The North Carolina Zoo Council will meet in person on Wednesday, May 13, beginning at 10 a.m.
Press Releases
Alamance Battleground State Historic Site will host a re-enactment of the 1771 Battle of Alamance on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. The event marks the 255th anniversary of the battle, the violent conclusion of the Regulator Movement in North Carolina. The battle re-enactment begins at 11 a.m., the precise time the battle commenced exactly 255 years ago. Alamance Battleground is administered by the Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announces the “Capitol 250: NC Freedom Fest” will be held July 4 at the State Capitol building and grounds in Raleigh. The free all-day festival will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will celebrate America’s 250th birthday with the arts, history, nature, and culture that define North Carolina's role in the nation’s story.Headlining “Capitol 250: NC Freedom Fest” will be musical performances by North Carolina-based singer-songwriters Tift Merritt and Rissi Palmer.
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) today announced the appointment of Dr. Mark Penning as the new director of the North Carolina Zoo.Dr. Penning recently announced his retirement as vice president of animals, science, and environment for Disney Experiences, part of the Walt Disney Company. There he oversaw animal care, conservation, and environmental initiatives at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Animal Kingdom Lodge and The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot, and at Disney parks around the world.
A rare, recently discovered eyewitness pen-and-ink sketch of the Continental Army’s North Carolina Brigade is coming to North Carolina for the first time.The sketch depicting Continental Army soldiers and camp followers marching through Philadelphia on Aug. 25, 1777, is on loan to the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources from the Museum of the American Revolution and will be a centerpiece of DNCR’s America 250 NC commemoration.
Stormtroopers, princesses and droids are invited to dust off their costumes for the third annual May the 4th Beach Cleanup hosted by the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) Monday, May 4, 8-10 a.m. at the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. The North Carolina Aquariums are a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
On Thursday, April 23, a contractor working on a wastewater system renovation project at Falls Lake State Recreation Area’s Holly Point Campground damaged a wastewater line and caused an unintentional discharge, N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Division of Parks and Recreation announced.
Young historians from across the state gathered in Winston-Salem on Friday, April 17, for the 2026 Tar Heel Junior Historian Association (THJHA) Annual Convention, hosted by the
It’s easy to run into a crab or a sandpiper in the coastal region of North Carolina – visitors and local folks are often witnesses to the marvels of nature that make up the state’s delicate ecosystems. Each organism from a frog to a fern is critical to the habitat and because of their importance, the North Carolina Aquariums are leading the Coastal North Carolina team in the NC Bioblitz—part of the City Nature Challenge (CNC) April 24-27. Science Across NC created the NC Bioblitz to encourage participation in the CNC in the state.