Welcome, foolish mortals 👻

A virtual tour of Raleigh’s best Halloween decorations

Deadford Manor decked out in Halloween decor.

Deadford Manor hosts singing skeleton shows in October. | Photo by Rebecca K.

Thank you for creepin’ it real, RAL. We asked you, our readers, to send us photos of the most frightening and festive Halloween decor in the City of Oaks — and you understood the assignment. It’s time to go on a virtual tour of five of Raleigh’s spookiest houses that have gone all-out on bone-chilling decorations.

Singing skeletons

It’s showtime. First stop, North Raleigh. Every weekend, the skeletons of Deadford Manor come to life. Stop by the house on your tricked out Halloween tour for a 15-minute singing skeleton show. This year’s theme? “Beetlejuice.”

Creepy figures

Yes, those are 20+ porcelain dolls in the yard of this Five Points house. Can you spot the doll holding the meat cleaver? We can only imagine what this looks like after dark.

A Five Points house decorated with porcelain dolls for Halloween. — Don’t look too closely if dolls creep you out.

Chained to rock ‘n’ roll

You’ll be livin’ on a prayer when you see the 12-foot-tall Eddie Dedder skeleton and his shorter counterpart Jon Bone Jovi. The rock stars of this graveyard are just as scary during the day... trust us.

Eddie Dedder and Jon Bone Jovi.jpeg — Here’s to hoping those chains are strong.

If we haven’t scared you away, click the link below (if you dare) to see two more terrifying setups.

2 GHOULISH GRAVEYARDS

Click here to have your event featured.

Today

Dix Park Lunch & Learn | Wed., Oct. 12 | 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | City Club Raleigh, 150 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh | $35.00 - $45.00 | This high-level panel on Dorothea Dix Park’s Master Plan will review the details and timeline of the project + the impact it will have on the Raleigh community.

Thursday

Jazz in the Square | Thu., Oct. 13 | 6 p.m. | Moore Square, 201 S. Blount Street, Raleigh | Free | Listen to the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble perform.

Friday

Oktoberfest Party | Fri., Oct. 14 | 6 p.m. | Capital Club 16, 16 W. Martin Street, Raleigh | $10.00 | Join this 13th annual celebration featuring Bavarian food, beer, and oompah.
Paint Your Pet | Fri., Oct. 14 | 5:30-8:30 p.m. | City of Raleigh Museum, 220 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh | $35.00 - $50.00 | Paint your pet as Sir Walter Raleigh in this guided class — beer + wine is included.
Rocky Horror Picture Show | Fri., Oct. 14 | 7:30 p.m. | The Cary Theater, 122 E. Chatham St., Cary | $2.80+ | In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad and Janet discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who reveals his latest creation through elaborate dances and rock songs.

Saturday

Falling For Local | Sat., Oct. 15 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Dorothea Dix Park, 1030 Richardson Drive, Raleigh | Free | Enjoy live music from local talent, hay rides, inflatables, lawn games, kids activities, and a pumpkin patch.

Sunday

Legends of the Lawn | Sun., Oct. 16 | 2-5 p.m. | Harvey Hill at Dix Park, Cranmer Drive, Raleigh | Free | Compete in Raleigh’s first lawn game pentathlon costume competition for charity.

Plan Ahead

National Gingerbread House Competition | Mon., Nov. 21 | All day | The Omni Grove Park Inn | Free | All are welcome to compete in the 30th annual National Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, NC for a chance to win $40,000+ in cash and prizes.*

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Easy living at Flowers Plantation 🏡

Try This: Explore Flowers Plantation in Johnston County

Presented by a RALtoday Partner

Exterior of the Dr. Watson Inn Visitor Center at Flowers Plantation.

Stop by the Dr. Watson Inn Visitor Center to take a tour of Flowers. | Photo by RALtoday

We recently visited Flowers Plantation in Johnston County, a 25-minute drive from Raleigh, to explore all the amenities this community has to offer (hello, free Band of Oz concert). Ranging from 20+ miles of walking trails to on-site shopping + an elevated YMCA, the community has something for everyone.

What we tried (with pricing):

When we first arrived, we stopped by the Visitors Center to gain our bearings of the neighborhood. Next, we were offered information about available home collections in the neighborhood. (We’ve already picked out our dream layout.)

Then we strolled around the on-site East Triangle YMCA (we’ve never seen a better-looking gym). This YMCA is complete with an outdoor pool + slides, top-notch gym facilities, pickleball courts, athletic fields, and programs for all age groups. Pro tip: It’s within walking distance of Flowers Crossroads shopping center.

