April 6th - 12th Triangle 2017

by Pam & Michael Davison

Take a day trip out to Wilmington this weekend for the North Carolina Azalea Festival all weekend. The five day long festival encompasses a wide variety of both free and ticketed entertainment including a parade, street fair, circus, concerts and pageantry highlighting the city's rich array of artwork, gardens, history and culture.

Thursday kicks off the North Carolina Science Festival. The awesome statewide festival runs through Sunday, April 23rd with a vast variety of events from star watching to lectures, hands on festivals to themed hikes. We will highlight the events this week here in the Triangle, but click through for all the events State wide.

Harris Lake County Park invites you to a free program about Microscope Discoveries. Explore the fascinating world of tiny things found in nature in this up-close experience Friday afternoon.

NC BioNetwork holds their annual Sci-Fi Movie Myth Buster Friday night. The event features a family-friendly, science and engineering movie that contains topics that may or may not necessarily be true to reality and then a discussion about the film's scientific accuracy and future possibilities.

Durant Nature Park invites you to be a part of a Citizen Science - NestWatch on Saturday as you collect data from their bluebird boxes.

Join the Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education Saturday for a morning full of hands-on demos and fun s they explore Art & Design in Science.

DREAM BIG: Engineer It! at Marbles Kids Museum on Sunday will let you and your kids get hands-on with local engineers and discover how YOU have the power to make our world a better place.

Blue Jay County Park will explore the Art of Nature Monday as you learn about the works of British Land Artist/Sculptor/Naturalist Andrew Goldsworthy before creating and photographing your own piece of ephemeral art made from found and supplied natural elements.

The North Carolina Museum of History joins in on the festival Tuesday afternoon with a Raleigh Rockin' Walkin' Tour. Join them for a walking tour to explore different rock types while visiting historic buildings, museums and other hidden nooks in the downtown area.

The City of Raleigh Wilders Grove Solid Waste Services Facility invites you to explore the Technology of Trash on Wednesday.

The Weekend Fun Starts Early

Thursday's Science Cafe at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will feature Science Trivia. Come back Friday for a Teen Science Cafe about Naming Nature: What is a Species?

The North Carolina Museum of Art invites you to enjoy music by the acoustic sounds of the David Dyer Trio for Friday's Art in the Evening along with Sound Bites about Marvelous Metal.

First Friday in Raleigh features extended hours and special programing at the City of Raleigh Museum (COR) and Marbles Kids Museum. Many of the local restaurants and galleries host specials as well. Look for the First Friday Gallery Walk flags throughout Downtown.

Pullen Park is showing Dinner and a Movie every Friday in April. This month's theme is Animals. Check out Check out Raleigh Parks on Twitter and Facebook for clues to which movie will be playing each week!

Friday evening at Bass Lake Park will feature Family Fun Night. Join them for some arts & crafts and to meet a live animal and then enjoy singer and storyteller Trish Miller or magician Dan the Magic Man.

Festivals & Fun

Celebrate Frogs and Clean Water with games, crafts, educational activities and food at Crowder Park's annual Frog Fest.

Saturday is the fourth annual Apex Founders Day celebration. Join them for Antique Cars, Civil War Reenactors, Revolutionary War Reenactors, Chuck Wagon & Dutch oven cooking, Vintage Police Equipment and Antique Fire Engines. There will also be a variety of activities inside the Halle Cultural Arts Center.

Come to the North Carolina Museum of History Saturday to celebrate the exhibit opening of North Carolina & World War I. The event will start with National Guard members, reenactors, and dignitaries laying a wreath at the War Memorial on the Capitol grounds. Back at the museum, a ribbon cutting for the exhibit and a range of free family-oriented activities-featuring historians and interpreters, soldiers and equipment, and a variety of special, temporary displays will complete the event.

Come back to the Museum of History Sunday to enjoy a free concert by the NCCU Jazz Ensemble.

Jordan Lake State Recreation Area will be hosting a Family Fishing Fiesta Saturday. Activities will include knot tying, casting, fishing, cleaning and cooking fish, as well as information on fish management, aquatic stewardship, boating and water safety, and fishing regulations.

