough. A new ice cream shop at 6033 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, also sells the local treat. www.mapleviewfarm.com.
Place for a Picnic
Sarah P. Duke Gardens has more than 5 miles of pathways and plenty of shady areas and grassy spots, making it a popular family destination for picnics as well as children’s programs, including arts in the gardens and story times. 426 Anderson St., Durham; www.duke.edu.
– Pullen Park is a family-friendly destination for picnicking, carousel rides and outdoor fun. The amusement center is closed for renovations until spring 2011 and picnic shelters may not be available for rental due to renovations. 520 Ashe Ave., Raleigh; www.raleigh-nc.org.
Annual Festival or Event
The N.C. State Fair draws more than 800,000 people each fall for food, rides, games, agricultural exhibits, music and more. This year’s event will be Oct. 14-24 at the fairgrounds. 1025 Blue Ridge Blvd., Raleigh; www.ncstatefair.org.
Presented by the Eno River Association, the Festival for the Eno in July features family fun centered on the environmental and cultural connection to the river. This year’s festival, July 3-5, features more than 90 performers on four stages. West Point on the Eno, Durham City Park; www.enoriver.org/Festival.
Area Museum
The Museum of Life and Science in Durham is a favorite that often attracts repeat visitors. The interactive 84-acre science park includes a science center, butterfly conservatory, and outdoor exhibits that house rescued black bears, lemurs and endangered red wolves. The recent addition, a Dinosaur Trail forest path, has life-sized dinosaurs and a fossil dig site. Also offers a farmyard, train rides, playground, sailboat pond and a Play to Learn exhibit for children under 6. 433 W. Murray Ave., Durham; www.ncmls.org.
– N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh is a hands-on museum with ongoing exhibits and special classes and programs for kids. Daily activities and free programs often feature live animals. 11 W. Jones St., Raleigh; www.naturalsciences.org. Marbles Kids Museum is so named because it has a wall that wraps around the museum that is filled with more than one million marbles that light up at night. Marbles also is a nickname for brains. The museum offers hands-on activities to encourage children to learn new things through imagination, discovery, play and larger-than-life IMAX experiences. 201 E. Hargett St., Raleigh; www.marbleskidsmuseum.org.
Rainy Day Outing
Marbles Kids Museum is a top choice for rainy day activities with kids. (See Area Museums for information.) Monkey Joe’s and Bounce U, both indoor play centers with giant inflatables, are other favorite options. Monkey Joe’s has locations at 1747 Walnut St., Cary, and 6220 Glenwood Ave., Ste. 104, Raleigh; www.monkeyjoes.com. Bounce U is at 3419 Apex Peakway, Apex; www.bounceu.com.
Sports Event for Families
Durham Bulls baseball games give families a chance to get outdoors and enjoy AAA professional ball from April through September. Along with watching the game with good eats, families can enjoy kid-friendly activities such as wiffle ball, speed pitch and a kids’ playground. Select games feature fireworks. Games are at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, 409 Blackwell St., Durham; www. durhambulls.com.
Honorable Mention – Carolina Hurricanes hockey features family-friendly activities such as ice bowling or musical chairs. Games at the RBC Center, 1400 Edwards Mill Rd., Raleigh; http://hurricanes.nhl.com.
Place to Take Visitors
Sarah P. Duke Gardens is the top spot to take visitors to the Triangle. (See Place for a Picnic for details.)
Activity/Place That’s Free
N. C. Museum of Natural Sciences is the favorite free place or activity. (See Area Museum for information.)
Day Trip
N. C. Zoo in Asheboro is the nation’s largest walk-through zoo with more than 500 acres of walkways and more than 1,100 animals. Indoor exhibits include the aviary and the Sonora Desert as well as animals such as polar bears and giraffes. KidZone, open seasonally, helps children connect with nature through play. Dora the Explorer, Diego and Boots work to protect the animals of the rainforest in a special 4-D film through November 2010. 4401 Zoo Pkwy., Asheboro; www.nczoo.org.
