Topics Related to Things to Do

Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site will commemorate the 158th anniversary of the fall of Fort Anderson Saturday, Feb. 18. Free activities from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., will include infantry demonstrations, medical and embalming interpretations, and more.

Several presenters during the day will explain and demonstrate what life was like for soldiers and civilians during the American Civil War.

From 6-7:30 p.m., visitors can witness a reenactment of the final hours of Fort Anderson during the “Plunging Shot and Screaming Shells” program.

The North Carolina Museum of History will host a special one-day public exhibition of a rare first printing of the U.S. Constitution, Wednesday, Dec. 7.

The document is one of just 14 known copies of the official printing of the Constitution produced for the delegates to the Constitutional Convention and for the Continental Congress. It is one of only two copies of the first printing of the Constitution that remain in private hands.

 North Carolina’s strong literary tradition is celebrated by the 2022 North Carolina Book Awards, to be presented Dec. 2 during the annual meeting of the N.C. Literary and Historical Association. The annual awards recognize significant works by North Carolina writers.

Since its founding in September 1900, the N.C. Literary and Historical Association has pledged to stimulate the production of literature and to collect and preserve historical material in North Carolina.

The 2022 North Carolina Book Award winners are:

By December of 1756, Fort Dobbs was complete. Its garrison of 50 North Carolina soldiers prepared to spend the first of many winters in the building as they guarded the western edge of settlement in the British colony during the French and Indian War.

Historic Bath State Historic Site will open a new exhibit, “Along the Banks of Bath Creek: A Story of People and Place,” with a ribbon cutting Friday, Dec. 9 at 11 a.m. This immersive exhibit tells the stories of Bath, from its history as an American Indian homesite through the 20th century.

There’s a holiday happening to suit every taste at venues of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.  

Fireworks over Tryon Palace, 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. 

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.

Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site will host its annual Christmas Open House, “A Civil War Christmas,” on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visitors will have the chance to see the Harper House as never before. The house will be furnished as the residence of the Harper family in December 1865 instead of its normal set up as a field hospital. During the day reenactors will show how Civil War soldiers would have marked the holiday season. Everyone will be welcome to decorate and take home their own holiday ornament.

Fort Dobbs State Historic Site will honor North Carolina’s military history with a “Military Timeline” Nov. 12-13. Visitors will learn about the experiences of soldiers and support personnel from the past 450 years.

“It’s important for us to remember the men and women who have sacrificed to make us who we are today as a country,” says Site Manager Scott Douglas.

The educational program will offer a sample of soldier life through history.