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by ADDIE LADNER

Fearrington House Restaurant Celebrates 40 Years

All month | See website

Bands At Brookside

Tuesdays | 5 - 8 p.m.

Spice up your weekday with live music on the patio while devouring tangy chicken wings and a hearty beer at recently opened eatery Brookside Bodega. Acoustic jazz musician Sheila Casalett and Durham-based group String Break are among the local acts on the lineup in November. Free to listen; 1000 Brookside Drive, Suite 119; brooksidebodega.com

Steel Magnolias

Nov. 4 - 13 | See website

Noted

Fearrington Village was first opened by world-traveling couple Jenny and R.B. Fitch in the 1960s. This month it’s celebrating the 40th birthday of the Fearrington House Restaurant with a special seven-course, wine-paired menu by Chef Paul Gagne. Enjoy dishes that blend classic Southern ingredients with French flair, like a Foie Gras Mousse with Apple Butter or Prosciutto-Wrapped Veal with Thumbelina’s Carrot Duxelle and Haw River Mushrooms. Use the special dinner menu as an excuse to make a day trip out so you can spend time walking through the gardens, perusing the titles at McIntyre’s Books or shopping at local boutiques. $175; 2000 Fearrington Village Center, Pittsboro; fearrington.com

Over 30-plus years, Steel Magnolias has become a classic Southern play — and there’s no better way to enjoy it than as interpreted by a Southern institution like North Carolina Theatre and its Raleigh-born director Lauren Kennedy. Following the lives of four women who regularly gather at a beauty parlor in a fictional Louisiana parish, Steel Magnolias is a universal, deeply human exploration of resilience, sisterhood and love that will have you laughing through your tears. “It’s also a comedy that delivers hilarious wit alongside true wisdom from a bouquet of characters and storylines you will find both familiar and refreshing,” says Elizabeth Doran, president and CEO of NC Theatre. From $24; 2 E. South Street; nctheatre.com

Fall Arts Fair

Nov. 5 | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Shop directly from more than 50 local artisans at the Fall Arts Fair at Fred Fletcher Park, where creations like John Pelosi’s wood works, Peter Borsay’s vibrant prints, Suijin Li Snyder’s delicate jewelry and Laurie McNair’s ceramics will be on display. Hosted by the Pullen and Sertoma Arts Centers, the fair will also include guitarist Wayne Schindler and the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute among the musical entertainment of the day. Poetry Fox will be there waxing verse for anyone who needs words to ponder, plus there will be craft activities for kids and art demonstrations. Plan to have a meal there: food trucks will be on site, including Roasted and Toasted (smoothies, coffee, waffles) and Chirba Chirba Dumpling Truck (try the mini chicken dumplings tossed in chili oil). Free admission; 820 Clay Street; raleighnc.gov

Egyptian Tent

All month | See website NOTED

Step inside the Gregg Museum of Art & Design this month to be transported to Egypt of the early 20th century. The centerpiece of its Egyptian Tent exhibit is a rare, colorfully appliquéd Egyptian tour tent available for public viewing for the first time. Standing around 12 feet tall and 13 feet wide, it’s displayed on a platform so visitors can step inside to get an up-close view of the ornate detailing of pharaohs and hieroglyphics on its interior panels. It is the only known example of an Egyptian “street tent” of this era with alternating Islamic and Pharaonic images on the interior — a mashup of faith symbols made to please tourists to the country when Western interest was at its peak. Also in the exhibition are a number of other appliquéd tent panels and a rotating projection of images that show what a visitor to Cairo would have encountered at the time. Free admission; 1903 Hillsborough Street; gregg.arts.ncsu.edu

Pinkalicious The Musical

Nov. 5 | 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.

New York City-based Vital Theatre Company is making its Garner debut with Pinkalicious the Musical, an entertaining and educational spectacle for audiences of all ages. Based on the children’s book, the plot revolves around the sweets-loving Pinkalicious, who can’t stop eating pink cupcakes — until she wakes up pink from head to toe. “The GPAC is thrilled to offer quality programming that will engage the young people of our community,” says Garner’s arts and culture superintendent Amy Pridgen. “We’ve made sure to keep ticket prices as low as possible so that everyone can enjoy it.” $5 for children, $10 for adults; 742 W. Garner Road, Garner; garnerperformingartscenter.com

At Home With Frances Mayes

Nov. 9 | 6 - 9 p.m.

Settle in with a glass of wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres for a conversation with Frances Mayes, the New York Times best-selling author of Under the Tuscan Sun, among others. Mayes’ latest book, A Place in the World: Finding the Meaning of Home, explores her connections to the homes she’s lived in over the years, as well as significant locales from her travels. Presented by WALTER magazine and Fink’s Jewelers, it’s an event that will transport you to Italy, Nicaragua, Mexico — and even around the Carolinas. From $65; 1053 E. Whitaker Mill Road, Suite 111; waltermagazine.com/ francesmayes