Edye Hammer, Cary, NC Videos

The yellow pollen in the air is a sure sign that both spring and strawberry season have started here in the Raleigh triangle. Porter Farms and Nursery has gorgeous buckets of these delicious gems ready for you to pick up at 3525 NC Highway 42 Willow Spring! They will have pick your own strawberries ready for your family outings in a couple weeks at the Willow Spring farm as well as their second patch on 10-10 Road in Raleigh. Venturing out to Willow Spring gets the added benefit of grabbing some fresh made ice cream in 17-20 different flavors. The farm stand is open Mon-Fri 8:30am-9pm Sat. 8am-9pm and Sun. 10am-9pm. Check out their website or follow them on FB to see what other fresh produce they have available throughout the season including pick your own blackberries in June/July. YUM!

When you’re looking for good food, good drinks and great atmosphere, come check out The Mason Jar Tavern, at 305 S. Main Street Fuquay-Varina, NC. They have a full menu with a great selection of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, tacos, salads, amazing sides, desserts and a great kids menu! You can wash it all down with a drink from their full bar including a great selection of beer from the Mason Jar Lager Co or any of the other brews they carry. They are open Sun-Thur 11-9 and Fri & Sat 11-10. They also have a private event room for your next group gathering. Come check them out!

The next time you’re craving something delicious & sweet, you need to stop in at Asali Desserts & Cafe located at 107 Edinburgh S. Drive Ste 106A Cary, NC in MacGregor Village. It’s a Mediterranean Cafe specializing in hand made desserts like baklava, kenafa, cheesecakes, tarts, tiramisu, lemoncello, ladyfingers, macarons, and cakes in so many flavors it’s too much to write here! You can match your sweet treat up with a coffee or tea in any form you like then grab a chair and take a minute away from the stress of the day. They also offer “high tea” Monday thru Thursday if you reserve a couple of days in advance. What a great way to celebrate a special event! If you’re craving something savory, they offer small plates you can enjoy. Open 7 days a week from 9am to 9pm.

The next time you have a chocolate craving, stop by Azurelise Chocolate Truffles located at 702 N. Boylan Ave Raleigh, NC for some of the creamiest, most delicious, melt in your mouth chocolates available. The wonderful chocolatier, Reggie Savage, makes all the small batch, handmade chocolate truffles, sea salt caramels, chocolate bars and my hubby’s favorite TURTLES! All of these are available in milk & dark chocolate and all the 27 flavors of truffles are 100% original recipes straight from Reggie’s brain. Flavors ranging from basic creams to liqueurs to fruit and nut flavors-all seriously delicious! Assortment boxes are available in sets of 2, 4, 9, 18 or 30 pieces and turtles are bagged in sets of 4. You can order on-line, by phone or in person. Orders will be ready the next day for pick up and Reggie can ship anywhere in two days. CHANGE IN HOURS: Open Tuesday - Saturday 12-6, closed Sunday & Monday.

Looking for a quick way to feel some holiday spirit? Grab a coat and a friend and head to Downtown Raleigh to take in 17 different life-size, lighted art installations by local NC artists in the 2023 Illuminate Art Walk sponsored by Raleigh Arts in partnership with Downtown Raleigh Alliance Limelight & Wireframe.The lights will be on display December 1st through January 5th. You can stroll Fayetteville street for FREE from Hargett Street down to the Performing Arts Center taking in all the beauty and fun because some of the art is interactive like “Talling Heads,” “Carolina Cacophony,” & “Threshold.” All of the art is located within the Sip n’ Stroll District of Downtown Raleigh so you can grab a drink from participating restaurants to make your walk a little more festive. If you want to add a little more fun while you’re strolling, head over to Red Hat Amphitheater to test out your ice skating skills at “The Rink.”

If you’re looking for fun this weekend, head out to FentonNC in Cary where SKATE THE SQUARE is now open 7 days a week until January 16th. You can reserve on line Mon-Thur 3-9, Fri 3-10, Sat 10-10 & Sun 11-8. When you’ve had your fill of skating, you have your choice of several restaurants to eat, a great movie theater and really great shopping. Fenton offers great events on most weekends and if you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit, come out on November 18th from 5-8:30 for LIGHT THE TREE! They will have music, carriage rides, a game area for the kids, ice skating and visits from Elsa, Ana and the big guy in red!

