Celebrate World Wetland Day with a visit to the Walnut Creek Wetland Center or take a Walk on the Wild Side at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens Thursday afternoon.

 

In addition to their regular extended First Friday hours, Marbles invites you to join them to make some Colossal Cardboard Creations and check out a First Friday Savings Spree. Click through for the special admissions savings, too!

First Friday at the Raleigh City Museum is also the Grand Opening Celebration for their newly re-designed core exhibit, Let Us March On: Raleigh's Journey Toward Civil Rights.

First Friday Movie Night is back at the The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Enjoy snacks and beverages as you stroll through fabulous exhibits, groove to live music, and then join them for the Natural Horror Classic, "Big Trouble in Little China" starring Kurt Russell.

Wander the galleries with friends as you enjoy the extended hours and the movie How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying during Art in the Evening at the North Carolina Museum of Art. While there, you are invited to enjoy a 30-minute Gallery Conversation that will focus on themes of love, passion, and beauty in art. As a special feature this Friday, Don your nattiest "60s business attire and enter their costume contest while you celebrate the return of the hit television series Mad Men with festivities and film.

Make a date with some owls Friday night at Durant Nature Park and find out Whoo's Awake.

 

 

Naturally Fit: Let's Move Outside is a new event Saturday morning at Crowder District Park that will get you moving in the beautiful setting of the Park regardless of your age, shape or fitness level.

Pack a picnic lunch and head over to Raven Rock State Park on Saturday to learn about some of the Raptors that reside there. The Wildlife Rescue Center will be bringing a few of their non-releasable education birds, and a one hour PBS documentary entitled "Raptor Force" will be shown.

Come back to Raven Rock State Park Sunday and learn how to Make Fire the Hard Way. Let them show you several methods that can be used to start fires in emergency situations, and try them out yourself.

West Point on the Eno invites you to join them on Sunday afternoons for guided Winter Hikes.

Wednesday through Friday, the NC State Fairgrounds hosts the annual Southern Farm Show. Events include the FFA tractor and truck driving competitions, the annual meeting of the Tobacco Growers Association of NC, and the Southern National Draft Horse Pull (does have an admission fee).

The Fairgrounds will also feature a Toy Train Sale and Swap Meet on Saturday with hands-on layouts and train races for the children.

 

 

Celebrating its 10th year, the Durham Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade rounds out the celebrations in the Triangle. The family-oriented, multi-cultural event. features floats, marching bands, steppers, horses, motorcycles, school groups and more.

The Raleigh City Museum along with Jack and Jill of America will welcome Randy Shepard, co-founder and Founding Artist Director of the Martin Luther King All-Children's Choir of Raleigh for an educational program Saturday afternoon.

Explore the lives and accomplishments of African American North Carolinians from the antebellum period to the Civil Rights era on a guided African American History Tour. The tours are offered every Saturday in February at the North Carolina Museum of History.

 

 

The well-loved Barefoot Puppet Theatre is back again to North Carolina Art Museum with two folktales of the Baluba and Ashanti peoples. Go early or stay late to check out the Drop-In Crafts. If you are not familiar with the amazing NC Museum of Art, you may be interested in taking a Meet Your Museum Tour or a Weekend Family Tour. Both the Museum and the tours are free.

Join Marbles Kids Museum on Saturday for another installment of Sing! Dance! Play! and help create handmade blankets for children in need with Wake County's Project Linus Chapter.

Science Saturdays are a series of lectures and demonstrations that are held on the first Saturday of each month at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. This month, they welcome Michael E. Dorcas from Davidson College for the Problem of Giant Pythons in the United States.

Valentines Day is right around the corner. Paint Your heART Out Saturday at the Sertoma Arts Center and create an original Valentine's inspired masterpiece on canvas that will be on display in Sertoma's galleries for the month of February.

Five Wake County Libraries are participating in making Valentines for Veterans this year. They provide the materials and you provide the creativity and the gratitude to our Veterans. Some sites have ongoing programs and others have specific events, so click through for the details. Teens can even earn Community Service hours for making Valentines for Veterans.

Are you missing some winter snow and cold? The Holly Springs Cultural Center will be showing the family favorite Happy Feet Saturday morning.