Happy Memorial Day weekend. It’s summer! Here’s what’s happening on the family fun front if your weekend isn’t already full of pool time and picnics. As always, check
WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more and our
strawberry farm database if shortcake is in your future! And keep reading for Memorial Day weekend hours for some popular destinations.
Outdoor movies are heating up and we have several this weekend, including “Ghostbusters” in downtown Raleigh and “Cinderella” in Chapel Hill. Our
outdoor summer movie post has all of the details.
The WRAL Freedom Balloon Fest runs Saturday through Monday at sites in Zebulon and north Raleigh. Kathy over at WRAL.com’s Out & About section has a
great round-up with details about everything from the schedule to parking.
The Piedmont train, which runs between Raleigh and Charlotte, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this weekend with events Saturday and Monday at depots across the state, including Raleigh, Durham and Cary. North Carolina’s Amtrak also is offering a $5 ticket deal for kids.
Summerfest opens for the season at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary on Saturday. William Henry Curry, resident conductor and Summerfest artistic director, will lead the N.C. Symphony in selections from Gershwin, Dvorak, Copland and more. Kids 12 and under are free on the lawn. Lawn tickets are $28 in advance. Concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Bull Fest is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, at Duke Homestead in Durham. The event celebrates Durham’s history, artists, food and businesses. It's also the culmination of the Soldier’s Walk Home, which repeats the walk taken by Washington Duke at the end of the Civil War from New Bern to Durham. A re-enactor is making the 166 mile journey, and will stop to celebrate local history in 11 communities. It's free.
From noon to 5 p.m., Sunday, Ornamentea, the downtown Raleigh bead and craft store, will host one of its Pop-Up Sunday events featuring vintage and art shopping, food trucks, beer, kids crafts and more. It’s free. Kids and pets are welcome.
Six Stories Told, a New York-based pop and rock band, will perform a benefit concert for Dynamic Community Charter School, a middle and high school for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, at the Connections Event Center in Raleigh. The all ages show is designed for families. The band’s song “Just Wanna Be Me” is the school’s anthem. It’s 7 p.m., Saturday. Tickets are $15.
We have a couple of Memorial Day events.
A Memorial Day wreath laying ceremony will take place at 11:30 a.m., Monday, at the N.C. State Capitol, 1 E. Edenton St.
Cary's Veteran's Freedom Park, 1513 N. Harrison Ave., will host a patriotic ceremony from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday. The Cary Town Band will play patriotic music. Speakers will represent the Triangle chapter of the Military Officers Association of America and the USO of North Carolina. A free shuttle will be running from Cary Academy, 1500 N. Harrison Ave.
Here are the holiday hours for some of the more popular family destinations around here:
Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, with some special Memorial Day activities.
The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and the N.C. Museum of History, both in downtown Raleigh, are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The natural sciences museum recently opened a new
Dig It! exhibit. The Museum of Life and Science in Durham is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The N.C. Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh and Kidzu Children’s Museum in Chapel Hill are closed as they usually are on Mondays.
