The Best Places To Take Pictures In Raleigh, NC In 2025 (With Map)
Where are the best places to take pictures in Raleigh, NC? You’re in the right place!
Raleigh, NC is part of the Triangle area which includes Durham, Cary, Apex and the surrounding area. Raleigh and Durham are neighbors but separate cities, and the surrounding areas are basically suburban. I grew up around Raleigh and went to many of these places!
Here are my top three places for photos in Raleigh:
- Free Expression Tunnel at NC State University
- JC Raulston Arboretum
- Pullen Park
Whether you’re looking for skyline views, nature, city life, instagrammable places for photoshoots or something else, you’ll find it all here!
Planning Your Raleigh Trip? Use my favorite resources:
Accommodation: Booking.com
Rent a Car: Discover Cars
Travel Insurance: Allianz
Flights: WayAway
Tours: Viator.com
Map of Best Places to Take Pictures in Raleigh, NC
1. Best Places To Take Pictures In Raleigh: All Are Welcome Mural
This mural, painted by Luke Buchanan is one of the top spots for photos in Raleigh because it’s so iconic, and a great “welcome to Raleigh” photo opportunity!
2. Best Places To Take Pictures In Raleigh: NC State’s Free Expression Tunnel
Get immersed in artwork – literally – and get a photoshoot in at the Free Expression Tunnel on the campus of NC State University, where you can even bring your own spray paint and DIY your own background!
3. Best Places To Take Pictures In Raleigh: Wolf Plaza (NC State)
While you’re at NC State, check out Wolf Plaza and get some shots with the three wolf statues by artist Michael Stutz (they’re NC State’s mascot, in case you weren’t aware).
4. Best Places To Take Pictures In Raleigh: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Get some amazing vintage cinema pics, and take in a movie while you’re at it, at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. There are artsy, vintage-cool photo backdrops to be found outside and inside this theater!
5. Best Places To Take Pictures In Raleigh: JC Raulston Arboretum
This 10-acre arboretum and botanical garden is 2 miles west of NC State’s campus and you can get amazing photos with flowers and plants, plus more here. Be sure to check out their photographer guidelines before your shoot!
6. Best Places To Take Pictures In Raleigh: Heirloom Coffeeshop
This specialty coffee and tea shop, plus Taiwanese restaurant is located in the Warehouse District in Raleigh. It’s spacious and has a trendy and cool design vibe for great photos showcasing restaurants in Raleigh!
7. Best Places To Take Pictures In Raleigh: Killjoy Cocktail Bar
This cocktail bar has exactly the vibe you would want for some instagrammable photos with photo walls, colorful booths and more! Besides the menu, you can design your own cocktails here, which can give you even more photo and story opportunities.
8. Best Places To Take Pictures In Raleigh: The Village Nightlife Complex
For more fun nightlife photos, head to the village, a complex with a number of both indoor and outdoor bars. The area is lit up with neon lights to help you get unique photos in the dark to vary your Raleigh photo experience beyond the usual, plus walls with neon signs that make great backdrops and even an arcade!
Note: The Village is temporarily closed, so check before going!
Best Places To Take Pictures In Downtown Raleigh, NC
9. Fayetteville St.
Fayetteville Street is quintessential downtown Raleigh – it’s filled with restaurants and shops in the middle of the business district and has great views of the Capitol building. You can also find lively nightlife here with the many bars, clubs and award-winning restaurants on this street.
Many festivals and parades take place here throughout the year as well, such as downtown Raleigh’s food truck rodeo, First Fridays, Brewgaloo, and the Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day parades.
10. City Market
City Market is in the center of downtown, and has open-air shops and restaurants on cobblestone streets, which makes for amazing photos! You can find cocktails and breweries here too that make for great pictures, and the building and market itself is historic – it started in 1914.
11. The Raleigh Times Bar
The bar is located in a 100-year-old historic building that was originally used for the newspaper (hence the name, “The Raleigh Times”). On the inside, old newspaper clippings are framed on the walls in photo-worthy decor! The building was restored in 2006, and has been expanded since. Go to the roof for amazing Raleigh skyline views and photos.
12. Moore Square Park
A four-acre space is one of Raleigh’s urban green spaces, and houses events, a visitor center, gift shop and a burger stand.
There’s also a market that runs in May, June, August and October. Other photo opportunities in Moore Square include the trolley, interactive water fountain, night market and city views.