Carrboro's Open Street Event is back Sunday. West Weaver Street will be closed to cars to encourage other forms of physical activity. There will be rock-climbing wall, a kid's bicycle loop, a bicycle portrait project, a workshop to learn how to fix a flat tire, a "slow" bike race, yoga in the streets, zumba, squat/lunge workouts, demonstrations & lessons, art projects, a kid's bike obstacle course, and a bike station where you can make your own smoothie using pedal power

Celebrate poetry at Sunday's annual celebration of poets, scholars, and poetry lovers, the Nazim Hikmet Poetry Festival at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center.

The North Carolina State Fairgrounds hosts the Chatlee Boat Show & Sale, the spring edition of the Southern Ideal Home Show and an All-Arabian Horse Show and a Geranium Sale.

Have a blast on your week off from school with activities that celebrate the science of art and the art of science at Marbles Kids Museum.

Check out the NC Symphony's Instrument Zoo Saturday at Marbles Kids Museum.

More fun at the Parks

Historic Yates Mill County Park features Saturdays at the Old Mill Tour. Sunday, they will be offering Mill Heritage & Local History Tours. Come back to the Mill Monday to explore Mill Stories in Motion, a transportation exploration

Pullen Park will host a Book Swap Saturday.

Hike from historic Rock Cliff Farm out to one of the prettiest overlooks at Falls Lake, Zeagle's Rock Saturday morning.

Take a guided Nature Adventure Hike to explore the grandeur of Prairie Ridge and learn about the environment that makes it unique every Saturday and Sunday.

Come out of hibernation for a "bear-y" good time with their resident bears. Bring your teddy bear to the Teddy Bear Clinic for a check-up with zoo veterinarian staff Saturday at the NC Zoo.

Sunday's Spring Hike at West Point on the Eno will enjoy Spring Wildflowers along the Confluence Natural Area.

Beethoven will be the featured flick at the Holly Springs Cultural Center Monday morning.

Harris Lake County Park will host their monthly preschool programs this week. Click through for the themes and ages.

Egg Hunts and Easter Fun!

Raleigh will host Egg Hunts on Saturday at Pullen Park, Mordecai Historic Park, Laurel Hills Community Center, Chavis Park, Anderson Point Park, Spring Forest Road Park, Abbotts Creek, Brier Creek, Carolina Pines, Lions Park, and Roberts Park. Raleigh Egg hunts stay healthy again this year with healthier snack options and prizes rather than candy.

The Easter Bunny hops into Fuquay Varina Saturday bringing 12,000 candy and toy filled eggs for the Town's annual Easter Egg Hunt at South Park. Fuquay-Varina will also hold a Candy Hop in the historic shopping district Saturday

In Cary, you can enjoy Breakfast with the Bunny before their Annual Egg Hunt over at Bond Park. There will also be ongoing entertainment, festival food, face painting and bounce houses. Saturday afternoon, they will host the Easter Eggstravaganza: A special hunt for special needs kids.

Durham will sponsor two Egg Hunts Saturday. One at Campus Hills Park and the other at West Point on the Eno.

Garner's annual Spring Eggstravaganza will be Saturday at Lake Benson Park with an egg hunt, entertainment, games, crafts and food vendors.

The Morrisville Easter Egg Hunt Saturday will not only feature the Easter Bunny and traditional Egg Hunts, but there will also be a special egg kids can find to win a prize.

Apex will host their Egg Hunt Saturday at the Town Hall Campus.

Holly Springs combines their Egg Hunt with a Community Wide Yard Sale over at Sugg Farm Park on Saturday. There will also be games, inflatables and music.

Wake Forest celebrates the season Saturday with an Easter Egg Hunt at Carroll Joyner Park. There will also be several food vendors and Easter-themed arts and crafts activities in the Joyner Park Amphitheater.

Knightdale will be hosting their Easter Eggstraordinaire which includes an egg hunt, snacks, live music and activities. Also Saturday, Knightdale will host Paws in the Park at the Ashley Wilder Dog Park.

My favorite Egg Hunt is over at the JC Raulston Arboretum. Starting Monday, April 10th and running through Sunday, April 16th, you can take in all the incredible spring flowers while your kids search for brightly painted wooden eggs hidden throughout the Arboretum gardens. Write down the letters on each egg then unscramble the letters to win a prize.