Nov. 22
Nags Head
Jockey’s Ridge State Park
Holiday Star Party Food Drive, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Enjoy an evening under the stars and support the event by dropping off a canned good donation to the Beach Food Pantry. Telescopes will be set up for public viewing with the support of the OBX Astronomy Club and the Dare County Library. The event will take place at the park’s visitor center parking area. All are welcome to bring their own equipment. Rain date is Nov. 23.
Nov. 22-Dec.30
Kure Beach
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
Cape Fear Festival of Trees, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No where else does the brilliance of the holiday season harmonize with breathtaking aquatic life to create such a magical experience as the Festival of Trees. The 2024 event will feature 45 trees beautifully adorned by generous sponsors supporting Lower Cape Fear LifeCare Foundation. Admission to the Aquariums sells out during this fan favorite. Touring the Festival of Trees is complimentary with the purchase of Aquarium admission, advance tickets are required.
Nov. 25-Dec.18
New Bern
Tryon Palace
Palace Holiday Décor Tour, Mondays and Wednesdays, November 25 – December 18, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Join us for a tour of the Governor’s Palace to view and learn about the decorations of this year’s “Candlelight Christmas Celebration.” Hadley Cheris, Lead Holiday Decorator, will guide you through the first floor and cellar of the Governor’s Palace. Gain insight on the special items used in the decorations, design tips, and the themed arrangements for this year’s holiday decor. Tours are limited, so sign up today! Tickets include access to the Tryon Palace Gardens. A separate ticket is required for additional tours.
Nov. 26
Goldsboro
North Carolina Symphony
Holiday Pops with the North Carolina Symphony at the Paramount Theatre, 8 p.m. Celebrate the season with your festive holiday favorites and your North Carolina Symphony. This annual performance features the songs you know and love, including “Sleigh Ride,” “White Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells,” Christmas at the Movies, music from “Frozen,” and more! David Glover conducts.
Nov. 27
Hatteras
Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
Hatteras Museums' Fall Celebration and Open House, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Graveyard of the Atlantic is one of the stops on the Hatteras Museums’ Fall Celebration and Open House. Enjoy a special Thanksgiving scavenger hunt, along with recipe cards to share and a morning craft for the kids. Admission and activities are free; however, guests are asked bring a canned good or boxed food for the local food pantry to help restock their shelves. Reservations are not required. Other participating museums include Chicamacomico Life Saving Station, Rodanthe; Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center, Frisco; Lost Colony Museum, Buxton. Contact each site for additional information on their specific program.
Nov. 29-Dec.23
Gatesville
Merchant Millpond State Park
Light Up the Millpond, 5 to 8 p.m. Every Friday and Saturday unit December 23rd. Come experience the Millpond in all its festive beauty! The community has worked hard and really outdone itself this year to put on a magnificent display of holiday spirit. This event is open to the public and there is no charge. Donations are graciously accepted and go to the Friends of Merchants Millpond group.
Nov. 29-Jan. 1
Wilmington
USS NORTH CAROLINA Battleship
Brilliant Battleship Holiday Lights, The Battleship North Carolina will be illuminated with our brilliant new uplighting for the 2024 Holiday Season! Come enjoy downtown Wilmington, gaze at the memorial, and let your heart be light!
Dec. 1
Creswell
Somerset Place State Historic Site
Somerset Place 34th Annual Christmas Open House, 1 to 4 p.m. Explore, enjoy, and experience the Christmas season at Somerset Place. Visitors will be inspired by traditional holiday decorations of fresh natural and floral arrangements adorning the exterior and interior of site buildings on a self-guided tour . The Collins House and site buildings will be open for self-guided tours with interpretive staff in period dress available to answer questions. Sample hearth-cooked black-eyed peas and cornbread, sip hot spiced tea and delicious homemade desserts. For younger audiences, jolly Saint Nicholas will appear on the grounds from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The event is free but donations are welcomed.
Dec. 2-20
Elizabeth City
Museum of the Albemarle
School Days Colonial Christmas, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students will step back in time and experience a colonial Christmas. Engage in seasonal hands-on activities, read a book, sing carols, play games, and visit the Albemarle Express model train to receive a special keepsake bell.
Dec. 3
Fayetteville
North Carolina Symphony
Holiday Pops with the North Carolina Symphony at Seabrook Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Celebrate the season with your festive holiday favorites and your North Carolina Symphony. This annual performance features the songs you know and love, including “Sleigh Ride,” “White Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells,” Christmas at the Movies, music from “Frozen,” and more! David Glover conducts.
Dec. 3-20
New Bern
Tryon Palace
Traditions of Christmas Past Tour, Tuesdays and Fridays, December 3 – 20. Join us on a tour of Stanly, Dixon and Commission Houses focused on the decorations and traditions of Christmas past. Hadley Cheris, Tryon Palace Director of Facilities and Gardens, and Lead Holiday Decorator, will lead a tour of the first floor of the Stanly, Dixon and Commission Houses, describing holiday traditions in the last 300 years and the special items used in the decorations. Tours are limited, so sign up today! Tickets include access to the Tryon Palace Gardens. A separate ticket is required for additional tours.
