Through 1/17 12×12 Member Showcase Get some color on those walls. Artspace’s fifth annual 12×12 Showcase gives creative connoisseurs a chance to shop over 200 works from Raleigh artists—all sized at 12”x12”. artspacenc.org
11/12–12/6 UniverSoul Circus The circus is in town. From gravity-defying acrobatics to electrifying dance and music acts, UniverSoul Circus brings a globe-spanning spectacle to Walnut Creek—audience participation encouraged. universoulcircus.com
11/13 Caitlyn Krisko & The Broadcast Introducing Southern rock’s leading lady. Krisko’s enchanting vocals collide with bluesy Southern rock for one helluva night. pourhouseraleigh.com
11/13 Shadowgrass Blink and you’ll miss a note. Shadowgrass sends bluegrass into overdrive with blistering strings and progressive Appalachian sound. lincolntheatre.com
11/13–14 Carolina Youth Ballet: The Nutcracker The Mouse King has clocked in. Clara, sugarplums and an army of young dancers kick off the holiday season at Fletcher Opera Theater. martinmariettacenter.com
11/13–14 How to Train Your Dragonin Concert Dragons soar across the sky—and across the big screen—while the NC Symphony performs John Powell’s epic score live at Meymandi Concert Hall. ncsymphony.org
11/13–15 A Vintage Noel Forget the gift receipt—go vintage. Hunt through 130+ vendors offering antiques, one-of-a-kind accessories, original art and festive finds at the NC State Fairgrounds. vintagemarketdays.com
11/14 Art Bash Forty and fabulous. Celebrate four decades of creativity at Art Bash 2026: Tomorrow, Imagined with gallery exhibitions, gourmet bites, interactive art and a live art bid. artspacenc.org
11/14 Candlelight: Tribute to Fleetwood Mac Thunder only happens when it’s raining. Fleetwood Mac tributes apparently happen by candlelight. Go your own way… to The Rialto for classics surrounded by a sea of flickering candles. feverup.com
11/13 The ComedyWorx Show A one-of-a-kind show—guaranteed. Two improv teams use audience suggestions to create scenes and compete for points… and your laughs. comedyworx.com
11/14 Fall Family Fun Day Leaf it to the little ones. Trade screen time for suncatchers and leaf rubbings during a free, hands-on afternoon of autumn-inspired fun at the City of Raleigh Museum. raleighnc.gov
11/14 NCSU vs. Syracuse 🏈 Red is the new orange. gopack.com
11/14 Orville Peck The mask stays on—the gloves, however… Country’s mysterious cowboy croons his way into hearts at The Ritz. livenation.com
11/14 The Cocktail Classic The party of the year is back for it’s fourth run. RM’s 10 Best Bartender noms show off their best creations during a spirited celebration of Raleigh’s cocktail scene at The Exchange—alongside exceptional Southern bites, DJ beats to set the vibe, and a front-row seat at one of two custom demo bars, where the pros will pour, talk and share the stories behind their spirited ’tails. cocktailclassicraleigh.com
11/14 Farewell Fiction Kitchen The last meal. Join Fiction Kitchen for its final night ever with a pay-what-you-can buffet, drinks, and DJs. @thefictionkitchen
11/14–15 Forest Park Art Walk Go ahead, be a nosy neighbor. Artists open their doors and turn Forest Park into a walkable weekend gallery. forestparkartwalk.com
11/15 Cocktails & Cuisine Class: Friendsgiving Leave the family drama for Thanksgiving. Shake up seasonal cocktails while snacking on holiday-ready bites with your chosen family during this hands-on Friendsgiving class. thewillardraleigh.com
11/15 Elvis: In Person A little less conversation, a little more Elvis, please. Matt Stone shakes, swivels and rocks his way through the King’s biggest hits at Martin Marietta Center. Thank you, thank you very much. martinmarietacenter.com
11/15 Theatre Raleigh Open Mic Night Are you the main character? Sing, act, tell a joke or simply watch Raleigh’s bravest take on the mic. theatreraleigh.com
11/16 WWE RAW Monday nights hit different in the ring. WWE superstars bring smack talk, rivalries and ringside chaos to the Lenny. lenovocenter.com
11/17 Tiny Habits Consider this one tiny habit worth picking up. The Boston trio stacks three dreamy voices into the kind of folk-pop harmonies that’ll make Lincoln Theatre feel downright heavenly. lincolntheatre.com
11/17–18 Humble Heart Bazaar Holiday shopping with some heart—found. Celebrate 75 years of giving back as you peruse holiday greenery, baked goods and seasonal goodies—with a silent auction benefiting local nonprofits to boot. my.onecause.com
11/18 Glow Disk Golf Who says the fun has to end after dark? Grab your glow-in-the-dark discs for a nighttime sesh at Forest Ridge Park. raleighnc.gov
11/18 Mindful Museum Your brain is loud enough. Lie back and let singing bowls do the talking during a restorative sound bath that takes art beyond the canvas. ncartmuseum.org
11/18 Turkey Ball Gobble till you wobble—and do some good. Every ticket purchase provides Thanksgiving turkeys and holiday meals for families in the community in need—and you still get to stuff your face. mulinoraleigh.com
Two local Halloween pop-up bars to get you in the ~spirits~
Spooky season is creeping into Raleigh early—and this year, it’s bringing better (boo)ze than the average cauldron punch. Two local cocktail haunts are going all in for the haunted holiday, from an apothecary dripping in herbs and candlelight to a nostalgia-fueled takeover straight out of the Halloween aisles of your childhood. Prepare to eat, drink and fall under the spell.
