America’s Largest LEGO Event Is Coming To North Carolina

If LEGO's are your thing, you're in store for a real treat as one of the largest LEGO festivals in the country is slated to make a stop in North Carolina this month.

Brick Fest Live is on a nationwide tour and will be in Raleigh at the NC State Fairground on December 9 and 10. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 1. Click here for tickets. The festival's website calls it an 'unforgettable experience for the entire family.'

At the festival, there is more than just LEGOs. There are life-size models, interactive experiences, and plenty of opportunities for family bonding moments. Family members can check out the Giant Brick Pit that contains some 200,000 colorful thousands of 'bricks' or LEGOs meant for diving in. It makes for a great photo shot. And then there's the Minecraft Zone where families can lend their hand and add to a LEGO layout. And then for the fast and furious, there are the Derby Races where attendees can build and race their own LEGO race car on a 35-foot-long track.

The history of LEGO's go back to 1932 when it was founded by a Danish entrepreneur named Ole Kirk Christiansen. He started out making wooden toys then later would create the company's first plastic brick in 1949. Soon after he form The LEGO company and in 1958, the LEGO brick was patented. According to the LEGO website, the name 'LEGO' is actually an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well.” Who knew Christiansen's small toy workshop would turn into the world's largest manufacturers of toys.

Starting a small business can be a challenge. Besides the obvious of securing sufficient capital and having the right team, there is the business location. Luckily for the Carolinas, there are three cities in the Tar Heel State that LendingTree says are some of the best places to start a small business.

LendingTree conducted a study that identified the best places where small businesses are more likely to survive and thrive. And the South is well-represented. According to the study, the three best metros to start a small business are in North Carolina. On the contrary, many of the lower-ranked metros were in California. See list below.

LendingTree looked at the 100 largest U.S. metros and scored them in three categories -- business climate, entrepreneurship and local economy. Each group had three individual metrics. Some of the key findings include:

LendingTree experts says there is some validity to the cliche "location, location, location.” And that where you start your business can determine its success or failure. Even if you are starting a business at home or one that is strictly online, you will need to do your research. They offer these tips before settling on a location.

Whatever your business,  North Carolina may be a good place to start. Check out LendingTree's results on top metros in North Carolina where small businesses can flourish.

Raleigh has a strong business climate score partially because of its high rate of residents ages 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher — 50.8%. That is the sixth-highest in the LendingTree study.

The Queen City has about 4.6% o residents who are self-employed and about 40% of resident who are age 25 and older and have a bachelor's degree or higher. North Carolina’s business-friendly tax climate and healthy startup survival rate contribute to its ranking.

Durham is the 10th-smallest metro in the study. It got high scores in business climate metrics and also ranks just slightly behind Raleigh for the percentage of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree (50.6%).