The lap of luxury is… just outside your back door? Local business Glamp Raleigh is calling for a return to the great outdoors—only this time, you don’t even have to leave the neighborhood.
Pitch, please. If the thought of taking a trip to the backwoods with only a measly tent, a deflated air mattress and a disappointing campfire turns you off, maybe you’re better suited for the glamping life (air conditioning, an actual bed… ah, Mother Nature at its finest!). Enter Glamp Raleigh, a Raleigh-owned and -operated small business that’s kindling backyard campsites—Moroccan-palace style.
Glamp Raleigh’s ultimate glamping experience features spacious tents, luxurious bedding, premium mattresses, ambient lighting and beautiful decor—and you don’t even have to lift a finger. Whether you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind date night, some not-so-forced family fun, a group getaway or a solo retreat, Glamp Raleigh has all you need and s’more.
After experiencing his own bout of work-life monotony, Glamp Raleigh founder Michael Cutts—born with entrepreneurial aspirations—started his glamping service in hopes of helping families and friends escape mundane life and create lasting (and, ideally, distraction-free) memories.
“I have always known that I wanted my own business,” says Cutts. “I knew I wanted to create something that made people happy. Glamping was the perfect way to step away from the desk life that never filled my cup and bring happiness to people.”
Now, we know what you’re thinking—it’s winter, and why on Earth would anyone want to spend a night outside in 30-degree weather. But before you go and get your tent all in a twist, Glamp Raleigh also offers heating and AC options for year-round comfortable glamps—because if you’re gonna bring a mattress, you might as well bring the heater too, right? Glamp Raleigh also “pitches” indoor glamps perfect for next-level slumber parties, birthday celebrations or, honestly, just some good ole mental stimulation—because we can all go a little stir crazy sometimes.
“I love the outdoors and all that goes along with it, but I also need and love creature comforts,” admits Cutts. “It’s nice to be able to combine the two.”
And if you’re really yurting to get away from the house this winter—who isn’t—Glamp Raleigh travels, offering remote glamps at city parks (no overnights), private farms, local campgrounds (Falls Lake), as well as other open spaces you’ve had your eye on.
As spring rolls around, dining alfresco and watching outdoor movies hosted by Glamp Raleigh are two other ops for weekend fun with fam and friends. And if you’re a business owner, Glamp Raleigh can shake up your annual retreat or luncheon.
So to get your glamp on stat, pro tip from Cutts himself: Book in advance! Even the winter months fill up quickly with people antsy to escape their usual four walls. And with spring fever on the horizon, well, as they say, “the early bird gets the worm.” Cutts also recommends considering your yard size before booking, as the tents—in all their luxury—need breathing room too, ya know.
So, if you need some fresh air—and perhaps a fresh perspective—and you’d rather not have to plan a vacation or organize travel plans (or, ahem, pitch your own tent), stay local with Glamp Raleigh and have all your childhood dreams (and adult needs!) taken care of… hassle-free.glampraleigh.com
The holiday season is in full force here in Raleigh and there’s plenty of festive things to do around town this week—from light shows and merry plays to pop-up markets and holiday parties.
THROUGH 12/24 DEWEY’S BAKERY HOLIDAY STORE
“Me want cookies!” The Athens Drive Magnet High School Band Program is hosting a fundraiser at Dewey’s Bakery’s Village District and Waverly Place locations. Grab a Dewey’s Moravian Cookie gift tin for a friend or fam member with a sweet tooth, then get a Moravian Sugar Cake for yourself. A portion of the proceeds from each sale will go toward ADMHS’s band program. athensdriveband.com
THROUGH 1/2 MAGIC OF LIGHTS
“I’ve got the magic in me…” For the first time ever, Coastal Credit Union Music Park will be lit up for a magical 1-mile drive-through holiday lights display with various holiday light features, including a Blizzard Tunnel, 12 Days of Christmas, Winter Wonderland and The Night Before Christmas, for what’s sure to be a lit event. magicoflights.com
12/9 JINGLE BALL
Jingle all the way over to the Museum of Natural Sciences for elevated eats from Rocky Top Catering; unlimited beer, wine and cocktails; a Bailey’s Fine Jewelry giveaway; and Stella Artois etching stations—all presented by Capital City Clauses. capitalcityclauses.org
12/9–12 A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The bah-humbug beater is back. First premiered in 1974, Raleigh legend Ira David Wood III’s critically acclaimed musical adaptation of the classic Dickens Christmas tale returns to DECPA for the latest not-so- classic rendition. theatreinthepark.com
12/10 EVENING WITH ELVES
