If you've visited before, you know North Hills is the perfect spot to shop, dine + play — and the lineup of spring and summer events is a can't miss. Come along as we spend a day at North Hills.

What we tried:

Our Thursday found us in the North Hills' Lassiter District shopping for a friend's birthday gift. Stops (and a few purchases) were made at PaperBuzz, Fleur, and Voda Boutique before picking up some stunning stems at Trellis Floral for the birthday girl.

Fun fact: All the stores we stopped at are female, locally-owned shops.

Before we got our groove on at the Midtown Beach Music kickoff, we popped over to the Park District for a pre-concert al fresco dinner on the patio of Giorgio Pizza Bar. We shared lite bites of burrata and fritto misto before white wine mussels and a kale Caesar salad with grilled prawns entrees — paired with a crisp glass of white wine.

What not to miss:

The extensive events list for spring + summer include:

Wellness Wednesdays: Now through June 21
Midtown Beach Music concert: Thursdays through June 22
Midtown Farmers' Market: Saturdays through Nov. 4
North Hills Wine Walk: This Saturday, May 20
NH Kids: June 20, July 18 + Aug. 15; Returning this summer for the first time since pre-pandemic.

What we’re still talking about:

After dinner, we walked over to Coastal Credit Union Midtown Park to enjoy the first of the Midtown Beach Music Series' 10-week run. It felt like an early start to summer, and was so fun to see couples, friends, and families gathered on the grass.

The series runs every Thursday from 5-9 p.m. through June, and features all the feel good music (think: Beach Music, Motown, Oldies, R&B, and more).

Pro tip: Bring a blanket, lawn chairs, the kids, and/or the pups, and place a pickup order from a North Hills restaurant. Tickets are $5 and kids 13 and under are free. Bonus: The Beach Music bundle gets you 10 concerts for the price of 6.

How you can experience this:

Visit North Hills this spring + summer to shop, dine, or play.

Things to know if you go:

Experience: Spend a day in North Hills
Price: Price of purchase
Website: visitnorthhills.com
Address: 4321 Lassiter at North Hills Ave., Raleigh
Hours: Vary by store
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