When you think of Hillsborough Street, you might picture the buzz of NC State game days or the stretch of restaurants and coffee shops that fuel Raleigh’s students and locals alike. But did you know this district is also one of Raleigh’s most dynamic cultural corridors? From intimate theaters and comedy clubs to university galleries and hands-on art centers, Hillsborough Street is alive with creative expression.
We’ve rounded up some of the top spots and events to check out in partnership with Live it Up Hillsborough St. We recommend you combine them with a coffee, nice meal, or a drink before or after your cultural experience. Whether you’re looking for a night of drama, a laugh-until-you-cry improv show, or a quiet afternoon surrounded by art, you’ll find it here.
Performing Arts & Theater
Some of the top performing arts theater and shows are in the Hillsborough Street district.
Raleigh Little Theatre
- Address: 301 Pogue St, Raleigh
- Events Calendar
A beloved community institution for nearly a century, Raleigh Little Theatre is known for its high-quality productions ranging from Shakespeare to contemporary works. Production season of plays runs from July to June of each year, but we also have events which include volunteer functions, fundraisers, concerts, movies, festivals, and more.
Raleigh Little Theatre has two indoor performance venues – Cantey V. Sutton Theatre, a small indoor venue with a capacity of 298 guests, the Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre (for rehearsals and classes). The Cantey V. Sutton Theatre opened in 1936, making it one of the oldest continuously operating community theatres in the USA!
The curtains don’t just fall on the inside theater either. Outside in the adjacent Raleigh Rose Garden, you’ll find the 2,000-seater Louise S. Stephenson Amphitheatre, one of the most picturesque theater experiences in the city. Be sure to schedule a performance here in the warmer months. We’ve experienced a youth performance here in the evening and one of their moonlight movies!
Coming up on Oct 9 is the famous Halloween favorite movie in the garden: Hocus Pocus. Do bring your bug spray as it can get buggy – but by October should be fine. And keeping up with the witchy theme, will be the dark comedy play, Witch, held inside the theater Oct 24 – Nov 9, 2025. We plan to attend both to get into the Halloween spirit. And for over 40 years, RLT has entertained Raleigh with its holiday tradition music comedy take on Cinderella. (penciling that in as I type).
Theatre in the Park
Nestled inside of Pullen Park, this iconic venue is best known for producing A Christmas Carol starring Ira David Wood III—an annual holiday tradition for many families. It’s now gotten so popular that it’s held each year at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts and the Durham Performing Arts Center (we’ve seen it and found it hilarious and unique to Raleigh).
It began back in 1947 as The Children’s Theatre of Raleigh, Inc., but changed its name in the 70s to Theatre in the Park to reflect its new home in The National Guard Armory building in Pullen Park (now known as the Ira David Wood III Pullen Park Theatre after Founder and Executive Director, Ira David Wood III).
Although you’d think it was an outdoor theatre, it is in fact an indoor venue with a capacity of approximately 250 seats and puts on theatrical performances throughout the year. It’s known to put on well-known classics such as Shakespeare plays, as well as musicals and comedy performances. It’s also a wonderful place to discover new playwrights and watch independent theatre.
Theatre in the Park stages a variety of performances that blend humor, drama, and creativity. This season we hope to see the thriller Wait Until Dark (October 9-12, 16-18). Follow our Instagram as we will share the experience!
NC State University Theatre
- Address: 2610 Cates Ave, Raleigh
- See calendar of shows here.
From student-led productions to visiting performers, the NC State Theatre program brings energy and fresh perspectives to the stage with five major shows each season. Performances are open to the public and highlight the incredible talent of the Wolfpack community. University Theatre operates in Stewart Theatre, the largest theatre on campus with 759 seats, and the Frank Thompson Hall with two completely updated theatre spaces, Titmus Theatre, and the Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre.
Were excited to possibly see Romeo & Juliet this year (Oct 23- Nov 2) They also have The Forest Night on Oct 2 – 5. The season culminates each year in June with the TheatreFest.
