North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Our latest Triangle excursion was to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Admission is free, and there was plenty to keep us entertained for hours. We did opt to pay $7 each to go to the special Glow: Living Lights exhibit. However, we agreed that this particular exhibit was not really worth the money, and we wouldn't recommend paying to see it.

The first floor of the museum focuses on animals and plants native to North Carolina. Without a doubt, the most impressive part of this floor is the gigantic whale skeletons.

There's also a really cool recreation of a North Carolina beach, and the types of birds that are found in the area.

Walking onto the second floor, you feel like you're being transported to a serene forest. There's a waterfall, and real fish and turtles swimming around. There's also a whole section on different minerals found in North Carolina.

The third floor was by far our favorite, because it had all of the dinosaur exhibits, and a section on the Earth's past. This is where we spent the majority of our time, and TJ got some really great pictures here.

The fourth floor has a section on Arthropods, an amazing, hands-on area called The Naturalist Center, and a Cafe. We skipped the bugs (I've never been a fan), and stopped by The Naturalist Center for a little while, but our favorite part of this floor was the Cafe, where we cooled off with a refreshing drink.

There are also two great gift shops that we enjoyed browsing through, and we picked up some fun stuff to remember our trip by. To sum it up, this museum is awesome, and we'd definitely recommend checking it out!

-Map

Bowling at The Alley

On Saturday, TJ and I went bowling with another couple at The Alley, a fantastic retro bowling alley right next to NC State. From the outside, it doesn't look like much, but as soon as you walk in the doors, you feel like you've completely gone back in time.

Keeping up with the retro theme, there is no automated scoring. This can be a little intimidating at first, but if you keep track of what you bowl in each frame, one of the employees can calculate your score at the end of the game. 

The pricing makes the whole experience even better- $4 per game and $3 per shoe rental. Or, if you plan to stay for a while, they have a weekly special for $13 per person, which includes 2 hours of bowling plus shoe rentals. 

TJ got creative with some pictures:

This wasn't our first trip to The Alley, and we both agree that it definitely won't be our last. It's the perfect solution for a cheap, fun, weekend date with friends.

-Map

Meteor Shower at Jordan Lake

Last week was the prime time to catch the Perseid meteor shower, and after doing a little research, we found out that the Morehead Planetarium holds Skywatching Sessions throughout the year down at Jordan Lake.  We got there a little after 9, and it was already pretty crowded, but once we found a parking spot, we were easily able to find a nice spot on the grass without feeling too close to anyone. Although we only saw a few prominent meteors, we had a blast. The atmosphere was relaxing and romantic, and the fact that it was completely free made it even better. This is the schedule for the rest of the year, if you want to check it out.

Here's a few pictures that TJ took when we first got there:

All in all, it was a great experience, and we look forward to the upcoming sessions!

-Map

How It Works

Hey Guys!

So, here's how it works: every week TJ and I will find somewhere to go in the Triangle Area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, etc) and spend no more than $30. This can include trying out new restaurants, visiting museums, checking out local parks- just about anything, as long as we spend no more than $15 each. There's nothing we love more than a good deal, so we're excited to get out there, see what we can find, and share it all with you!