Topics Related to Things to Do

Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed June 1-7, 2020, as "Museum Week" in North Carolina to highlight the meaningful impact museums have on North Carolina residents, tourism and the economy, and their communities.

North Carolina Museum Week is a celebration of North Carolina museums. Activities during the week will raise awareness of North Carolina museums as centers of education, community anchors, economic engines, stewards of culture and history, and more.

The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation accepted the donation of more than 1,000 acres to Morrow Mountain State Park in Stanly County on May 14. The donation, which brings the park’s total area to 5,881 acres, is part of ALCOA Corporation’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing agreement that was finalized in 2013. 

While public operations at Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources institutions remain temporarily suspended, many of our engaging programs and resources can be experienced online.



NCLearn @ Home (www.ncdcr.gov/nclearn@home) is a new website designed to gather online content and educational resources into one place for teachers, students, parents, and anyone needing enriching experiences, regardless of their location.

While the men who first discovered gold in America in 1799 are celebrated, little has been said about the women of  the county's first documented gold rush until recently. The “More Than a Woman” program at Reed Gold Mine March 7 and 21, 1 p.m., will focus on their stories.

Not blossoms but bullets came to the farms and plantations of North Carolina’s coastal plain during the Battle of Bentonville March 19-21, 1865. The fighting raged just yards from the home of John and Amy Harper, and Union forces made their house a hospital. The home and plantation of their neighbor Willis Cole were destroyed in this largest battle ever fought in North Carolina.

Spring is almost here and for generations that has meant preparing the fields and planting crops. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site will showcase some of the workings of a late 1870s farm on Wednesday, March 4. The site will demonstrate some of the skills taught in an 1800s classroom on Wednesday, March 11. The free family-friendly “Traveling Through Time” programs will run 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is $2 for each. 

Get out around town to see some local Kinston landscapes with new insights during the CSS Neuse fifth anniversary celebration Saturday, March 7, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A tour of the museum, two battlefield tours and a living history demonstration will make for a day of fun and facts. The cost is $20, and lunch will be on your own at Kings Restsurant. Preregistration is required and limited to 30 people. 



Do you love learning about your local area,” asks intern Samantha Reddick. “We will have reenactors demonstrate what was happening in Kinston during the Civil War.” 

Programs celebrating women’s history will be offered at venues of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources in March. This month continues the department’s celebration of women’s fight for suffrage and equality, with the theme, “She Changed the World: North Carolina Women Breaking Barriers.” The commemoration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage from March 2019 to November 2020 will expand on contributions of North Carolina women to the state and nation.

North Carolina high school students from 25 counties across the state will take the stage on Saturday, Feb. 22, in Greensboro, to compete in the annual statewide Poetry Out Loud competition.

Thirty-five schools are sending students to compete in Poetry Out Loud, which is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with the Poetry Foundation and the North Carolina Arts Council. The event is free and open to the public.

The Hamiltones, a Grammy-nominated gospel group from the Charlotte area, will perform at the Executive Mansion on Wednesday, Feb. 19, kicking off a new season of “Music at the Mansion,” hosted by First Lady Kristin Cooper.

First Lady Cooper, Susi H. Hamilton, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and Wayne Martin, executive director of the N.C. Arts Council, will welcome The Hamiltones to the Executive Mansion.