First Friday Family Fun: Marbles' new exhibit, Rainforest Adventure deal, more

Friday is the first Friday of June (can you believe it!?). And that means downtown galleries, museums and restaurants are open for special deals and events for First Friday.

Here are some family favorite destinations for the monthly event. As always, check WRAL.com's Out & About section for more First Friday ideas.

Marbles Kids Museum is open until 7 p.m. for after hours play on First Fridays. Marbles also has a First Friday camp until 8:30 (pre-registration required). Pogo, the restaurant in the museum's IMAX theater building, has a limited menu on Thursday to Sunday nights. And how about this: I'm told that Marbles, which officially opens its new Kid Grid exhibit on Saturday and Sunday, will let visitors into this major exhibit on Friday during First Friday. The exhibit introduces children to the power grid. 

The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences offers a discount on its Rainforest Adventure exhibit on First Fridays. Tickets are $5 for all to this fun experience, best for kids ages 3 to 12 and their adults. The exhibit is open until 7 p.m. on First Fridays. Also on Friday, the museum's montly sci fi click is "Sugerargo and the Faceless Giants," a title that makes me crack up. The free screening is at 7 p.m. The 1968 movie involves Superargo, a former professional wrestler, and his battle against a band of robotic "giants." The museum is open until 9 p.m. on First Fridays. 

CAM Raleigh is open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday. Admission is free. The evening features hands-on crafts station, food trucks and pop up performances. The museum recently opened its part of Bull City Summer, an exhibit that chronicles the 2013 Durham Bulls season. Other pieces of the exhibit are at the N.C. Museum of Art and the American Tobacco Campus in Durham.

I featured Keith Norval and Anna Podris, artists, parents and husband and wife, on Monday. Their studio, along with many others, will be open at Artspace in downtown Raleigh from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Also: Artspace teams up with the Open Art Society to host Telling Stories featuring two art-making initiatives, The Healing Blues project and TEEF in Gallery 2. All First Friday visitors will have opportunities to participate by adding stories and meeting artists. There's also a new photograph exhibition.

The Mahler Fine Art Gallery will have a reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a variety of new works.

The Visual Art Exchange is open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Exhibits include a juried exhibition that displays variations on the Southern landscape. Another is an installation-based project that is a collaboration between natural and industrial elements. Artist Jackson Martin assembles similar non-traditional fabrics into large-scale environments that completely encompass the viewer. Within these massive blankets of material are containers that hold and embrace natural elements, such as evergreen trees, soil and light. 

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.

Videri Chocolate Factory offers free tours of its small chocolate factory, along with free samples. Relax with some coffee or hot chocolate from their bar. It's open until 9 p.m.

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 on First Fridays.

Shish Kabob Downtown, 438 Fayetteville St., offers free meals for kids 12 and under everyday from 2 p.m. to close. One kid eats free per paying adult. The menu for kids includes a burger, grilled cheese, chicken fingers or mozzarella sticks with fries.

Sam & Wally's on Fayetteville Street is open until 9 p.m. on First Fridays. The casual, family-friendly restaurant offers a menu for kids. Bonus: Kids eat free every day at the restaurant.