Topics Related to Special Tours

This fall the North Carolina State Capitol is once again offering live interpreter-led virtual programs for students.These interactive programs are free, take place via a preferred video platform, and last 30-45 minutes. Educators or group leaders can choose from one of three themed programs or sign up for a guided virtual tour of the Capitol, all led by trained Capitol staff. All programs are offered weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Sept. 5-Dec. 15.

This fall the North Carolina State Capitol will be hosting a series of walking tours centered on the history of protest and civil rights in downtown Raleigh.The tour, “We've Always Been Out There,” will be a short (0.5 mile) trek around downtown that discusses the lengthy history of protest and civil rights demonstrations in Raleigh. Topics will range in time from the early 19th century to the 1980s and include the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, women's suffrage, prohibition, the anti-Vietnam War movement, and Raleigh's first pride parade.

Join the North Carolina State Capitol and Governor Roy Cooper for the annual tree-lighting tradition on Thursday, Dec. 8.

The festivities will begin on Capitol Square at 5:30 p.m. with luminaries and holiday music performed by the Raleigh Concert Band. The governor and dignitaries will make their way to the South grounds at 6:15 p.m. to officially begin the ceremony. The lit tree will be visible the length of Fayetteville Street. The Junior Woman’s Club will give away cookies and cider — and even Santa is scheduled to make an appearance!

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s Executive Mansion, the “people’s house,” will open its historic doors again for the beloved annual Holiday Open House from Dec. 8 through Dec. 10.

Visitors are invited to tour the home, take in the decorations, and enjoy seasonal musical entertainment by local performing groups. The first floor of the mansion will be decorated with North Carolina-grown Christmas trees, floral and mixed evergreen arrangements and ornate mantle displays.

The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum is open for Black History Month tours during February. Join the museum staff for tours daily at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., departing from the Visitor’s Center. Tours will include the grounds of the former Palmer Memorial Institute and Canary Cottage, the former home of Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown. Come learn about Dr. Brown’s social justice activism, civic work, and the impact that she had on her students. Tours are $2 per adult and $1 per child.

Hear stories of how freed people built Durham, the wealth and influence of the Cameron family, and how sharecropping shaped the lives of African American families post-Emancipation. All of this will be revealed during in-person tours at Historic Stagville in Durham, Feb. 20. 

“Over 900 people were enslaved by the Cameron family in what is now part of Durham, Orange and Granville counties,” observes Site Manager Vera Cecelski. “The people and profits from these massive plantations shape the history of our communities to this day.”

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, guaranteeing and protecting the right of women to vote. To honor this historic event, the

During the Civil War at Christmas 1862 most people thought the war would be over. Instead, it was at Kinston’s doorsteps. Join volunteers and staff at CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center Friday, Dec. 6, 6 to 8 p.m., for a unique theater presentation, “A Walk Through Christmas Past.” 

Celebrate the holiday season at the Governor’s Western Residence Holiday Open House, Sunday, Dec. 8, from 12-3 p.m., 45 Patton Mountain Rd, Asheville. Governor and Mrs. Cooper are expected to be at the residence to welcome guests during the event.  Reservations are not needed to attend the open house. Guests are invited to tour the residence, which has been decorated for the season. For more information, please call (828) 225-0122.  

Diana Gabaldon, bestselling author of the popular “Outlander” book series, will visit two N.C. Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources attractions for ticketed events April 26-28.