When we visited Raleigh a few years ago, one of the best things I liked about it was the shopping. You won’t find a lot of elegant boutiques or fancy shops here but they do have a couple of markets that are definitely worth browsing through if you are ever in the area.
The first market I visited was the Raleigh Flea Market. This market is open every weekend of the year except whenever the State Fair is happening, when it closes for about a week or so. That’s because the market is located at the Fairgrounds. I found a huge variety of items at the market, including antiques and plenty of bric-a-brac and knick-knacks. They also had a wide supply of jewelry and clothing as well as art work and all kinds of collectibles, including dolls, baseball cards, etc. I’m not really much into collecting things but I’m sure if I were I would have been able to find it there. I passed several booths with handmade furniture and more than one offering just about every kind of animal you can think of including ducks, puppies, rabbits; you name it. I found a few things that caught my attention and were quite reasonably priced.
The other market I visited in Raleigh was the Farmer’s Market. I read somewhere that this is the largest market in the entire state and after visiting I could certainly believe it. They are open every day of the year except Christmas. I found everything from fresh flowers and fruits to a huge variety of homemade foods like cookies, candy, cakes and all kinds of jellies, jams and preserves. There were several booths with absolutely gorgeous hand stitched quilts as well.
The market sits on 75 acres, so be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes if you go. When I got tired of walking I would stop at one of the food booths and rest for awhile. There is no admission fee to get in, unlike other markets that charge a hefty admission fee and then have high prices on their wares. This is a great place to spend an entire day whether you’re shopping for anything in particular or not.
