Summer has officially arrived, and Greater Raleigh is host to nationally acclaimed artists and concerts, family friendly festivals events and blockbuster exhibitions. Plan your summer getaway now and take advantage of Hot Deals and Special Offers offered by area hotels, restaurants and attractions.

The summer’s hottest ticket is found in Greater Raleigh, with a wide array of live music for all ages. Sing along to hits like “Hotel California” when rock legends The Eagles (6/17) perform at the RBC Center. The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts sets the stage for trip back to the 1960s as the Spinners, Martha Reeves and the Contours present 8 Track Saturday Night: Early Days of Motown (6/12). Four decades after their first hit, folk rockers America (6/27) bring their 40th Anniversary Tour to Memorial Auditorium. It’s outdoor concert season, and Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek welcomes Brooks & Dunn (6/5), Lynyrd Skynyrd (6/18) and Rascal Flatts, Kelli Pickler and Chris Young (6/25). Downtown Raleigh’s newest live music venue, the Raleigh Amphitheater and Festival Site, opens its doors for an inaugural concert by the Backstreet Boys (6/6). The N.C. Symphony returns to Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre with the following concerts: Red, White and Blue: A Salute to America’s Armed Forces (6/5), Tiempa Libre (6/12), A Celebration of 10 Seasons (6/19) and The Ahn Trio (6/26). Booth Amphitheatre also presents Styx and Foreigner (6/9) and Phoenix (6/11) for classic rock fans. The N.C. Museum of Art isn’t just about visual arts; performing arts take center stage at the museum’s outdoor amphitheatre. Take in An Evening with Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller (6/2), or support Raleigh native Tift Merritt (6/5) as she brings her folksy sound back to her hometown. Head over to North Hills for the free Midtown Beach Music Series (Thursdays).

Double-A baseball is in full swing with the Carolina Mudcats during 12 home games this month at Zebulon’s Five County Stadium against rivals the Huntsville Stars (6/10-14), Mississippi Braves (6/16-20) and Jacksonville Suns (6/28-7/3). The Carolina RailHawks welcome the Crystal Palace (6/19) and the Montreal Impact (6/26) to Cary’s WakeMed Soccer Park, and the RBC Center prepares for thousands of professional wrestling fans to cheer on The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio and others during the WWE Smackdown (6/15). Lace up those running shoes and hit the streets of Fuquay-Varina during the Run the Quay 5K (6/5).

Strawberries, watermelons, cherries and apricots are just some of the fruits in season during June. You can find local growers selling these and other healthy produce at area farmers’ markets including: the State Farmer’s Market (daily), Downtown Raleigh Farmers Market (Wednesdays), North Hills Farmer’s Market (Saturdays) and the Five Points Farmer’s Market (Saturdays) among many others around the county. Take a tour of area hot spots during a Triangle Food Tour or Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tour, and check out of the area’s six microbreweries on a Beltline Brew Tour. Treat your dad to a grill lesson from Chef Walter Royal of the Angus Barn when he teaches “Father’s Day Grilling Kitchen” (6/20), or use your ZSpotCard to get a great deal on a meal at one of more than 100 area restaurants!

The curtain rises for a month of stellar theatre performances. Theatre in the Park performs the North Carolina premiere of November (6/11-13, 6/17-20), a comedy set in the days before a presidential election. Actors from the Raleigh Little Theatre take audiences on a journey through Italy for a little passion and romance in the classic play, The Light in the Piazza (6/4-27), and Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy brings intimate theatre back to the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park (6/9-20) opens the season and The Great American Trailer Park (6/30-7/11) is a musical comedy set around a cast of characters in a trailer park. The N.C. Theatre is proud to present a star-studded cast including Clay Aiken, Sharon Lawrence, Terrence Mann and Lauren Kennedy in Bringing Broadway Home (6/21). The N.C. Symphony welcomes Branford Marsalis and Friends (6/8) for a benefit night at Meymandi Concert Hall, and The North Carolina Opera presents Casual Classics II: Opera, Broadway and Zarzuela in the Museum Park (6/12) for an evening of unparalleled sound.

Enjoy after-hours shopping, local musicians and food from area restaurants at downtown Raleigh’s First Friday (6/4), Arts After Dark 2nd Friday in Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina (6/11), Art After Hours in Wake Forest (6/11) and the Cary Art Loop (6/25). Kids of all ages will delight in seeing their favorite Sesame Street characters in Elmo’s Green Thumb (6/3-6) at the RBC Center, and come celebrate one of Wake County’s most unique towns during Celebrate Fuquay-Varina (6/4-5) with concerts, amusement rides, food vendors and more! Outdoor summer movies are here at two of the area’s most popular venues. Take a stroll through the new N.C. Museum of Art and then spread out a picnic for movies like Invictus (6/4), (500) Days of Summer (6/11), The Damned United (6/18), Monsters vs. Aliens (6/19), It's Complicated (6/25) and Up in the Air (6/26). The lawn at Koka Booth Amphitheatre is the perfect place to enjoy Sherlock Holmes (6/3), The Blind Side (6/10), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (6/17) and Casablanca (6/24). Put on those 3D glasses for an IMAX film at Marbles Kids Museum. Movies now playing include: Shrek Forever After: An IMAX 3D Experience (5/21-6/17), Toy Story 3 in 3D (opening 6/18) and Hubble 3D (ongoing).

North Carolina’s Capital City is full of history, and take time this month to discover what made Greater Raleigh great. Enjoy the 174-acre park at Historic Yates Mill County Park, the site of Wake County’s last remaining grist mill. Learn about corn grinding using water power from costumed docents during Mill Heritage Tours (Saturdays). The N.C. State Capitol turns 170 years old and is having a Birthday Celebration (6/11) complete with music, entertainment and, of course, cake. The Midsummer Fairy Festival and Fantasy Faire (6/19-20) takes place in Wake Forest with dancing, crafts and weapons demonstrations. The 9th Annual African American Celebration (6/5) celebrates African-American heritage with dancers, musicians, storytellers and more at the N.C. Museum of History. Also at the museum, discover one of the state’s most influential craftsmen in the blockbuster exhibit, Behind the Veneer: Thomas Day, Master Cabinet Maker (ongoing).