Dec. 5
Atlantic Beach
North Carolina Maritime Museum Beaufort
History of Santa Claus, Patron Saint of Sailors, 11 a.m. Join the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort in the auditorium at Fort Macon State Park for a family-friendly presentation on the history of Santa Claus. Programs are also live-streamed via Zoom.
Dec. 6
Winnabow
Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site
A Light in the Darkest of Night, 4 to 7 p.m. Visit Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson for self guided exploration and meditation from 4 to 7 p.m. The site’s visitor center and gift shop will remain open during the course of the evening for holiday shopping.
Dec. 6
Halifax
Historic Halifax State Historic Site
Yuletide by Lantern, 4 to 8 p.m. Experience an authentic Christmas of long ago in the warm glow of lantern light. Enjoy homes, public buildings, and taverns decorated for the season with festive, all-natural decor. Interactive historical vignettes will bring each building to life. Enjoy a warm fire in the Tap Room tavern just as guests did two hundred years ago! A fee and registration is required to attend. This event is part of the "Revolutionary NC" theme for America 250 NC directed by the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.
Dec. 6
Elizabeth City
Museum of the Albemarle
Gingerbread Workshop, 4 to 5 p.m. Join the Friends of the Museum of the Albemarle in their tradition of decorating a gingerbread house. Design your house with a variety of candies, cookies, cereals, and more. We do the cleanup, and you go home with a marvelous gingerbread creation to enjoy throughout the season. Register early since spaces are limited. Supply fee.
Dec. 7
Southport
North Carolina Maritime Museum Southport
Let it Snow! 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport for free winter-themed hands-on activities and crafts that combine arts and history. The program is designed for all ages, but specifically geared toward younger patrons. Lights will be dimmed and interactives muted during the first two hours to provide a calmer environment for those with sensory sensitivities.
Dec. 7
Beaufort
North Carolina Maritime Museum Beaufort
Friends of the Maritime Museum Holiday Flotilla, 5:30 and 6:15 p.m. Join the Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort for their annual Holiday Flotilla! Yachts, oars, kayaks and commercial vessels decorated for the season can be seen at 5:30 p.m. on the Morehead City waterfront and at 6:15 p.m. on the Beaufort waterfront.
Dec. 7
Four Oaks
Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site
'In Heavenly Peace’ Bentonville's Christmas Open House, 5 to 8:30 p.m. Experience the Harper House as a family residence, not as a Civil War field hospital. This holiday season, you are invited to tour the home of John and Amy Harper as it may have during a Civil War Christmas. Come enjoy the beauty of a 19th-century Christmas aglow with candlelight. Also enjoy period refreshments in the kitchen and festive music by a warm campfire. Do not miss your chance to experience Christmas by candlelight at Bentonville Battlefield. $5 adult admission fee, free for kids 8 and under.
Dec. 7
Elizabeth City
Museum of the Albemarle
A Colonial Christmas Holiday Open House, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Step back in time and experience a colonial Christmas through seasonal hands-on activities and games. Watch the Albemarle Express model train as it travels around the Albemarle region and stops at county landmarks in each of the 13 counties represented at the museum. Receive a keepsake bell to highlight your visit to the Albemarle Express! The museum will also be decorated with Christmas trees. Explore a petting zoo full of farm animals on the museum green from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and take your picture with a goat and a lamb in front of our Christmas barn.
Dec. 7
Manteo
Roanoke Island Festival Park
Roanoke Island Festival Park Holiday Concert, 7 p.m. The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command Band (TRADOC) will be performing a holiday concert at Roanoke Island Festival Park’s film theater. Free.
Dec. 8
Winnabow
Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site
An 18th Century Christmas, 1 to 5:30 p.m. Enjoy 18th-century inspired refreshments in the Visitor Center, participate in traditional games, or try your hand at Moravian paper stars and other 18th-century crafts. The highlight of the evening will be an authentic period candlelit service in the ruins of St. Philips Anglican Church at 5 p.m. Adult tickets, age 13 and up, can be purchased in advance here. Kids 12 and under are free.
Dec. 10
Wilmington
North Carolina Symphony
Holiday Pops with the North Carolina Symphony at Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community, 3 and 7 p.m. Celebrate the season with your festive holiday favorites and your North Carolina Symphony. This annual performance features the songs you know and love, including “Sleigh Ride,” “White Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells,” Christmas at the Movies, music from “Frozen,” and more! David Glover conducts.
Dec. 11
Tarboro
North Carolina Symphony
Holiday Pops with the North Carolina Symphony at Keihin Auditorium at Edgecombe Community, 7:30 p.m. Celebrate the season with your festive holiday favorites and your North Carolina Symphony. This annual performance features the songs you know and love, including “Sleigh Ride,” “White Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells,” Christmas at the Movies, music from “Frozen,” and more! David Glover conducts.
Dec. 13-14
Beaufort
North Carolina Maritime Museum Beaufort
30th annual John Costlow Christmas Train Show, 4 to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday: The train show takes place at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort’s Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center in partnership with the Beaufort Lions Club. The annual show features antique working model trains of all sizes. Admission is free.