Don’t be a cotton-headed ninny muggins! Take the minis to Marbles for a night with the elves with s’mores outdoors, an arctic museum play and a special visit from the Snowflake Fairy. Holiday PJs are highly encouraged (as is an extra dinner ticket to the North Pole Pizza Parlor). marbleskidsmuseum.org
12/10 HOLIDAY SIP+SHOP
Festive meets female power! Giveaways, tasty sweet treats, Christmas gifts, wine and nonalcoholic bubbly drinks are up for grabs at Vend Raleigh’s Sip+Shop event designed to support local women in business. vendraleigh.com
12/10 POP-UP SHOPS AT MARTIN ST. GRAND OPENING
Downtown Raleigh Alliance is celebrating the opening of its Pop-Up Shops at Martin St. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in DTR. The storefront houses minority- and women-owned businesses wishing to share an affordable temporary retail space—and share their goodies with Raleighites doing their Christmas shopping. downtownraleigh.org
12/10–11 HOLIDAY POPS
Have yourself a merry little Christmas with NC Symphony’s annual Holiday Pops tradition with vocalist Yolanda Rabun performing fave festive tunes that promise to make your holiday oh so merry and bright. ncsymphony.org
12/10–11 MERRY MOORE MARKET
There’s room for everyone on the nice list! And Raleigh Night Market is helping you get your Christmas list checked off early with two weekends of its holiday market series at Moore Square. raleighnightmarket.com
12/10–11 ST. NICHOLAS EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS MARKET
Get in the holiday spirit—European style—with traditional Slavic and other European Christmas food and baked goods, entertainment by The Little German Band, and local holiday goods at this 14th annual vintage vendor village taking place at the State Fairgrounds. saintnicholasmarket.com
12/11 HOLIDAY ART MARKET
Triangle Pop-Up is teaming up with Clouds Brewing for a holiday market that will have you sleigh-ing your gift-giving this year. A curated selection of local artists and makers will be offering accessories, clothing, home goods, custom gifts and more. But wait—there’s myrrh. Clouds will also be offering beer, mulled wine and hot (nonalcoholic) cider. cloudsbrewing.com
12/11 HOLIDAY BEER FEST
Drink up, Grinches! Clouds Brewing promises lots of good spirit with its annual NC Holiday Beer Fest, which features 25+ beers on tap from throughout the region—plus food, music and, of course, holiday cheer! cloudsbrewing.com
2/11 MAKRS HOLIDAY FEST
Ho ho hold my beer—time to jolly up a sweat at the MAKRS Society’s biggest event of the year with 150+ vendors, live music, food trucks, drinks and kid-friendly activities at City Plaza. themakrssociety.com
12/11 MERRY & BRIGHT, A NORTH POLE MARKET
“Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.” Head to the North Pole in Mordecai Historic Park for this merry event chock-full of can’t-miss vendors, festive crafts, seasonal entertainment, food, music and a holiday photo op at the beautifully decorated historic Mordecai House. paperandstarsstudio.com
12/11 OAKWOOD24 RUN
On your marks, get set, go run for 24 hours! The fourth annual Oakwood24 run is a 24-hour running fundraiser benefiting Healing Transitions (to date, Oakwood24 has raised over $225,000 for the nonprofit!). Lace up your running shoes and get ready to run like the wind. healing-transitions.org
12/11 RALEIGH BREWING HOLIDAY BASH
Your presents is requested at Raleigh Brewing’s first-ever Holiday Bash! Bring your kiddos out from noon to 6pm for face painting, a bounce house, food trucks, a visit with Santa and more—plus get some of your holiday shopping done through the local pop-up market. At 8pm, the afterparty kicks off with beer, a DJ and a photo booth. Shake it like a pole-oriod picture! raleighbrewing.com
12/11 & 18 OFFICIAL UGLY SWEATER BAR CRAWL
The burden is back on you to get ugly in the spirit of Christmas—at least your sweater. ’Tis the season for tacky tops as you crawl your way through spirited spirits. Just make sure if you “compliment” someone’s ugly rags that they are part of the crawl. barcrawllive.com
12/11–12 HISTORIC OAKWOOD CANDLELIGHT TOUR
Here’s your chance to get a look inside those Historic Oakwood homes as a dozen open their doors to visitors for an annual dose of community and history (homes date as far back as the mid-1800s) via this 50th anny tour. historicoakwood.org
12/12 CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY
Deck the halls with award-winning pianist Joseph Fuller as he tinkles the ivories with Christmas classics at the NCMA. ncartmuseum.org
12/12 SANTA WITH A VIEW
This year’s Christmas card is going to blow all your previous ones out of the water thanks to The Willard, which is hosting a photo sesh with Santa against a sweet Raleigh skyline backdrop. BYOC (bring your own camera!), but coffee, cocoa and cocktails will be available. thewillardraleigh.com
12/12–13 THE RALEIGH RINGERS HOLIDAY CONCERTS
All the jingle ladies (and gents), get your holiday handbells on during The Raleigh Ringers’ annual holiday tradition featuring unique interpretations of sacred, secular and popular music arranged just for handbells. Rock on.