Best Parks For Pictures In Raleigh, NC
13. Dorothea Dix Park
The main draw for photographers here is the Sunflower field, but there’s more to see and experience here than only that if you’re looking for variety.
The park has events, like Foodie Fridays where you can find street vendors and live music, a Juneteenth celebration, Yoga and Tai Chi, and more.
There are also many open fields, views of the skyline, a meadow, tree groves and more nature spots.
14. Nash Square Park
There are many, many parks in Raleigh, but Nash Square is a fun one for photos because of its many interesting statues, including a wooden carving of a giant squirrel and a firefighter memorial. It’s lined with trees, sidewalks and benches and you can find flowers here, too.
15. Pullen Park
This was one of my favorite parks growing up! Started in 1887, this 66.4-acre park was the first public park in NC, and the 16th oldest operating amusement park in the world (5th oldest in the US).
Photo opportunities include the Pullen Park sign, the amusement park which includes a carousel, the water with pedal boats, and so much more!
This park also has an athletic center, cafe, theatre in the park, a gazebo, a fountain terrace, and more amenities for activities and photos.
16. WRAL Azalea Garden
This garden is home to the Azalea Celebration, many weddings, and more. People come for the azaleas, and the garden is committed to introducing new and unique varieties of azaleas to NC.
There is free parking across from the entrance. Visit and take all the pictures your heart desires with all the 60+ varieties of colorful azaleas!
Best Places To Take Pictures In Cary, NC
Since Cary is right next to Raleigh, it’s not too far to get to these spots to photograph as well!
17. William B. Umstead State Park
This park spans from Raleigh to Cary, so it’s technically in both locations because it’s extensive, and includes hiking and biking trails, plus you can bring your own kayak or boat for Big Lake, horseback riding trails, plus spots to picnic.
18. Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
This nature preserve is not a park, so activities are more limited – but feel free to go and take photos all day long (well, during their hours that is – from 9 am until sunset). You can hike on the trails and photograph nature at its fullest, because it’s here to be preserved!
19. Fred G. Bond Metro Park
This park offers activities, and is one of the largest municipal parks in Wake County at 310 acres. You can find a boathouse, challenge course, amphitheater, and so much more here as you take pictures of the park’s design and scenery.
20. Page-Walker Arts & History Center
Take pictures of the historical building, which used to be a hotel, and the many amenities it now includes. Some of these are events, concerts, exhibitions of art and history and a garden. You can also ride the trolley and get a tour of downtown Cary!
21. Sri Venkateswara Temple
Get some photos of this amazing Hindu Temple in Cary – its architecture is other-worldly and includes hand-carved elements, golden elephants, and more. It’s even more interesting because it’s modern – construction began in 2009.
The temple is dedicated to Sri Venkateswara, the Hindu god of wealth and well being, and is modeled after the Temple of the same name which is located in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Where To Stay In Raleigh, NC On Any Budget
✅ Budget Option: Red Roof Inn PLUS+
The Red Roof PLUS+ Raleigh NCSU – Convention Center is a top-rated Raleigh hotel that is conveniently located right off I-40. It’s near the NC State Fair and other sites, is smoke-free, and includes free coffee.
🛏️ Check Prices at the Red Roof PLUS+ Raleigh NCSU – Convention Center Here
✅ Mid-Tier Option: Hampton Inn & Suites
The Hampton Inn & Suites has free hot breakfast, fitness center, pool and an airport shuttle. It’s located close to the NC State Fairgrounds, NCSU and Cary Towne Center which has restaurants and shopping. There’s also a patio with grilling available.
🛏️ Check Prices at the Hampton Inn & Suites Raleigh/Cary-I-40 (PNC Arena) Here
✅ Luxury Option: Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley
Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley has a pool, bar, patio, a new fitness center and more. It’s been recently renovated with new guest rooms, with smart TVs and more amenities. There’s also a new restaurant, BRAISE which has a breakfast buffet and southern-fusion food for lunch and dinner, plus a lounge that serves cocktails. It’s located close to downtown, Crabtree Valley Mall, and NCSU.
🛏️ Learn More About Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley Here
What you’ll need for Raleigh Travel
👉 For flights, WayAway is a flight aggregator that helps you find the cheapest flights. Use the code MUKI-TRAVELS for 10% off WayAway Plus.
👉 To rent a car in Raleigh, Discover Cars is a great tool to use.
👉 Find more tips on things like travel insurance, what to pack, and more on my travel resources page.
