December 14th - 20th 2017 Triangle

by Pam & Michael Davison

We, here at ParkGeek, hope you and your family are enjoying all that the Holiday season has to offer and that you have had a great year. There are several fun and entertaining events to participate in to end 2017 and bring 2018 in.

The Annual Halle Hall of Wreaths and Trees at the Halle Cultural Arts center runs through December 20th. You're invited to relax and browse, stroll through the halls to the holiday music, and place a bid on one of the trees or wreaths on display if you would like.

Hill St. Community Center invites kids 5-12 to join them Thursday evening to make a Christmas Craft.

The North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival runs through January 14th at Regency Park. The Festival features numerous displays, each one comprised of hundreds of parts, and thousands of LED lights. The spectacular Chinese Dragon on Symphony Lake returns to mesmerize visitors.

Saturday at the State Fairgrounds, celebrate Fiesta Navidena with a Community Outreach Event.

Also at the Fairgrounds this weekend, the Carolina Piedmont Dog Agility Competition will run Friday through Sunday.

Monday, the Holly Springs Cultural Center will be showing How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Several area Farmer's Markets operate year round like Durham, Carborro and Cary. This Saturday, The Holly Springs Cultural Center will host the second monthly Winter Market to help you get ready for all your holiday meals. Several of the vendors even take pre-orders on items for pickup at the market so click through for all the information.

Museums Host More Holiday Fun

The Halle Cultural Arts Center will host Pizza & a Movie Night Thursday with the family feature Cars. Come back Friday night for a Family Dance complete with a traditional dance caller and old time string band. Bring the kids back Tuesday morning for the movie Sing.

This week's Science Thursday at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences discusses Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance & the Future of Evolution. Come back Saturday for a Science Saturday Buffet.

Hill Street Community Center will feature a Family Movie Night Friday along with drinks and popcorn,

The North Carolina Museum of Art continues to kick off the weekend in style. Join them for Holiday Family Fun Friday and enjoy a winter wonderland filled with their favorite games and toys! Playful art-making, free treats for the kids, and a visit from Santa round out the evening. They will also host their weekly Iris After Dark with special small plates, music and special drink selections.

Throughout the holidays, remember that the North Carolina Museum of Art and its adjacent Art Park offers free admission every day and every weekend they offer free Weekend Family Friendly Tours and Meet Your Museum Tours.

Santa's Trolley will be running Friday through Sunday from Mordecai Historic Park. Step aboard the Raleigh Trolley and help Holly the Elf look for Santa in downtown Raleigh.

Bennett Place Historic Site will be celebrating Christmas in the Piedmont Saturday with living historians, weapons demonstrations, cooking demonstrations, beeswax candle making opportunities, the chance to string popcorn and berries and a visit from Old St. Nick. after dark, you are welcome to experience their Annual Candlelight Tour as you listen to soldiers and civilians tell you how they would have celebrated the holiday.

The Apex Community Park hosts the annual Family Basketball Ham Toss Monday evening. Family members join teams to shoot foul shoots and a chance to will a holiday ham!

Enjoy the Winter Sunshine at a Park

Join an Eno River State Park Ranger and make Pine Cone Bird Feeders you can take home Saturday afternoon. Come back Sunday for a Historic Holiday Sing-a-Long at the Piper Cox House complete with cookies and hot chocolate.

Come and learn about Occoneechee Mountain's geologic wonders as you explore the Pyrophyllite Quarry with a real geologist Saturday.

Come Unwrap a Box...Turtle Saturday at Falls Lake State Recreation Area and explore the life history and conservation concerns of North Carolina"s state reptile.

Take a Walk in the Woods Saturday at Crowder District County and discover the animals and plants that are in the park this time of year as you help collect data for their Natural Resource Inventory Database and other citizen science projects. You can also stop by their Discovery Table Saturday and learn all about Beavers. Come back Sunday for a Winter Wrap Up to learn about tracks and conifers. You will get to try pine needle tea and do some hands on science experiments with snow and ice.

Umstead State Park will host a Family Campfire Saturday evening complete with s'mores, games and songs.

Kids Get Crafty Monday at Crowder District Park by making a snow globe to celebrate the first day of winter.

A Side of History at Historic Yates Mill Park Tuesday will be Totally Toys. Join them to read a story, explore the kinds of toys children play with around the world, and make a historic toy to take home.

Get Your First Night Raleigh Button

If you want to bring in the New Year with a blast, Downtown Raleigh is where you will want to be! First Night Raleigh 2018 actually includes two celebrations. The DIY Festival will be held from 2:00pm - 6:00pm culminating with a People's Procession, music by the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble and Cane Mill Road and an Early Countdown at 7:00pm complete with acorn drop and fireworks. The First Night Raleigh 2017 evening entertainment offers something for everyone and culminates with a concert by Holy Ghost Tent Revival & Cane Mill Road and a midnight countdown highlighted by the famous Raleigh Acorn Drop and Fireworks! Both celebrations feature a wide variety of Out of this World entertainment from a ferris wheel, the Fayetteville F5 amusement ride, theater, comedy, music, dance performances and interactive activities. Click through for the schedule of events and performers as well as information about admission buttons.