Mother’s Day is a special day to celebrate possibly the one person in your life who loves you unconditionally and you can always turn to for advice, supportive words, and fierce hugs.
We hope this list brings you creative ideas for celebrating Mother’s Day in Raleigh and beyond to help you do that this coming Sunday, May 14th, 2023. And be sure to check out our Mother’s Day Gift Guide.
These motherly figures extend to our grandmothers, aunts, sisters, mentors, and carers – all those wonderful women worth celebrating.
For those of you who find this day hard due to motherly loss and hardship, our thoughts and hugs are with you, and may your special memories bring you comfort.
You’ll find most of our Mother Day ideas for Raleigh involve experiences over things. As lifelong travelers and professionals in the industry, we’ve always emphasized memories over an accumulation of possessions. While I love thoughtful gifts, I love even more quality time spent with those I love doing something special.
Think about what the mom in your life loves to do and embrace that experience with her.
Below are ideas shared mostly from our own personal experiences and what we know create lifelong memories. You can easily combine several of the listed ideas in one day.
Many of these Mother’s Day ideas are great for last minute as they won’t require reservations! And if you are reading this from outside of Raleigh and the Triangle, find the places that match these experiences in your local area.
Mother’s Day Brunch
One of the most popular things to do is Mother’s Day brunch in Raleigh, and brunch is quickly becoming one of our family’s favorite things to do too.
Raleigh has many outstanding brunch options (we are working on a blog post list). Below are a few of our current favorites. Share yours in the comments!
Here are our top three brunch spots in Raleigh (so far):
- Taverna Agora – It makes me feel like I am back on the Greek Islands. I love enjoying a glass of their ancient Greek retsina wine on their outdoor patio surrounded by oak trees. Their food is also exceptional.
- Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewery – You can’t go past the views from Wye Hill Patio, which pairs perfectly with their innovative cocktails.
- Rosewater Kitchen and Bar – We fell in love with the incredible brunch experience in North Hills, whose floral interior design and ambiance made me feel like I was in Paris.
- Gringo a Go Go is a fun Sunday brunch spot for those who love Mexican and margaritas on a sunny patio.
Other popular brunch spots in Raleigh:
- Humble Pie
- Mandolin
- St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar
- Beasley’s Chicken + Honey
- Parkside Restaurant
- Capital Club 16
- Irregardless Cafe
- Plates Neighborhood Kitchen
- Tupelo Honey Cafe
- NOFO & The Pig
Read our full guide to North Hills. Join our email list below so you don’t miss more great Raleigh guides:
Hike, Bike, or Paddle board together
I love hiking, biking, or paddling together on Mother’s Day because it’s my day and the girls aren’t allowed to complain!
I recommend doing an early morning hike or bike trail (if the weather is warm, I’d even suggest stand up paddle boarding) and then heading straight for coffee after, followed by either brunch or lunch, or another fun activity from this list – maybe a picnic or afternoon live music experience.
A few of our favorite trails:
- Lake Johnson Loop Trail
- Umstead Park
- Lynn Lake Loop
- Bond Lake Loop
- Shelley Lake Loop
- Lake Raleigh is a hidden gem for paddle boarding.
- Art to Heart Trail
- Loblolly Trial in Umstead
See more top trails in Raleigh here.
Watch the videos of these trails in Raleigh we love
Afternoon Tea
We recently discovered the joys of experiencing afternoon tea together in London. I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to celebrate Mother’s Day together.
While I’m not sure if it will have quite the same ambiance and three-tiered offerings as in England, its traditional Motherland, a high tea in the Triangle can still be an elegant experience.
Notable afternoon teas places include:
- Herons in the Umstead Hotel
- Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill
- Fearrington Village, Pittsboro
- Sugar Magnolia Café, Wake Forest
Picnic in the Park / Garden
If the weather is beaming, I recommend heading out for a picnic in the park. Raleigh has plenty to choose from. This is a great Mother’s Day idea for multi-generational celebrations.
