New Homes in North Carolina

April 2009

Spring has sprung in Greater Raleigh with a wide variety of festivals, sporting events, performing arts and the anticipated start of concert season. Find out why the Raleigh area is the place to be for affordable family fun this April.



Festival Fanatic

Fresh herbs, North Carolina wines and Turkish folk dancing are just some of the themes you'll find this month during festivals held throughout Wake County. Enjoy Wake Forest's historic downtown while learning about fresh herbs during the 10th Annual HerbFest (4/17 - 4/26), complete with duck parades, seminars, local food, music and family entertainment. Conservation and preservation is the goal during Earth Day (4/18) celebrations at both the N.C. Museum of Art and the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, while Cary's Koka Booth Amphitheatre hosts more than 15 wineries and 150 different wines during the 6th Annual Great Grapes! Wine, Arts & Music Festival (4/18). Find plenty of baklava at the Turkish Festival (4/18) at the N.C. State Fairgrounds, shag the night away at the 11th Annual Beach Music Festival (4/25) in Garner or buy your mom an early Mother's Day gift at Cary's Spring Daze Arts and Crafts Festival (4/25). Learn More

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Sports Enthusiast

Warmer temperatures mean the ice is heating up in the RBC Center as the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Rangers (4/2), Penguins (4/4), Islanders (4/7) and Sabres (4/9). Want to enjoy a game outdoors? Head to Zebulon's Five County Stadium and root for the home team as AA Baseball's Carolina Mudcats take on the Huntsville Stars (4/20 - 4/24) and the Chattanooga Lookouts (4/30 - 5/4). Regardless of whether you're a spectator or a participant, Cary hosts the 31st Annual Cary Road Race (4/4) and Earth Day Celebration: Bike, Run, Walk at Umstead State Park (4/18), or watch the Carolina Railhawks bend it like Beckham during games against the Minnesota Thunder (4/11, 4/26) and Rochester Rhinos (4/18). Learn More

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Performance Highlights

The curtain will rise for an incredible month of musicals, ballet and theater by some of the area's most notable performing arts groups. Broadway Series South presents the family classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (3/31 - 4/5) and brings back the fabulous '50s with Happy Daze: The Musical (4/15 - 4/19). The Carolina Ballet pays tribute to Bernstein and Robbins with American Music and Dance (4/9 - 4/12) and performs the family-friendly Coppelia (4/30 - 5/3). Speaking of dance, your toes will be tapping when the popular Lord of the Dance (4/24 - 4/26) comes to the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Theatre in the Park looks at three different outcomes to a dinner party in Life x 3 (4/17 - 4/26), and Lend Me A Tenor (4/10 - 4/26) by Raleigh Little Theatre is a madcap backstage farce. Learn more

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Concerts Rock

Neko Case (4/7) is the first concert in a month of performances that offers everything from soulful sounds to rocking riffs and a little bit of Margaritaville. The N.C. Symphony performs American Romantics (4/3 - 4/4) and I Got Rhythm: Mickey and Judy's Hollywood (4/17 - 4/19), Pinecone presents Jake Shimabukuro (4/30) who plays the violin in a non-traditional manner and Yanni (4/24) makes a stop at the RBC Center for his nationwide Voices Tour. Outdoor concert season is here, and Rock 4 Pets (4/19) and Kings of Leon (4/28) open Koka Booth Amphitheatre's 2009 season, and the Dave Matthews Band (4/22) and Jimmy Buffet (4/23) rock Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek. Learn more

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Special Events

Get those shopping bags ready--it's a bargain-filled month throughout the area. Get ideas for home and garden improvements at the Southern Ideal Home Show (4/3 - 4/5), shop for THE big day at the Southern Bridal Show and Expo (4/19) or pamper yourself at the Southern Women's Show (4/24 - 4/26)--all at the N.C. Fairgrounds. Also, at the N.C. State Fairgrounds are the weekly Flea Market (Saturdays and Sundays) and the Spring Boat Show and Sale (4/17 - 4/19). If you're looking for some kitchen remodeling tips, discover the most innovative and creative ideas during the Junior League of Raleigh's Showcase of Kitchens (4/16 - 4/18). Learn More

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Museum Exhibitions

Are you a buccaneer or a landlubber, a lass or a scallywag? Learn about pirate-speak along with the legacy of infamous rogues of the high seas, from ancient times to the present. Intriguing artifacts, legends and history will bring their ruthless adventures to life at the N.C. Museum of History's special exhibit Knights of the Black Flag (3/6 - 1/4). This is an interactive exhibit showcasing the largest collection of artifacts ever assembled from Blackbeard's famous ship - the Queen Anne's Revenge. After the exhibit, head over to North Carolina's only 3D IMAX theatre at Marbles Kids Museum and discover the creatures that call the sea their home in films like: Monsters vs. Aliens, Nascar 3D and Mummies 3D.

Enjoy the first signs of spring on 164 acres of trails, woodlands and open areas at the Museum Park at the N.C. Museum of Art, and explore the people that make up the Raleigh area's history during Portraits of Raleigh: Images of a City and Her People at the Raleigh City Museum. The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences is gearing up for the blockbuster exhibition Chocolate (begins 5/11), but in April discover the best-of-the-best in animal images during Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Exhibit (through 4/19), and the N.C. Museum of Art showcases Highlights of the American Collection (ongoing). Learn More