MediaRenewer

Art is in the air every May as nearly 70,000 people convene in Raleigh for the annual Artsplosure. It is one of North Carolina's most well-attended and well-respected outdoor art events. The festival is held in the Moore Square Park area in downtown Raleigh and features more than 250 visual and performance artists. The weekend-long celebration is typically held on the third weekend of May and is free to the public.

Durant Nature Park offers not only a chance to stroll the impressive five miles of trails, but you can also relax outdoors and take in a picnic lunch as well as the beautiful foliage that makes this park such a gem of natural beauty.

If your week has been kind of a downer, how about a little laughter to draw you out of the dumps? That laughter can be inspired by the talented and sometimes off-the-map funny observations from the comedians who take the stage at Goodnight's Comedy Club.

The Kennedy Center is situated within its impressive structure, and that particular theater features an impressive stage and multi-dimensional acoustics that make the more intimate performances like solo piano concerts and one act plays that much more vivid. Other entertainment venues within the event center are the Memorial, Fletcher Opera and the Meymandi; each hosts ballets, plays and other live entertainment.