September is gearing up to be one of the most exciting months Greater Raleigh has seen in years! There's so much to see this month, including blockbuster exhibitions, festivals and scores of family-friendly events, you'll want to start planning your getaway now! Take advantage of our Hot Deals and Special Offers at area hotels, restaurants and attractions, found only on www.visitRaleigh.com.

The curtain rises for another great month of performances from the area's nationally acclaimed performing arts groups. The Carolina Ballet presents the world premiere of  Firebird (9/16-10/3), while the N.C. Theatre performs the 1950s rock-n-roll spoof  Little Shop of Horrors (9/18-26), which promises to have you laughing and dancing in the aisles. The North Carolina Symphony Kicks off the 2010-2011 season with a Pops in the City FREE Concert (9/12) at the downtown Raleigh Amphitheater and performs Beethoven's Triple Concerto (9/24-25) at the Progress Engery Center for the Performing Arts. the Raleigh Little Theatre, which is celebrating 75 years of live theater, has partnered with the Actor's Comedy Lab to perform a quicky, heartfelt and slightly wicked tale of Hollywood indulgence in And the Winner Is (9/10-26). Myth, magic and pageantry abound as the Paperhand Puppet Intervention (9/10-11) transforms the N.C. Museum of Art's Park Theater stage, all accented with original live music. Combine Monty Python, Homer Simpson and the Three Stooges with 37 plays in 97 minutes and you have the hilarious Theatre in the Park performance of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (9/17-19, 9/23-26,10/1-3). Come see why Greater Raleigh is for the Creative Genius.

Did you know that the N.C. State Capitol grounds has two of the only known statues of George Washington in a toga? Learn fun facts and see more than 100 original objects (including the only set of Washington’s famous dentures) when the N.C. Museum of History presents the special exhibition, Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernon (9/10 – 1/21/11). The Joel Lane House, considered the “Birthplace of North Carolina’s Capital City,” invites you to Lizzie Lane’s Colonial Tea (9/19), where ladies of all ages will learn about the custom of taking tea in the colonial and early American eras while drinking tea, eating delicious treats and making traditional crafts. The Joel Lane Museum House also welcomes noted historian James T. Cheatham for a lecture on North Carolina’s Role in the American Revolution (9/23). Historic Yates Mill welcomes visitors for the 5th Annual Harvest Celebration (9/18), celebrating Farm to Food with corn grinding, old-time music and educational lectures. You have less than two weeks left to learn about the phenomenon of bioluminescence during the special exhibition GLOW: Living Lights (through 9/12) at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.

The bounty of autumn abounds, and farmers markets throughout Wake County are plentiful with organic, homegrown fruits, vegetables, flowers and more. Try the N.C. State Farmers Market (daily) or farmers markets in Cary, Five Points, Holly Springs, North Hills, Wake Forest or Western Wake County (Saturdays). Take a walking tour of area restaurants and meet a chef or two with Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours or Triangle Food Tours, both running tours in multiple areas of Wake County. Want to learn about beer? Try a Kegs and Eggs Tour with Beltline Brew Tours, or celebrate Raleigh Beer Week (8/30-9/3) where area bars and brewpubs will be pouring the best and the rarest brews from local breweries.

Can you smell the pigskin, the energy of tailgating and the spirit of school loyalty? It’s here... college football time, and N.C. State University takes to the Carter-Finley Stadium field against Western Carolina University (9/4) and University of Cincinnati (9/16). Shaw University shows its school pride as its football team takes on Virginia Union University (9/4), and the Carolina RailHawks run the soccer field at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary for matches against the Baltimore Crystal Palace (9/3), Portland Timbers (9/11) and Puerto Rico Islanders (9/25). Take in the last month of Double-A baseball action as the Carolina Mudcats go to bat against the Tennessee Smokies (9/3-6) at Five County Stadium. The Carolina Hurricanes have two pre¬season games this month against the Florida Panthers (9/21) and the Nashville Predators (9/24) at the RBC Center. The SAS Championship (9/20-26), part of the Champions Tour featuring the top professional golfers over the age of 50, returns to Prestonwood Country Club, and the N.C. State Fairgrounds welcomes over 125 athletes competing in equestrian events during the Special Olympics (9/30-10/2).