The Haunting
Call it a “Nightmare on North West Street”—the good kind. Killjoy is leaning all the way into over-the-top vintage decor, glowing jack-o’-lanterns and haunted-house nostalgia this Halloween as it becomes Raleigh’s only outpost for The Haunting, the inaugural Halloween pop-up from the team behind the beloved Miracle Christmas brand. Like an eerie ghost story or your favorite scary movie, the wonderfully strange environment immerses guests in a twisted realm of oddities, playful mischief and creepy secrets. The cocktails are also bewitchingly inventive: Scream-sicle mixes tequila, spiced vanilla, carrot-orange cordial and habanero, while Poison Apple layers Calvados and rye whiskey with bitter apple, sherry and miso. And for anyone who likes their booze with a little souvenir, the Pumpkin Payback shot comes with a collectible Haunting glass. Oct. 1–31, Killjoy, Glenwood South, killjoycocktail.com
Courtesy of Wye Hill
Witch, Please!
Something wicked this way comes as Wye Hill swaps its usual brewery scene for something far more spellbinding. The buzzy Boylan brewery’s first-ever Halloween pop-up, Witch, Please!, fills the taproom with flickering candles, dangling herbs, weathered spell books and ancient-apothecary energy. Behind the bar, ~spirited~ potions and elixirs get the full treatment—smoke, scorched herbs and dramatic flair included. So basically—witchy theater meets cocktail hour. Try the Wise Woman, a tequila-and-Strega concoction with cucumber, mint, lime and absinthe, or go darker with the rye whiskey- and pomegranate-laced Better Half of Hades. Even the glassware gets in costume, with specialty vessels adding to the theatrical pours, while seasonal bites complete the spell. Through Nov. 1, Wye Hill, Warehouse District, wyehill.com
From glowing lakeside trails to hidden forest paths, here’s where to see Raleigh foliage come alive this fall.
Fall is in full swing—the city’s green spaces officially trading summer’s lush canopy for vibrant hues of bright gold, crimson and orange. And leaf peeping should definitely be on your local autumn bucket list. From lakeside trails to tucked-away preserves, you don’t have to leave the city to catch a stunning show of seasonal colors. Here are six of the best spots for foliage viewing right in Raleigh’s backyard.
Lake Johnson Park Finally, the weather is cool enough for a stroll around Lake Johnson sans buckets of sweat and borderline heatstroke. The 2.8-mile loop trail winds through stands of oak, hickory and loblolly pine, with hardwoods aglow in gold, orange and deep russet by late October. Whether you’re jogging/walking, snapping photos or sipping a seasonal latte on a lakeside bench, the popular park delivers a classic dose of fall color—no road trip required. Peak time to visit is late afternoon, when the low sun sets the lake ablaze and frames each leaf in warm light.
William B. Umstead State Park Perched along the city’s edge, Umstead trades skyline views for canopies of color. Spanning more than 5,500 acres, the park’s network of ~34 miles of trails show off beautiful oaks, hickories, sweetgums and loblolly pines. The 7.2-mile Sycamore Trail loop along the park’s northern edge is a standout for fall color, meandering through dense forest along Sycamore Creek for much of its route. It’s especially a fave for photographers who want a longer hike with varied terrain—with the goal of showing off the best of Raleigh’s autumn palette.
JC Raulston Arboretum Just west of NC State’s campus, the JC Raulston Arboretum may cover only about 10 acres, but it delivers serious fall drama in a compact, curated setting. The gardens burst with color—see: blazing reds from Japanese maples, butter-yellow ginkgo, and warm orange from the Lindera species. Visitors can take a self-guided stroll through themed gardens, snap photos under fiery maple canopies, or join a weekend tour or workshop to learn about the arboretum’s rare plant collections.
Lake Crabtree County Park Straddling the line between Raleigh and Cary, Lake Crabtree offers a quieter kind of fall magic. The 520-acre lake mirrors the maples and sweetgums that rim its edges, making sunrise and sunset here pure gold—literally. With more than 16 miles of trails, the Wake County gem invites you to bike, walk or paddle through the season’s best hues—all backdropped with the hum of planes from nearby RDU Airport. Bring a thermos and/or picnic, stake out a lakeside bench, and watch the leaves move with every passing breeze. Talk about a show!
Durant Nature Preserve
Shelley Lake Park For some of the city’s most photogenic fall views, head to Shelley Lake in North Raleigh, where colorful treetops reflect off the surface of the 53-acre lake. The two-mile paved trail that loops the water is a local favorite, especially when the oaks and sweetgums burst into red, orange and yellow by late October. Stop at the Sertoma Arts Center on the park’s edge to browse an exhibit before circling back for one more lap of color—and be sure to peek down at the water from the bridges to spot turtles and other critters.
Durant Nature Preserve On Raleigh’s north side, Durant Nature Preserve delivers a hidden pocket of woodland, perfect for leaf-peepers seeking peace and color. Once a Boy Scout camp, the 237-acre preserve feels worlds away from the city, with wooded trails that wind past serene creeks; two small lakes; and maple, oak and hickory trees that light up in brilliant colors come fall. The Lakeside Trail and White House Road Trail are especially stunning this time of year, lined with tall trees and bursts of red berries. Birdwatchers flock here, too, in the hopes of spotting migrating warblers darting through the canopy. Altogether, the crisp air, quiet trails and seasonal colors will make you forget you’re still inside city limits.
