Press Releases

Breathtaking scenes of North Carolina’s mountains and waterfalls appear in the 1992 blockbuster “The Last of the Mohicans.” To create upstate New York in western North Carolina, the movie crew constructed a replica of Fort William Henry alongside Lake James, near the Pisgah National Forest. Additional shooting took place at the Biltmore Estate, in parts of DuPont State Recreational Forest, and around Hickory Nut Falls, in Chimney Rock Park. 

East Carolina University assistant professor of history Dr. Kennetta Hammond Perry will explore the role played by African Americans in the early Civil Rights movement during World War I with a free lecture held at the North Carolina History Center Saturday, Aug. 8, from 2-3 p.m.

Almost a half million public school students in North Carolina have learned math, science, geography and language with direct classroom experiences in the arts through the A+ Schools Program, celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer.The A+ Schools Program, nationally recognized for its success in student achievement, is the longest running and most successful arts-based school reform program in the country.

Acclaimed singer and songwriter John Ondrasik, best known by his stage name Five for Fighting, joins the North Carolina Symphony onstage for the first time ever on Saturday, April 2, 2016, at 8 p.m., in Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh. Tickets for the one-concert only performance go on sale Monday, Aug. 3, at 10 a.m. at www.ncsymphony.org.

The 1771 War of Regulation was a turbulent time and evidence of the struggle survives at Alamance Battleground State Historic site. Descendants of participants of that battle - Regulators, Tryon's militia and the Allen family - will exchange stories and share genealogy research Aug. 8, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at a "Descendants Gathering" at the site. The public is invited to the free event. Lovers of the books and television series "Outlander" may find it most useful.

The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources is pleased to announce that 15 individual properties and districts across the state have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The following properties were reviewed by the North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee and were subsequently approved by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer and forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register.

What do you get when you mix a group of pirates, a carefree surfer, a mermaid and a talking Octopus?  Why Rainbow Puppet Productions “A Pirate Party,” of course!  The show is a happy salute to beach movies of the 1960’s and will be held in the Indoor Theatre at Roanoke Island Festival Park August 5, 6, 7 at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased in advance at ticket sales at Roanoke Island Festival Park or the day of the event. Ages 5 and under are free. 

Children to learn about 18th century gardening Aug. 8 Children ages 3-5 can explore the lush Tryon Palace Kitchen Garden at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, to discover how the royal governor’s food was grown in the 18th century and plant a seed of their own to bring home.Tryon’s Tots is designed for individual families. Space is limited to 20 children. Extra openings will be filled the day of the event on a first-come, first-served basis.All Tryon’s Tots programs begin at the North Carolina History Center.

There was a time when thousands of acres of Durham County were covered with tobacco. On a hot July day laborers would follow mules pulling wooden sleds where armfuls of the harvested sticky green leaves were tossed. To see tobacco growing in Durham today, you may have to visit Duke Homestead State Historic Site, home to the Dukes of Durham, founders of the American Tobacco Company.

The sights and sounds of the Civil War will come to life during Tryon Palace's Civil War Living History Weekend held at the New Bern Academy Museum Aug. 15-16.