Parking in Downtown Cary

Parking in downtown Cary can feel intimidating if you don’t know where you’re going. Luckily, ample parking is available for visitors wanting to explore downtown, and all of it is completely free. While there may be additional obstacles due to the many road closures to actually get into downtown, once you’re there, you should have no problem finding a place to park and enjoy the many local businesses that make downtown such a popular destination.

Library Parking Deck

This one is the most obvious. The library parking deck opened back in 2019 and features a total of 600 spaces. Some of those spaces are exclusively for library patrons, and the bottom floor is for The Walker apartments, but the rest of them are totally up for grabs unless otherwise marked. Even on weekends, the parking deck is never completely full – though it does fill up when there are big events (like the Taste of China Food and Culture Festival).

First United Methodist Church Lot

During non-church hours, this parking lot is located if you turn right on Waldo Street from Academy and take the 2nd right down and then turn left. Here is the location on Google Maps. This lot is a very short walk to most businesses downtown, and normally has plenty of parking available.

For 95% of your visits downtown, these two lots should suffice. However, if there is a special event is going on and there are way more people than normal, here are a few more options.

Street Parking

There’s not a ton of street parking downtown, but it is available in marked spaces and it is free to do so.

Old Library Park

Located on 310 S Academy St, there is a small parking lot behind the park.

Town of Cary Parking Deck

There is another large parking deck located at 121 Wilkinson Ave (near Town Hall). This one is the furthest away from the action (about a 15 minute walk to the library, and a 10 minute walk to Bond Brothers Brewery), but a good choice if there is a big event going on.

Cary Arts Center Parking Lot

There is a small parking lot located at 101 Dry Ave near the Cary Arts Center. This one can fill up quick but normally has spots open during the day.

Some local businesses downtown also have private lots that you can use if you’re visiting that business. Downtown Cary is very small, so even if you can’t park in front of the business you’re going to, you will likely be just a short walk away no matter where you choose to park.

About Article Author

James Tuliano

Founder of The Cary Report. When I am not keeping up with local news, you can find me riding my bike around the Greenway trails or lying by the pool.

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