We attended an NC Ghosts and Urban Legend tour with friends. It was a collaboration between Triangle Walking Tours and the NCSU Theatre for their performance of Blithe Spirit. Starting at the Stewart Theatre our guide took us around the NC State Campus sharing many ghostly tales, both old and recent, and its eerie connection to Stranger Things!
Meredith Collage Theatre
- Address: 3800 Hillsborough St, Raleigh
- productions for the 2025 – 2026 season.
The Meredith College Theatre program entertains and educates local community with four main-stage productions and up to four student-led productions each year. Dance and theater productions are held in the Jones Auditorium, a proscenium theatre that seats 400 patron’s downstairs and 220 on the balcony.
They also have the outdoor McIver Amphitheatre, which is surrounded by beautiful plantings and greenery and hosts outdoor drama performances and film screenings.
The theatre season starts this year on Sept 24 – Oct. 4 with Rebellious by Mike Wiley. The play tells the story of the Bennett Belles, students at Greensboro’s HBCU for women, whose activism contributed to and led to the Greensboro sit-ins at the Woolworth counter, a pivotal turning point in the Civil Rights Movement.
ComedyWorx
- Address: 3801 Hillsborough St
- See their calenda of shows here.
If you’re in the mood for laughter, ComedyWorx delivers fast-paced improv shows and comedy nights that guarantee an enjoyable time. Perfect for date nights, group outings, or just when you need a mood lift.
ComedyWorx has shows that cater to families and those who are on the more Mature side. The Comedy Worx Show is their flagship performance where teams of quick-thinking comedians face off in an improv showdown. They also have youth improv and a Capital City Culture Club show where improv is woven into the stories of a local celebrity’s life.
Craig and I have been on a Hillsborough St date night before and we weren’t sure if we’d like improv, but we found it funny and entertaining. We also loved that it’s an affordable evening out, not just ticket prices, but for their concessions as well.
NC State Live
From free concerts by Lake Raleigh to intimate conversations with Grammy-winning artists, NC State Live has innovative performing arts programs. Performances from local artists and those traveling from across the globe and range from dance, orchestra, jazz bands, comedy acts, puppetry and more. Free live community concerts happen in the spring at the gorgeous Lake Raleigh.
Most NC State LIVE performances take place in Stewart Theatre inside Talley Student Union, or in Titmus Theatre or Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre inside Thompson Hall, all on NC State’s Central Campus. See calendar of events here.
InterweaveFest, a week of free events, will be happening October 6-11, 2025. The signature event will be Noli Timere, soaring aerial performance that combines sculpture, dance, engineering, and music.
Art Galleries & Classes
I love that the Hillsborough Street District has a lot of smaller, hidden art galleries and museums you’ve never heard about.
Gregg Museum of Art & Design
- Address: 1903 Hillsborough St, Raleigh
- Website: gregg.arts.ncsu.edu
The Gregg Museum of Art & Design is a bit of a hidden gem on NC State campus. Opened in 2017, the Gregg is a free collecting and exhibiting museum with more than 54,000 objects in collection and is one of the top museums in Raleigh. NC State’s free museum offers ever-changing exhibits that celebrate global design, culture, and innovation. From 19th century Japanese color woodblock prints to antique North Carolina quilts, their objects span cultures, disciplines, and designs.
They also have the most gorgeous magnolia tree in the front garden, and the back gardens are also pretty. Look out for fun community events, like yoga in the garden during the warmer months.
Frankie G. Weems Art Gallery
- Address: 3800 Hillsborough St, Raleigh
- See upcoming exhibitions here
Located at Meredith College, the Frankie G. Weems Art Gallery highlights contemporary works by students and established artists. Rotating exhibitions complement studio courses offered by Meredith’s art department and feature a diverse set of artistic styles and media such as photography, ceramics, textiles, video, painting, printmaking, drawing and installations.
