Art museum junkies are all abuzz over the art scene in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, collectively known as “The Triangle” and home to a number of outstanding art museums. Though the area offers enough art venues to keep visitors hopping for several days, don’t miss these exhibits:

• Showing now through July 8 at the North Carolina Museum of Art is “Temples and Tombs: Treasures of Egyptian Art from the British Museum.” The show features 85 masterworks and rarely seen treasures, including sculpture, relief, papyri, jewelry, cosmetic implements, and funerary items – representing more than 3,000 years of Egyptian history – from 2686 BC to the 400 AD. A $138-million expansion, currently underway, will provide new galleries, public spaces, and storage room. (The construction is a necessary nuisance for visitors, but signage clearly marks the way to the main entrance.) When galleries are complete, the museum will receive 22 bronze sculptures by Rodin, making it one of the world’s largest top repositories of the artist’s works. The museum is known for its collections of Renaissance, Baroque, and American art.

• Ancient art from the Mediterranean can be seen through February 8, 2008, at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in Durham. “The Past Is Present: Classical Antiquities…” features 60 works dating from 2800 BCE to 300 CE. Many of the objects on display come from an anonymous donor, while others are from the Duke Classical Collection and the Museum’s collection. The $24 million museum opened in 2005.

• The Ackland Art Museum on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, is home to more that 15,000 objects of art from ancient times to the present. The museum is known for its outstanding collection of Asian Art, North European painting and sculpture by artists such as Rubens, Delacroix, Degas, and Pissaro, and North Carolina pottery and folk art. The museum is currently building its contemporary collection.

When visiting the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Nasher Museum, take time to experience the upscale dining they both offer. The Ackland Museum is within easy walking distance of some Chapel Hill’s wonderful cafes.

For more information, contact North Carolina Museum of Art, 919-839-6262, www.ncartmuseum.org; Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, 919-684-5135,  www.nasher.duke.edu; Ackland Art Museum um, (919) 966-5736, www.ackland.org