Updated: Dec 9, 2021
The City of Raleigh Museum is located on Fayetteville Street, Raleigh’s “Main Street” and the center of Downtown. Housed in a historic former hardware store, the museum is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of North Carolina’s capital City while envisioning its future.
The museum curates temporary and permanent exhibits about the City’s people, places, and resources; maintains a collection of approximately 5,000 artifacts; and offers educational programming and tours. Visit Friends of COR museum for information on supporting the museum.
The museum is free and open to the public.
Raleigh’s Living Room: Rest, Reflect, Respond: This exhibit focuses on art therapy and the need for self-care during these very stressful times. Every month, the exhibit will feature a prompt that asks visitors to reflect on a certain aspect of their lives then draw a response on the dry erase wall. Additionally, each month a local artist will respond to the same prompt and their art will be visible for the month. Open until February 21, 2022.
Women of Change: The Legacy of the 19th Amendment: The Women of Change exhibit chronicles the quests for equal suffrage in 1920 and what women did with the vote over the next century. Visitors will be introduced to Raleigh’s suffragists, organizers, and elected officials who redefined women’s role in politics. The exhibit celebrates a century of struggle and successes with artifacts, photos, and displays of women who made change happen.
"You really stuck it to me today": The Political Cartoons of Dwane Powell features cartoons from Powell's childhood to the present, as well as sketchbooks and artifacts of the cartoonist's trade.
The People’s Politics: Local Democracy in Raleigh. How does local government affect you? Does your opinion matter? Can you make a difference? The City of Raleigh Museum will explore these questions in its newest exhibit. This exhibit tells the story of City government and democracy at a local level, from the election of Raleigh’s first mayor in 1795 to issues facing current and future mayors. Using research from City Council minutes and artifacts from the museum’s collection, this interactive exhibit highlights the citizen role in law-making, giving visitors the opportunity to examine significant decisions from Raleigh’s past and cast their vote on current challenges facing citizens and leaders of our growing City.
Raleigh’s City Flag: Lost and Found. Did you know that Raleigh is one of only 450 cities with a flag? How did the flag come into existence? Who designed it, and what does it mean? Come learn the story behind one of Raleigh’s most visible symbols. This exhibit tells the story of the long journey of the City’s most iconic emblem.
From Plantation to Park: The Story of Dix Hill is a joint venture with the Dix Park Conservancy. It explores the long history and future of Raleigh’s newest park from four perspectives on the land known as Dix Hill.
Hello! We are Raleigh: Our capital City has such a vibrant and colorful history that we can’t wait to share with you. The objects, photos, and stories in the exhibit show you where we came from, reveal how we lived, and tell us who we are today. The City of Raleigh Museum invites you to discover the deep roots of the “City of Oaks” and share in its future. Together, we are Raleigh.
We strive to make history come alive! Our goal is to provide a variety of hands-on programs that will engage students and get them excited about their local history. Our programs use local historic sites, artifacts, and photographs. Many of our programs correspond to exhibits currently on display at the museum. Some programs will have recommended grade levels, and some can be adapted to multiple grade levels. These programs can be a fun and unique way to meet NC Standard Course of Study goals in social studies, English, African-American studies, and art.
Located in the 1874 historic Briggs Building, the City of Raleigh Museum showcases the building’s beautiful storefront as well as its original hardwood floors, pressed-tin ceiling, and other unique architectural details. The museum’s lobby and main galleries as well as its lower-level classroom are available to rent for weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, office parties, semi-formals, reunions, workshops, and other events.
The Lobby Gallery and A.J. Fletcher Foundation Gallery, which may be rented separately or together, make an ideal backdrop to celebrate important milestones. The gallery can accommodate standing buffet receptions for up to 150 guests (120 seated). The lobby can accommodate standing receptions for up to 75 guests (50 seated).
The Woman’s Club of Raleigh Classroom provides an intimate setting for business meetings, seminars, and workshops. The classroom can accommodate up to 50 guests.
The museum is available for rent Monday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to midnight and Sunday mornings from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
For more information or to confirm museum availability, please contact the City of Raleigh Museum Rental Manager Lynda Fuller or call 919-996-2220.
Take note: Requests will be subject to staff approval. Upon approval, payment will be required to confirm the reservation. Your reservation is not finalized until you receive confirmation of your payment.
