In Downtown Raleigh, the State Capitol will feature an Old State Library Tour. Come see how historians learn about the past by examining old documents.

 

Also in Downtown Raleigh, the North Carolina Museum of History will focus on Knitting. See knitter Catherine Bolen turn yarn into useful objects, from baby caps to purses to afghans. You can make your own bracelet by weaving stitches in a Make it, Take it event.

 

The North Carolina Museum of Art joins in on Second Saturdays with a Family Fun Saturday. This week's installment will invite families to take a gallery tour and participate in a workshop exploring Animals of Ancient Egypt. They will also be offering Special Family Tours both Saturday & Sunday.

 

Tales of the Tar Heel State will be featured at Bennett Place Historic Site. Join authors and storytellers as they share a variety of history, folklore and tradition.

 

Bentonville State Historic Site will host Civil War Camp Life. Period-costumed living historians will demonstrate how soldiers made meals, maintained their weapons and uniforms, trained for battle, and much more.

 

Enjoy music, dancing, historical crafts, and activities and games at Duke Homestead's Summer Children's Festival.

 

Second Saturday extends outside the Triangle, too. Join volunteers stationed throughout the Battleship North Carolina for Battleship 101 and learn all about sea life including gunnery, radar, sickbay, galley, engineering and daily shipboard life. As a special treat, the Carolina Living History Guild members will set up displays that highlight the history of the USS North Carolina and the CSS North Carolina during the American Civil War including steam engineering, ironclad ship construction, navigation, small arms of the US and CS navies, and the "arts of the sailor."

 

Tryon Palace will Celebrate the Old North State. Join them as they celebrate the "land of the long leaf pine" in this special fun filled day. Free activities include garden admission, colonial games in the Palace courtyard, attendance to their special "Making of the State" interactive theater program, a site-wide North Carolina Scavenger Hunt, and a North Carolina themed kids' craft activity .

 

Fort Fisher will explore Information Technology. Come learn how communications in the Civil War worked by creating secure networks using tools like signal flags and cipher disks.

 

 

Fire Departments from around the state will attend North Carolina's Main Street Fire Truck Parade in Downtown Raleigh Saturday morning. Units will include modern and antique apparatus, pipe and drum bands and fire department honor guards. After the parade, all the equipment will be available to check out and for picture opportunities. Start the fun early for lunch on Friday at City Plaza for the South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo BBQ Cookoff. The fundraiser for the North Carolina Firefighters Fund will bring firefighters from across the state to BBQ their best.

 

Saturday is Family Fun Day in Historic Hillsborough. The event will feature guided history tours, children's activities, a farmers market, shopping, and dining.

 

Over 40 food trucks will be ready and waiting to serve you a wide assortment of gastric delights on Sunday in Downtown Raleigh for another Food Truck Rodeo.

 

The State Fairgrounds will host the Southern Bridal Show and Expo both Saturday and Sunday.

 

This Wednesday the annual Cheese Please Festival returns to the Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market. Come enjoy a wide selection of the area"s finest cheese and cheese makers, a grilled cheese cook-off, local cheese sampling, live music by the Hopscotch Music Festival, local lunch options, and kids activities.