Your Group Itinerary
Please bring your itinerary with you. You must follow your itinerary to avoid conflicts with other scheduled groups. All sites are carefully scheduled to receive limited numbers of visitors in each time period. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late for your first tour, that tour may be altered or shortened in order to get you back on schedule.

Before Leaving Home
Please check weather conditions in the Raleigh area and encourage your group to dress appropriately (i.e., rain gear and comfortable walking shoes). Chewing gum, food, and drinks are not permitted inside the sites.

Upon Arrival
We welcome you to come by Visitor Information to let us know that you have arrived safely, but it is not necessary to check in. If you are rushed to reach your first site, please ask the receptionist at that site to call Visitor Information to inform us of your arrival. It is important that we know of your arrival should a parent or the school inquire about the group. Parents and other adults who drive separately from the group should have a copy of the itinerary for the group they plan to join.

Bus Unloading / Safety Procedures
Buses unload on Jones Street at the north end of the Museum of History and across the street from the Legislative Building. Please pay special attention to safe unloading procedures. Throughout your visit, be sure to cross the streets at signal lights and have a responsible adult direct your group at each crossing. Buses may park in the bus lot (Lot 39) at the corner of Blount and Polk Streets. Limited bus parking is also available along Wilmington Street. Look for signs that say "Bus Lane." Cars and vans should park in the visitor lot (Lot 18) at the corner of Wilmington and Jones Streets (entrances on Jones Street and Edenton Street; fee charged). Parking is also available in the visitor deck between Salisbury and McDowell Streets and in a city deck across from Exploris museum, with entrances off Wilmington and Blount Streets. Illegally parked cars will be towed at the owner's expense. See map for parking locations.

We Have a Place Reserved for You
In the event of long delays, cancellations, or changes, please notify Visitor Information promptly at 919-807-7950 so the staff can make necessary arrangements. Refer to the maps we provide to find your sites, since guides will not be available to direct you. Also, remember that in many cases the tour guides are volunteers and are not required to wait more than 15 minutes past your scheduled tour time; therefore, if your arrival time changes, please call and let us know. Executive Mansion tours fall under Homeland Security guidelines. Once a tour there has begun, the gates are locked, and no one will be admitted. For these reasons, we ask you to be responsible for arriving on time and keeping your group on schedule.

Attention School Groups: LUNCH
Bag lunch storage and an indoor lunch space (for use on rainy days only) will be available in the Museum of History by fall 2004. When your group disembarks on Jones Street, you may also unload your lunches and store them at the museum. Picnicking is permitted in the park behind the Archives and History/State Library Building. Buses may not park on Lane Street at the picnic area but may stop long enough to unload passengers or lunches. You may also picnic at tables located at the bus parking lot. Tables in both areas are available on a first-come, first-served basis. You are responsible for your own clean-up. Please bring heavy-duty garbage bags to collect trash for disposal in the dumpsters.

Public Restrooms
Public restrooms are available at the museums and the Legislative Building. No public restrooms are available at the State Capitol or the Executive Mansion.

Departure
You may board buses on Jones Street, or you may walk to the bus lot to meet your bus and driver. Restrooms and water fountains at the museums and the Legislative Building are at your disposal before departure.

We are here to help you make your visit to Raleigh a pleasant and meaningful experience. Our scheduling service will greatly simplify your planning. Check the links to the various sites so that you have a full understanding of the special programming they offer. We look forward to serving you. For accommodations and restaurant information and for entertainment and sports venues, please go to www.visitraleigh.com and www.raleighnow.com.

WELCOME TO RALEIGH!