It's the place to play; King's, Go! and Local 506 are also cool, but the Cradle has the larger capacity, and year after year some of the best shows. Collectively, all 4 are really the only places that you can count on to have consistently good shows. Occasionally the Cradle will book shows at the Ritz, the Brewery (both in Raleigh), or even Local 506; for the Raleigh venues it's about the only reason to ever go...ok, the Brewery has been known to have decent local shows--but I haven't bothered to go there in years b/c they're pretty much clueless
Pros: College radio support, food nearby, A club's club
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