Johnson Hall Rotunda Art Gallery
- Address: 3800 Hillsborough St
- See upcoming exhibitions here
Located in the iconic administration building of Meredith College, the unique Rotunda Gallery offers an intimate space for exhibitions featuring a variety of mediums. Wander around the first, second and third floor to see the various exhibits. Every April to September annual Juried Student Art Exhibition is hosted in this space; the exhibition’s existence is thought to extend back to the early 1900s.
What I love about it, which we discovered on an ebike ghost tour of Raleigh, were the infamous Meredith dolls – well worth the journey through the ages. Since 1937, The Margaret Bright Doll Collection has displayed class dolls for each graduating year. The senior year gets to dress the dolls in the fashion of that year. It’s truly fascinating to see the dolls evolve from Class Day dresses to bellbottoms and sweatpants – (or to what my daughter’s age level loves to wear, pajama pants!!)
Wondering why there are only girl dolls on display? Meredith College is an all-girls school.
Pullen Arts Center
- Address: 105 Pullen Rd. Raleigh, NC 27607
- See Pullen Arts Center classes
- See workshops at Pullen Arts Center
Located within Pullen Park, the Pullen Arts Center is a community hub where locals from all ages and creative abilities come to learn and create. From studio spaces to pottery classes and painting workshops, the Pullen Arts Center offers hands-on opportunities to explore your creative side.
Pullen Arts Center’s galleries highlight a range of artwork by local and regional artists. Exhibitions are free, open to the public, and an important component of the community arts education experience. Their current exhibit is: Wandering Between Worlds (August 2 – October 26, 2025) which explores landscapes, real and imagined. A closing reception is planned for October 25th, 2:30 – 4:30pm. See exhibition schedule here.
NCSU Craft Center
- Address: Thompson Hall, 210 Jensen Drive Raleigh, NC 27606
- Website: crafts.arts.ncsu.edu/
This center is one of the largest in the country and is all about learning by doing. Try your hand at woodworking, pottery, photography, fiber arts, lapidary, glass, jewelry and metalworking, mixed media, and more.
The Crafts Center offers classes in various lengths typically lasting four to six weeks and workshops that can be completed in one or two sessions. They also have events like their annual holiday crafts fair that showcases the work of the cente’res artists. Crafts Center exhibitions are held throughout the year, and you’re invited. All exhibitions are free to view and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
I did find conflicting information on their website as to the center being just for students, verses it also being for the general public!! So best to reach out to verify. A Facebook follower advised that general public can, but students will be first in line.
Appreciate the Art of Nature at JC Raulston Arboretum
There’s so much art to be found at the JC Raulston Arboretum — only here, the artist is the Supreme One: nature itself. Art in its most natural form unfolds across the gardens, with vibrant flowers, striking trees, and landscapes that change beautifully with the seasons. Beyond simply strolling the grounds, the Arboretum offers a variety of classes and programs for all ages and interests. You might join a guided forest therapy walk, sharpen your skills on a photography tour, or take part in plant appreciation and growing workshops.
One of the highlights of the year is their annual Moonlight in the Garden fundraising event, when the gardens glow with magical light installations—a truly enchanting way to experience this Raleigh gem.
Explore art on a bike
Want to enjoy the arts while riding a bike? The Art to Heart trail goes from the NC Museum of Art along the greenways, past Meredith College (stop at Lucky Tree Cafe for a coffee and muffin break), and through NC State campus before ending in the heart of Downtown Raleigh.
You can get on and off the bike wherever you please. It would be a great opportunity to see more of the art within the Hillsborough St district and the NC State campus, which we’ll share with you next. We’ve done it twice, once with the kids, and then on an ebike ghost and history tour.
Discover the Public Arts Trail
Did you know that throughout the Hillsborough St District, including NC State’s campus, there are various murals and sculptures for you to enjoy. Grab a coffee to go and walk the trail (locations pinned on map below) Pay attention to the brightly painted electrical boxes on the street as you wander. Here are a few worth checking out.