Turn off the stereo and put away the iPod--there’s too much live music going on in Greater Raleigh to miss a beat. Hopscotch... it’s not just a kids’ game. More than 120 bands over three days at venues throughout downtown Raleigh is what the Hopscotch Music Festival (9/9-11) is all about. Featuring about every musical genre imaginable from rock to alt-country, metal, punk, dance and classical, this festival appeals to all ages and fans. Enjoy seasonal temperatures at Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre for a night of sensational live music by REO Speedwagon and Pat Benetar (9/2), Garrison Keillor’s: A Prairie Home Companion Summer Love Tour with Robin and Linda Williams (9/11), Foxy Family Reunion Show (9/18), Crosby, Stills and Nash (9/22) and Lady Antebellum (9/23). Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek welcomes Kings of Leon (9/13) and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (9/18), and the downtown Raleigh Amphitheater rocks out for The Black Crowes (9/17). Calling all the little monsters: Lady GaGa (9/19) brings her Monster Ball tour to town, and Indian superstar Jai Ho (9/29) brings Bollywood to Raleigh; both concerts rock the RBC Center. Powerhouse Square restaurants Natty Greene’s, 42nd Street Oyster Bar and Napper Tandy’s present Fall Fest with Drivin’ and Cryin’ (9/18).

Calling all Fashionistas: this is the month you’ve been waiting for! Triangle Fashion Week (9/19-25) gives serious shoppers unprecedented access to trunk shows, designer lectures, educational sessions, a runway show and after-hours events at local boutiques, restaurants and nightlife hotspots. FashionSPARK (9/17), part of the SPARKCon, is the area’s largest fashion show featuring 25 up-and-coming fashion, accessory and green designers with ties to the Triangle. Downtown Designers Market (9/25) brings together local artists and designers selling everything from jewelry to stained glass and clothing. Looking to decorate your home or garden? The Raleigh Fall Home Show (9/10-12) at the Raleigh Convention Center and the Southern Ideal Home Show (9/24-26) at the N.C. State Fairgrounds showcase hundreds of products to help you put your personal style into your home.

From bugs to chalk drawings, foreign cultures to larger-than-life movies--events and festivals abound in September. Shops stay open a little later in downtown Raleigh on First Friday (9/3), while Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina present Art After Dark (9/10); Art After Hours (9/10) is also a favorite Wake Forest event. The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences presents all things buggy with the nation’s largest celebration of insects at BugFest (9/11), with eye popping exhibits, edible insects at Cafe Insecta, presentations and music. SPARKCon (9/16- 9/¬19) is a “creative potluck” of SPARKs put together by individuals who are deeply embedded in that specific local scene with events like: GrafittiSPARK, BazaarSPARK, CircusSPARK or FilmSPARK. Prepare for your funny bone to ache after performances by comedians Tracy Morgan (9/2-5) at Goodnight’s Comedy Club or Demetri Martin (9/11) at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Take in a larger-than-life movie like Inception, Hubble3D or Animalopolis throughout the month--or on Grandparents Day (9/12), when FREE admission is offered for grandparents--at Marbles Kids Museum and the Wachovia IMAX Theatre! From sopapillas and sombreros to baklava and bouzoukis, the Raleigh area celebrates the world’s cultures this month with La Fiesta del Pueblo (9/11-12), Greek Festival (9/17-19), Pagan Pride Day Festival (9/18-19) and Mexican Independence Day Celebration (9/19) at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. The Herbert C. Young Center in Cary celebrates “island style” during the 2nd Annual Caribbean Fest (9/18), and visitors are invited to join the area’s GLBT community at “Embrace the Night” during N.C. PrideFest 2010 (9/25-26) in venues throughout Greater Raleigh. The N.C. State Fairgrounds is also host to the Soul Twist Arts & Music Festival (9/5) and the 69th Annual N.C. Gourd Arts and Crafts Festival (9/11-12).