Photography Gear Recommendations for Raleigh, NC
Here’s some of my favorite necessary gear for photography, for camera and/or phone:
✅ Canon 6D
This is the full-frame, professional-level DSLR camera that I currently own and use. It has WiFi connectivity for taking photos, including selfies, remotely using the Canon CameraConnect app!
- Well-built and weather sealed
- Lightweight for travel
- 26.2 MP full-frame CMOS sensor
- 45-point all cross-type AF system
✅ Canon EF 16-35mm Wide-Angle Zoom Lens
I love taking wide-angle photos, but don’t want to sacrifice zoom capability, so I adore this high-quality lens! It’s one of the best out there – fellow photographers have admired and even told me they’d buy it from me if I didn’t want it!
- Make sure this fits by entering your model number
- Full-time manual focus permits critical focusing precision, even in AF mode. Help provide excellent color balance
- Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF covers Approx. 100% Area with 1,053 AF Areas
✅ Memory Card (for DSLR/Mirrorless)
I’ve used SanDisk Extreme Pro memory cards for years (after learning the hard way not to use lower quality ones)! These are the industry standard because they’re the best.
- Beginner-friendly with room for growth
- Best for taking more photos & video
- Temperature Proof, Water Proof, Shock Proof & X-ray Proof
- Affordability
✅ 4-In-One Travel Tripod
This fabulous tripod is what I own – it works with cameras and smartphones, plus doubles as a selfie stick, monopod and as trekking poles! It’s durable and lightweight, and is super affordable and folds up small enough to pack in a carry-on.
- Beginner-friendly with room for growth
- Works with smartphones & cameras
- Folds up small & lightweight
- Turns into a selfie stick & trekking poles
- Comes with a carrying case
- Affordability
✅ Remote Shutter (this one works with Canon cameras)
If you’re going to take night photography, sunrise/sunset photos or especially photography of the Raleigh city skyline, this remote shutter will help you take long-exposure photos in low and dark lighting (especially on a tripod) – the skyline will show up much more clearly!
- Compatibility with a lot of cameras (be sure to check for yours)
- Works at 2.4GHz frequency with 16 available channels
- Reduces camera shake
- 5 Shooting Modes
👉 Here’s a Remote Shutter (2-pack) for smartphones:
- Seamless Selfies and Steady Shots - Compatible with Social Media Apps
- Pocket-Sized Convenience
- Operational range of up to 30 feet (10 meters)
✅ Over-Under Water Dome (this one works with GoPro)
If you’re going to take photos of lakes in and around the Raleigh area, this dome is perfect for capturing those perfect half-over, half-under shots!
✅ Circular Polarizer
This circular polarizer will help you get better photography of the water reflections and the bottom of the water. Just make sure to get the right size to fit your lens!
- Circular polarizer--one of the most popular special-effect filters
- Deepens the intensity of blue skies; reduces or eliminates glare
- Multi-coating reduces reflection
👉 Anker Portable Charger: These are necessary for smartphones if you’re taking lots of photos, plus if you need to recharge a camera battery on the go – and, this one is the lightest one out there (plus it’s highly rated)!
👉 Portable External Hard Drive: You definitely need to be backing up your photos on the cloud, an external hard drive and your computer. Seagate is one of the best brands – they hold up well, plus, this one is 2TB so it’ll last awhile. I’ve used this brand for years.
👉 Camera case insert bag: My new(-ish) obsession: it’s water-resistant, and it fits into any backpack or bag! I use this to switch between my carry-on backpack and day pack.
FAQs: Best Photo Spots In Raleigh
👉 Where is the best view in Raleigh, NC?
👉 Where can I take pictures with the Raleigh skyline?
👉 Where can I watch the sunset in Raleigh, NC?
All In All: Top Places To Take Pictures In Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, NC has some unexpected places to get some amazing photos – you just have to know where to look! I hope this list of parks and nature preserves, restaurants and bars, museums and nightlife spots, and more can help you find not only great photos, but also a great experience exploring Raleigh and some of the surrounding area!
Keep Reading
📸 For more North Carolina places to visit and photograph, check out this guide to Asheville, NC and this guide to Charlotte, NC.
📸 47 Best Photo Spots In Boone and Blowing Rock, NC (With Map)
📸 Check out this post on the best photo spots in Nashville, TN.
📸 Check out this page for more US places to visit and photograph!
📸 For more photography tips, gear and more, check out the photography page.
