It appears that at least traditional calendar school students in Wake County and students in Johnston County have this Wednesday, which just happens to be Halloween, off.
I will say that I've heard plenty of grumbling from moms on the playground in the last couple of weeks in Wake County. Some of us would rather the kids get Thursday off instead when they are exhausted and a bit queasy from a night of trick-or-treating and candy eating.
Next year Halloween falls on a Thursday and, in Wake County, the traditional school students will get Oct. 28 off for a teacher workday, the school system tells me.
If you'll be at home with your kids on Wednesday and are looking for ideas to get out of the house, here are some options:
Many pumpkin patches are open across the region and offer all kinds of seasonal fun. Check our
Halloween and fall fun database for information about patches around the Triangle.
Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday. The museum has been featuring Halloween activities since last week. The fun includes boo bubbles, pumpkin pounding and more. Activities are free with admission, which is $5 per person.
Marbles' IMAX Theatre also has a new documentary called
"Flight of the Butterflies 3D." The 40-minute movie follows butterflies as they make the journey from Mexico to Canada. Bonus: Dress as a butterfly and see the movie for free through Oct. 31. Showtimes on Wednesday are noon, 2:50 p.m., 4:20 p.m., 5:15 p.m., 6:10 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences' special exhibit Titanic: The Artifacts is open and is really interesting. I'd say it's best for school-age kids and up. Tickets range between $9 for kids 3 to 12 and $14 for adults. Read
my earlier post for details, along with another post on the
online educational components that are part of it.
You could check out the four alpacas that now call the Museum of Life and Science home now. They have taken over a spot at the Durham museum's popular and, now renovated, farmyard. Read
my earlier post for details. These creatures are absolutely adorable and the museum has done a great job updating this space. Tickets to the museum are $14 for adults and $10 for kids 3 to 12.
In Chapel Hill, Kidzu Children's Museum and other University Square merchants will have
Trick or Healthy Treat from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday. Enjoy the day playing at Kidzu (best for kids 8 and under) and visit participating stores for Halloween-themed goodies. Kidzu will have a not-so-scary storytime and crafts, along with spooky music and festival games all day. Admission is required to play at Kidzu, but there's no charge to trick or treat. Come dressed in your Halloween costume and get $1 off admission to Kidzu.
I suspect these places will be packed ... but they'll also be open.
Bounce U in Apex and
Pump It Up in Raleigh have open bounce times (check their websites for exact schedules) and so do many others. Check
our resource page for information on all of the inflatable places around here. There's also
Defy Gravity, a new trampoline arena in Durham for all ages.
Polar Ice House in Garner will offer a special ice skating deal from 1 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., Wednesday. Wear your Halloween costume and get half off the admission price for its Halloween party (not including skate rental). There's also an extra hour of skating in your costume during this extended afternoon public skate session.
The awesome White Deer Park in Garner will have some
trick or treating on its trails from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday. I
wrote about this park earlier this year and highly recommend everybody visit at some point. The park includes a small nature center and two playgrounds - one built of natural materials and the other more traditional. Local community organizations and businesses will be passing out treats.
Check out your local library. It's storytime season for most libraries right now and there are dozens of them offered in Wake County alone. Many, I suspect, will have a Halloween theme. Check
our library resource page for links to systems across the region.
At the
Orange County Public Library's Main Library in Hillsborough, they'll have storytimes for one to two-year-olds at 10 a.m. and a preschool storytime at 11 a.m. Costumed library patrons of all ages can trick or treat at the library during regular business hours. And at 6 p.m., the library's Teen Advisory Board will host a Halloween Party with a costume contest, face painting, treats and more.
And while Wednesday might be a cooler day, that's never stopped me from taking my kids outside. It's a perfect day to check out a new playground or other family destination. Check our database of
park and playground reviews and
posts on Triangle family destinations for ideas.
On Tuesday, I'll have an updated post on mall events on Halloween (and I will include a caveat that these events get very, very crowded).