Place to Walk
Lake Johnson Park in Raleigh offers walkers 3.5 miles of paved, scenic greenway trails and 1.9 miles of unpaved trails. The park includes a large lake and more than 300 acres of surrounding land. 4601 Avent Ferry Rd., Raleigh; www.raleigh-nc.org.
– At William B. Umstead State Park in Raleigh, visitors can choose from 20 miles of hiking trails to enjoy a short stroll along a nature trail or a more extensive hike into the woods. The 5,500-plus-acre park is divided into two sections and is accessible off U.S. 70 in Raleigh, 8801 Glenwood Ave., and I-40 in Cary. www.ncparks.gov. Both parks are also popular for bike riding.
Place to Ride Bikes
Triangle families like to load up their bikes and helmets and head to the American Tobacco Trail to ride on more than 20 miles of rails-to-trails that cross through Chatham, Durham and Wake counties. Trails are gravel and paved. Download a map at the website for mileage, parking and access points; www.triangletrails.org/ATT.HTM.
Park/Playground
Kids Together at Marla Dorrel Park in Cary is a favorite park because of its accessibility for children of all ages and abilities. The 2-acre park has a climbing structure with graduated levels of difficulty, a wheelchair-accessible sand table, a river of sand, a fenced preschool play zone, swings, a shaded picnic area and picnic shelter, and a basketball court. A paved trail connects the park to MacDonald Woods. Restroom facilities include large-sized changing tables and extra room for wheelchairs and strollers. 111 Thurston Dr., Cary; http://kidstogethercary.org.
– Pullen Park is another highly rated park (see Place for a Picnic) along with Bond Park in Cary, a 310-acre park where families can enjoy picnics, play ball on the athletic fields, see a performance in the amphitheatre, walk along the trails, rent a paddleboat or play on the Lazy Daze Playground. 150 Metro Park Dr., Cary; www.townofcary.org.
Fitness Facility
Readers picked YMCAs as their favorite fitness facilities. With locations across the Triangle and programs for children of all ages as well as adults, the YMCAs are dedicated to community and fitness. www.ymcatriangle.org. Lifetime Fitness is another top pick. 1700 Regency Pkwy., Cary; http://clubs.lifetimefitness.com.
Story Time
Public libraries across the Triangle draw patrons for a wide range of exceptional programs, including story times. Check the following websites for a location near you: www.chapelhillpubliclibrary.org, www.durhamcountylibrary.org, www.co.orange.nc.us/library and www.wakegov.com/county/libraries. Barnes & Noble locations in the area also have popular preschool and toddler story times. Triangle locations are in Cary, Durham and Raleigh; www.barnesandnoble.com.
Hands-on Activity Place
The Museum of Life and Science offers top-notch hands-on activities for kids according to local parents.
Honorable Mention – Marbles Kids Museum is also popular as an interactive place where kids can learn and play. (See Area Museum for information on both museums.)
Class/Program for Ages Birth-4
Triangle Salsa Babies and Salsa Tots classes keep moms, babies and toddlers moving while having fun. These Latin dance classes offer fun and fitness for the whole family. Locations in Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary and Raleigh; www.trianglesalsababies.com.
Honorable Mention – The Little Gym also ranks high with a fun fitness program designed to build motor skills while fostering emotional, intellectual and social skills. Locations in Clayton, Durham/Chapel Hill, Holly Springs, Wake Forest, Raleigh/Cary; www.thelittlegym.com.
Class/Program for School Ages
Salsa Kids is similar to Salsa Babies and Salsa Tots, offering Latin dance classes for ages 5-12 (See Class/Program for Ages Birth-4.) The Triangle YMCA also is a favorite for school-aged programs for children. (See Fitness Facility.)
