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December 13th - December 19th 2012 Triangle
by Pam & Michael Davison
With all the excitement of the Holidays, you might think the parks, recreation centers, museums and cultural centers are done for the year. I am excited to tell you that there are still plenty of fun activities to join in on this weekend.
I encourage you to take a moment from the excitement of the Holidays and enjoy the peace that parks offer this time of year. There is something special about the warm sunshine on a crisp winter day and all the sounds that winter brings. Listen for a scurrying squirrel or the chirps of a cardinal. Its times like these that melt away stress and allow you to take on whatever challenges the rest of the day may bring.
The ParkGeek Passport Challenge is on for just few more weeks! Head on out to one of the fabulous Wake County Parks scan the QR Code and log in your adventure.
Holiday Events
Mordecai Historic Park hostsSanta's Trolley this weekend. Help Holly the Elf find Santa by jumping on board this special trolley tour. Families will tour Raleigh with Holly as their guide. Make sure to get reservations ahead of time because this event always sells out.
The Natural Science Center of Greensboro has put a Holiday twist on their laser shows. Laser Holidays shows daily through the 31st with special evening shows on the 22nd. The show features sights and sounds from your favorite Holiday classics. They are also showing The Light Before Christmas, a 3D adventure about two lost children who are magically transported into the classic tale.
The Burwell School Historic Site is displaying a festive collection of Santa Artwork. On loan from Hillsborough resident Nancy Campbell, the collection consists of Santa paintings by her father.
The Wonderland Express will continue to run at the Museum of Life and Science. Watch as model trains journey through a snowy Carolina, traversing mountains, crossing bridges and disappearing through tunnels. Bells ring and whistles blow as trains chug along the Blue Ridge Parkway and journey to popular landmarks such as Kitty Hawk, the State Capitol Building and Jennette's Pier. With more than 340 feet of track winding in and out of hills and valleys, this 2,200-square-foot, indoor holiday exhibition is sure to delight all ages. Kids visit Free with an adult admission. Click through for the coupon.
As a special addition to their Friday night Art in the Evening, the North Carolina Museum of Art invites you to bring your kids in their pajamas, and let them stay up late for Holiday Family Fun Friday! In addition to Santa, it will be a magical evening of art, music, festive films and holiday merriment.
The Raleigh Winterfest Ice Rink is Open! Click through for all the details about special events like Rock Around the Rink Fridays with a DJ and Sledding Sunday this weekend with SnowMyYard. During the week you can enjoy Two for Tuesdays, Workout Wednesdays and Date & Skate Thursdays, which include a free carriage ride with your skating wristband.
Downtown Cary is getting its first pop-up shop. The Holly Daze Shoppe features a variety of local artists and vendors that change each week.
The Triangle Christmas Tree Challenge is a unique kind of holiday parade -- and one you don't want to miss. See 60+ trees gloriously decorated by area nonprofits up close on the Diamond View Lawn. By voting for your favorite, you'll help a nonprofit win great prizes.
Christmas by Candlelight is back again this Friday at the Duke Homestead Historic Site. Celebrate an 1870 Christmas during the evening candlelight tours of the Homestead. After the tour, enjoy caroling, hot apple cider, and other goodies while you take in the period decorations.
Witness a Civil War Christmas in the Carolinas. Bennett Place Historic Site will be decorated in a typical Christmas fashion along with music, caroling, and refreshments for you to enjoy both Saturday and Sunday.
The Holly Springs Cultural Center kicks off their Holiday Movie Festival 2012 with a double feature (Frosty the Snowman & Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer) Saturday morning.
Holiday Programs at the Parks
Come join an Eno River State Park Ranger and hear about the History of Christmas on Saturday. You can make your own decoration out of a pine cone and take it home to make your room more festive.
All ages are invited to come to Jordan Lake on Saturday for an afternoon of Naturally Wonderful Holiday Crafts. They will be making ornaments and having cookies afterwards.
Parks offer Outdoor Activiites
Bundle up, bring the hot chocolate and come out to Eno River State Park Thursday night to enjoy the Geminid Meteor Shower Watch. There will be a short indoor presentation on shooting stars before you head outside. Come back Sunday for a guided hike out to the Cole Family and Sister Homesteads.
With a new moon, Thursday night out a Jordan Lake State Recreation Area will also be a fantastic spot to watch the Geminid Meteor Shower during an Astronomy Viewing Session with staff from Morehead Planetarium.
Join staff of Lake Michie Recreation Area Friday to enjoy the Wonders of Lake Michie by Starlight. The evening paddle on the lake will give you a chance to enjoy both the sounds of night animals and the sights of the night sky.
Several Citizen Science Projects now have smartphone apps that allow you to make quick and easy observations that are incredibly valuable to scientists. Bring your smartphone to Prairie Ridge Ecostation on Saturday and prepare for a leisurely walk outside. Come back to the Ecostation on Tuesday for a Walk Through the Seasons.
Historic Yates Mill Pond County Park invites you to participate in the Annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count on Saturday. Bring the kids back on Tuesday for Science Sleuths, a day of hands-on science exploring the basic properties of physics and chemistry.
Join naturalist at West Point on the Eno Saturday afternoon on a Beaver Life Hike and learn how beavers have adapted to succeed in their watery world.
Come, learn about Occoneechee Mountain's geologic wonders and explore the pyrophyllite quarry with a real geologist on a guided Geology Hike Saturday afternoon.
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