Topics Related to Things to Do

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.

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources will host a virtual program, “DNCR 50th Trivia Night,” Monday, Nov. 28, 6-7:30 p.m.

Celebrate the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources’ 50th anniversary with fun facts about its sites and collections!

The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum at the Palmer Memorial Institute State Historic Site is thrilled to announce a new program in collaboration with the Town of Sedalia! The "Christmas in Sedalia" program will be the first Tree Lighting Ceremony in the history of the Town of Sedalia and will take place Dec. 10 on the campus of the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum.

**NOTE: This event has been postponed**

Thanks to funds from the Connect N.C. Bond Project, Gorges State Park will open a family campground on Saturday, Oct. 29, according to the Division of Parks and Recreation. The 13-acre campground features five camper cabins, 14 campsites and 16 tent campsites. The campground also has a modern bathhouse.

Take a ride on a wagon around the historic Harper House at Bentonville Battlefield’s annual fall festival on Nov. 5. The program will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and will feature demonstrations by costumed interpreters and a festival atmosphere with carnival games, an inflatable, vintage baseball, and more!

The great jobs of today and tomorrow are in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). Yet people with disabilities remain underrepresented in these fields. To help turn that tide, the 10th annual STEAM Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities will be held in-person and virtually on Tuesday, October 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., hosted by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.