Pullen Park: NC’s Gold Standard for Parks

Pullen Park is a timeless classic Raleigh experience. The beautiful grounds, wide variety of amenities and rides has made Pullen Park a right of passage for many Raleigh natives. Regardless if you are passing through or live in the area, Pullen Park is a great place to come for a sunny afternoon.

Pullen Me In

Pullen Park is sandwiched between NC State and The Governor Morehead School in Raleigh. The parking is fairly limited and quickly fills up on a nice weekend day. Be sure to arrive early or make sure you have identified alternative parking. Dix park is also nearby and can have good parking availability but is a bit of a walk. There is a parking lot near the main attractions/ activities and also some parking near the arts center on the north end. I recommend parking near the main part of the park to the south if you can. The traffic around the northern part of the park gets a little crazy now and again.

Are You Pullen My Leg?

Pullen is the first public park in North Carolina, the 5th oldest operating amusement park in the U.S. and 16th oldest in the world. Having been lovingly updated through the years, it continues to be a beloved park for Raleigh residents and visitors.

When you pull into the main parking lot, you will already see much of the magic Pullen has to offer. The main entrance overhang also has  charming railroad crossing gates for the train. These gates function the same way as the ones on the road do. The entire park has been designed to be stylistically consistent and reminiscent of a fairy tale.

The playground to the right of the entrance is nicely sectioned off by different age groups. They went so far as to post signs of what age groups are recommended by area. I like to think that these are mental ages because I still love playing with the sand pit. The various areas are arranged in an oval with a grassy spot in the center. With this whole area fenced, I thought this as a perfect spot to hang out while your kids run around.

Two unique parts to mention. First, the rope climb area is really cool to climb. I do not see these climbing areas in most parks and this one if really robust. Second is the caboose. This is permanently parked here for people to walk through and explore. Just one of the quirky parts that make it unique. Madilyn loved the dedicated swing section despite how many other cool things there were to see. There were lots of wheelchair accessible parts in the play ground and some water features for warm months

The Rides

There are 2 main rides at Pullen. The Train and the Merry-go-round. All tickets are $1.50 per person per ride at the time of writing. The train is the marque part to the park. This scaled train rides around the whole southern part of the park consistently. This train pulls carts for passengers to ride in. This is a great way to see the lake and walking path very easily. When the train rolls past, everyone stops, looks and waves and the local celebrity. The Train is wheel chair accessible(ish) and attendants are happy to help anyone that needs it. The train is complete with tunnels, bridges, and bright red paint job. Madilyn was not very interested when we first got on the train but warmed up to it once we started to move. I think she really liked having everyone stop, turn and wave.

The Merry-go-round was closed when we visited this time but is the original merry-go-round installed to the park. The building was built around it to protect it and to allow it to run year round. I had never been to an indoor marry go round and thought it is a really fun concept for a local park. There is nothing really special about it but it is well run and available regardless of season

It is worth noting the kiddie boat ride and the paddle boats. The kiddie boat ride is basically a big covered bath tub with little boats just for kids to ride in a circle. There is a height min/max requirement you have to meet in order to ride. The paddle boats are your run-of-the-mill blue paddle boats that you can take on the lake. Considering how serene that park is, this can be a really nice way to relax

Take a Stroll

Raleigh is called “The City of Oaks” for a reason. Pullen parks’ beautifully aged landscape is a epic reminder of this. There is a man made lake in Pullen that has an easy going walking path. The path is surrounded by small water features, massive oaks, bridges and an island gazebo. You can pick just about any spot on this walk and get a great photo of the park. My personal favorite is the fairy tale arched bridges to the island. One word of caution. The bridges to the island are a little more steep that you might think.

This is by no means a long walk so you will only find people doing a casual stroll. There are other greenways near by if you are looking to run or bike but this is not the place. Madilyn loves to take her time on walks and this was the perfect place for a curious toddler to explore. Great place to stroll on a nice day, catch up with a friend or just soak in a little bit of the urban nature-scape.

Everything Else

Pullen also has an arts center, aquatic center, community center, tennis courts, plenty of picnic space, softball field and a theater! All of these are great resources for the local community and worth checking out. As we get the opportunity to review these parts of Pullen Park, we will link them here.  

Oh! I almost forgot to mention, if you get a little hungry while you are there, there is a nice café just inside the entrance with some basics. I am a big fan of packing a lunch for the park on weekends but having back-ups is never a bad thing.

Overall

Pullen Park is a Raleigh Staple for wholesome family entertainment for good reason. We love simple optionality the park provides and appeal to all ages. Growing up in Raleigh as kids, young adults and now parents, Kaitlyn and I continue to enjoy everything pullen has to offer.

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