September 27th - October 3rd 2018 Triangle

by Pam & Michael Davison

This weekend is jam packed with Fall Festivals and outdoor fun. TACO (Take A Child Outside) Week continues through Sunday with loads of fun activities to do with your kids at the parks - see below:

JC Raulston Arboretum continues their TACO activities with hands on Garden Buds, Arboretum Bingo and a Yurt Open House.

Prairie Ridge Ecostation for Wildlife Learning celebrates TACO with guided hikes, Citizen Science Saturdays and a Nature Play Day.

Wake County Parks join in the TACO festivities with animal programs, wreath making and natural explorations.

Come enjoy Stories, Songs, & S'mores Friday evening at Durant Nature Park . Durant continues the fun Saturday into Sunday with a Family Campout.

Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve hosts a Wild Sculpture program Saturday so you can learn about the the natural world of art with Andy Goldsworthy and work with him to sculpt an art installation at the Preserve farmhouse.

My favorite TACO event every year is the Storytelling Festival at Historic Oak View County Park on Saturday. The festival features a wide variety local and nationally celebrated storytellers sharing their tales at spots throughout the picturesque park.

The Fun Starts Early

Come out and try some free apple samples and apple dessert samples during Apple Day at the State Farmers market in Raleigh Thursday at lunchtime.

This Thursday's Science Cafe at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will explore Dinosaurs: Rewriting the Rules of Fossilization.

Food Truck Thursdays return to Knightdale every Thursday through October at both lunch and dinner. Click through for the list of attending food trucks.

Downtown Hillsborough Carrboro and Chapel Hill host the final Last Friday of the season with an art walk and a concert on the old courthouse lawn.

On the last Friday of every month, Cary celebrates art with the Cary Art Loop. Triangle arts and culture in the Cary area are highlighted with extended hours for participating art galleries, restaurants and coffee houses.

Its Finally Friday in Downtown Apex. Join them for extended hours and special promotions.

Final Friday at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will feature the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) along with chocolate themed stations, live music, sliders and drinks.

Fridays on the Front Porch of the Carolina Inn heads into its last month with a concert by the Old Well Wishers and local food trucks Humble Pig and Barone Meatball.

Fall Festivals

The free Wide Open Bluegrass Streetfest Friday and Saturday is the urban bluegrass music festival that closes out the IBMA"s World of Bluegrass week in beautiful downtown Raleigh. The bluegrass tide spills over into downtown Raleigh as more than 100 bands perform for FREE in multiple locations around Downtown Raleigh. Click through for the all the schedule of concerts.

The Carrboro Music Festival takes to the Century Center and 24 other locations around Carrboro both Saturday and Sunday. That's 200 free musical performances at 30 indoor and outdoor venues.

Mike Raley and Anne Clapp of 680 WPTF present The Weekend Gardener Show Live at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh Saturday. While you're there, enjoy the Market Shoppes Open House.

The 2018 Wake Forest Dance Festival takes place at Carroll Joyner Park Amphitheater Saturday featuring feature international, national and regional professional dancers from the Wake Forest dance community and beyond.

The North Carolina Museum of History hosts Military Services Day marking the 100 year anniversary of "Breaking the Hindenburg Line," an assault during World War I that took more North Carolinian lives than any other battle during the war. Join them for music, displays and artifacts.

The North Carolina Museum of Art invites you to join them for a Duke Energy Family Day to Celebrate the Harvest. Discover agricultural celebrations from around the globe (including the Jewish festival Sukkot), use natural materials for hands-on art activities, and listen to music in the Museum Park. There will even be food trucks American Meltdown and Baozi on site.

Music, History & Culture will inspire you

The North Carolina Museum of Art offers free admission every day. On the weekends, they also offer Meet Your Museum Tours to introduce you to the 164-acre campus, two buildings, an amphitheater, a park, and several gardens as well as Weekend Family Friendly Tours aimed at kids 5-11.

Join them in Downtown Saturday morning for a Durham Architecture & the Urban Landscape Walking Tour and learn how it has transformed itself from an industrial center to the City of Medicine.

The Holly Springs Cultural Center will be showing the movie Ratatouille on Monday.

The Halle Cultural Arts Center will be showing a Paddington 2 Tuesday morning and an Oceans 8 Wednesday evening.

Fall Fun in the Parks

Historic Yates Mill Pond County Park invites you to take a Saturday Mill Tour of the Mill or a longer Mill Heritage & Local History Tour on Sunday.

Join them for the 2018 City of Raleigh Volunteer Fair on Saturday at Pullen Amusement Park. The event provides an opportunity for community citizens of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to learn about City programs and sites and how they can contribute time, talents, and resources to the City of Raleigh!

Kids Together Playground at Marla Dorrel Park invites families to join them for their annual Walk For Inclusiveness Sunday. There is a fee to participate.

Come do some Experiments at the Ford at Eno River State Park Saturday morning.

C.A.S.T. (Catch A Sure Thing!) Sunday at Jordan Lake presents kids an opportunity to learn to fish.

Join a Falls Lake ranger for a hike on the Fox Trot Trail Sunday to learn about Forest Ecology.

Crowder County Park will hold their monthly preschool programs this week. Tiny Tots on Monday, for ages 10 months to 3 years, Nature Families for everyone on Tuesday, and Nature Watchers, for ages 3-5 on Wednesday.