Triangle on Spring Break: Strawberries, playgrounds, road trips, more to keep families busy

Spring break is all over the place around here, but, the majority of students in Raleigh and the Triangle get some time off either this week or next week. If your family is planning a stay-cation, here are a bunch of ideas to keep you busy.

Posted 1:00 a.m. Apr 4, 2017 — Updated 7:07 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Strawberry Picking

Thanks to a warm winter, the 2017 strawberry season is much earlier than usual. Many farm stands have local strawberries for sale. And u-pick farms are opening up for the season too. They include Porter Farms' Raleigh and Willow Spring locations and Vollmer Farm in Bunn. Both spots offer yummy berries, ice cream and small play areas. Our strawberry database has details about all of the farms, farm stands and markets near Raleigh and the Triangle.

Get Outside

This is a beautiful time of year here in North Carolina. It's a great time of year to get outside - and stay outside. Where to go? How about the new Sassafras All Children's Playground, the largest playground in Raleigh and the region. You also could check out some of the other top playgrounds in the region; take a family-friendly hike at a local or state park; check out five great slides in the Triangle; or just check out a playground near you on our playground page.

New Indoor Fun

We've seen a few new places for kids open in the last year. They include SnickerDoodles in north Raleigh. Perfect for babies to preschoolers, the north Raleigh spot features free indoor play along with snacks and craft activities for a small charge. There's also PlayDays in Apex for young children. And Galaxy Fun Park in north Raleigh has something for all ages. Need a quieter activity? Check out the new Read With Me children's book store, which opens on Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh, on Friday, April 7. Our indoor play space page lists many other spots for indoor fun.

Celebrate Easter

Easter falls on April 16, which means there are a bunch of egg hunts, bunny visits and other related activities between now and the end of spring break. Our Easter events database lists them all. A couple of fun ones to point out: the Museum of Life and Sciences' Dino Egg Hunt and JC Raulston Arboretum's springtime egg hunt.

Head to the Ball Park

It's spring! And that means it's baseball! The Durham Bulls have home games April 10 to April 16. The Carolina Mudcats in Zebulon have home games April 13 to April 18. And Carolina and N.C. State's baseball teams will play each other in Chapel Hill from April 14 to April 16.

And it's not just baseball. The new North Carolina FC, the Triangle's new professional men's soccer team, has a match at 7:30 p.m., April 15.

Take a Day Trip

We highlighted five day trips from Raleigh the other week. Our road trip page has more. And don't forget the N.C. Zoo, which opens some new activities - a Dino Bus and boats - this month.

Day at the Museum

The region's museums have some special activities. In downtown Raleigh, Marbles Kids Museum launches special spring break activities on April 10. The N.C. Museum of History has a new exhibit that explores North Carolina's contributions during World War I. It opens April 8. The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh and Kidzu Children's Museum in Chapel Hill have lots of daily activities. And Morehead Planetarium and Science Center has shows April 4 to April 9 and April 15 and April 16.

Get a Treat

Choose from dozen of ice cream flavors at Sunni Sky's. Get a snowball at Pelican's. Get a 'lobster tail' at Bakery La Dolce Vita in Rolesville. Or get a piece of pie from Scratch in Durham.

Learn Something

The N.C. Science Festival launches on April 7. The two-week festival features mostly free science-related activities across the state, including many around Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle.

Let Them Be Bored

Every moment doesn't have to be filled up with fun and excitement and screen time. Kids need a chance to be bored - so they can figure out ways to entertain themselves on their own and develop their true passions. When my kids say they're bored, I come up with a chore for them to do and they pretty quickly find another way to pass their time (without a screen in hand). So, here's to more than a few moments of boredom in your house this spring break!

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