North Carolina’s Executive Mansion, the “people’s house,” will open its historic doors again for the beloved annual Holiday Open House Dec. 12-14. Visitors are invited to tour the home, take in the decorations, and enjoy seasonal musical entertainment by local performing groups. The mansion's first floor will be decorated with North Carolina-grown Christmas trees, floral and mixed evergreen arrangements, and ornate mantle displays.The hours of the Open House are: Thursday, Dec. 12, 6-9 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec.
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Join the North Carolina State Capitol and Governor Roy Cooper for the annual tree-lighting tradition on Thursday, Dec. 12.
Celebrate the holiday season at the Governor’s Western Residence Holiday Open House, Dec. 7-8, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day.
The Mountain Gateway Museum will have a soft opening and Christmas open house at its temporary home! Ready to celebrate holiday cheer, visit us at 78-C Catawba Ave., from 1-4 p.m. Dec. 14 before the annual Old Fort Christmas parade.
The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation announced that it has awarded $6.6 million in grants for 17 land acquisition projects on state trails in nine counties. The funding comes from the Complete the Trails Program and will leverage more than $42.9 million in matching funds provided by local nonprofit state trail partners.
Staff from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) and the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation reintroduced the Roanoke logperch to Mayo River State Park in early November, kickstarting a joint effort that helps conserve the endangered darter and other aquatic species in the Dan River Basin. Fingerling logperch, Percina rex, were released at the state park’s Anglin Mill access in Rockingham County. Found only in North Carolina and Virginia and nowhere else in the world, the species has been listed as federally endangered since 1989.
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources offers holiday events to match every interest and taste. Holiday train rides at the N.C. Transportation Museum, a “Christmas Flotilla” at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort, “Christmas by Candlelight” at a state historic site and “Holiday Pops” or other performances with the North Carolina Symphony at home or on tour, are a few of the unique holiday experiences awaiting families at modest or no cost.
Eight distinguished North Carolinians were presented the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest honor, by Governor Roy Cooper at a Nov. 14 ceremony at the at the Raleigh Marriott City Center. The award recognizes significant lifetime achievements in the areas of fine arts, literature, public service and science. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the awards.
Elk Knob, Lake James, New River, and Stone Mountain state parks will reopen at least partially on Nov. 15, the Division of Parks and Recreation announced. These parks have been closed entirely since Sept. 27 due to Hurricane Helene.
The North Carolina Land and Water Fund Board of Trustees met October 1 and 2 to consider grant applications and make awards for projects that will protect North Carolina’s land and water from the mountains to the coast.“As we continue the unprecedented response to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, we are reminded that conservation makes us more resilient to future events,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “These important grants will help protect our state’s land and wetlands for generations to come.”