On our first Mother’s Day during lockdown, Craig and the girls took me to Shelley Lake, grabbing some food along the way from STIR in North Hills. It was a relaxing day spent in the sun.
We also visited the Sarah P Duke Gardens the other weekend to see their beautiful spring blooms. How lucky are we to have these spectacular world-class gardens nearby and for free? There are plenty of open spaces for picnics.
I also love the open space and city views from Dorothea Dix Park. Take down your frisbee and outdoor games to play together. There’s a great list of Raleigh parks to choose from.
Golf at Drive Shack
I love an interactive game of golf at Drive Shack. I’m much better at it than normal golf, and our family has a lot of laughs while we play it. It brings out the competitive, yet fun side of us all.
I know for sure my mother would love to play this with us, if she were not on the opposite side of the world.
Plus, I love how it’s an indoor-outdoor experience and prefer it over the dark halls of a bowling alley. Read more about the Drive Shack experience here.
Figure out How to Escape Together
I love doing Escape Rooms with my girls. It is fun for the whole family – including multi-generational – and is a great bonding experience as you work together to solve challenging puzzles against a ticking clock.
There are several Escape Rooms in Raleigh:
- Game On Escapes & More
- ROOM 5280 – this was our first escape room and we loved it
- Times Up! Escape Rooms
- Amaze Room Escapes
- The Tower Escapes – we really want to do this one located in an historic house and tower in Raleigh.
Get tickets for a show, live music or theater
My family knows that live music is my jam! Whether it’s an acoustic session in a beer garden, or a headlining concert at PNC, I am there with my happy dance pants on! As a matter of fact, for this year’s Mother’s Day in 2023, we’ll be at the Taylor Swift concert in Philadelphia!
Raleigh also has many theaters if you want to catch a show or more classical style productions.
Strawberry Picking
Tis the season for sweetness – and none more reflective of that than our mothers. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the state you live in and our very important producers. Most farms will also have other produce and may offer other delights like ice cream!
North Carolina is the third-largest producer of strawberries in the United States!
Now to add a cherry on top. Go home and create a yummy treat together. Or drizzle some chocolate over it and sit mom down on the porch with a glass of champagne.
Read a full post sharing u-pick strawberry farms in Raleigh, Wake County, the Triangle and nearby counties
Wine tasting in Raleigh
While we may not have vineyards surrounding us in Raleigh, we do have the opportunity to taste some of North Carolina’s wine – and possibly further afield.
This may be an activity you do with your own mom, rather than with your children celebrating you as a mom!
Chatham Hill Winery was established in 1999 — the fourteenth winery in North Carolina & the first winery in the Triangle. They have a tasting room in Cary with wine tastings and charcuterie boards on Sundays
Cloer Family Vineyards is the only family-owned farm in the immediate Triangle area that grows its own grapes and produces its own wines on-site. They have wine tastings on Fri and Sat.
Why not take the mom in your life to Johnston County to experience Hinnant Winery? Craig and I loved wine tasting there on a date experience in Johnston County. They often have live music and the outlook over the vineyards is gorgeous!
Cool wine shops in Raleigh for tastings
- Wine Authorities in N Person St
- Chatham St Wine Market, Cary
- Short Walk Wines, Moore Square District
- Peak of the Vine in Apex
- Vita Vite in North Hills and Downtown Raleigh
Take a Weekend Getaway
You know we’re always up for travel. It’s so important we make time for it in our lives – especially for celebrating and connecting with those we love.
Special occasions tend to force us more into scheduling it in. Do you want to spend hundreds of dollars on gifts and a fancy meal, or would you rather go camping together, or rent a cute beach cottage?
You can even make it a day trip rather than an overnight stay.
While the water temperatures may still be a little cool for swimming (but not for some) you can’t beat that fresh salty air, or the pine tree smell from your lake campsite surroundings.
