Press Releases

The state’s highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award, will be presented to eight distinguished North Carolinians Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Raleigh Marriott City Center. Governor Roy Cooper will present the awards at a 7 p.m. banquet and ceremony.All proceeds from ticket sales for the awards ceremony will go to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund to help communities recover from Hurricane Helene.

The North Carolina Zoo is offering discounted entry to survivors of Hurricane Helene now through Nov. 15. Residents from affected counties may enter the Zoo for just $5 per person. The offer is extendable to up to five additional guests in the same party.

Underwater shenanigans with pumpkins, eerie frozen treats and sunken secrets await at Spooky Seas Saturday, Oct. 19 – Friday, Nov. 1 at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. The ghoulish fun is included with an Aquarium admission during regular hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online tickets are required to visit the Aquarium. 

Join the Friends of the Museum of the Albemarle on Friday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. for a Gingerbread Workshop. Join FOMOA in its tradition of decorating a gingerbread house. The houses will be freshly baked by a local baker. Design your house with a wide variety of candies, cookies, cereals, and more. We do the clean-up, and you go home with a marvelous gingerbread creation to enjoy through the season.

Take a wagon ride around the historic Harper farm at Bentonville Battlefield’s annual fall festival on Saturday, Oct. 26. The program will include historic trades demonstrations, displays from community organizations, and an “old-timey” festival atmosphere featuring wagon rides, kid’s games, food trucks, live music, and more!

The North Carolina Historic Preservation Office has received an African American Civil Rights (AACR) Grant from the National Park Service to undertake an architectural survey of resources associated with the Civil Rights movement in northeastern North Carolina.

Step back in time with the CSS Neuse Museum to explore the captivating customs of Victorian-era mourning with the program “Mourning Etiquette, Rituals, and Jewelry in the Victorian Era,” highlighting the extensive collection of mourning items owned by reenactor and historian Thomas Bailey.  

An American Indian tribe that settled in southeastern North Carolina soon will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.

All North Carolina state parks west of Interstate 77 are closed through at least Oct. 31, the Division of Parks and Recreation announced. These parks include Chimney Rock, Crowders Mountain, Elk Knob, Gorges, Grandfather Mountain, Lake James, Lake Norman, Mount Mitchell, New River, South Mountains, and Stone Mountains state parks, as well as Mount Jefferson State Natural Area and Rendezvous Mountain.

The North Carolina Museum of History is embarking on a transformative journey that will redefine how visitors experience the state’s rich history. As part of this project, the physical museum building will close to the public on Oct. 7 to begin an exciting makeover that will last two to three years. The Museum Shop will remain open to the public until Dec. 29, 2024.