Sleigh what?! TSO’s highly anticipated winter tour is back to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the group’s landmark album Christmas Eve and Other Stories. Described as an “unforgettable multisensory extravaganza,” this performance is sure to leave you amped for Christmas. pncarena.com
WEB EXCLUSIVE Local indie-pop artists double as tenacious trail runners and van-dwellers.
By day, you’ll find Raleighites Jamie and Hannah Rowen running the streets of Raleigh with local run clubs. By night, you’ll find them jamming to their latest single “Wrecked” live at Bond Brothers Eastside.
The husband-and-wife duo behind indie-pop band Stray Local, their prime mission is to “not just rock your socks with killer songs and catchy hooks that’ll fit your vibe throughout the day… but inspire you to seek adventure, lace up your shoes and head out the door,” says Hannah. Essentially, to stray local, if you will.
Perfomance in Kanab, Utah
Now before you run like the wind to catch one of their shows, a little backstory. … No strangers to hitting the dusty trail, the couple shifted gears from playful high school cross-country meets to learning music ropes while in college at UNCG. But who ever said passions can’t be aplenty? Thus, the runners-cum-music makers merged their interests, converted their minivan into a camper and hit the road on a cross-country adventure traveling through national parks, running races and performing at running festivals in scenic locations.
Their Run Wild tour consisted of eight shows, kicking off in Kanab, Utah, with the Grand Circle Trailfest (a festival celebrating trail running, community, music and the great outdoors) for three days of three back-to-back half-marathons through scenic national parks Bryce Canyon, Zion and Grand Canyon, finished off by a live performance. The dashing duo also ran and performed at Boulderthon, a spotlight marathon in Boulder, Colorado, and supported and performed at other run club events in the area.
Finish Line at Trailfest
Now, the duo has a plethora of new songs in the works set to release this winter, with plans in the works for a spring East Coast tour, with performances in NC slated till then.
“As musicians and runners and outdoor addicts, we hope our passions are contagious,” says Jamie. So, if it’s adventure that you seek, be sure to check out Stray Local’s upcoming shows in NC (peep their schedule below) and stay tuned for more showtimes—and new tunes. Stray on!
From holiday markets and theatre shows to DRA’s beloved Illuminate Art Walk, there’s plenty of fun things to do in Raleigh this week!
THROUGH 12/24 DEWEY’S BAKERY HOLIDAY STORE
“Me want cookies!” The Athens Drive Magnet High School Band Program is hosting a fundraiser at Dewey’s Bakery’s Village District and Waverly Place locations. Grab a Dewey’s Moravian Cookie gift tin for a friend or fam member with a sweet tooth, then get a Moravian Sugar Cake for yourself. A portion of the proceeds from each sale will go toward ADMHS’s band program. athensdriveband.com
12/2 HOLIDAY MARKET AT HARTWELL
“Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.” Find meaning at Hartwell’s local- maker-laden Raleigh holiday market. raleighnightmarket.com
12/3–1/7 ILLUMINATE ART WALK
This holiday season promises to be #lit thanks to Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s free self-guided Illuminate Art Walk, sponsored by Wake Tech. Both Fayetteville Street and the Glenwood South district will be aglow with unique large-scale, interactive and light- based sculptures and projection art nightly. A highlight of this year’s monthlong event is “Chimes,” an internationally recognized piece by Collectif Blackbox that’s made its way around the globe and will be taking over half of Downtown’s City Plaza. Scan the QR code here for DRA’s map of the illuminating installations and to learn more about the artists behind them. downtownraleigh.org
12/3 FIRST FRIDAY
’Tis the season for… art! Don’t miss the final First Friday of the year with a host of events and exhibits in DTR. downtownraleigh.org
12/3–4 RALEIGH CLASSIC WINTER CAR AUCTION
Fuel your love of rare automobiles—and maybe even take one home with you—at this Youngsville-based classic car auction featuring mint unrestored originals and rare convertibles from the ’30s to mid-’80s; special trucks, vans and wagons; and stunning British classics and sports cars. Vroom vroom! raleighclassic.com
