This piece is a part of our Q+A series. Know someone we should interview? Nominate them here.
Australian natives Craig + Caroline Makepeace traveled all over the world to some of the planet’s most amazing sights as travel bloggers — but felt an instant connection with our city and chose to plant their wandering souls here.
The couple, who started the blog yTravel, now runs a Raleigh-specific blog with a website and social media presence — ThisIsRaleigh. Read on to find out why they fell in love with the Oak City, what NC foods they like + what inspires them.
What’s your name, title, and 3-5 things you want people to know about you?
If you’re originally from Raleigh, why have you stayed here? If you’re not, what brought you here?
Craig: Craig Makepeace — I’m the founder of ThisIsRaleigh.com which is dedicated to sharing all the amazing things to do in Raleigh — we have a uniquely Raleigh checklist you can grab here. And the co-founder of yTravelBlog.com (our global travel blog). I played a professional sport in Australia (Rugby League) straight out of high school, and first moved to Raleigh in 2004 with my Aussie wife, Caroline, who came to Raleigh on a teacher exchange program. We instantly fell in love with Raleigh and last year were awarded Green Cards through the success of our business. I’m a travel addict, sports fanatic, craft beer lover, and big fan of the Tar Heels.
Caroline: Caroline Makepeace, co-founder of yTravel Blog and This is Raleigh. I was a teacher for 15 years and used that profession to live and travel the world. I taught in London, Dublin, Bangkok, and Smithfield, Johnston County. I was recruited by Participate Learning, based in Chapel Hill, to teach in Smithfield in 2004 on a cultural exchange program to expose children in schools to other cultures. Both Craig and I instantly felt like we had arrived home — which was weird for our wandering souls. For the past 11 years I’ve been passionate about sharing our love of travel to help others do the same. I’m excited to be now sharing our love for the vibrancy of life in Raleigh. I also speak at conferences around the world and LOVE it!
What local dish do you crave + rave about?
Craig: Barbecue. I’ve definitely acquired the taste for Carolina barbecue. And whilst I do drool over ribs, I still prefer beef over pork so anywhere that sells good brisket sign me up. But if there’s a combo plate of meats, even better!
Caroline: As I am gluten free, there are many traditional Southern dishes I sadly can’t eat! So I’m going to go for a more modern dish that I love. It may seem weird to mention broccoli as one of your favorites, but I always order a plate of charred broccoli from Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing, and recommend it to others. It is THAT good.
Name 3-5 other local movers + shakers you’re watching.
Craig: Max Trujillo and Matt Weiss, founders and hosts of the NC Food & Beverage Podcast. They’re hospitality veterans and great supportores and advocates of the industry, plus they host fun events and are great all round guys to be around! I think Scott Crawford’s background story is incredible and what he’s since gone on to achieve with 2 of the best Raleigh restaurants hands down, Crawford & Son and Jolie, and I look forward to checking out his new endeavor in Clayton, the Crawford Cookshop. Terrance Ruth, the mayoral candidate, is heavily involved in the community and passionate about real change.
Caroline: Kiara Ruth from The Banana Moon. I love her insights on life and think she is a strong, positive role model (for women in particular) and valuable leader for the community of Raleigh, as is her husband, Terrance Ruth. Hannah Weisberg, founder of Women’s Social Club. I love being a member of this group and seeing what Hannah has created here. Not only is it a place for women to connect with other women, but for us to learn more about small businesses in Raleigh and nonprofit organizations in Raleigh doing good for the community. I have not seen anything else like this in my travels before, and think all cities would benefit from having a club like this to connect more deeply to their community. Emily Grey from The Flourish Market is a passionate advocate for empowering women. She does this through her local boutique store which supports women creators and makers from around the world. She’s a mentor for many local women owned businesses and has a coworking space to help women come together and feel less alone on this entrepreneurial journey. How she has pivoted in her own business, and stepped up as a leader for others, during these challenging pandemic times has been admirable.
What were the last 3 things you did downtown?
Craig: Coffee from Heirloom — as Aussies we’re a bit fussy about our cup of Joe, and Heirloom makes one of the best lattes in the city. Dinner at Sitti — we have a large Lebanese community in Australia and it’s so good to eat delicious authentic Lebanese here! Beers at Burial Beer Co. — such a cool interior space + top quality brews!
Caroline: Coffee from Heirloom Brewshop, a delicious falafel salad bowl lunch at Falafel & Co in Mordecai, and a coffee from The Optimist, also in Mordecai.
Hit us with your favorite piece of local trivia:
Craig: That Raleigh is home to the world record-holder for largest selection of draft beer on tap, 350+ at Raleigh Beer Garden - cheers to that!
