Knightdale is 15 minutes east of downtown Raleigh on 64 and it has quietly become one of the Triangle’s best towns for families. The reason is one park, Knightdale Station, which does more per acre than anything else in Wake County, plus a set of greenways that connect it to the Neuse River and a downtown that is starting to fill in with places worth the drive. Here is what I do there.
Quick orientation: Old Town Knightdale is the small historic strip around First Avenue and Main Street. Knightdale Station Park is just south of it. The shopping and most restaurants line Knightdale Boulevard (Highway 64 Business). The Neuse River is the western town line.
The best things to do in Knightdale
Knightdale Station Park
Seventy-six acres with a splash pad, a big destination playground, a dog park, a one-mile paved loop, an amphitheater, ball fields and the town’s farmers market. In summer it is the busiest park in eastern Wake County, and the free concert and movie series on the lawn are the town’s social calendar. Free.
Mingo Creek Greenway and the Neuse River Trail
The Mingo Creek Trail runs from Knightdale Station Park west along the creek, with boardwalks over the wetlands, and connects to Raleigh’s Neuse River Trail, which means you can ride from Knightdale to Falls Lake or to Clayton without leaving pavement. Anderson Point Park, just across the river, has the boat launch and a good picnic spot.
Old Town Knightdale
The historic downtown is small but changing fast: a brewery and taproom, coffee, a couple of chef-driven restaurants and the town’s events. The Knightdale Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings in season at the park.
Harper Park and the Knightdale Environmental Park
Harper Park is the older neighborhood park with courts and a playground. The Environmental Park on the Mingo Creek trail has a pond, boardwalks and the kind of quiet the big park lacks on a Saturday.
Where to eat
Knightdale’s food scene is more interesting than its strip malls suggest: some of the Triangle’s best Caribbean, Mexican and Southern spots are along Knightdale Boulevard and in Old Town, plus the new downtown restaurants. The current picks live in the posts below.
Day trips east
Knightdale is the jumping-off point for eastern Wake and beyond: Wendell and Zebulon are 15 minutes east, the Carolina Mudcats play in Zebulon in summer, and the drive to the coast starts here.
Events to plan around
- Independence Day Celebration at Knightdale Station Park, with a big fireworks show.
- Knightdale Fall Fest, October, at the park.
- Concerts and movies in the park, summer weekends at the amphitheater.
- Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting, December, in Old Town.
- Knightdale Farmers Market, Saturdays in season.
Neighborhoods to know
Old Town is the historic core. Knightdale Station (the neighborhood, not just the park) is the newer walkable community around it. Widewaters and Planters Walk are established neighborhoods off the boulevard. Poole Road toward Raleigh is where the newest construction is.
Latest from Knightdale
Nothing filed under this town yet. New posts land here automatically as soon as they publish, so check back or browse the whole blog in the meantime.
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