Press Releases

All eyes will be on the skies Friday, Feb. 14, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) hosts the Great Backyard Bird Count. NCAFF environmental educators will inspire the community to join the count and launch newly minted bird counters on an exciting journey to earn an NC Bird Count badge. Special activities throughout the day offer an exciting time for anyone and everyone to help scientists gather information on birds in the state to support their conservation.

Governor Josh Stein announced today that six traditional artists or groups will receive the 2025 North Carolina Heritage Awards for their lifetime contributions to the state’s cultural vitality. The N.C. Heritage Award is the state’s highest honor for traditional artists.

Pilot Mountain State Park’s Bean Shoals Access, located along the north side of the Yadkin River, has reopened following a construction project in 2024, the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation announced.The project included building three arched culverts over Horne Creek, a scenic overlook pavilion and parking area, and a stream restoration.

Nominations are being accepted for the 2025 North Carolina Award, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the state, now through April 1.Created by the General Assembly in 1961 and administered by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the award recognizes “notable accomplishments by North Carolina citizens” in the fields of literature, science, fine arts and public service.

The Museum of the Albemarle will host our monthly History for Lunch on Wednesday, March 5 at noon in the Gaither Auditorium. Who would have known that the sport of surfing has been taking place in North Carolina for more than 100 years? Join Benjamin Wunderly, education curator at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, for a look at North Carolina surfing as we cover the state’s role in the sport’s history and learn about some of the people and places involved.

Historic Halifax State Historic Site will mark the 200th anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s historic visit to the town with special programming on Thursday, Feb. 27.

The North Carolina Zoo Council will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m.

Learn about Marquis de Lafayette’s final journey through North Carolina.A Zoom teleconference scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5, from 1-2: p.m., will cover Lafayette’s farewell tour in North Carolina.2025 marks the bicentennial of the southern leg of Lafayette's farewell tour of the United States.The commemorative festivities have begun and will continue into March.

The North Carolina Museum of History is seeking actors for

A long-awaited acquisition of over 200 acres of land that includes the Historic Occoneechee Speedway to add to Eno River State Park has been finalized, the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) announced. The acquisition process, which began in 2021, was facilitated by the Eno River Association, which worked with the previous landowner, the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation (formerly the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust).