March 24th - March 30th 2016 Triangle

by Pam & Michael Davison

Easter Fun

Spring is finally here and Happy Easter! There are a few more Easter Egg Hunts and holiday activities leading up to Sunday. Easter Sunday is a great day to take the family to a park. Just be aware that some of the municipal and county parks will be closed Sunday.

The Museum of Life and Science invites you to their Dino Egg Hunt again this weekend. There is an additional admission fee in addition to the museum admission, but kids will get to unearth colorful eggs, take a photo with their resident dino, dig up some real fossils, put together dinosaur skeleton "puzzles," make their own colorful fossil rubbing and test their skills in matching dino skeletons with the complete dinosaur.

My favorite egg hunt in the Triangle is the Annual Spring Egg Hunt at the JC Raulston Arboretum which runs daily through Sunday. They've hidden brightly painted wooden eggs throughout the Arboretum gardens. Search the Arboretum for the hidden eggs and write down the letters you find on them. After unscrambling the letters, tell them the secret word and receive a small prize.

Thursday evening, Cary will hold their Easter Eggstravaganza for kids with special needs at Bond Park. Enjoy fun activities and entertainment after the hunt

On Saturday,, the Annual Raleigh Easter Celebration will hold the largest Easter egg hunt in Raleigh with seven hunt times and 50,000 eggs! Held in Halifax Mall, the egg hunts will be open to all children, infants through 12-years-old. Egg hunts will be held every half-hour and will be divided into age specific groups. In addition to the Egg hunts there will also be inflatable games, prizes, and free balloons.

A little outside the Triangle, the North Carolina Zoo will hold their annual Egg-Stravaganza both Saturday and Sunday. See Zoo animals hunt for treats inside decorative eggs.

Both Church Alive and Cary Calvary Chapel invites the public to their Easter Services Sunday morning at the NC State Fairground's.

Last Friday (and fun Thursday, too)

The weekend starts early for Science Thursday at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences with extended hours and an Adult Science Spelling Bee.

Marbles Kids Museum celebrates Twilight $2 Thursdays every week with extended hours and discounted admission.

Pizza and a Movie Night is back the the Halle Cultural Arts Center Thursday with the family fun flick, The Good Dinosaur.

Spring has Sprung is the theme of Friday night's Crowder by Night. Go on a sensory hike around the pond and then make a toad abode for the spring peepers around your home.

Art in the Evening at the North Carolina Museum of Art Friday night will boast the music of Peter Lamb and the Wolves along with Sound Bites focusing on Intriguing Interiors. Cuban Fury is Friday night's Winter Film. The 2014 comedy was directed by James Griffithsand stars Nick Frost, Rashida Jones and Chris O' Dowd.

Spring Break Blast starts Friday and runs through Sunday, April 3rd at Marbles Kids Museum with creative, innovative makers activities.

Festivals and Shows

The NC State Fairgrounds will host the Kennel Club Dog Show Wednesday through Sunday. Each day will be hosted by a different area Club.

Also starting Wednesday at the Hunt Horse Complex, the Raleigh Spring Premier Benefit will feature classes for American Saddlebred horses, Roadster horses and ponies, Hackney ponies, Southeast riders and a full Morgan Division.

To round out the fun at the Fairgrounds, the Carolina FiberFest is a family-friendly event featuring classes, free demonstrations, and shopping for yarn, ready to spin fiber, patterns, tools, accessories, and specialty items both Friday and Saturday.

Historic Yates Mill Pond County Park will be running half hour Old Mill Tours of the fully renovated mill on Saturday as well as hour long Mill Heritage and Local History Tours on Sunday.

Monday kicks off Brain Awareness Week at Duke. There are daily events at various locations through Sunday, April 3rd. Many of the events have free admission and a few held at the Museum of Life and Science do require Museum admission. Click through for the whole schedule of provoking programs.

The Holly Springs Cultural Center will feature the film Evan Almighty Monday morning. Come back to the Cultural Center Tuesday evening for a Game Night.

Spring at the Parks

You are invited to Hike for Your Health every Thursday morning at Raven Rock State Park. Come back Saturday morning for some Froggy Fun. Join them on the back deck of the visitor center as they read "A Frog Thing" and then take a short, easy stroll to listen and look for frogs in the park.

Come learn about Things That Go Bump in the Night Saturday afternoon at Falls Lake State Recreation Area.

Come and learn about Occoneechee Mountain's geologic wonders while you explore the pyrophyllite quarry with a real geologist during Saturday's Geology Hike.

Kids ages 6-12 are challenged to become Junior Rangers Sunday at Umstead State Park while they learn about what animals call the park home.

Learn what plants need to live as you plant seeds for a salsa garden to take home in recycled containers during Monday's Family Wildlife Series at Blue Jay Point County Park.

Take an Occoneechee Canoe Trip Tuesday. Explore the Eno Mountain Road bridge upriver past Occoneechee Mountain to Dimmock's Mill Road bridge as you learn about the natural history and the cultural heritage of the area.