Topics Related to Things to Do

Gorges State Park in Transylvania County will host its third annual Mountain Monarch Festival on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park’s visitor center. The festival celebrates the monarch butterfly during its migration and bring attention to the species’ declining numbers.

The park lies along the monarchs’ migratory route. The butterflies can be seen in late September each year flying over the park, heading south to the high-elevation fir forests in central-southern Mexico’s Volcanic Belt, where they overwinter until early spring.

The Museum of the Albemarle will host History for Lunch on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at noon in the Gaither Auditorium. David Moore, Ph.D., executive archaeologist of Exploring Joara Foundation, Inc., and a professor at Warren Wilson College, will discuss the work and history of the Berry site that he has led for 25 years and where he currently directs a summer field school. The Berry Site is an active archaeological site of a Native American town and a Spanish fort dating back to the 16th century.

This year, BugFest spotlights butterflies and moths. Did you know that our state butterfly is the Eastern tiger swallowtail? And in 1587, colonist and artist John White depicted the Eastern tiger swallowtail while accompanying Sir Walter Raleigh’s third expedition to the New World.

The Roanoke River State Trail (RRST) is the first North Carolina state trail to be fully designated, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced. Authorized by the General Assembly in 2021, the paddle trail begins in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., and follows the river to the Albemarle Sound, extending northward to additional accesses in Chowan County. There are 15 designated access points along the approximately 215-mile scenic wilderness trail.

The North Carolina Zoo and its original elephant, C’sar, have officially marked 50 WILD Years together. C’sar’s journey from the wild plains of Kenya to his home in Asheboro is a story of survival, adaptation, and the enduring spirit of one of nature's most magnificent creatures.

The transformative impact of naval advancements and technologies significantly influenced the outcome of the American Civil War despite receiving lesser attention than the land battles.

The CSS Neuse Museum will present the upcoming program “Sailors in the Summer: Ironclads and Naval Living History,” scheduled for Saturday, July 13 that will highlight some of these advances.

Members of Friends of the Museum of the Albemarle, please join us Monday, September 9, 2024 for the FOMOA Annual Meeting from 5:30 – 8 p.m.   Annual meeting will commence at 5:30 pm, and then Guest Speaker, Sandra Kelberlau, of SK Paintings Conservation in Raleigh,  will take us through the steps she took for the restoration of the Pool portrait to its original state - using natural materials that extended the life of the portrait that has come back home.  The newly renovated Pool portrait will be on dis

A special series of concerts celebrating North Carolina’s unique story of moonshine and motorsports will feature N.C. legend of Americana, Jim Lauderdale, and the iconic bluegrass trio, the Kruger Brothers. They will be joined by special guests at each concert.

The Museum of the Albemarle has partnered with Dixieland Speedway on Friday evening, August 16, 2024.  Join us as we once again take the Moonshine and Motorsports Trail to the track under the lights and sounds of roaring engines.  Take a minute to learn a few facts about local moonshiner  Alvin Sawyer and historic locations, natural areas, and racetracks across the state that tell the story of North Carolina Moonshine and Motorsports.

Dixieland will feature five action packed classes of races.  The rising stars of tomorrow will open the night with Kids-N-Karts.

Local author Julia Nunnally Duncan will discuss and sign copies of her works, including her latest book of poetry, "When Time Was Suspended," from 2-4 p.m.