Topics Related to Things to Do

Prohibition was a unique period in our country’s history, beginning in 1918 with the passage of the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act, a federal amendment and subsequent law that prohibited the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol throughout the United States.

But did you know that North Carolina enacted state-wide prohibition nearly a decade earlier? Learn more at “Inflamed by Spirits: North Carolina’s Role in Temperance and Prohibition,” a new, free exhibit opening Thursday, April 19 at the North Carolina State Capitol.

The Aycock Community Yard Sale scheduled for Saturday, April 14, has been cancelled. The event may be rescheduled for this summer.

Spring is still a great time to visit and see the sheep grazing and Rhode Island Red chickens at Aycock.

Visitors are invited to experience the ongoing conservation of the infamous pirate Blackbeard's flagship, Queen Anne's Revenge, at the fourth annual Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Lab Open House, Saturday, April 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free for this fun and educational event, “Blackbeard: The Science of Pirates, 300th Edition.” 

The “N.C. Digs!” traveling archaeological exhibit features artifacts from the Berry site in Burke County and other western North Carolina sites. The Western Office of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources will host the exhibit April 16 to May 30.

The exhibit features five different types of archaeological sites found across North Carolina: Native American, battlefield, plantation, trash pit and industrial. “N.C. Digs!” includes interpretive panels explaining each site type, and reviews techniques and methods used to excavate and analyze the materials discovered.

Due to potentially inclement weather, two of the four state historic sites planning Park Day for April 7 have rescheduled. Park Day will go on at Historic Edenton and Fort Fisher April 7 as planned. Park Day at Bennett Place is rescheduled to April 14; Park Day at Bentonville Battlefield is rescheduled to April 28.

Thousands of volunteers across the country participate in the Civil War Trust organized event, and this year will be the largest ever involving more than 155 historic sites in 32 states.

Ahoy, mateys! If ye be sailing for Ocracoke or Bath this year, be prepared to do so under the black flag of the dreaded pirate Blackbeard. The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has teamed up with the NCDOT’s Ferry Division to fly the flags in observance of the 300th anniversary of Blackbeard’s death in 1718.

The flags will fly on the Hatteras-Ocracoke, Cedar Island-Ocracoke, and Swan Quarter-Ocracoke routes, as well as the Pamlico River route, which runs between Bayview and Aurora. Both areas have historic ties to the 18th-century scallywag.

The meeting of opposing generals inside the humble parlor of James and Nancy Bennett was a small part of making peace and ending the Civil War. Why did the negotiations take days longer than those at Appomattox? How did the ending impact black and white civilians, the free and enslaved? What role did the cavalry play? These are among questions to be explored Saturday and Sunday, April 21-22, at Bennett Place State Historic Site in Durham.

Spring cleaning often means letting go of those things you really don’t use anymore, and the Aycock Birthplace Community Yard Sale could be the answer to what to do with your discards.

The Aycock yard sale Saturday, April 14, 7 a.m. to noon, is the perfect place to bring those dishes, artwork and whatnots that are sitting in a garage or closet. The booth fee for a table is $5. Contact the site at (919) 252-5581 or aycock@ncdcr.gov to reserve a space.

North Carolina’s Executive Mansion–the “people’s house”–will open its historic doors and beautiful gardens to the public for free tours this spring. School children, adults, civic groups and families are invited to experience the 127-year old mansion for guided tours conducted by volunteer docents.

The Executive Mansion boasts an outstanding collection of decorative arts while the beautiful grounds feature extensive flower and vegetable gardens and modern environmental practices.