Carolina charm: Welcome to Raleigh

Raleigh (FSB Magazine) -- Tucked between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the beaches of the Carolina coast, Raleigh boasts a mild climate, award-winning public schools, and a thriving biotech industry, all of which helped this city of 360,000 attract 12,000 new residents last year - and lots of visitors.

If business or vacation travel takes you near the City of Oaks at mealtime, try the Angus Barn (angusbarn.com). The restaurant serves 20,000 steaks each month. My seven-ounce bacon-wrapped filet mignon ($30) arrived perfectly medium rare, and the wise diner would say yes to the warm blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Founded in 1960, the restaurant is housed in a 50,000-square-foot red barn and owns a 28,000-bottle wine cellar. Reservations are a must - the wait for walk-ins can exceed two hours.

An interactive exhibit at Artspace

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Raleigh's hotels are mostly chain outlets, but for some indie Southern hospitality try the Cameron Park Inn (cameronparkinn.com), a bed and breakfast opened in 2000. Last September, Jon Dick and Nikki D'Ambrose, both 37, purchased the 1912 Victorian from its previous owners. The married couple also owns the nearby Magnolia Animal Hospital, where Dick is a veterinarian. The five guest rooms, all with private bathrooms and wireless Internet, cost $139 to $189 a night. The inn's walls bear warm yellow, orange, and green hues, and the décor includes still-life paintings, tea sets, and crystal table-ware bought at local auction houses. Wooden rocking chairs on the wrap-around porch invite guests to look out over the front yard's oak trees and hydrangeas.

City Market, an area of down-town's Moore Square Art District, offers a variety of galleries within its three-block radius, including Artspace (artspacenc.org). Housed in a former auto dealership, the arts center draws visitors to view changing exhibitions in its three galleries and wander into the onsite studios of 35 local artists, including Catherine Thornton, 60, who uses power tools to grind faces onto stainless-steel "canvases." Artist Eric McRay, 42, is focusing on collages in this, his eighth year at Artspace. His work is inspired by childhood memories and African-American culture. Duke University owns several McRay paintings, and for as little as $250, you can too.