Featured Raleigh Artists
Here are some of the best Raleigh tattoo artists and shops according to our research. If you think we should add anyone to the list or if you see anything that should be edited, contact us by clicking here
Kelly McGrath
Jason Hassel
Robert Meyers
Patrick Goodwin
Shaun Bushnell
Marco Sullivan
Joe Almquist
Matt Mebane
Rene Estrada
Nicole Eveland
Paul Lieberman
Edgar Guardiola
Terrence Gonzales
Golden Coils Tattoo
Mad Ethel’s Tattoo
Brian E Harris
Authentic Tattoo Company
Apex Tattoo Factory
Blue Flame Tattoo
Warlocks Tattoo Inc
Hillsborough St Tattoo and Body Piercing
Double Deuce Tattoo
Femme Fatale Tattoo
Rock-N-Roll Tattoo & Piercing
Oak City Tattoos & Piercings
401 Tattoo and Art
Romantic Torture Tattoo
You will find that Raleigh, North Carolina has a lot of great tattoo studios to choose from, but most people that live in or around the area will agree that Warlock’s Tattoo & Body Piercing is easily one of the best that they have. Opened way back in 1991, Warlock’s is one of the only shops in town that is a member of the National Tattoo Association. They have a full roster of experienced artists that have combined to make over 10,000 tattoo designs in their lives, so this is definitely a shop you can trust to know what they’re doing when you’re in their chairs.
Warlock’s Tattoo & Body Piercing is going to be the best tattoo shop in Raleigh for a lot of people in the city, but it’s a good idea to take a look at some of the other ones around town before you commit to hiring anyone. You’ll want to make sure that the shops are clean, that they have a great reputation for taking care of all of their customers, and that they have a nice lineup of artists with a good mix of styles. You will thank yourself later for doing this extra bit of research because chances are it will help you to find the perfect Raleigh tattoo studio for your needs.
Rather than putting all of your effort into finding the perfect tattoo shop, you might instead want to research the very best tattoo artists in the Raleigh area. Some of the notable tattoo artists in the city include Cliff Kealoha, Paul Lieberman, Matt Mebane, Patrick Goodwin, Steve Wetherington, and Lacie Frain. These artists and many others have gained their fame in the area for finding styles that work for them and perfecting it over time.
You might end up finding out that there are multiple tattoo artists in Raleigh that you like. In those cases it’s a good idea to go out and meet the ones that you like and talk to them about the type of tattoo that you want to get. You can also search around online for their past work, such as on social media accounts like Instagram and Twitter. Most artists are share-happy these days because they know that a lot of people look up this type of stuff, so you will have plenty of content to sift through. Once you do find an artist or two that you like, you can then go and visit them to see how you get along and if you want to hire them to do your piece.
If you know that you want to get a tattoo and you are going to be in the Raleigh area, it shouldn’t take you too long at all to find an excellent shop and artist to work with. It doesn’t matter if you are looking to get a small tattoo on your wrist or a large piece on your back, the talented tattoo artist in Raleigh will be able to give you exactly what you want.
Joel Lane was the man who lobbied the North Carolina General Assembly in hopes of starting a new county in December of 1770. The bill that initiated Wake County was accepted in the General Assembly on Jan 5, 1771. Portions of Orange, Johnston and Cumberland counties formed Wake County. It was named after a woman named Margaret Wake Tyron who was Governor William Tryon’s spouse. Bloomsbury was the first county seat.
A port municipality 35 miles away from the Atlantic Ocean, on the Neuse River called New Bern was the capital and biggest city of North Carolina during the time of the American Revolution. The site was no longer able to be used after the British Army attacked the city.
After that, in 1788, Raleigh was named the new capital because of it’s central location that had natural protection from the coast. In 1792, Raleigh was officially named the state capital and county seat. Sir Walter Raleigh was the namesake of the city.
The location of the new city was chosen because of it being 11 miles from Isaac Hunter’s Tavern which happened to be a popular spot for people that worked as state legislators. On this site, there was no known city or town that had existed there. Out of all the capitals of the United States, Raleigh was one of the few that was originally created to serve as a capital. The original borders of Raleigh were shaped by the streets of East, West, North and South in the downtown area. The idea for the grid of Raleigh was created and based on the plan for Philadelphia by Thomas Holme in 1682.
