Things to Do in Raleigh

Buffaloe Lanes facilitates retro entertainment by offering open bowling, leagues for all ages, and arcade games. Each lane boasts bumper capabilities, which makes games easier for younger bowlers or those with oval-shaped bowling balls. Bowlers can also host parties at Buffaloe Lanes, during which groups gather in one of the private rooms to unwrap presents and sing to cakes before eating them. The smoke-free and alcohol-free facilities also host snack bars with soft drinks and concessions.

Rainbow Lanes Family Fun Center invites pin shattering on more than 30 automatic scoring lanes. Between frames, patrons can crack cue on one of the alley's eight pool tables, improve motor coordination in Rainbow's arcade, try the miniature Himalaya ride, or chat with an experienced pro-shop worker about the days when balls rolled uphill both ways.

Start by selecting any plate, bowl, vase, mug, jug, or spittoon from Bisque Art's collection of more than 800 finely crafted artifacts (pieces start at $2.50). After you make a sketch and pick out paint colors, carefully direct your brush in tune with your dreams and wishes, letting your creative juices flow wildly onto the dinnerware of your choosing and spill onto the floor that is thoughtfully provided. Once you're finished, leave the mess and masterpiece on the table. Bisque Art will clean up the mess, then glaze and fire your piece in a kiln; it'll be ready for pick-up in a week or less. Bringing some grub and guzzle for artistic motivation is fine; short of bringing in a keg or a fondue pot, you can make this a dinner theater of arts and crafts.

• For $4, you get one ticket to any regular-season home game on Sunday–Thursday (an $8 value before fees, or up to a $9.50 value online, including all ticketing fees). • For $16, you get four tickets to any regular-season home game on Sunday–Thursday (a $32 value before fees, or up to a $38 value online, including all ticketing fees).

The sound of swooshing nets fills the rafters of the PNC Arena as the NCAA women's basketball tournament shuffles into the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds, pinning the Raleigh Division's top remaining teams against each other in a do-or-die sprint toward the Final Four. Rather than getting pelted with constant shots while reclining in the backboards' cozy round hammocks, hoops fans can perch in 100-level seats to witness the on-court madness, which has already seen the 13th-seeded Marist Red Foxes bust brackets by ousting fourth-seeded Georgia in the opening round. The Elite Eight game on March 27 will crown a regional champion, sending them on a trip to the national semifinal in Denver, where the Kingston Region's own victor awaits the chance to play rock-paper-scissors for a coveted spot in the title game.

Formed in 2010 by merging the region's best opera talent into a single company, the North Carolina Opera pairs an internationally acclaimed cast with a full orchestra in its engaging, modern rendition of Gounod's Faust. Director James Marvel's innovative staging sets the stage aflicker in original video projections, which incorporate English supertitles that immerse audiences in the meaning of the French libretto. Tenor Dimitri Pittas, who has sung key roles with the Vienna State Opera and Metropolitan Opera, plays the eponymous scholar who trades his soul for the promise of youth, riches, pleasure, and unlimited soda refills offered by the devious Mephistopheles, devilishly embodied by Lyric Opera Center alumnus Christian Van Horn. The impassioned music and tragic action swirl around Mary Dunleavy as poor maiden Marguerite, who'll sing with formidable sopranic power. Meymandi Concert Hall's orchestra-level seats and warm, clear acoustics throughout afford prime views and excellent ear-views of the sweeping symphonic action.