Getaway ideas from Raleigh:
- 15 day trips from Raleigh
- Fearrington Village
- 1 day in Wrightsville Beach
- The Crystal Coast
- 20+ things to do in Outer Banks
- 2 days in Wilmington
- Roanoke, Virginia
- Brunswick Islands
- Carolina Beach
- Biltmore Estate
- Downtown Asheville, NC
- Lake Lure, NC
Give Mom Time Out
One of the best things any one can ever do for their mothers is to give them time out. No work or house duties today for the mom in your life for any reason.
Let them sleep in, make her breakfast in bed, give her a lazy morning sipping coffee on the back deck enjoying any of the gifts you do happen to buy them.
Don’t forget to clean the house and make her dinner!
Local Gift Ideas
The gifts moms like the most are thoughtful gifts. I’m happier with a gift my girls bought themselves – or even better yet, made themselves – than I am with anything else.
The next best thing would be a gift that comes from my local community. We’re lucky in Raleigh as we have so many amazing local artisans and stores carrying all kinds of products for the mom you love.
From gifts to boutique clothes stores, vinyls, artwork, and local spirits, we have a cool list of local Raleigh stores where you can find a gift for the wonderful woman you are celebrating on Mother’s Day.
A few other ideas moms tend to love.
Spoil Mom with local chocolate
Did you know that there are several chocolate makers in Raleigh? I’m sure plenty of mothers will appreciate a box of some of their favorite melt in-the-mouth treats.
- Videri Chocolate in the Warehouse district will have Mother’s Day bundles wrapped and ready for you. Their fine, hand-crafted, artisan chocolate is made from high-quality, responsible sources
- Escazu Chocolates: White Chocolate Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Ganache. Oh, and their Peppermint Marshmallows are a hit for dipping in a cup of hot chocolate. There’s also a coffee bar and ice cream.
- Azuerlize Choclates: A chocolate maker making unique gourmet chocolate truffles since 2002.
Plants that last
While I love a beautiful bouquet of flowers brightening up my home, I’m always so sad watching them fade to brown.
Instead, why not give your mom a plant, something that will last for a long time, and she can always think of you when she looks at it.
Just give her clear instructions on how to care for it, if she’s anything like me, she’ll kill it real fast. A next level gift would be an in-house session with Houseplant Hippie who can come to your home and recommend what plants would best suit your home – with instructions on how to care for them. That is very high on my wish list.
Some local House plant shops to consider:
- Logan’s one Stop Garden Shop in Seaboard
- Urban Pothos Houseplant Shop
- The Zen Succulent, Raleigh and Durham
- Cary Garden Supply
- Houseplant hippie
Books for Mom (from local stores)
I’m sure most moms love reading a good book. Hold on, moms would first love the time to be able to read a good book! Encourage them with a book gift for Mother’s Day.
Quail Ridge Books in North Hills was founded by Nancy Olson in 1984 and is still going strong as an independent Raleigh bookstore.
So and So Books in North Person Street carry a carefully curated selection of the owner’s favorite titles in all the major genres that you probably won’t find easily elsewhere.
Read with Me: while this independent bookstore in Raleigh has mostly kids’ books, there is an adult book corner and gifts and accessories. This may be a lovely place for young children to buy a gift for their moms.
Perhaps a book they would love mom to read to them? That’s a heart-warming gift any mom is sure to love.
Swing through the trees together (Treetop Adventures)
Outdoor adventure is something our family loves to do. While I couldn’t imagine doing this with my own mother, my daughter’s love doing it with me (and I them).
Go Ape in Raleigh has various tree top obstacle courses and ziplines, depending upon your age and your comfort level for adventure (and heights).
They are perfect for families, groups of friends, and companies looking for team building, adventure, fun and a sense of accomplishment.
Read our post on Go Ape Raleigh
Once again, happy Mother’s Day, we hope it is a special and enjoyable day for you!
Tell us your plans or any other great Mother’s Day suggestions you may have!