In December of 1794, the North Carolina General Assembly met in Raleigh for the first time and arranged a charter for the city with seven appointed board members and a governing intendant of police.
19th Century
Andrew Johnson, who happens to be the 17th president of the United States, in Raleigh. In 1818, Raleigh’s first water supply network was finished and due to failing systems, the project was left behind. The first volunteer fire company was started in 1819 and a full time fire company was founded in 1821.
Raleigh was home to the North Carolina’s first state hair in 1853. Peace college was the first institution of higher learning in Raleigh and was founded in 1857. There are still many 19th century homes that reside in the Historic Oakwood area of Raleigh that are still in great condition.
North Carolina left the Union and after the beginning of the Civil War, the governor of North Carolina, Zebulon Baird Vance directed the construction of breastworks surrounding the city as a way to defend against Union troops. Raleigh ended up being captured by cavalry under the tutelage of General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick during the campaign of General Sherman. This was on April 13, 1865 and as the cavalry of the Confederate army withdrew to the west, they were followed by Union soldiers which led to the Battle of Morrisville. On a good note, Raleigh avoided serious damage during the war.
African Americans were emancipated in 1865 after the Civil War and during the Reconstruction era, there was legislature passed that allowed public education for whites and blacks. Many freemen journeyed from rustic areas to Raleigh with the aid of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Raleigh was well known for having a large community of free blacks with many opportunities for work. They also traveled to Raleigh to get from under the supervision of white rural landowners in the south.
The first African American college in the south was Shaw University. Classes began in Shaw University in 1865 and the school was chartered in 1875. For black women and higher education, Estey Hall was the first building built for with them in mind while Leonard Medical Center was the first medical school for African Americans in the country.
St. Augustine’s College was created by Episcopal clergy in 1867 for freemen education. New welfare institutions were started by way of the biracial Reconstruction legislature. This was in 1869 and was the first school that was approved for deaf and blind African Americans and it was to be positioned in Raleigh.
20th Century
Job creation was one thing that was a real focus of government during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. People were hired for projects for public works and educational and recreational programs were provided by the city. In 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performed in its new home of the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium.
21st Century Raleigh
Today, Raleigh is known as a city that is always landing on a top 10 list for best cities. It’s been on lists in Money magazine, Forbes and MSNBC because of the business climate and quality of life that is afforded there.
Even in sports, Raleigh is relevant. The are the home to the 2006 NHL champion, Carolina Hurricanes. It is the only championship for Raleigh in any professional sport.
Another fact about Raleigh is that in April of 2011, it was hit by a tornado. This tornado killed 24 people. It went through Northeast Raleigh, Downtown and East Central Raleigh and costed the city $115 million to Wake County.
Climate
Like many places in the southeast, Raleigh’s climate can get very humid. There are four season and winters are usually pretty cool and short. For an average, there are only 69 nights a year that drop below freezing. April accumulates 2.91 inches of rain a year and is the driest month of the year. It rains equally throughout the year and gets slightly heavier in July and September.
Raleigh is an up and coming city and it is already known as one of the most popular places to live these days. If you don’t want to live there, we recommend going to visit because you can get a great mix of modern and historical. Raleigh has a rich history and at the same time, cultural sophistication. We suggest giving Raleigh a chance because it is a great city and if you ask any locals, they will agree with you.
Raleigh, North Carolina has a rich tattoo history. Featuring shops such as Rock N Roll Tattoo & Piercing, Phoenix Tattoo Studio, Blue Flame Tattoo, Mad Ethel’s Tattoo, and Oak City Tattoos & Piercings, Raleigh is a great destination if you’re looking for some new ink. With a population of around 416,000, there are lots of potential customers for the parlors in town. Yelp currently lists 52 different shops when searching for “tattoo” in Raleigh. Google Places lists 415 different tattoo shops in the Raleigh area, which shows how competitive the city truly is. When doing research for your artist, we suggest not paying too much attention to price because quality is much more important when you’re going to be living with the artwork for the rest of your life.