Weekend Plans: Mother's Day activities, Train Day, improv for kids

Baseball, 5Ks, strawberry picking, train day. Just a few things to keep you busy this Mother's Day weekend.

Posted 12:55 a.m. May 8, 2014 — Updated 1:30 p.m. May 9, 2014

It’s Mother’s Day weekend! Lots of us probably have plans for dinners or brunches out or homemade breakfast at home and handmade cards. I hope every mom out there gets a moment to herself and a little something special.

I had a big post of Mother’s Day weekend activities earlier this week with everything from special events at Marbles Kids Museum to a baseball game and 5Ks. So be sure to check that post, along with WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar, for all of the weekend events in the region.

And we have a few more …

Saturday is National Train Day. Cary will mark the day with free activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cary Depot, 211 N. Academy St., and the Page-Walker Arts & History Center, 119 Ambassador Loop (right across the street). Visitors can tour the center, which once was a railroad hotel. Over at the depot, there are family-friendly activities, displays, vendors and giveaways. If your kids are real train enthusiasts, Amtrak is offering a deal on May 10. One-way fares for kids ages 2 to 12 are $5.

Also on Saturday, New Hope Valley Railway in southwestern Wake County will offer rides on its diesel engine with departures at 11 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Take a ride in the open air train through the woods and check out the historic cars and model train garden. Tickets are $10; $7 for kids ages 2 to 12.

Sid the Science Kid is live at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts in Raleigh. This show, based on the popular PBS Kids character, is Friday to Sunday. Tickets start at $14.

Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh will host a 3 p.m. (update: note new time), Saturday, performance of MAD Children’s Theater. MAD stands for Making a Difference. The troupe comes from Raleigh Charter High School. It will present plays and poems based on children's books. Among their selections: Tacky the Penguin; The Sneetches and Where the Wild Things Are.

And Transactors Improv: For Families! is 6 p.m., Saturday, at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro. The performance, best for kids 6 and up, features short skits based on audience suggestions. Lots of fun. Tickets are $9; $7 for seniors; and $6 for students. For your calendars: Transactors is planning another family show at 1 p.m., May 17, at Common Ground Theatre in Durham.

Again, check our Mother’s Day activity guide for more weekend fun. Happy Mother’s Day weekend!

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