11 family-friendly activities for weekend of July 12 to July 14

Ready for the weekend? Here’s what’s happening on the family fun front. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar and Go Ask Mom's summer break guide for more ideas.

Dix Park will host Destination SunFest from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, July 13. There will be a Ferris wheel, carousel, food and drink, live entertainment, historic hayride tours, art, craft and other activities for kids and adults. All rides, games and activities are free. You'll also get a chance to see some blooming sunflowers in the park's large sunflower field, but not as many as last year.

Marbles' IMAX theater will host a lights up, sound down 2D screening of "Oceans: Our Blue Planet." It's at 10 a.m., Saturday, July 13. It's intended for kids with special needs or young kids and their families. The lights won't be as dim, the sound won't be so loud and kids can get up and dance around. Tickets are $5 for kids under 12 and $7 for adults.

The American Dance Festival will host its final children's matinee of the season at 1 p.m., Saturday, July 13, at Page Auditorium. Tickets are $10 each. Malpaso Dance Company will be on stage.

The Durham Bulls have home games through Sunday with the Norfolk Tides. And there are lots of special activities (including a Stranger Things Night on Thursday, July 11). On Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, there are fireworks after the game.

And, on Sunday, July 14, there is a Touch a Truck event starting at 3 p.m. on the street just outside the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Kids can explore all kinds of vehicles from various agencies. The game starts at 5 p.m.

The Museum of Life and Science will host a Sensory Friendly Science Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Friday, July 12. Tickets are $10. Exhibits and experiences will be modified to create a "sensory-dampened environment," according to the museum's website.

The Museum of Life and Science also will host a Super Scientist Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, July 13. In the museum's lab, you can meet with and learn from researchers from UNC-Chapel Hill's department of psychology and neuroscience. It's free with admission, which is $21 for adults, $16 for kids ages 3 to 12 and free for kids ages 2 and under.

The NC Courage will play the Seattle Reign at 7 p.m., Saturday, July 13. Update: Three of the World Cup-winning NC Courage players—Jessica McDonald, Sam Mewis and Abby Dahlkemper—are now expected to be in attendance at the game. They will be recognized at the game's end, but won't be on the field.

Weird Al Yankovic's The Strings Attached Tour stops at Booth Amphitheatre, Saturday, July 13. Doors open at 7 p.m. The concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets start around $30 each. Weird Al is back with his hits and classics and will perform with his band, background singers and the NC Symphony.

Cary's Downtown Chowdown food truck rally is 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, July 14.

And the Holly Springs Salamanders will celebrate Christmas in July during a 6:30 p.m., Saturday, July 13, game. The Salamanders are part of a collegiate summer league, featuring top college players from across the country.