Caroline: Estey Hall is the first building constructed for the higher education of Black women in the US and is Shaw University’s oldest surviving building. Shaw University is the first historically Black institution of higher education in the South + among the oldest in the nation.
Describe Raleigh’s personality in three words.
Craig: Cool, passionate, liveable.
Caroline: Vibrant, friendly, savvy.
You’re ordering a drink from a Raleigh coffee shop: What are you getting?
Craig: Latte (or Flat White - Aussies will understand) from Jubala on Hillsborough Street, plus one of their biscuits with fried egg, cheese + bacon. I love to sit on the sidewalk there and watch the world go by.
Caroline: Latte with almond milk from Heirloom.
What’s your favorite Raleigh-specific thing to write about?
Craig: The lakes and trails. Growing up by the beach in Australia we do miss it, but have come to love lake life here. And I love that Raleigh is a city within a forest and has 180-miles of greenway trails and I love to walk or bike them with our kids!
Caroline: I love all the festivals, live music and fun events in Raleigh. We just haven’t had many of them since our Raleigh blog started! I’m looking forward to sharing them more. Let’s just hope they can start happening again!
What’s 1 thing that surprised you about Raleigh?
Craig: The craft beer scene. I’ve tasted beers in the top beer destinations in the US like Portland, San Diego, northern California, Washington, and Asheville + I’ve had some of the best beers right here in Raleigh!
Caroline: That it is so green. I really wasn’t expecting it. As a nature lover, I am thrilled that it feels like I live in a forest, yet have so much access to city experiences. It’s the ultimate. My greatest fear with all this Raleigh growth is they will destroy our forest feel.
How did you get into blogging? Why blog about Raleigh?
Caroline: We were looking for ways to continue living and traveling around the world without having to rely on work visas. We wanted the freedom that came with having your own independent business. After a series of bad decisions and failed attempts, we discovered travel blogging way back in 2010. We saw they were writing about our life for the past 10 years and thought we could do the same. Of course, we were passionate about it and had years of experience, and without knowing what we were doing, we jumped in and quickly grew. We always wanted to blog about Raleigh, given we are so passionate about living here and wanted to share what’s so great about it. The pandemic gave us the time and push we needed to get it started. We all know that travel pretty much died overnight in March 2020! While the pain of that is real for us, it’s been great to have This is Raleigh to focus on and ease that pain!
Craig: What Caroline says. Plus I’ve always enjoyed taking photos, and she’s always enjoyed journaling, so it was a natural progression in that sense.
Where do you take the kids to keep them entertained?
Craig: When we first moved here + our daughter was young, it was Pullen Park. Now they enjoy places like the Go Ape zip line course, Jordan Lake, Defy trampoline park, Lake Johnson for paddle boarding, and any ice cream shop.
Caroline: Agree with Craig above. We also love to escape to Kerr Lake for a camping trip during the summer. It’s only an hour from Raleigh and offers us a quiet peaceful retreat. We also love to spend a day at Wrightsville Beach riding waves. It’s how we fill the hole that misses our Aussie beach culture.
Tell us why you’re different from other local travel bloggers.
Craig: The fact that we are Australian and could live almost anywhere in the world but chose to put down roots and raise our kids in Raleigh shows how naturally passionate we are about the city. And I think we do a good job of covering a diverse range of interests for all demographics, and don’t focus on one particular topic, like say food. The food scene is important and keeps getting better, but there are so many other topics and activities that deserve to be shared and make this city a great place to live and visit.
Caroline: Since we’ve been travel blogging for 11 years, we are experienced and know how to tell an interesting and unique story that helps others. We were also invited to the White House and awarded Green Cards for our travel blogging expertise and success, so I guess that’s pretty good credentials to bring to what we do!
What inspires you?
Craig: Travel, it’s what makes me feel most alive. We like to accumulate memories and moments, not just possessions, and we do that through travel.
Caroline: Anything that keeps me connected to awe and wonder. I typically get that through travel — and is why I’m so addicted to it — but I can also find it just by watching the squirrels chase each other through the forest.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Craig: Both. I enjoy writing about my experiences and sharing my tips on places to help others experience the same. But writing detailed blog posts is time consuming, and sometimes it can be easier and a lot quicker to just record a podcast or video.
Caroline: It depends. If I write either in the middle of an experience or directly after it, I feel everything flows effortlessly and it energizes me. Getting in that creative energetic zone is how I write best and can easily write post after post very quickly. The exhaustion comes if I’m trying to write when I’m not feeling it, or days, sometimes weeks, after we’ve traveled. That can often feel like I’m eating nails. It’s such a painful process trying to remember and drag the words out. Sadly, given the intensity of what we do — traveling with kids, taking photos and videos, exploring from sun up to beyond sun down — it means I usually only have the time to write days after the experience.
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