12/3–4 ANJELAH JOHNSON
Famous for her viral Nail Salon video, comedian Anjelah Johnson’s reputation for shows filled with nonstop laughter truly does precede her. Experience it for yourself at Raleigh Improv. improv.com
12/3–4 & 10–11 MERRY MOORE MARKET
There’s room for everyone on the nice list! And Raleigh Night Market is helping you get your Christmas list checked off early with two weekends of its holiday market series at Moore Square. raleighnightmarket.com
132/3–5 DANCES OF THE NUTCRACKER + MORE
Chill with your snowmies and get your holiday on in Apex Friday with Halle’s 13th annual tree lighting events and Saturday with the Christmas parade before heading inside for a classic ballet performance. And Sunday is for pre- or post-performance tree selfies. apexnc.org
12/3–19 CINDERELLA
Cinderelly, Cinderelly! Pop over to RLT and see if the glass slipper still fits. This returning holiday rom-com classic is sure to be sugarplum fun for the whole family. raleighlittletheatre.org
12/4 ART NOUVEAU COMMUNITY DAY
You and your fam are invited to experience NCMA’s Mucha exhibit as it comes to life with an ornamental art nouveau scavenger hunt, a self-guided audio tour for kids and take-home art-making vkits. ncartmuseum.org
12/4 JOLLY ELF TRAIL RUN
Make like Buddy and get your elf on for the 15th annual Jolly Elf Trail Run, which includes a 5K, 1-mile jaunt and kids’ dashes, all hosted at WakeMed Soccer Park. Just don’t take it too literally and sport elf shoes. jollyelfrun.com
12/4 MILKY CHANCE
Looking for a stolen dance? Milky Chance has you covered when they rock The Ritz this month. ritzraleigh.com
12/4 NC STATE VS. LOUISVILLE
Louisville or loser-ville? I guess we’ll find out on the court… gopack.com
12/4 YOGA IN THE MUSEUM
Bend and strrrretch at the COR Museum every Saturday morning for a free yoga class held by a local instructor. cityofraleighmuseum.org
12/5 REPEAL DAY
Imbibe like it’s 1933 at Dram & Draught for its Repeal Day celebration complete with drink specials, a photo op and more. Three cheers! dramanddraught.com
12/6 TRANSFER CO. GAME NIGHT
“Do not pass go.” But do go to Triangle Board Games and Bars’ game night event at Transfer Co. An assortment of games will be available, but you can BYO too. Game on! transfercofoodhall.com
12/7 JOY OF THE SEASON
“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” Get your cheer on as the NC Master Chorale takes the stage at Meymandi Concert Hall to belt out all your holiday faves. ncmasterchorale.org
12/8–12 DISNEY ON ICE: MICKEY’S SEARCH PARTY
Have an ice day! Mickey and friends are skating into the holidays with an epic quest you won’t wanna miss. pncarena.com
Just months after opening AC Hotel in Glenwood South, Summit Hospitality Group has announced designs for a new apartment/hotel project near Moore Square.
If you thought Summit Hospitality Group peaked with its development of the new AC Hotel and The Willard rooftop lounge in Glenwood South, think again. The veteran Raleigh developers have partnered with Williams Realty & Building Company Inc. on a new seven-story apartment and luxury hotel project situated between Person Street and South Blount Street—just two blocks from Moore Square.
The apartment complex—dubbed The Acorn—will have three stories of shared parking below four stories of apartments boasting 106 units, plus amenities like a fitness center, clubhouse and a fourth-floor pool with Downtown views. Set to open in the summer of 2023, construction on The Acorn is slated to begin before the end of 2021.
Meanwhile, Marriott TownePlace Suites will feature 138 hotel rooms spanning seven stories, with a lobby bar and fitness facilities said to have outdoor terrace access. Summit Hospitality Group has announced plans to begin construction on the hotel in the summer of 2022 (and fingers crossed for another rooftop bar…).
The plans for the development come after an LLC in care of Williams Realty & Building Company bought the site (currently an undeveloped—and not so glamorous—parking lot) for $3.5 million in 2018. Raleigh-based Cline Design was contracted as the project architect, with Withers Ravenel responsible for the engineering and planning. While Summit Hospitality Group’s new apartment/hotel complex is just one of the many developments in the works around Moore Square, it’s sure to make the area all the more exciting. summithospitality.com
