The holiday season is about to get a lot brighter. The **North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival** returns to **Koka Booth Amphitheatre** in Cary for its 11th year, opening **Friday, November 21** and running through **January 10, 2027**.

This is not your average string-light stroll. More than 40 large-scale displays, built from an estimated **2,500 lanterns** and **15,000 LED lights**, will transform the amphitheatre grounds into a colorful nighttime walk-through experience.

The lanterns highlight the artistry and traditions of Chinese lantern-making, while many displays add movement or interactive surprises. Plan on about an hour to take in the self-guided route—though the photo stops may have other ideas.

There is more than light to enjoy, too. Nightly performances at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 p.m. feature martial arts, traditional dance, acrobatics, drums, and more. Food, hot chocolate, coffee, beer, and wine will also be available on-site.

Tickets are required for guests ages 3 and up, with pricing varying by date and entry option. The venue has paved, wheelchair-accessible paths and free parking, making this a strong pick for a festive family outing or a low-key date night.

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A lovingly restored stone motor lodge glows at blue hour, with a welcoming courtyard, intimate lounge, and cafe-bar atmosphere just north of downtown Raleigh.

One of Raleigh’s old roadside landmarks has a fresh new life. **Gables Motor Lodge** is open again as an **18-room boutique hotel and conference center** in the Mordecai neighborhood, just north of downtown.

The property at **1217 Wake Forest Road** originally opened in 1928, when the corridor was part of old Route 1—the pre-interstate-era north–south route that moved travelers along the East Coast. After years of vacancy, the lodge has been thoughtfully restored rather than replaced.

The project came together through a local-minded team that includes singer-songwriter **Tift Merritt** and hotelier **Daniel Robinson**. The restored stone exterior remains, while the interiors have been remade with a new approach to the rooms and shared gathering spaces.

A particularly inviting piece of the update is **Alcove Cafe**, located in the former garage. Along with a downstairs living-room space, it gives the Gables the feel of a place where guests and neighbors might both linger a little longer than planned.

Look closely and you will find a who’s who of local makers throughout the property—from furniture crafted by musicians to work by Raleigh-area artists and makers. It is hospitality with a real sense of place, and a welcome addition to the city’s growing collection of independent stays.

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A caring early-childhood educator guides a small, diverse group of preschoolers as they build with colorful blocks in a warm home-like learning space.

Finding child care can be one of the toughest pieces of family logistics, and Raleigh is considering a local change aimed at expanding the options. A proposal covered by WRAL would raise the maximum number of children allowed in a home daycare from **eight to 15**.

The proposal would align Raleigh’s local capacity limit with what state law can allow, while leaving state licensing, staffing-ratio, and safety requirements in place. In other words, it would expand the ceiling without replacing the rules that govern how providers operate.

Wake County Smart Start estimates that the change could create **112 additional child-care spots** within Raleigh. That potential matters at a time when families continue to face limited availability and high costs across North Carolina.

The broader package also considers allowing home daycare operators to hire employees who do not live in the home. Another proposed update would shorten and reduce the cost of the special-use permit process for commercial child-care centers, which currently can take nearly three months.

This is still a policy conversation, not a guaranteed solution—but it is one Raleigh families, home providers, and neighborhood leaders will want to keep on their radar as the city weighs how local rules can respond to a community-wide need.

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Raleigh Weather

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