Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau
Raleigh is a Great Place to Visit!
The city of Raleigh and Wake County welcome millions of visitors every year to enjoy museums, restaurants, sporting events, and beautiful outdoor recreation. With a history that dates back to the 1700s, Wake County, with Raleigh at its center, is a thriving metropolitan area that today attracts more than 18 million visitors each year. The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) can take credit for a lot of the energy that surrounds Wake County. Originally a part of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Raleigh CVB was created in 1992 by the Wake County Board of Commissioners and the Raleigh City Council.
The Greater Raleigh CVB promotes Raleigh and Wake County as an attractive travel destination while also enhancing its image as a dynamic place to live and work. Tourist spending tops $3 billion a year, creating more than 24,500 local jobs.
Museum Park at the NC Museum of Art offers permanent and temporary art installations, gardens, and over four miles of recreational trails. Dubbed the “Smithsonian of the South” because of the abundance of high-quality, free admittance museums, visitors to Raleigh can take in the North Carolina Museums of Natural Sciences, History, and Art. “As a capital city, we have a lot of wonderful attractions, which makes the Raleigh area such a wonderful and affordable place to visit,” says Paula McChristian, vice president of finance and administration, who has been with the Greater Raleigh CVB for 16 years.
Raleigh is also known as a “city in a park” with its lush environment and many offerings for outdoor recreation including more than 10,000 acres of parkland with seven nature preserves. Neuse River Trail, Umstead State Park, Dorothea Dix Park, Pullen Park, the Raleigh Municipal Rose Garden, and the WRAL Azalea Gardens are a few appealing spots for an outdoor adventure.
For sports fans, Raleigh is home to the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, plus the teams from six colleges and universities, including the NC State Wolfpack. The professional men’s soccer team, North Carolina Football Club, is based in Raleigh. “From professional to collegiate to amateur, we have it all when it comes to sports,” Paula says.
Raleigh hosts hundreds of meetings and conventions each year, and to help accommodate them, the Raleigh Convention Center is undergoing a major expansion. “We have seen tremendous growth, and with the expansion of the convention center, there will also be a new Omni hotel coming to the downtown area,” Paula says. All those convention attendees and visitors can choose from more than 1,400 restaurants throughout the Raleigh area that feature a wide variety of flavors and cuisines.
“Raleigh is a great city to pursue your dreams, and many have found this to be a conducive place to make those dreams come true. Wherever you may come from, this area embraces you, whether you are a longtime resident, a newcomer, or a visitor,” Paula says. “Raleigh is an easy place with great southern hospitality that shows in everything we do.”
The Greater Raleigh CVB first connected with TowneBank through Connie Thames, who retired in 2021. “We were looking to make some changes with our banking so that we could progress forward,” Paula says. “TowneBank met our needs and it’s been a great banking relationship over the years.”
“Working with the Greater Raleigh CVB has been a great partnership,” says Brian Reid, TowneBank Triangle president. “We enjoy having the opportunity to help tell the story of Raleigh as a wonderful place to visit, live, work, and raise a family.”
For more information, go to VisitRaleigh.com.
