21 family-friendly activities for the weekend of April 27 to April 29

No plans this spring weekend? Here’s what’s happening on the family fun front. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more ideas.

The Piedmont Farm Tour runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., both Saturday and Sunday, and takes place at 45 farms in Alamance, Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Johnston, Orange, Person and Wake counties. Don't plan on attempting to stop at all of the farms. Instead, if you're going with kids, peruse the website and look for farms that offer kid-friendly activities, such as petting farm animals or taking a hayride. An advance pass is $30 per car for all farms, all weekend. They will be $45 on the day of registration. Or, you can pay $10 to visit one farm.

It’s been a slow start to the strawberry season, but farms are really starting to open up for the year with berries that are picked and available for you to pick. Our strawberry farm database has the details.

Preschoolers and young grade schoolers will be thrilled to meet up with their favorite Letterland characters when the early literacy program Letterland takes over Pullen Park. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, at the park, 520 Ashe Ave. Parking is available at the Coliseum Parking Deck on N.C. State's campus located off of Pullen Road. It's free to attend, $1 for the rides. Letterland is used in many local preschools and the Wake County Public School System.

The annual SciTech Expo, part of the North Carolina Science Festival, is 9 a.m to 4 p.m., Saturday, at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh. The free event showcases the STEM (that's science, technology, engineering and math) innovations and research that's happening right here in the Triangle.

Theatre Raleigh continues its run of “Adventure Road: A Story of Tom and Huck.” Expect a creative twist on the classic Mark Twain stories. The 50-minute show runs through Sunday on select days at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts in Raleigh. This is a lot of fun.

Raleigh Little Theatre will host its first sensory friendly performance at 1 p.m., Saturday. On stage will be Alice@Wonderland, a modern-day spin on the classic. RLT is making some modifications to the show, including fewer loud or jarring sounds, less flashing or strobe lights among other adjustments to the performance lighting and extra staff and volunteer support on hand in case anybody needs help.

Blue Jay Point County Park's annual Songbird Celebration is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The event celebrates the return of migratory songbirds and marks International Migratory Bird Day. It's free and includes bird-related activities, along with games, crafts, storytimes and more.

Saturday is Independent Store Book Day, and Quail Ridge Books will celebrate with a variety of activities, including a pop-up cat cafe from 9 a.m. to noon, a sidewalk chalk art contest from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., a storytime with Olivia at 10:30 a.m., a Dr. Seuss storytime at 2 p.m. and more. Activities are free.

And Read With Me, the downtown Raleigh children's bookstore, will mark Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday with a special storytime in Italian at 11 a.m., a hand lettering class at 2 p.m. for ages 12 and up (for $10), exclusive items, giveaways and other activities. Read With Me also will extend its hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Goodguys 4th annual North Carolina Nationals stops at the N.C. State Fairgrounds Friday through Sunday and will feature more than 1,500 hot rods, custom cars, muscle cars and more. The event also includes live music, a free kids zone, a model car show and a demolition derby at Saturday evening. Tickets are $17 for the show and $6 for kids ages 7 to 12. Tickets for the demolition derby are $10 for adults and $6 for kids.

And the Raleigh Heritage Bike Tour is offered at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Saturday. It's free. Take a two-hour bike tour to learn about Raleigh's heritage and culture. Stops include Chavis Park to ride the carousel and Mordecai Historic Park. Registration is required for this one.

An earlier post has details about both the book fair and Children's Day.

The Chapel Hill Service Club will host a movie night starting at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, at the Southern Village Green. The evening will feature a screening of the movie, "Up," along with games and activities. The movie will begin at dusk. It's free.

Safe Kids: Orange County will host a free event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, at University Place. According to the description, you can "put your little ones to the test with safety challenges, splash around with the YMCA with a water safety demonstration, get a Child ID made with the Chapel Hill Police Department, and peak inside Chapel Hill emergency vehicles." An 11 a.m. fire safety puppet show also is scheduled.

Spring Daze Arts & Crafts Festival is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, at Bond Metro Park. The 25th annual event, which draws thousands, includes food, entertainment, art, music, and a children's village. Admission is free.

North Carolina FC, the professional men's soccer team, will host Penn FC at 7 p.m., Saturday, at WakeMed Soccer Park. It's educator appreciation night. Educators will enjoy discounted tickets with a valid ID and there will be a book drive to benefit Read and Feed, a Cary-based non-profit. The 2018 Principals of the Year and 2018 Teacher of the Year nominees will be recognized at halftime.

The Greater Cleveland Chamber of Commerce Strawberry Festival is 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, on Technology Drive in Garner. The day includes lots of food, music, entertainment, vendors and a kids zone.

The town's new sprayground is OPEN! And it's open daily.

The 2018 Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo, the nation's foremost showcase of public power lineworker skill and knowledge, according to the description, is most of the day on Saturday at Holding Village in Wake Forest. At the rodeo, apprentice and journeyman lineworkers from across the United States will compete for professional recognition and display essential job skills - 30 feet above ground, says Wake Forest's website. The competition starts at 8 a.m. There's even a fun zone for kids from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with an inflatable slide, pole climbing, a rope toss and a touch-a-truck area.

And last, but not least, Hill Ridge Farm will celebrate National Superhero Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday. All children ages two to 12 in their favorite superhero gear will be admitted free all day. There also will be the usual Hill Ridge fun - hayrides, farm animals, gem panning and a new cow slide bounce house, among lots of other activities.