We followed the trail behind the gym to Flowers Crossroads to watch the Band of Oz perform and ended our night with tacos + margaritas from Don Beto’s Tacos and Tequila.

Keep reading to find out about upcoming events.*

WHAT NOT TO MISS

Weather

73º | Partly cloudy | 10% chance of rain 🌤️

Development

Marbles Kids Museum is expanding its downtown location and opening new hubs across Wake County. The $7 million in updates would allow at least 500 more guests to experience the museum every day. (WRAL)
The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel on Hillsborough Street will be torn down and replaced with a 12-story luxury student housing complex. The new building by developer Core Spaces will house ~2,000 NC State students + have a pool, spa, and coffee shop. (The News & Observer)

Biz

Four-time James Beard semifinalist Chef Matt Kelly has purchased Nana’s, a fine-dining restaurant in Durham. Chef Matt hopes to reopen a renovated Nana’s by spring 2023 + serve Southern cuisine influenced by European cooking techniques.

Cause

Help keep Raleighites warm this winter by participating in Food Not Bombs’ Fall Coat Drive. Drop off your clothing donations at Union Special (Gateway Plaza), Meraki Salon (Hillsborough Street), or Creasman Counseling (Morgan Street). 🧤
Save lives and see your donation grow this month. For every blood donation made now through the end of October, a tree will be planted in Uganda (read: more jobs + cleaner air). Bonus: You can even track your tree and watch it grow online. 🌳 *

Shop

Raleigh Fashion Fest is taking over Fenton with local fashion, food, and shopping on Thurs., Oct. 20. We can’t wait to expand our wardrobes while supporting The Women’s Center. Buy tickets.

Plan Ahead

Tickets are now on sale for the NC Chinese Lantern Festival at Koka Booth Amphitheatre from Fri., Nov. 18-Sun., Jan. 8. This year, there will be 40+ new displays crafted with hundreds of parts and thousands of LED lights and cultural arts performances on the main stage. 🏮

Seasonal

William Peace University will illuminate its 40-ft Christmas tree for the holiday season on Wed., Nov. 16. After the lighting ceremony at 7 p.m., stick around for treats and free printed photographs in front of the tree. 🎄

Award

Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing won first place at the Great American Beer Festival for its Luminous Beings brew in the Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale category. This double-dry hopped hazy pale ale also won gold in the Hazy Pale Ale category at the NC Brewers Cup. 🍺

Feel Good

The ninth annual Sola Hot Mini 5K raised $171,500 to help end ALS + more than 850 people participated in-person and virtually to support the cause. Next year’s race is already planned for Sat., Sept. 16. 👏

Announced

If you love this newsletter (and supporting local) as much as we love strolls in Fred Fletcher Park, morning lattes from Iris Coffee Lab + Saturdays spent exploring local makers markets (which is a lot) — we’ve got something for you: RALtoday just launched a membership program. Learn more + sign up.

Trending

Fast-track those holiday shopping plans. For the first time, Amazon is hosting a second Prime Day with the Prime Early Access Sale today, Oct. 12. Some of the best deals we’ve seen: $120 off a Shark cordless vacuum, $100 off a Vitamix One, and $180 off a deep tissue massage gun.*

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Raleigh ranks No. 1 in driver-friendliness

Raleigh named most driver-friendly city in the US

Raleigh was named the No. 1 city for driver-friendliness. | Photo by Michael Robson

A new WalletHub study named Raleigh the most driver-friendly city in the US. Meanwhile, Durham ranked No. 30 + Philadelphia, PA came in last at No. 100.

The list was determined based on 30 key-indicators compared across 100 large cities. Metrics considered include:

Road quality
Annual hours in traffic congestion
Average gas prices
Number of auto repair shops
Accident likelihood
Parking rates

We’re putting you behind the wheel. Pretend you’re a city planner or road engineer (who knows, maybe you are one). Do you agree that Raleigh is the No. 1 city to drive in? How could Raleigh make its roads more driver-friendly? Where would you like to see traffic improvements in our city?

Click the link below to tell us how you really feel.

TAKE OUR SURVEY

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Anne.

Editor’s pick: I’m caught up on Raleigh’s best Halloween decorations, but I can’t stop wondering about Raleigh’s most haunted places. Do you have a local ghost story to share? Email us your tale — it might just be featured in an upcoming newsletter.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? The Power of Women in Country Music is coming to the NC Museum of History.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Cat George, Anne Tate, Sarah Leonhardt, Erin McPherson, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Charis Painter | Advertise with us.

ADVERTISE | SHOP | CAREERS | ETHICS

Did a friend forward this free newsletter to you?