10 Ideas for Weekend Fun Across North Carolina

A look at the lifesaving service in Beaufort, Beethoven’s Ninth for kids in Raleigh and discussions of a Thomas Wolfe short story in Asheville are just a few of the opportunities for fun and discovery you’ll find this weekend with the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Here are 10 things on our weekend agenda:

1. Discover the storied history of the U.S. Lifesaving Service in North Carolina Thursday at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

 

 

2. Join the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh for a lively performance by funk, soul and jazz musician Kim Arrington Sunday.

 

 

3. Discuss Thomas Wolfe’s short story “Only the Dead Know Brooklyn” with a local authorThursday at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial in Asheville.

 

 

4. Enjoy a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony adapted for kids and families by the N.C. Symphony Saturday in Raleigh.

 

 

5. Explore facts about the majestic black bear Saturday at South Mountains State Park in Connelly Springs.

 

 

6. Help the New Hope Audubon Society count the number of bald eagles at Jordan Lake in Apex Sunday.

 

 

7. Take your kids to Lake James State Park in Nebo Sunday to explore leaves up close with ranger.

 

 

8. Hear about how mammals are reacting in an era of extreme environmental change Thursday at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

 

 

9. Learn the basics of using maps and a compass for navigation Sunday at Pilot Mountain State Park in Pinnacle.

 

 

10. Create a cool three-color illusion piece with Perler beads inspired by M. C. Escher Friday at the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh.

 

 

Check out DNCR’s calendar for more information on these and other events, and a enjoy a great North Carolina weekend!

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14 Ideas for Weekend Fun Across North Carolina

A new exhibit on “North Carolina’s favorite son” in Raleigh, a living history birthday celebration for our nation’s 11th president in Pineville and a fall festival in Kings Mountain are just a few of the opportunities for fun and discovery you’ll find this weekend with the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Here are 14 things our weekend to-do list:

1. Discover how the son of a Charlotte dairy farmer became a worldwide ambassador of the Gospel at North Carolina’s Favorite Son, a new exhibit exploring the life of Billy Graham, opening Friday at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh.

 

 

2. See what childhood life was like for the 11th president of the United States Saturday during a living history celebration at the President James K. Polk Memorial in Pineville.

 

 

3. Explore the history behind one of our state’s most famous shipwrecks Thursday at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras.

 

 

4. Get tips and tricks for jumpstarting your genealogy project during Ancestry Day hosted by the State Archives and State Library Saturday in Raleigh.

 

 

5. Celebrate fall at Crowders Mountain State Park in Kings Mountain Saturday with music, food and the chance to meet live animals.

 

 

6. Meet a National Geographic explorer and learn about the fight to save the fossa, Madagascar’s top predator, from extinction during a lecture Thursday at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

 

 

7. Hear the story of the final surrender of the Civil War during a lecture Friday at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

 

 

8. Enjoy concerts of Beethoven’s 8th Symphony as performed by the N.C. Symphony Friday and Saturday in Raleigh.

 

 

9. Talk with the scientists and historians who have been doing archaeological work at House in the Horseshoe in Sanford Saturday, and enjoy a range of related activities for the whole family.

 

 

10. Listen to author Tom Patterson read from his new memoir, MADE in the SHADE: Cultural Adventures of a Fledgling Writer, Thursday at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem.

 

 

11. Sample local beers while watching the documentary “Brewconomy” on North Carolina beers Friday at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh.

 

 

12. Take your kids to Mayo River State Park in Mayodan Saturday to become a junior ranger.

 

 

13. Watch live demonstrations of tar and turpentine making, and learn about how the people of the past preserved food for winter Saturday at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh.

 

 

14. Feast your eyes on food-related works of art during family-friendly tours of the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh Saturday and Sunday.

 

 

Check out DNCR’s calendar for more information on these and other events, and a enjoy a great North Carolina weekend!

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10 Ideas for Weekend Fun Across North Carolina

A celebration of traditional American culture in Greensboro, an old-fashioned tobacco harvest festival in Durham and a walking tour of the famed Riverside Cemetery in Asheville are just a few of the opportunities for fun and discovery you’ll find across North Carolina this weekend.

Here are 10 things on our weekend to-do list:

1. See some of the nation’s finest the nation’s finest traditional musicians, dancers and craftspeople at the National Folk Festival throughout the weekend in Greensboro, and don’t forget to visit the North Carolina Stage while you’re there.