WE ARE BUILDING BLESSING BASKETS! Drop off is set for Thursday Nov. 16th 4-7 at Peach Cobbler Factory- Fuquay-Varina. What are BLESSING BASKETS? They are baskets filled with all the non-perishable food items you would want for a great Thanksgiving dinner. We have 15 more families that are feeling the financial pinch this year that we would like to bless their home with a basket that takes a stress off their plate. If you find your life too busy to build a basket - I am happy to do it for you just like I did for my awesome friend this morning. Give me a call or fill out the google form in the comments so we can help a few more families feel a little more love next week! 919.438.1238

When you find yourself hungry in downtown Raleigh, you need to check out Che empanadas located inside Transfer Co. Food Hall at 500 E. Davie Street Raleigh. They are cooking up baked dough, hand pies filled with savory varieties like carne, chorizo, chicken, pork, ham & cheese, egg/bacon/cheese, hot dog, shrimp and tuna. They also offer vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options and to top it off the have around 20 dessert varieties to choose from. You can eat them hot and fresh at the Transfer Co. or you can take them home frozen to bake and enjoy later. If you have an event coming up you might want to ask about their catering services as well. Open Mon-Thur 11am-9pm, Fri & Sat 11am-10pm and Sun 10am-6pm.

Head out this weekend to Ken's Korny Corn Maze at 3175 Benson Road Garner, NC for family fun getting lost and found in the corn maze, playing in the Adventure Zone and finish it off by taking a hayride! Ken's Produce & Garden Center is right next door where you can purchase your pumpkins, decorative corn and fall mums to decorate your home for the fall holiday season. The corn maze is open until Nov. 5th Fridays 4-9, Sat. 10-9 & Sun. 12-8. Corn maze & Adventure Zone tickets are $17 for 6+, 10 for kids 3-5 and 2 and under free. #kenskornycornmaze

When you and your furry friend are looking for a new place to walk, go check out Crowder County Park located at 4709 10-10 Road Apex, NC. It’s a 33 acre park with 3 different trails that combined make a mile loop through the woods, 3 different gardens and surrounds the turtle & fish filled pond. There is a sand volleyball court, playgrounds, 3 picnic shelters, an outdoor amphitheater and an open field for soccer, kites or just running around. They also offer educational programs and fun, family events throughout the year. Open 7 days a week 8am - sunset except for major holidays.

A nip of fall in the air and pumpkin spice everything found on every corner can only mean the holiday season is right around the corner and nothing goes better with holidays than PIE from Slice Pie Company located at 1400 S. Saunders Street Raleigh, NC. “The Pie Lady” and her crew make delicious pies from scratch using their State Fair Blue Ribbon crust as the yummy base for flavors ranging from apple to cherry and every fruit in between along with pumpkin, meringues, creams and 5 different, luscious chocolate flavors! You can pre-order on line, walk in or order and ship anywhere nationally. The best part is you can order whole pies, half pies, by the slice or mini sampler packs so you can keep everyone at the table happy with their favorite flavors. Make sure you follow them on Instagram so you don’t miss the deadlines for holiday orders (and look for the pre-holiday coupon). The store is open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-6pm.

The next time you find yourself hungry in Southern Wake County, stop in at Vicious Fishes Fuquay Tap & Kitchen located at 132 S. Fuquay Ave. Fuquay-Varina, NC. They offer full lunch, dinner and dessert menus with great selections of pub appetizers, wings, burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads. Full dinner entrees are available from salmon, shrimp or mahi to steak, pork and pasta. Wash it all down with your new favorite craft beer that is brewed in their Angier location. Offering selections of IPAs to lagers, ales, sours and all styles in between including seasonal varieties. The full bar also offers cocktails if you prefer. Dine in seating available inside and out or order for pick up and take out. Open Mon-Thur 11am-10pm, Fri 11am-11pm, Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 10am-9pm. Be sure to check out their other locations in Apex & coming soon to Cary.

If you’re looking for something new to plant in your garden this fall or maybe just looking for garden inspiration, you need to head over to Juniper Level Botanic Garden located at 9241 Sauls Road Raleigh, NC. This weekend 9/22/23 - 9/24/23 will be the LAST Open Garden Days of 2023. You will have free access to tour the lush gardens, viewing and learning about nearly 30,000 varieties of plants, trees & shrubs grown on this beautiful 28 acre campus. Many of the plants you see will be available for sale at Plant Delights Nursery adjacent to the garden. Plan to spend an hour or more and wear comfortable shoes because the gardens offer many different areas to take in from shade & water gardens to drought tolerant gardens and all the flowering & pollinator gardens in between. Open Garden Hours are Friday 9/22 & Saturday 9/23 8am -5pm and Sunday 9/24 9am - 5pm.

When you’re looking for good food, great drinks and some live music, come check out Raleigh Times Bar located at 14 E. Hargett St Raleigh, NC. They offer delicious upscale pub food from appetizers to wings, tacos, sandwiches, burgers, cheesesteaks & salads. Vegetarian and gluten free options are also available. There are 4 separate bars serving full selections of cocktails, draft and bottle craft beer and an extensive selection of Belgian beer. Seating available inside, outside, upstairs and on the rooftop patio. Make sure to visit on Tuesday evenings where live music happens upstairs with Beer & Banjos. Open Sun -Thurs 11am-11pm, Fri & Sat 11am-2am