Press Releases

The Civil War surrender at the Bennett farmhouse sealed the fate of slavery in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. To cap off the 159th anniversary of the surrender, Bennett Place State Historic Site will host a new event to commemorate the end of legal slavery and to honor the more than 331,000 enslaved men, women, and children in North Carolina at the time of the Civil War. The program, entitled “The Day Had Come: Emancipation at Bennett Place,” will take place Saturday, April 27 from 7-9 p.m.

 In the interest of visitor safety and security, the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Division of State Historic Sites announced today that Fort Fisher State Historic Site will temporarily close to the public beginning Tuesday, April 16, as workers relocate exhibits, artifacts, and staff offices to the site’s new 20,000 sq. ft.

The Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker during a ceremony Friday, April 19 at 11 a.m., at the

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 In the early 1970s, the voices of three children transformed the future of North Carolina’s coastal environment when the sand dune known as Jockey’s Ridge was set to be leveled and developed for residential housing.

Hammocks Beach State Park’s Bear Island will close campsites and ferry service through at least the summer for a major construction project to make necessary water and septic system repairs and replacements, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced.There is currently no potable water or working restrooms at Bear Island. The ferry service, which normally begins operating in April, will not open until construction is complete. Campsites are also closed to new reservations until construction is complete.

The Museum of the Albemarle opens its newest banner display, Flying Kites with Delia, on April 1, 2024. The exhibit tells the history of kites and their usage in northeastern North Carolina as told by the narrator, Delia, a delta kite. The exhibit is written for elementary ages children with historical images and colorful sketches. No one knows when or how or why the world’s first kite was flown, but one legend suggests that a farmer from China was the first person to fly a kite.

North Carolina will launch its commemoration of America’s 250th birthday with the captivating "Halifax Resolves Days: Prelude to Revolution" event in Halifax, N.C., April 12-14.The event will take place at the iconic Historic Halifax State Historic Site in conjunction with Halifax Resolves Day on April 12, and will feature a two-day living history weekend where North Carolina's pivotal role in shaping the destiny of America will be on display.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is pleased to announce that 10 individual properties 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 subsequently nominated by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer. They were submitted to the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, an official with the National Park Service, for consideration and ultimately approved for listing in the National Register.

The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro was nominated for “Best Zoo” in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for 2024. As the world’s largest natural habitat zoo, the North Carolina Zoo spans over 2,800 acres and cares for over 1,700 animals. The North Carolina Zoo also turns 50 this year, making the nomination an added treat for its golden anniversary.