The Triangle boasts a wide range of breweries and craft beer styles, and beer enthusiasts can sample many of them at the area's three best beer festivals.

A couple weeks ago, local beer blogger Kyle Rubeling offered some of the can't-miss breweries in the Triangle. But if you want to try them all at once (and you have a designated driver), a beer festival is the way to do it.

Here are the Triangle's three beer festivals, when and where they are, and what you can expect to see (and taste) at each.

World Beer Festival - Raleigh and Durham

This is actually two beer festivals, as the the World Beer Fest takes place in the spring in Raleigh and in the fall in Durham. Both festivals are a favorite among casual beer drinkers and beer enthusiasts

When you are looking for a great place to eat in the Triangle, it may be difficult to decide where to go to first. For an area its size, the Triangle boasts a great variety of fine dining establishments, and the number is growing due to the many foodies in the area. Southern Living magazine has even called Durham the "South’s Tastiest Town".

Here are some restaurants you want to be sure to try:

The Fearrington House Restaurant

This restaurant should not be overlooked for its fine food and luxurious style. It is located south of Chapel Hill in the The Fearrington House Inn hotel, and is the only 5-star Green Certified restaurant in the U.S. It is also heralded as one of the top 100 restaurants in the country. They grow their own food on the

Pittsboro is a town that thrives in the arts all year long. It is small (just over 4,000 people) and quiet, which makes it perfect for the development of artists and musicians, and many of them come here for that reason.

Chatham Artists Guild

A recognized group that encourages people all over North Carolina to get into the arts is the Chatham Artists Guild, which has been around for 24 years. They also aim to connect artists with patrons, and provide training for artists.    

They regularly host various exhibits of local artists, as well as the works of artists from around the state. The Studio Tour is free, and introduces the artists, their local studios and their art.

Cooper Mays Pottery

If you are looking for unique pottery to add to

Pumpkin carving is one of the most cherished Halloween traditions, but going out to the farm, picking the perfect pumpkins, and sharing in some good old family fun is how great family memories are truly created. Lucky for residents of the Triangle, there are a number of family-owned farms in the area that offer plenty of wholesome fun and fantastic pumpkins too!

Here’s your guide to some spooktacular family fun this Fall in the Triangle.

McKee’s Cedar Creek Farm in Rougemont

Located about 25 minutes north of Durham, McKee’s Cedar Creek Farm has been a Triangle family favorite for generations. Every Fall, the farm creates a unique pattern in their 12-acre corn maze to challenge and impress their visitors. For little adventurers, they also

Barbecue in the Triangle: There’s nothing better!

Just saying 'barbecue' in this part of the country will get your mouth watering. If you love barbecue, there are so many incredible places preparing it that it's easy to think you've died and gone to hog heaven.

The first choice you need to make is the kind of barbecue you want. You see, in North Carolina, there are two types of barbecue that compete for your love and attention: eastern style and western (also called Lexington or Piedmont style).

Chapel Hill is the dividing line between the two styles of barbecue in the Triangle area. East of Chapel Hill you will find Eastern-style barbecue. Western style barbecue is found west of Chapel Hill. Both styles are known for great, slow-cooked

If you've been living in a cave for the last 30 years, the phrase “food truck” might conjure up images of a sandwich truck at a construction site or a truck serving greasy fast food on a college campus. Once called roach coaches, food trucks have grown up. Today's food truck are nothing like their ancestors.

There are about 150 food trucks in the Triangle area, offering a huge variety of foods. Most trucks specialize in certain foods just like restaurants do. What do the food trucks offer? Several types of BBQ, hot dogs, hamburgers, gourmet grilled cheese, cheesesteaks, gourmet sliders, deli meats, pizza, Maine lobster, tacos, sandwiches, dumplings, meatballs, and more. There are also trucks specializing in sweets such as cupcakes and cookies,

It’s hard to live in the Triangle area without hearing about the American Tobacco Trail (ATT), but it’s more fun using it. The trail is a 22-mile recreational greenway which travels through the City of Durham, south through Durham, Chatham, and Wake counties. The northern end is a 10-foot wide paved trail, while the southern end is made of stone dust rather than asphalt.

American Tobacco Trail Access

The trail is located on an abandoned corridor of the Norfolk Southern Railroad. The original railroad took tobacco from farming communities in Wake, Chatham, and Durham counties to the American Tobacco Company in Durham for processing. Over time, trucks replaced the trains, and the trains eventually discontinued the route. The tracks were removed in

This coming weekend we celebrate Independence Day, the day we declared our independence from England. We usually get together with family and friends for a day of fun, parades, barbecues, picnics, concerts, and, of course, fireworks! This year, you can actually catch fireworks on both Sunday and Monday if you plan ahead. Some places are celebrating the holiday on Sunday and others on Monday, the 4th. To help you plan your holiday, we have listed below some of the more popular events for the weekend.

Events for Sunday, July 3:

Fuquay-Varina Independence Day Celebration

South Park, 820 South Main Street, Fuquay-Varina. 6 pm.

This event includes free music, inflatable rides, tons of food vendors, and spectacular fireworks after dark. A

Now that Memorial Day has passed, our thoughts turn to summer; and one of the greates things about this time of the year is the availability of numerous fresh fruits and vegetables. While grocery stores stock up on all of the current fruits and veggies, there is nothing fresher than buying your goods directly from the farmer at your local farmer’s market.

Both Andrew and I are serious cooks, and one of the many things we love about living here in North Carolina is our access to high quality fresh foods. 

The Triangle Area is blessed with a plethora of farmers’ markets, so there is no reason you can’t enjoy delicious fresh foods this summer. Many of these markets offer far more than just fruits and vegetables. Many offer a number of other foods

Over the past decade, the Triangle area has become one of the most popular areas of the country to live and work, and for good reason. A prime geographical location and a robust economy have paved the way for a huge influx of families and individuals relocating from out of state. At some point, most of these people eventually play host to visiting family and friends. Luckily, there’s no shortage of fun and interesting things to do.

Here are a few good ones:

• Heart of NC Wine Trail: Established in 2011, this wine trail includes five small, unique vineyards. It runs from Durham southwest through Apex and Pittsboro, ending in Siler City.
• Duke Gardens: The Sarah P. Duke Gardens is free and open every day of the year. This world-renowned public