Dec. 14
Pine Knoll Shores
NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Santa by the Sea. Whispered wishes among the fishes bring holiday magic to the Aquarium’s Santa by the Sea. Make holiday cards and an ornament, enjoy special treats, and have fun with themed games. Meet Santa for a photo opportunity and Mrs. Claus will be found around the aquarium for story time. Enjoy on-site Food Trucks during the day. The event holiday bag includes a take-home photo of each child with Santa plus crafts, holiday treats, activities, and other seasonal fun. The event holiday bag is $9.95 per participant in addition to the Aquarium admission fee and membership reservation for that day. Tickets will be available online. Purchase the holiday event bag for each child participating in the event. Adults not participating do not need to purchase a holiday bag, but will still need to purchase regular admission or make membership reservations, allowing them entry to observe the event activities. If an adult would like to participate in the activities, the purchase of a holiday bag is required.
Dec. 14 and 21
New Bern
Tryon Palace
Candlelight Holiday Event, 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Candlelight is Tryon Palace’s famed holiday event showcasing the beautifully decorated Governor’s Mansion illuminated by the magical glow of candlelight. As you travel from one decorated room to another within the Palace, fabulously costumed interpreters present an engaging story that relates to back to the Palace’s colonial history and includes tours of the decorated Governor’s Palace, Stanly House, Dixon House, and holiday festivities and fun throughout the Palace grounds. Arrive early to enjoy all the festivities before your tour of the Palace. Gates open to all ticket holders at 4:30 p.m. Your ticket indicates your Palace tour time only. Please be in line prior to your tour time. Candlelight tickets are at the North Carolina History Center Ticket Desk or by calling 252-469-9047. Candlelight is a rain or shine event, but fireworks may be cancelled during extreme weather conditions. Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
Dec. 18
Jacksonville
North Carolina Symphony
Holiday Pops with the North Carolina Symphony at Northside High School, 7:30 p.m. Celebrate the season with your festive holiday favorites and your North Carolina Symphony. This annual performance features the songs you know and love, including “Sleigh Ride,” “White Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells,” Christmas at the Movies, music from “Frozen,” and more! David Glover conducts.
Dec. 19
Kinston
CSS Neuse Museum
Cookies and Crafts: Christmas Open House, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join us for the Christmas Open House program at the CSS Neuse Museum this holiday season! We welcome visitors of all ages to come and enjoy the beautiful Christmas lights, delicious cookies, crafts, and activities. Learn about the history of some of the Christmas holiday traditions that we celebrate today and create your own Victorian Christmas card and ornament, which will make for a unique and memorable keepsake.
Dec. 28
Bath
Historic Bath
Old Christmas in Historic Bath, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Immerse yourself in the ambiance of the Old Christmas Season at Historic Bath! Join us at the Bonner House to take part in the festivities. Learn about the holiday traditions of early 19th-century North Carolina. Experience holiday cooking over an open hearth and taste fresh gingerbread. Make historic ornaments, decorate a tree, play games, and drink cider by the bonfire from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come back and enjoy the Christmas tradition of stories around the bonfire from 5 to 7 p.m. This event is a part of the "Revolutionary NC" theme of America 250 NC, directed by the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.
Jan. 1
Swansboro
Hammocks Beach State Park
First Day Hike, 9 to 10 a.m. Join a park ranger on the first day of 2025 for an adventure-packed maritime eco-hike following our nature trails through the woods! Deer, eagles, a scampering wild turkey– you never know what you’re going to see! A great way to spend the first day of the new year!
Jan. 1
Lillington
Ravens Rock State Park
First Day Hike, 9 to 10 a.m. Join a Park Ranger on this one-hour hike to discover some of the natural wonders of this piedmont landmark to celebrate First Day Hikes. Hike is 0.5 miles long and is easy.
Jan. 1
Carolina Beach
Carolina Beach State Park
First Day Hike at Carolina Beach State Park, 10 a.m. Join a Park Ranger to hike the Sugarloaf Trail at the Marina for a 2-mile round trip hike to Sugarloaf Dune. Lace up your shoes, bring water and start your new year off right. Hike will begin at 10 a.m. Start with the group and stay with the group or find your own path!
Jan. 1
Gatesville
Merchant Millpond State Park
First Day Hike at Merchants Millpond State Park, 10 to 11 a.m. Join us on the first day hike as we explore Bennetts Creek Trail (2 mile trail), starting at the Visitor Center. Learn about the history of the Millpond and the wildlife which lives within our State Park. Hike will be led by Ranger Alan Brown.
Jan. 1
Elizabethtown
Jones Lake State Park
First Day Hike, 10 to 11 a.m. Start 2025 with a guided hike around a Carolina bay lake. Learn about the flora and fauna of this unique environment while we hike an easy 1 mile. Meet at the visitor center.
Jan. 1
Nags Head
Jockey's Ridge State Park
First Day Dune Hike, 10 to 10:45 a.m. Kick the year off right by joining Ranger Austin for a fun and informative hike to the ridge. We will discuss all things Jockey's Ridge. Let us embrace 2025 by setting the pace for a year filled with adventure and physical activity. All are welcome. Bring your family and friends.