Raleigh, Carrboro offer weekend kids' fun

The snow may be gone, but the weekend fun is just beginning for kids and their parents in Raleigh and Carrboro. Just look at the line-up coming our way: the Triangle’s largest Chinese New Year Festival, an astronomy exhibit covering four museum floors, Bugs Bunny inspired symphony performances, a multimedia show featuring the magical alien Gustafer Yellowgold, an invitation to meet famous news personalities, and a chance to board a flying observatory to learn about weather, compliments of The Magic School Bus™.

Starting Friday and running through Sunday, take in a Bugs Bunny themed symphony at the N.C. Symphony. On Saturday and Sunday, a free astronomy exhibit at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences allows you to safely view the sun and solar flares through solar telescopes, meet local astronomy enthusiasts and enter a planetary wonderland of stations hosted by (NASA). You’ll learn about the mission to repair the Hubble Telescope and view real space paraphernalia like astronaut boots, gloves and space tools.

If your kid would rather report on earthlings as an aspiring TV journalist, take him to the downtown Raleigh City Museum at 2 p.m. There WRAL anchors Charlie Gaddy and Debra Morgan (past and present) will be on hand to talk about careers and changes in the news industry. Admission is free.

Welcome in the Year of the Bull at the Triangle's largest Chinese New Year Festival on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the State Fairgrounds' Exposition Center in Raleigh. The event will include stage performances, a talent competition open to audience members, food for sampling and sale, exhibits for all ages, and a 30-year timeline marking Chinese Americans' contributions to the Triangle. Throughout the day, you might see four dancing Chinese lions, a swirling dragon, cultural performances by Asian groups who celebrate Lunar New Year (Chinese GuZheng and Er-Hu music, Japanese Taiko drumming, Korean fan dance) or Durham Bulls Mascot "Wool E. Bull" You’ll find arts and crafts for younger children, tea sampling, an art and essay contest school kids, and a talent competition.

Finally, if all this snow has your child thinking of becoming a meteorologist, check out The Magic School Bus™ exhibit at Marbles Kids Museum, in Raleigh. Based on Scholastic’s award-winning book and television series, the exhibit runs through Sunday, featuring 33 hands-on, minds-on activities exploring weather. Aboard a flying Weather Observatory, your child can discover weather, from a thunderstorm with lightning to a blizzard and a breezy day.