24 Hours in Raleigh North Carolina | Dog-Friendly Travel Guide

A few weekends ago Zach, Navy, and I traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina for a night. There really is so much to do in Raleigh. From food and drinks, to music and sports, Raleigh has it all! It has been years since I’ve last traveled to Raleigh, and Zach and I have been wanting to return with Navy. I know we definitely have a few ambitious travel goals for 2019, but seeing as though Raleigh, NC is only a 4 hour drive south from DC, it was completely doable for a weekend trip.

Before Zach, Navy, and I packed our bags and departed, we asked our online audience for suggestions, and boy did we get a lot! (Well, it looks like we will need to make a long weekend trip back to Raleigh!) One of our local blogger friends Carly Bragg, the Nutrition Lifestylist, recently visited Raleigh for a weekend. We took quite a few ideas from her blog post when planning where to eat and drink for this trip.

WHERE WE STAYED

Aloft Raleigh

Does it surprise you? As we’ve mentioned multiple times, Aloft hotels are one of our favorite dog-friendly hotel chains. Can you blame us? As soon as we checked in with Navy she was greeted with love from the staff. The receptionist even called the manager down to meet Navy as well. They brought her treats and a little Aloft Frisbee.

WHERE WE ATE

Raleigh Beer Garden

As Carly discussed in her post, our visit to Raleigh Beer Garden was also the highlight of our short trip. This beer garden has the longest list of beers available you’ve ever seen (seriously though, they hold a Guinness World Record for it).

Flying Biscuit Cafe

The restaurant was a short walk away from our hotel and NC State campus. If you decide to go for breakfast expect a long line. But don’t let that turn you away! We only waited about 15 minutes for a table on the patio sit and dine with Navy. I am not normally a biscuit kinda gal, but the biscuits and jam made the short wait worth it.

There is also a dog bakery just a few doors down from the restaurant. Unfortunately we weren’t able to visit this time; it was closed for a private pug meetup (which was absolutely adorable to watch from outside the store!).

Jubala Coffee

Our Raleigh native friends highly recommended we visit Jubala Coffee which is conveniently located below the Aloft. We grabbed iced coffee to go, but I wish we could have spent a few minutes to sit down outside and enjoy their famous biscuits or waffles with our coffee

Morgan Street Food Hall

Our friends, and I guess you can say family(?) @Kermitthecardi met us at the Morgan Street Food Hall Saturday evening. The hall had a ton of options to choose from–perfect for picky eaters. Zach and I ended up getting tacos and scrambled to find an open table outside–as soon as you see one, claim it! Navy and Kermit had a blast running around and wrestling under the table.

Soca Raleigh

Before we traveled back north to DC, we stopped by Soca Raleigh for lunch. The ambiance on the outdoor patio was absolutely lovely. I would love to return some day and dine under the terrace and string lights in the evening. The cuisine was pretty unique as well. I’ve never experience Caribbean, Latin American, and Jamaican on one menu before…and I’m not complaining!

WHAT WE DID

Walked Around NC State University

Our hotel was adjacent to North Carolina State University. We opted to take our morning walk with Navy through campus. Graduation was soon approaching and Navy enjoying yapping at all the soon-to-be grads during their photoshoots. She even had a little photoshoot of her own on campus.

Photoshoot with Aurelia Baca Photography

We connected with Aurelia around the time we started Navy’s Instagram account. Aurelia is the talented human behind @olivetheauss Instagram and @aureliabaca_photo. As soon as we knew we were traveling to Raleigh, we reached out to Aurelia to book a shoot. How cute are these pictures?

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Though we were only in Raleigh for 24 hours, we certainly did a lot! Of course there is still so much we wished we could see and do … and eat ;). Until next time Raleigh!

Did you like this post? Read one of our other travel guides! Looking for pet-friendly travel tips? Read our 7 Questions to Ask Before Bringing Your Dog on Vacation post.