Press Releases

Effective May 1, 2025, reservation fees at campgrounds and vehicle entrance fees at reservoirs will increase across the state parks system, the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Division of Parks and Recreation announced. This marks the first major fee change for state park facilities since 2019. While some fees are increasing, most state parks are and will continue to be free to access for day-use year-round.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, America 250 NC invites all North Carolinians to participate in a powerful national moment of reflection and unity: “Two Lights for Tomorrow.” Communities across the United States will unite this Friday, April 18, 2025, to honor the spirit of cooperation and courage that helped ignite the American Revolution.

 Mountain Gateway Museum, in partnership with the McDowell County Public Library, soon will launch a new monthly book club exploring regional history through literature.

Fort Dobbs State Historic Site will start construction on a new $2 million visitor center on Monday, April 28. This will be the first major improvement at the site since the opening of the reconstructed fort in 2019.

A prominent education leader who worked with African American students soon will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.

The N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island is honored and thrilled to announce that it is a winner in the 2025 Newsweek Readers' Choice Awards contest for Best Aquarium. Nominees from across the United States were selected by an editorial panel of travel experts and Newsweek contributors. Polls closed after a public voting period of 28 days during the month of March. The top ten winners were announced on April 3.

Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site will host two living history programs on Saturdays during April. Both programs will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.On April 12, the site will present “The Women of Brunswick,” which will showcase the women who lived and worked in the colonial port. Throughout the day, visitors are invited to interact with interpreters who will demonstrate various tasks typical of the time, including woodworking, processing indigo and fabric dyeing, apothecary, and more. A colonial dance lesson will be offered from 2-2:30 p.m.

Bennett Place State Historic Site will commemorate the 160th anniversary of its Civil War surrender with two public programs on April 25-26. These programs mark the end of the 160th-anniversary commemorations of the American Civil War in North Carolina by North Carolina State Historic Sites.

The initiative is part of the upcoming America 250 semiquincentennial observance in 2026. In North Carolina, the event is led by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ America 250 NC initiative.“Two Lights for Tomorrow” will take place on the night of April 18, recognizing the 250th anniversary of the ride of Paul Revere. To commemorate this event, two lights will shine from the fourth floor of Museum of the Albemarle in our community throughout the night of April 18.