| Dix Park | |
|---|---|
 The Raleigh skyline from Dorothea Dix park | |
 Interactive map of Dix Park | |
| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina |
Dix Park (sometimes referred to as Dorothea Dix Park) is a largeurban park inRaleigh, North Carolina, located about a mile southwest of downtown Raleigh. It covers 308 acres (1.25 km2) that were formerly part of theDorothea Dix Hospital grounds, including a 2.5 acre grass dog park and a 5 acre sunflower field that blooms in July. In 2025,USA Today readers ranked it as the tenth best city park in the United States.[1]
It is located near just south of the historicBoylan Heights neighborhood and east of theCentennial Campus of North Carolina State University, and is located between the Rocky Branch creek (to the north) and theWalnut Creek (to the south).
.jpg)
The Dix Hill / Dorothea Dix Hospital site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.[2]
The North Carolina legislature created the Dorothea Dix Property Study Commission in 2003 to explore options for the hospital site after its closure, at that time planned for 2007.[3]: 249 The suggestion to use the site as a park was first made at a public forum on February 9, 2004.[3]: 249–250 In August, 2004 community organizations and individuals formed Friends of Dorothea Dix Park.[3]: 251 In 2006, a group of affluent donors formed Dix Visionaries to support creation of the park.[3]: 256 In 2007, a grassroots campaign called Dix 306 called for the full 306 acres to be used for the park.[3]: 257
On December 4, 2012, theNorth Carolina Council of State and theRaleigh City Council approve a plan for Raleigh to lease the Dix campus from the state.[4] On December 28, nearing the end of her term as Governor,Bev Perdue and Raleigh MayorNancy McFarlane sign the lease.[5] By March, 2013, Republicans in the North Carolina Senate had passed a bill voiding the lease.[6] It did not pass in the House, but did reopen negotiation around the terms of the lease.[7]
In 2015, after extensive negotiations, GovernorPat McCrory and Mayor McFarlane announce they have reached a new deal, in which Raleigh will purchase the Dix property for $52 million.[8] The City of Raleigh purchased the land from the State of North Carolina in July of 2015,[9] and in 2018 Raleigh released the final master plan and opened the park to the public for recreational use.[10][11] By 2025, the city had already demolished 25 buildings on the site, totaling about 50,000 square feet. Demolition of some larger buildings is planned for 2026.[12]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(October 2025) |
Several buildings from the historic psychiatric hospital, including the newly renovated Stone Houses, remain on the park grounds.[13]
In operation between 1859 and 1970, the three-acre cemetery contains approximately 900 graves of patients who died at the hospital.[14][15] Little was known about most of the people buried here. In 1991, work began to identify these patients and install new grave markers. With extensive help from volunteers, almost 800 people have been identified.[15]
The 18.5-acre Gipson Play Plaza officially opened June 6, 2025 at the park's Lake Wheeler Road entrance. Designed byMichael Van Valkenburgh Associates and with play equipment from Germany's Richter Spielgeräte, the park took three years to complete.[16] Namesake donors Tom and Pat Gipson provided $10 million for the $70 million project, with additional funds from a 2022 Raleigh bond measure.[16] The plaza was intentionally designed for intergenerational and disability-accessible use.[16] The play plaza includes the following distinctive features:
Built in 1955 and renovated in 2020, the chapel offers midcentury modern architecture and both indoor and outdoor event space.[19] The chapel is named for Greg Poole, Jr., a local businessman whose advocacy and vision were influential in converting the hospital site into Dix Park.[20]
Spring Hill House and the accompanying historic marker are located on the park grounds.[21]
The Sunflower Field was first planted in 2019 in Dix Park by the Raleigh Water Department as a "environmental experiment": after planting a field of sunflowers in order to harvest their seeds asbiofuel the previous year, they decided to plant them in a park so that they could be enjoyed by the public. Since then, around 200,000 sunflower seeds are planted every year and timed to bloom simultaneously in mid-July. This simultaneous bloom is a popular attraction. As the flowers die, they also provide food for many species of birds including goldfinches, nuthatches, titmice, grosbeaks, chestnut warbler, Mississippi Kites, cedar waxwings, the scarlet tanager and a singlepainted bunting in 2022 -- which in turn attractsbirdwatchers to watch the birds.[22]
Artist Thomas Sayre's transformation of power poles at the park's entrance into sunflower sculptures reflects the public's enthusiasm for the Sunflower Field in addition to transforming utilitarian infrastructure owned byDuke Energy.[23]
The Dix Park Inter-Tribal Pow Wow is an annual event that recognizes the ancestral ties of theCoharie,Cherokee,Haliwa-Saponi,Lumbee,Meherrin,Occaneechi,Sappony andWaccamaw-Siouan to the land. The city held its first native land blessing and acknowledgment ceremony in 2020, followed by the inaugural pow wow in 2021.[24] Canceled in 2024, the event returned in 2025 with music, dance, and cultural programming organized in partnership with the City of Raleigh’s Office of Equity and Inclusion and tribal representatives.[25][26]
From 2020 through 2022, the Park hosted theWRAL Nights of Lights, a 1.3-mile drive-through holiday light experience produced byCapitol Broadcasting Company in partnership with the City of Raleigh. The event featured themed light displays, a 250-foot illuminated tunnel, and special nights for bicycles and pedestrians. The festival drew tens of thousands of visitors and included a charity5K run and walk. The Nights of Lights event was paused after 2022 while organizers evaluated future plans for its location.[27][28][29]
TheDreamville Festival was a two-day music and cultural event founded byFayetteville native andGrammy Award-winning artistJ. Cole. First held at the Park in April 2019, the festival grew into one of the largest annual music gatherings in the Southeast, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from across the country. The event featureship-hop,R&B, andsoul performances from major national artists and has had a significant economic impact on the Raleigh area, generating more than $145 million between 2019 and 2023.[30] Organizers announced that the 2025 festival would be the last under the Dreamville title and management.[31]
Falling for Local is a fall festival and market held annually at Dorothea Dix Park to showcase local food, music, and small businesses. Organized by Shop Local Raleigh, the event features craft beer, hayrides, a pumpkin patch, and vendor booths representing more than 150 North Carolina makers. Originally launched in 2019, *Falling for Local* continues to attract thousands of attendees each autumn.[32][33]
In 2019, Destination SunFest was held at the Park to celebrate the blooming of the park’s sunflower field. Featuring live music, food trucks, rides, and activities organized by the City of Raleigh and Dix Park Conservancy. It drew thousands of visitors to the park’s Big Field for a day of outdoor recreation and celebration.[34]
The first large-scale community celebration at the Park, Destination Dix, took place in July 2016 following the City of Raleigh’s purchase of the property from the state. The festival drew more than 50,000 attendees and featured live music, food trucks, family activities, and panoramic views of downtown Raleigh’s skyline.[35]
Dix Park regularly hosts outdoor concerts, food truck rodeos, and seasonal movie nights organized by the City of Raleigh’s Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department. These free, family-friendly events often take place on the park’s Big Field and draw residents for live performances and open-air film screenings.[36]
In 2025, Dix Park received three Sir Walter Raleigh Awards from the City of Raleigh Design Review Commission.[37][38] The Stone Houses won in the historic preservation category; Gipson Play Plaza received the Impact Award for "projects that make a lasting impact on the city's growth, design, and vitality", and the Sunflower Poles were recognized in a special Iconic Installations category.[37]
