Your 5-minute guide to the best things to do in Charlotte | Oct. 19-25
Friday
▪ Discovery Place Science is usually a hub for curious kids, but it’s the adults can get in on the intellectual fun with Science on the Rocks: Nightmare on Tryon Street. Play serial killer trivia, paint with snakes and cockroaches, try candy chromatography, make slime, and do a little adult trick-or-treating. Don’t forget your costume; there’s a contest. 5-9 p.m. $10-$12 (bar drinks not included).
▪ Ten homes and five public spaces make up this year’s Elizabeth Home and Garden Tour, which includes a 100-year-old renovated boarding house, a feline-friendly bungalow with a “catio,” a Dutch-inspired new townhome, a piano-shaped garden, a mosaic-wrapped garage, and an outdoor pizza oven that’s shared by five neighbors. 6-9 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. $25.
▪ The Charlotte Symphony’s Music for A Royal Celebration — led by CSO director Christopher Warren-Green, who served as conductor at the Royal Wedding in May — commemorates Charlotte’s 250th birthday. The Charlotte Symphony Chorus joins the performance, which features three selections by Handel. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Knight Theater. $19-$88.
▪ Following her third Netflix special, 2016’s “Bothering Jesus,” comedian Kathleen Madigan gets real about everything from Bigfoot to boxed wine. With her uniquely Midwestern Catholic perspective (she grew up in Missouri and still has a farm there), she continues to make relatable comedy 25 years into her career. 8 p.m. McGlohon Theater. $24.50-$39.50.
Saturday
▪ Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden celebrates the changing season with Bootanical. Families can enjoy the autumn leaves, while children can create seasonal crafts, learn about creepy, crawly creatures, have their faces painted, and march in the Halloween parade at noon and 2 p.m. daily. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $11.95-$12.95 for adults, $6.95 for kids 2-12 (free for costumed kids).
▪ The streets of downtown Mount Holly illuminate with light and laughter during the Mount Holly Lantern Parade, a free, family-friendly event that will feature both student and professional art; it’s a collaboration of local and international artists with local school teachers and their students. The parade will be led by members of Purrcussion, the official drumline of the Carolina Panthers. 7 p.m.
Monday
▪ Nine years have passed since thrash foursome Metallica stopped in Charlotte. The band members and its in-the-round stage set-up remain, but its World Wired Tour draws heavily on its latest album, 2016’s “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct,” with a smattering of fan favorites and hits sprinkled into the mix. 7:30 p.m. Spectrum Center. Sold out, but check with Ticketmaster for verified resale tickets.
Tuesday
▪ Underwater photographer David Doubilet and zoologist/marine biologist Jennifer Hayes combine immersive photographs and storytelling to document the marine waters around Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Great Barrier Reef and Cuba during National Geographic Live! Coral Kingdoms and Empires of Ice. 7:30 p.m. McGlohon Theater. $19.50-$39.50.
▪ Wizard Fest: The Ultimate Harry Potter-Themed Dance Party brings a little Hogwarts to the NoDa neighborhood for Potter fans ages 18 and older. There’ll be trivia, cosplay, music, magic-themed drinks, a costume contest, a Quidditch pong tournament, and prizes to celebrate the books and the movies that exploded from the mind of J.K. Rowling. 8 p.m. Neighborhood Theatre. $15-$20.
Wednesday
▪ The stars of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” are back as Kim Chi, Violet Chachki, Bob the Drag Queen and host Michelle Visage join season 10 finalists Aquaria, Asia O’Hara, Eureka and Kameron Michaels for song, dance, and drag at the Werq the World Tour 2018. 9 p.m. Knight Theater. $49-$69, or $160 for VIP — which includes a meet-and-greet opportunity and a seat in the first few rows.