2. Step back in time to North Carolina’s colonial era at the Museum of the Cape Fear’s annual Festival of Yesteryear Saturday in Fayetteville. Hands-on crafts, games, demonstrations of colonial life and performances by an interpreter portraying the Marquis de Lafayette will all be part of the fun.

3. Celebrate North Carolina farming culture and history with music, a tobacco looping contest and historic demonstrations at Duke Homestead’s Harvest and Hornworm Festival Saturday in Durham.

4. Marvel at the spectacle of Paper Puppet Intervention during a performance at the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh throughout the weekend.

5. Discover how North Carolina saved the Constitution during a lecture Saturday at Tryon Palace in New Bern.

6. Enjoy National Grandparents Day Sunday at Town Creek Indian Mound in Mount Gilead or the N.C. Maritime Museum in Southport. Both have activities planned to celebrate the special day.

7. Hear about how Alamance Battleground’s location along one of North Carolina’s oldest roads led to three battles being fought there during a lecture Saturday in Burlington.

8. Take a walking tour of Asheville‘s Riverside Cemetery led by staff from the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Saturday.

9. Make art with your kids while watching classic cartoons Saturday at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem.

10. Do yoga with staff from Historic Edenton on the picturesque lawn of the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse Saturday morning.

Check out DCR’s calendar for more information on these and other events, and a enjoy a great North Carolina weekend!

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8 Ideas for Labor Day Weekend Fun Across North Carolina

A World War II living history program in Kure Beach, a duel re-enactment in New Bern and the closing of an exhibit on the Tar Heel State and film are just a few of the opportunities for fun and discovery you’ll find this weekend across North Carolina.

Here are eight things on our weekend agenda:

1. See World War II history come alive in celebration of V-J Day Saturday and Sunday at Fort Fisher in Kure Beach.

 

 

2. Visit the Starring North Carolina! exhibit at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh before it closes Monday.

 

 

3. See historic interpreters portraying John Stanley and Richard Dobbs Spaight re-enact the legendary 1802 duel between the two men at Tryon Palace Saturday in New Bern.

 

 

4. Enjoy old-time music, dancing, and food along the banks of the Yadkin River at the Happy Valley Fiddlers Convention in Lenoir throughout the weekend.

 

 

5. End your summer with a bang at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort‘s annual murder mystery dinner Friday.

 

 

6. Watch Guardians of the Galaxy under the stars at the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh Saturday.

 

 

7. Hear about one of the most dramatic rescues off the North Carolina coast during World War I at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras.

 

 

8. Celebrate the first Friday of September at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh with food and beer tastings and a telling of the hidden stories of some of North Carolina’s abandoned places, told by the filmmakers and photographers who document them.

 

 

Check out DCR’s calendar for more information on these and other events, and a enjoy a great North Carolina weekend!

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7 Ideas for Weekend Fun Across North Carolina

A genealogy workshop in Raleigh, a celebration of model trains in Spencer and demonstrations of historic tatting in Pineville are just a few of the opportunities for fun and discovery you’ll find this weekend across North Carolina.

Here are seven things on our weekend agenda:

1. Discover how you can use materials from the State Archives and State Library during a workshop in Raleigh Saturday.

 

 

2. Join the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer Saturday and Sunday for a celebration of model trains.

 

 

3. Participate in a hands-on demonstration of the historic art of tatting Saturday at the President James K. Polk Historic Site in Pineville.

 

 

4. Explore the history of Southport by bike during a tour led by the N.C. Maritime Museum there Saturday.

 

 

5. Watch a movie about space under the stars at the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh. The museum will be showing 2001: A Space Odyssey Friday and Interstellar Saturday.

 

 

6. Experience one of the many outdoor dramas offered across the state before the summer ends.

 

 

7. See what life was like at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson in Winnabow during the colonial and Civil War periods during the site’s Living History Saturday program.

 

 

Check out DCR’s calendar for more information on these and other events, and a enjoy a great North Carolina weekend!

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16 Ideas for Weekend Fun Across North Carolina

Hands-on Native American pottery making in Mount Gilead, a 19th century children’s festival in Durham and a celebration of National Lighthouse Day in Edenton are just a few of the opportunities for fun and discovery you’ll find this weekend across North Carolina.