Day Camp
Chestnut Ridge is a forested, scenic location just west of Chapel Hill where campers enjoy all of the usual activities and also focus on worship and the environment. 4300 Camp Chestnut Ridge Rd., Efland; www.campchestnutridge.org. YMCA day camps are a longtime favorite as well. (See Fitness Facility.)
Overnight Camp
Chestnut Ridge is tops with overnight campers. (See Day Camp.)
Honorable Mention – YMCA’s Camp Kanata is an old favorite. Set on 150 rolling, wooded acres outside of Wake Forest, Camp Kanata offers kids from 6 to 15 a wide range of activities including swimming, fishing, canoeing, waterslide, archery, sports, arts and crafts, and instructional horseback riding. 13524 Camp Kanata Rd., Wake Forest; www.campkanata.org.
Track-out Camp
Parents of children in year-round schooling give a big thumbs-up again to the Triangle YMCAs for their track-out camps. (See Fitness Facility for contact info.)
Drop-in Care
Green Kids Drop-In Centers is an hourly child stay-and-play facility. The eco-friendly center was designed specifically with age-appropriate activities for children from 12 months (and walking) to 12 years. Structured and free play encourage kids to develop social, physical and sensory skills. 7011 Fayetteville Rd., Durham; www.greenkidsfun.com. Bounce U (see Rainy Day Outing) is another favorite place for drop-in care.
Party Entertainer
Ted Rablais of Ted’s Twisted Balloons and Magic was voted the top family party entertainer. He twists balloons (as many as 100 for one sculpture) at birthday parties, elementary schools, churches, trade shows and other types of events. Magic tricks are also part of the show. www.tedstwistedballoons.com.
Party Facility
Bounce U tops the list of popular places to have a kid-pleasing celebration.
Honorable Mention – Monkey Joe’s is also a tried-and-true location for parties. (See Rainy Day Outing for both facilities.)
Birthday Cake/Treat
Once in a Blue Moon Bakery’s cakes are top of the list for many parent party planners. The bakery also turns out delicious cookies, pastries, breads and other baked goods fresh every day. If you can’t eat just dessert without feeling guilty, breakast and lunch are served in the café. 115 W. Chatham St., Cary; http://bluemoonbakery.com.
Honorable Mention - Harris Teeter grocery also is a popular local stop for cakes and baked goods. Locations across the Triangle; www.harristeeter.com.
Educational Supply Store
Educators and parents stock up on school supplies at Stone’s Education Superstore. 3800 Tryon Rd., Raleigh; www.stones-education.com.
– A Sea of Learning Parent-Teacher Store is also a top stop for educational products. As a bonus, stop in during one of the story times on Tuesdays. 7001 Fayetteville Rd., Ste. 136, Durham; www.aseaoflearning.com.
Place to Buy Kids’ Clothes
When it’s time for back-to-school clothes shopping, families frequent the Children’s Place or Target. The Children’s Place has clothes for children from infancy to age 14 with locations at Triangle malls in Cary, Durham and Raleigh; www.childrensplace.com. Target stores across the Triangle also are a favorite shopping spot when searching for clothes for kids of all ages. www.target.com.
Place to Buy Maternity Wear
When Triangle moms are expecting, they visit Motherhood Maternity for maternity wardrobe must-haves. Stores are located at malls in Durham and Raleigh; www.motherhood.com. Target (see Place to Buy Kids’ Clothes) also is a favorite for maternity wear.
Place to Buy Teacher Gifts
Target (see Place to Buy Kids’ Clothes) and Hallmark stores across the area are popular places to pick up teacher gifts as well. www.hallmark.com.
Consignment Store
Kid 2 Kid is an upscale children’s and maternity resale store where parents earn cash on the spot for kids’ clothing, baby equipment, toys and maternity wear. 430 Crossroads Blvd., Cary; 1059 Beaver Creek Commons Dr., Apex; http://kidtokid.com.
Honorable Mention – The Red Hen in Carrboro also is a favorite local consignment store. 201 Weaver St., Carrboro; http://theredhen.com.
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