First Friday Family Fun: Creation station, cupcake deal, chocolate factory tour, more

Friday is the first Friday of the month, which means that downtown Raleigh galleries, shops, restaurants and museums are open late with special activities or deals. Plenty of venues offer fun for all ages.

Posted 12:45 a.m. Apr 30, 2013 — Updated 12:45 a.m. Apr 30, 2013

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Friday is the first Friday of the month, which means that downtown Raleigh galleries, shops, restaurants and museums are open late with special activities or deals.

While some might consider First Friday an adults-only event, it isn't. Plenty of venues offer fun for all ages. Here's some of what's scheduled this Friday for families. Check WRAL.com's Out & About section for more.

CAM Raleigh's special First Friday hours are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The contemporary art museum will offer a creation station with hands-on activities from 6:30 p.m .to 9 p.m. They'll also have food trucks, music and after-hours access to its galleries. Admission is free!
The Mahler Fine Art Gallery, 228 Fayetteville St., will be open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Families are welcome to come and learn more about the gallery's new works by artist and printmaker Robert Patierno.
The Cupcake Shoppe, 104 Glenwood Ave., offer its buy one, get one half off cupcakes deal on First Fridays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There's also free coffee. While you nosh on your cupcakes, you also can enjoy local artwork.
Dickey's Barbecue Pit, 170 E. Davie St.,offers free dessert with purchase of a barbecue meat plate and drink or one free kid's meal for ages 12 and under per paid adult meal of equal or greater value.
Centro Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar, 106 S. Wilmington St., will host a three day Cinco do Mayo event. First Friday hours are 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Each month during First Friday, the restaurant, which has some absolutely delicious and fresh food, features work by a local artist.
Marbles Kids Museum, which is open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., on First Fridays, will feature an interactive performance from the Triangle Youth String Sinfonia. The musicians, who are in the seventh to twelfth grade, play violin, viola, cello and bass. As part of the fun, visitors can make their own instrument out of recycled items. It's free with admission, which is $5.
Videri Chocolate Factory, 327 W. Davie St., is open from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday. You can take a free self-guided tour of the chocolate factory and learn how chocolate is made from the bean to the bar. Then, you can try a free sample.
The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences is busy, as usual. The museum and its Nature Research Center stays open until 9 p.m. on First Fridays. At 7 p.m., it offers a free screening of "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension." The B-movie, from 1984, features the likes of Peter Weller, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum and Christopher Lloyd. This would be lots of fun for older kids. For teens, the museum's Teen Science Cafe is at 6 p.m. at the Daily Planet Cafe. The museum’s Biodiversity Lab Director Roland Kays explains “Coordinated Movement in Groups of Animals and Teenagers.” Kays will lead teens through an exercise to see if they can use flocking behavior to avoid predation, the museum tells me. This is the last Teen Science Cafe until October 2013. And the museum's store also will host an opening reception for six North Carolina potters whose exhibit will be on display in the Nature Art Gallery.
Artspace in City Market is open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The collection of artists is a great place for families to wander around. You'll see artists at work and get a chance to see all kinds of pieces.