This is a great time of year to take a hike or bike ride outside in the autumn sunshine. Take an afternoon to crunch and play in the fallen leaves. There is a great variety of activities to choose from this weekend from Mutt Strutts to fashion showns or parades to horse shows.

Bring your family and your four-legged canine friends to the annual Canine Carnival & Mutt Strutt at Crowder District Park. Enjoy educational exhibits, contests for your dog, and interactive activities for people and dogs. Watch the flyball demo and take advantage of $5 rabies and $10 microchip services. ParkGeek will be there with our brand new little puppy.

Take a giant step back in time, as the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosts Fossil Fair.The event is back after a three year break and will feature dozens of displays, activities and presentations about fossils from North Carolina and around the world. You will even have an opportunity to talk to a paleontologist and meet scientific illustrator Liz Bradford.

All weekend at the Museum of Life & Science, they will feature special events focused around the Teddy Bear Clinic and exciting, engaging hands-on activities that are sure to inspire a healthy lifestyle. As a bonus, Sunday is Durham Appreciation Day at the Museum. Durham residents can enjoy free admission.

Show your kids how they can become Eco Heroes. Marbles Kids Museum welcomes the Scrap Exchange for a fun opportunity to turn trash into trasures. The Tarheel Tale Tellers will also be at Marbles weaving their terrific tales.

Friday is Colossal Collard Day at the NC State Farmers Market. There will be free samples, recipes and plenty of the local crop available to purchase.

It's First Friday again at the The North Carolina Museum of Natural Science! In addition to enjoying a leisurely stroll through the exhibits and light fare plus beer and wine, this month's event features The Natural Horror Picture Show. This month's movie is "King Dinosaur".

Both the Raleigh City Museum and Marbles Kids Museum stay open late and feature special activities for First Friday. You can also enjoy an evening in Downtown Raleigh by going on a First Friday Gallery Walk.

Paper Moon will be the featured film at the Fall Film Series & Friday Night Wine Bar at the North Carolina Museum of Art. On Sunday, join Artist Binh Danh as he discusses his exhibition In the Eclipse of Angkor.

Come meet the author, enjoy a book signing and hear all about the book, Long, Obstinate, and Bloody: The Battle of Guilford Courthouse at the North Carolina Museum of History.

The Oak City Classic Step Show Competition will bring students from different schools and communities together for a day of fun at the Biltmore Hills Community Center. Oak City Classic Fashion Show will bring a full scale fashion show extravaganza to the runway at the Lion's Park Community Center.

For the 22nd consecutive year, 300-400 handbell ringers from several States come together for two days of ringing and learning for the Capital Area Handbell Festival. You won't want to miss their final concert.

Disney's spectacular movie Oceans will be the featured film at the Holly Springs Cultural Center.

Fall is in the air at Historic Yates Mill County Park. Join them for The Natural Colors of Fall, a program about fall colors. While you are there, you are welcome to take a Heritage Mill Tour, a sneak peek into the first floor of the fully restored mill.

The Annual Duke Children's Hospital Benefit Horse Show comes to town this weekend. The largest hunter-jumper horse show in the Southeast, the show also offers all ages a behind-the-scenes look at how horses are cared for, trained and shown. Youngsters can see the horses in their stalls in the five tents and five permanent barns on the complex grounds. You won't want to miss family fun night on Friday with a stick race for the kids. The event is a great way to get up close to the horses and a supper opportunity to talk with the riders and learn about what goes into caring for a horse and riding competitively.

The Annual Train & Railroadiana Show & Sale returns to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. Sponsored by the Neuse River Valley Model Railroad Club, a non-profit educational organization chartered to promote the hobby of model railroading. There will be several operating layouts on display and vendors selling train related merchandise.

Also at the State Fairgrounds, the Junior Women's Club is hosting a Fall Furniture Consignment Sale.

Head to Downtown Raleigh Saturday morning to honor our Veterans with the North Carolina Veterans Day Parade. The festivities will include a parade, a wreath laying ceremony and patriotic concert.