Press Releases

Immerse yourself in the Victorian era and experience a Halloween unlike any other at Duke Homestead’s “Halloween Phantasmagoria” Oct. 27, 6:30-9 p.m. Discover a thrilling adventure at Duke Homestead State Historic Site after dark. Adult tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door; $5 for children ages 12 and under.

Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed Oct. 2017 as North Carolina Archives Month and the State Archives of North Carolina presents two programs exploring the relevance of historical records in our lives today.  

State officials today announced the award of $2.1 million in grants through the federal Recreational Trails Program for 25 trails projects across the state. For fiscal year 2018, the program received 53 grant applications totaling $4.4 million in requests.

Discover what it was like to cook over a live flame at a free open hearth cooking demonstration at the Bonner House kitchen Friday, Oct. 13, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. There’s no better way to spend a beautiful fall day than by experiencing open hearth cooking at Historic Bath.

A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance or entertainment. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes. What better way to start the Halloween season than with a brand-new mask! Come to Historic Bath Saturday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and make your own mask. This is a free activity.

In a meeting today in Raleigh, the North Carolina Historical Commission voted to postpone until their April 2018 meeting any decision regarding a petition from the N.C. Department of Administration to relocate three Confederate monuments from the State Capitol grounds in Raleigh to the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site in Four Oaks, N.C.

Thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers battled back and forth across the woods and fields of the Willis Cole Plantation March 19, 1865, during the opening phases of the largest battle ever fought in North Carolina. Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site will open new trails through the area allowing visitors greater access to the site of this battle Tuesday, Aug. 1.

The North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, a division of the North Carolina Arts Council, has received a $148,450 grant from the national Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for its project "Green Books’ Oasis Spaces: African American Travel in NC, 1936-1966.” 

Summer is a perfect time for wandering back roads and discovering new adventures. Whether your summer plans include a staycation or a vacation, we’ve got you covered with uniquely North Carolina events and attractions to visit in all 100 counties.

While there are many followers of Jack Sparrow and his ship Black Pearl, of Pirates of the Caribbean fame, history lovers can follow the evolution of the flesh and blood pirate Blackbeard, and his flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge.