Jun

The Connells Open The Walt Tonight

It just wouldn’t be a Raleigh amphitheater if The Connells couldn’t open it! Almost exactly 19 years ago The Connells opened Raleigh’s Walnut Creek Amphitheater. Tonight’s open house gives citizens free entry to their newest public property with the city’s most popular music act to date. It also gives the amphitheater staff a dry run on how the place really works with people attending. This event will be packed, so be sure to check out the parking ideas below.

The Amphitheater (which should be named for Sir Walter Raleigh) is located across the street from the Raleigh Convention Center Shimmer Wall, at McDowell and Cabarrus. ( map it )

Open House

The events kick off at 5pm with this schedule for bands:

5:20 to 5:50 Th’ Bullfrog Willard Mcgee
6:00 to 6:25 The Small Ponds
6:45 to 7:10 Sleep Control
7:30 to 7:55 Old Avenue
8:15 to 8:40 Mosadi Music
9:00 to 9:35 I Was Totally Destroying It ( video )
9:55 to 10:55 The Connells

Access/Parking

First off, I would avoid the SW of quadrant downtown when going to events, unless you are eating at Humble Pie, Five Star, or Jibarra beforehand.

For those coming on-I-40 from Wilmington, Durham, Chapel Hill, and Greensboro, take the Hammond Rd. exit, get on Northbound Hammond Road (From Wilmington, turn right. From RTP, turn left). ( map it ) This will become Person Street. At Cabarrus Street, turn left , and park across from the Lincoln Theatre in the Progress II Deck ( map it ). The amphitheater is a short, 3-block walk.

For those in Raleigh coming from the North, the best bet is probably to shoot for any of these decks: City Hall ( map it ), Progress II Deck ( map it ), or Martin Street Decks (across from Progress II). Best of all, though, would be the Hannover Deck (underground) or the Cabarrus Deck (across from the Sheraton). Those two are best accessed by coming down Salisbury Street from the Capitol.

There are many, many more parking options, though, and a map of all of them can be found online.

R-Line

Don’t forget the R-Line ! Downtown Raleigh’s free circulator bus comes every 10-15 minutes, and goes right to the door of the amphitheater. Because of routing uncertainties, I’m not sure I’d rely on this method until after the facility has had some events. The City of Raleigh will undoubtedly make moves to ease the ensuing vehicular/pedestrian strain on McDowell Street, and this may involve closing the street for periods around events. This could affect the R-Line’s routing and timing. We’ll see. You can check the R-Line real-time bus locations online.

If the R-Line turns out to be a good idea, then eating in the Glenwood South area will be a fantastic option before a concert. The R-Line’s counterclockwise routing makes this area favorable.