Welcome to Hillsborough St Mural
Located at 2312 Hillsborough St, this signature mural welcomes visitors to Hillsborough Street and features artistic renderings of key Raleigh icons, as well as a life-size version of Tuffy.
NC State’s Free Expression Tunnel
A favorite of ours in the Hillsborough St district and an iconic Raleigh landmark on NC State University, the Free Expression Tunnel near Wolf Plaza is a living canvas where students can express their thoughts and feelings. Messages range from happy birthday to club meeting announcements and DJ Burns mural pride!
I’m not sure you can graduate from NC State without leaving your mark here at least once! Don’t be shy to visit more than once either, every walk down the tunnel offers a new splash of creativity, color, and community spirit.
Bronze Wolf Statues
Right near the Free Expression tunnel in Wolf Plaza is trio of five-foot-tall, 1,200-pound bronze wolves! Artist: artist Michael Stutz. There’s also a lone bronze wolf outside the Preiss Company building on 1700 Hillsborough St
NC State Wolf Ears
Head to the green space near “The Brickyard” on NC State’s Main Campus, for photos with the two large sculptures commonly known as “Wolf Ears.” While sitting at one “Wolf Ear” you can speak to the person sitting 40 feet away at the other “Wolf Ear.”
Prismatic Oasis
I love this happy, colorful mural painted on the side wall, celebrating flora and fauna inspired by embroidery traditions from around the world. Hidden within the design are special local nods—look for the wolf as a tribute to NC State University and the wings as a nod to Meredith College just across the street. It’s right near Lucky Tree Café, so stop in for a coco-mocha latte and, keeping with the art theme, browse their selection of local artisan wares for sale.
Arist: Adriana Ameigh, a Puerto Rican abstract painter, sculptor, and muralist based in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Hillsborough Piers: Touchpoints
I’m disappointed that I have probably walked past these stunning Obelisk Piers on Hillsborough St and not realized what they were. Don’t make the same mistake as us. A series of four sculptural piers are strategically located at stopping points at the intersections of Brooks Avenue, Dixie Trail, and Shepard Street along Hillsborough Street – right where the three roundabouts on the western part of the street are.
The lantern that caps each pier is an abstract representation of the downtown Raleigh streetscape grid. Cast relief ceramic tiles on the obelisk is significant to the character or history of the city. Artist: David Dahlquist.
Rain Garden
I love the Rain Garden mural just outside Oak City Pizza as it highlights the stormwater rain garden project! Both the landscaping and the artwork represent primarily native plants and pollinators to create a well-functioning rain garden system.
Overtones
This sculpture can be found at the Aloft Raleigh Hotel – enjoy while getting a coffee at Jubala, Overtones, is the visible representation of how the bell makes sound, the physics of the ringing of the bell, compliment NC State University campus. Look over the road to see the NC State Belltower!
Snoopy’s Hot Dogs & More Mural
On the side of Snoopy’s Hot Dogs & More building is a colorful mural that depicting the City of Raleigh, the J.S. Dorton Arena, and the Wake County ASPCAO. On the last Wednesday of every month, Snoopy’s donates a dollar for every tea purchase to Wake County ASPCA. Pick up some cheap hot dogs while here – students love them!
Map of these Hillsborough St Creative Art Experiences
Click the top right frame button to open up a larger version of the map -> click the menu on the left hand side -> Click the three button menu on the right -> click copy map and then you can make any adjustments you like!
Why We Love the Arts on Hillsborough Street
The next time you’re on Hillsborough Street, look beyond the menus and shop windows, you’ll discover a stage curtain rising, a gallery wall waiting, or a festival kicking off. This is where Raleigh’s creative spirit thrives, and it’s all right at your fingertips. So, grab a theatre ticket, wander through a gallery, or simply stroll the Free Expression Tunnel and soak up the artistry all around you.
Live It Up on Hillsborough Street and let the arts inspire your next adventure.
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