I got the Mahjong!!
Hi {{ first name | Raleigh Lover}}!
One of the things I love most about Raleigh is how easy it is to dive into community. Whether it’s pursuing a hobby, trying something new, or forming friendships with neighbors, every step broadens your horizons in ways you don’t expect.
Last year, my word was Expansion (this year it’s Elevate), and with that in mind, I said “yes” to joining my neighborhood book club and even signing up as a substitute for their monthly Bunco games. I had never heard of Bunco before—turns out it’s a game of pure luck, no strategy, just rolling dice, laughing, and connecting. And last week, I walked home with $5 in my pocket… for the dubious honor of “most losing games of the night.” I’ll take it!
And because of book club, I have read so many interesting books this past year - many that I never would normally pick up - and have gained so many new insights and perspectives from the other women. And we also get to support local by holding our discussions at our local Abbey Road tavern.
This reminded me of learning Mahjong recently—at first confusing, overwhelming, and tempting to quit. But then suddenly, the tiles clicked into place, I shouted, “Mahjong!” and felt the rush of celebrating something new. Much like life (and entrepreneurship), it’s about being willing to sit with the frustration long enough to find those moments of joy.
The more we say “yes” to community, the more we expand and elevate—deepening our connections, uncovering new passions, and building the kind of friendships that enrich our everyday lives.
So, here’s my gentle nudge to you: try something new in Raleigh this week. Join a group, take a class, wander into a festival, or simply strike up a conversation with someone new. You never know what door might open—or what $5 win might be waiting for you.
Caroline
P.S. If you like this style of storytelling that goes beyond just us sharing things to do in Raleigh, I am launching something similar to this you may like on Monday - called The Golden Thread.
💖 FAVORITE FINDS
We enjoyed meeting the team behind Botanist Bean a mobile coffee cart (with plants) at Cary Farmers Market (every Saturday). I loved hearing their dedication to learning how to perfect coffee - they’re even traveling to Florence next month to learn more. and it shows as their flat white was great. Of course, we encouraged them to visit Australia next - home of the flat white -to learn more!
I enjoyed learning how to make ricotta gnocchi froim Carmella Alvaro, owner of the Cooking Lab at the Italian festival on Saturday. She offers cooking classes out of Durham
Add the Asiafest Dragon boat racing into your calendar for next year. It was a fun and unique festival at the beautiful Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary.
We found some good food trucks when we were filming Prose New Hope Apartments this week in the parking lot of Lidl’s in North Raleigh. Tacos Maites and Antojitos Catracos - affordable and delicious Mexican food. I had pupusas for the first time and found them delicious. There’s also a coffee card - Drews Brews - that is pretty decent.
Dragon boat racing
Botanist Bean
Asiafest
Tacos and Pupusas
🫖 Partner Spotlight: Oakwood Garden Club
Celebrate 75 years of beauty + community with the Oakwood Garden Club at their Autumn Tea in the historic Tucker House in Historic Oakwood, Raleigh.
Enjoy delicacies from beloved local restaurants served on vintage china, perfectly paired with three teas from Tin Roof Teas.
🍵 Tea Seating Times & Tickets
Oct 4: 10:30 AM & 1:30 PM
Oct 5: 10:30 AM
🎟️ Advance tickets: $75 ($81.88 w/ fees). Each seating is 1.5 hours, limited to 60 guests.
🍰 Featuring delicious bites from: Side Street Restaurant, Yellow Dog Bread Co, Boulted Bread, SmokeStacks Cafe, PoshNosh Catering/Hummingbird, Sugar Euphoria, and LucetteGrace.
🌿 Bonus! Makers Market – Oct 4, 10 AM–3 PM, on the Tucker House grounds. Shop locally crafted decorative arts at all price points. Open to the public, no ticket required.
Don’t miss this elegant high tea + local shopping experience in the heart of Oakwood! Only a few tickets left!
⭐DID YOU HEAR?
More international flights coming. This time with Breeze Airways to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, starting next year.
Morrisville is getting a downtown! They broke ground on it this week. I'm interested to see how this progresses!
Keep an eye on the tropical storm skies! We're headed to family weekend at UNCW so stay away until Monday please!
Tickets for the Pullen Park Holiday Express go on sale at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14 for $17 each, and will be sold via Ticketmaster. Be prepared as they are harder than Swiftie tickets to get.
Oakwood Candlelight tickets are also on sale - and they run pretty hot. Here is our updated guide for this year. We will be taking Craig’s parents who are visiting for three weeks over Thanksgiving.
Start planning for a fun October with our October events guide! So many cool things to do!
🖋 ON THE BLOG
📆THIS WEEKEND
You may like…
Sat: Midtown Music Fest at North Hills is on Sat where you can enjoy a day of live music, food trucks, festival vendors, beverage tents, and more.
Fir - Sun: Benson Mule Days in Johnston County is one of the state’s largest festivals and has been going since 1949. There’s a parade, mule competitions, carnival rides, concerts and more
Sat: Celebrate the art of a good tamale at Raleigh Tamale Festival in Moore Square. There’ll be a competition for the best tamale in Raleigh, as well as performances, activities and food trucks.
Fri - Sun: Oakwood Series 2025: Every fall, Burning Coal Theatre presents a series of short plays from Raleigh and Triangle playwrights as outdoor theatre in the Oakwood cemetery.
More ideas including Oktoberfest and Pumpkin Patches👇
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