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.
The Joel Lane Museum House tells the interesting story of how Raleigh came to be. As you walk through the house that is adorned with vintage furnishings and other genuine relics of the period, you'll hear the story of how Lane, a prominent statesman and soldier, sold the 1,000 acres of his land for the formation of a new capital in 1792.