Here are 16 things on our weekend agenda:

1. Celebrate National Lighthouse Day Friday with free tours, live music and kids’ activities at Historic Edenton‘s 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse.

 

 

2. Travel back in time with your kids at Durham‘s Duke Homestead, which will be offering 19th century games, music and a whole host of other activities as part of its annual Summer Children’s Festival Saturday.

 

 

3. Have lunch with pirates and see the Queen Anne’s Revenge exhibit at the N.C. Maritime Museum during this weekend’s Beaufort Pirate Invasion.

 

 

4. Gather round the campfire at Vance Birthplace in Weaverville Thursday evening for someclassic mountain storytelling and s’mores.

 

 

5. See how the Pee Dee Native Americans used the clay around them and try your hand at making a small piece of pottery Saturday at Town Creek Indian Mound in Mount Gilead.

 

 

6. Meet North Carolina film legend Earl Owensby and see clips of some of his classic films Friday at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh.

 

 

7. Learn about the animals 18th century explorers would’ve encountered along the North Carolina frontier Saturday at Fort Dobbs in Statesville.

 

 

8. Join Alamance Battleground in Burlington for a gathering of the descendants of the men who fought there Saturday.

 

 

9. Check out one of the National Black Theatre Festival‘s many performances in Winston-Salem this weekend, including Mr. Joy, which will be offered at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary (SECCA) Thursday through Sunday.

 

 

10. Take your kids to the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh Saturday to discover North Carolina’s deep roots in the history of soil conservation with hands-on activities.

 

 

11. Join the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City Friday as the U.S. Postal Service dedicates a new stamp honoring the U.S. Coast Guard’s 225th birthday.

 

 

12. Hear about the pivotal role African Americans played in World War I and how the war affected the cause of civil rights during a lecture Saturday at Tryon Palace in New Bern.

 

 

13. Watch the family favorite Big Hero 6 under the stars Friday at the N.C Museum of Art in Raleigh.

 

 

14. See some of the western North Carolina’s best mountain fiddlers, banjo pickers, dulcimer sweepers, dancers and balladeers throughout the weekend in Asheville at the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival.

 

 

15. Introduce your kids to the math and science behind Civil War artillery fire at Fort Fisher’s Junior Reserves program Friday in Kure Beach.

 

 

16. Check out classic Corvettes, Firebirds and other GM cars Saturday at the N.C. Transportation Museum’s All GM Show in Spencer.

 

 

Check out DCR’s calendar for more information on these and other events, and a enjoy a great North Carolina weekend!

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9 Ideas for Weekend Fun Across North Carolina

A Revolutionary War battle re-enactment in Sanford, a celebration of the Coast Guard’s birthday in Beaufort and a family campout in Raleigh are just of opportunities for fun and discovery you’ll find this weekend across North Carolina.

Here are nine events we have on our weekend agenda:

1. Blast into the past at the House in the Horseshoe’s annual battle re-enactment Saturday and Sunday in Sanford.

 

2. Celebrate the U.S. Coast Guard’s 225th birthday with a reception Friday and special tours of a 47-foot motor lifeboat Saturday at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

3. Watch the 2014 family favorite The Book of Lifeunder the stars at Raleigh‘s N.C. Museum of Art, and then camp out in the museum’s park.

4. Enjoy a classical music performance during the Eastern Music Festival’s closing weekend in Greensboro.

5. Tour the North Carolina State Highway Patrol: Service, Safety, Sacrifice exhibit at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh before it closes Sunday.

 

 

6. See Ford cars and trucks from throughout history at the N.C. Transportation Museum’s Annual All-Ford Show Saturday in Spencer.

 

 

7. Learn about colonial and Civil War life in the lower Cape Fear from costumed interpreters Saturday at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson in Winnabow.

 

 

8. Hear four authors discuss different aspects of the observance of Juneteenth, Saturday during a panel discussion at the Museum of the Cape Fear in Fayetteville.

 

 

9. Learn more about North Carolina’s role as the capital of the Confederacy in the waning days of the Civil War during a lecture Saturday at Fort Fisher in Kure Beach.

 

 

Check out DCR’s calendar for more information on these and other events, and a enjoy a great North Carolina weekend! If you know someone who’d like to receive these emails, they can sign up on the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources website.

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