On March 22, 1887, Richard Stanhope Pullen donated farmland to Raleigh, creating Pullen Park, the oldest public park in North Carolina. Founded on March 22, 1887, when Richard Stanhope Pullen of Pullen Plantation donated farmland to the city, this is the oldest public park in North Carolina. Imagine how that donation transformed a stretch between Western Boulevard and historic Hillsborough Street into a place for everyday recreation and respite.
Today you can smell the concessions along the paths, see picnic areas and small rides — the beloved Pullen Park Carousel, the train, and the kiddie boats — and, in season, families renting pedal boats on the park’s small lake. The park also hosts the Pullen Aquatic Center, the Pullen Arts Center, and Theatre in the Park, making it a lively cultural hub in the Research Triangle region. Trails thread through the grounds; the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile system of trails connecting Maine to Florida, runs through Pullen Park, linking this local oasis to a coast-to-coast route.
You stand between the Main and Centennial campuses of North Carolina State University, Ashe Avenue at your feet, the carousel and lake waiting just ahead.