In Dallas, a breadth of venues means that no matter what your interests, you can find something exciting to do any day of the week. On the weekend, this is doubly true. So, if you can't find anything to do, you're just not trying.

Below are some of your best options for Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, October 11

Art in the Park 2012
With the weather hitting that sweet spot, it would be remiss of us not to recommend an outdoor event or two. You may have to travel into the the northern hinterlands, a.k.a. Frisco, to get to Art in the Park, but rest assured it's for a good cause. Benefiting the North Texas Food Bank, the event at Hall Office Park includes a concert by Emerald City, food trucks and a kids area sponsored by the Dallas Stars.

TeCo Theatrical Productions presents Ain't This Some S**t!
With a name like that, how could you not be interested? It even has the subtitle, A Conservative Right-wing Guide to Over-simplifying the Complexities of the Female Body and Extolling the Virtues of Jesus' Favorite Southern Fried Treat, which makes it all the more intriguing. The opener to TeCo Theatrical Productions' 2012-2013 season at the Bishop Arts Theatre Center runs through Sunday, and it gives you a new look at nuns, reality shows and chicken sandwiches.

Friday, October 12

Jeff Garlin — Built for Comfort
Garlin is arguably most well-known for his supporting role on the inimitable HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm. Because that series contains a high degree of improvisation, you know that Garlin has a keen comic instinct. He brings his great sense of humor to the Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson with a stand-up show.

The Legend of Zelda — Symphony of the Goddesses
The Legend of Zelda is one of the top video game series of all time and remains close to the heart of many a gamer, especially concert producer Jason Michael Paul, who combines video games and classical music. The Dallas POPS Orchestra performs the four-movement symphony that pays tribute to 25 years of Zelda, complete with a synchronization to game footage from the series' 18 games (and counting), in Annette Strauss Square.

Saturday, October 13

Texas-Oklahoma Party on the Plaza
With the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners only separated by a few slots in the rankings, this year's Red River Rivalry is shaping up to be another doozy. If you aren't one of the 92,000 or so lucky enough to snag a ticket to the big game but still want to watch it among the rabid masses, head to Victory Plaza just outside American Airlines Center and watch the rivalry on the big screen. With concessions for sale, it feels a lot like the Cotton Bowl. Well, almost.

Melissa Etheridge in concert
Granted, Etheridge is a long way from her heyday of songs like "Come to My Window" and "I'm the Only One," but her signature raspy voice and tell-it-like-it-is songwriting never goes out of style. Etheridge has just started her tour in support of her latest album 4th Street Feeling. The intimate setting of the Majestic Theatre in Dallas allows the crowd to get up close and personal with the rocker who always wears her emotions on her sleeve.

Sunday, October 14

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition
It's been more than 100 years since one of the greatest ocean disasters of all time, and the RMS Titanic still fascinates. As James Cameron's movie can attest, people go gaga trying to keep tabs on luggage, jewelry and other things recovered from the wreckage. There are no fewer than eight exhibitions displayed throughout the country, and we get our chance to peruse pieces of history as the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History hosts Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition now through March 24, 2013.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare — Othello
You want culture, you say? How does seeing every single work Shakespeare ever wrote — or was credited for, if you're a conspiracy theorist — strike you? That's the ambitious gauntlet Shakespeare Dallas and the AT&T Performing Arts Center threw down starting last month, and it continues on Sunday and Monday with Othello. The staged reading takes the classic play out of its usual setting and puts it in the world of motorcycle gangs, which just gives you one more reason to head to Winspear Opera House for a taste of the Bard.