Topics Related to Things to Do

See the magic and skill as fabric, tools or toys take shape at the “Saturday on the Farm” program June 22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Governor Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site. The free event will showcase blacksmithing, woodworking and spinning talents and will celebrate 19th century North Carolina farm life. Music will be performed by the Waterbound Dulcimers in the morning.

A new multi-use trail system will open Saturday, May 4 at Carvers Creek State Park’s Sandhills access in Cumberland County. The trails will allow hikers, cyclists, and equestrians to explore the park, which opened to the public in 2013.

Gold mining at Reed Gold Mine was in its heyday in the 1850s -- before the California gold rush -- when for gold mining North Carolina was the place to be. In 1799, young Conrad Reed discovered a 17-pound gold nugget while fishing in Little Meadow Creek, giving rise to America’s first gold rush. Historic interpreters at Reed Gold Mine will recall that time Saturday, April 27.

Become an 18th century naturalist like John and William Bartram! This father/son duo visited the area in the 1760s and documented the unique environment of southeastern North Carolina. 

The North Carolina Arts Council and partners in Rocky Mount and Goldsboro will present free concerts that celebrate Eastern North Carolina’s rich African American musical heritage this spring.

Eastern North Carolinians are among the transformative figures in the history of jazz, gospel and popular music and this legacy was documented in the African American Music Trails of Eastern North, a guidebook to eight eastern counties.

Did you know the state tree is the pine? How about that the state sport is stock car racing? Multiple plants, animals, and arts have been made symbols of the state; come out to learn about these things and meet your North Carolina state symbols at the symbol for our state, the NC State Capitol! Join the Capitol for a day of free, family fun on Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Come Hear NC will sponsor the Main Stage at Red Hat Amphitheater during the Wide Open Bluegrass festival Sept. 27 to 28 in Raleigh, which will be open to the public for free for the first time in the festival’s history.



Come Hear NC is a program of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Arts Council designed to celebrate 2019 as the Year of Music as proclaimed by Governor Roy Cooper earlier this year.

Reed Gold Mine is celebrating another North Carolina treasure with its inaugural Barbecue Festival Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival is in conjunction with the traveling exhibit “The Story of Barbecue in North Carolina,” on display at Reed Gold Mine April 2 through June 15. Experience a taste sensation as five local restaurants showcase their gastronomic delights!

 A glimpse of 18th century life comes to Fort Dobbs as visitors will meet soldiers and settlers during the “War for Empire” program April 6-7. They can enjoy special performances of period music as part of the 2019 “Year of Music” organized by the N.C. Arts Council within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

 A stunning collection of 29 early North American maps are showcased in the new exhibit at Historic Bath, “Mapping the New World.” Covering over 300 years of cartographic history, the collection provides a unique look at the evolution of our understanding of the New World, with many of the maps focusing on North Carolina and its iconic coastal region.