to me, longbranch sucks. i heard it was pretty cool to go to about 10 yrs ago, but not anymore. unless u want to try something really different....
as far as raleigh...it sucks if u r from a larger city. the places 2 go as far as dance clubs are aura and the office for sure. anywhere else - and u will be standing next 2 a ton of country bumpkins. there is this new place that just opened this past wkend called retail. 3 stories which is pretty nice for here. go sat tho, bc fri nights r gay night. hope raleigh folks can get it through their heads that sat night is for straight ppl. ppl here tend to be pretty narrow minded so it would really suck if ppl didnt go there just bc they thought is was a 'gay' club. also, there is a new lounge that will be opening soon at five points.
as far as pre places b4 the club, go to bogarts and sullivans for a drink or two.
raleigh can be fun, but generally i go out of town to 'go out'. personally i like nyc, atlanta, and miami....or my home state of tx. good luck to ya and feel free to message with any questions.