This specific visit was for a Creative Mornings event. Local artist, Eliza Redmann, told her story…read moreand it was inspiring! After the talk we were able to walk around the galleries! It's just a beautiful space overall! They have a paid parking lot dedicated for the building.

I love the Nasha. I've never really wanted to eat there, but I love all of their art exhibits…read moreindoor and out. This is a perfect place to take kids to know how to keep their hands to themselves... They like to have events keep your eyes peeled for them. Those are fun too!

The location is central, easy to find, and visible. I enjoyed reading quotes from African Americans…read morewho helped to empower others to fight for the freedom of all people. I was honored to see a park that is dedicated to supporting African Americans instead of trying to denounce or erase African American history. The park is beautiful, clean, and sacred., I felt connected to George Floyd while reading the words, "I can't breathe! The beam is lit every evening...Pass the torch!

Freedom Park is a small one acre park located in Downtown Raleigh near the Legislative Building and…read morethe Executive Mansion. The Beacon of Freedom is what you will see first. It is lit each night. The walkways have inscriptions of quotes for some of the African Americans that helped lead the fight for freedom and equality. Along the walkways are benches if you want to sit and reflect. The park is accessible to all and has street parking as well as a nearby parking lot.

I love trains and wanted to check out this one hour train ride near Apex. It's an open car and…read morethere was a breeze. The seats are like school bus seats so it's comfy. You can bring drinks and snacks on board. The process is easy. Order tickets online and check in at will call when you arrive. They have a big outdoor train set up at the will call area and this was wonderful. We loved the short ride and makes me want to take another train trip.

New Hope Valley Railway is a relaxing and fun place to visit. The open air seating tickets are…read morereasonable to ride the historic train cars. Parking is free and there is a large lot. It is all run by volunteers who enjoy trains and share their love with the visitors. Be sure to check out the mini railroad and the museum. They have displayed the cars and parts being restored. The train cars board about 15 minutes before departure. The ride is about 20 minutes one direction then the engine is moved from one end to the other for the return trip. It is a nice little getaway to enjoy nature and trains.

My husband and I stopped in and planned a trip to go here and see a show. We LOVED it. We were…read moreamazed at the star show and all the information we learned. It was amazing. I want to come back here and bring my kids! I know they would really enjoy it!

First time visiting the Moorhead Planetarium in Chapel Hill. I was happy to see all the cool…read moreexhibits and I enjoyed the show today called the magic tree house. I wanted to stay for the next show but they charged additional fees to watch a second show. For the fees charged I felt they could have included the additional shows offered if you chose so. All in all I enjoyed the visit today.

I have been to two retirement planning free events at the McKimmon Center. It is nice to be…read moreeducated in an NC State University (Go Wolfpack) facility. Having been involved in many higher education conference, training and education facilities, I feel that I am an expert. Through my professional and volunteer experiences, my credentials include being very active in the SigEp Fraternity, Student Government Association, and Interfraternity Council at UNC CHARLOTTE, serving as President of the New York Chapter of the Transportation Research Forum, and being a very active member of the American Public Transportation Association, which took me to conferences and meetings at many higher learning institutions including NJIT, the University of Illinois Chicago, the University of South Florida in Tampa, and the Georgia Tech Conference Center in Atlanta. I have also been to many convention centers and hotel and commercial meeting rooms. Without knowing the pricing, but assuming the NC State McKimmon Center is competitive, I have to say that the facilities are nice and seem to be a good bet for any conference, training exercise, or meeting. The facility has a very nice academic feel while still being inviting to industry, students, and people attending seminars, like me. It strikes a good balance between a professional conference environment and a welcoming campus atmosphere.

I've been to several conferences here over the years, and although the space is quite functional,…read moreit does appear to be showing its age a little bit. Since it's university-owned, I understand that they want to be cost-conscious but it's just not anything that would attract a major conference with an expo. The breakfast and lunch provided were pretty pedestrian, and it would have been nice to have soft drinks other than ice tea. I suppose that's all negotiated in the meeting contracts.

The first local Earth Day festival I attended a few years back was fun. I was working at Algonquin,…read moreand one of our authors -- Richard Louv -- was in town as a special speaker on getting our kids back in touch with nature at the Museum of Natural Science. I came out to support that but stuck around for the fun festival activities: earth-friendly clothes for sale; a strolling magician; a one-man junk band; and meeting THE Burt of Burt's Bees fame. In the last few years, the festival has grown even more supporting lots of live musical acts, a cute kid's parade where they march downtown with instruments and outfits constructed from recycled materials, even a large-scale bowling game with a giant PeeWee Herman-esque ball of trash knocking into empty water cooler 'pins'. But the coolest part of the festival -- and the reason I look forward to it every year -- is the Burt's Bees tent sale. This annual event is their way of purging old inventory. And It. Is. Fabulous. They have aisles by prices ($10, 8, 5, and 2 -- yes, two bucks!). And down each aisle are bins filled with goodies. The best scores are the gift packs, which you can stock up on at 50-75% off. But I also loaded up on cheap soaps, chapsticks and travel-sized baby oils for my guest bathroom. Great value and great products: not to be missed!

I am always a fan of any massive festival where I can take the kids. This year they coordinate the…read moreGrand Opening of the Nature Research Center with Earth Day. The outside activities were great and bountiful. The inside of the museum addition was designed well. On the inside of the museum I have mixed reviews, but do to the massive crowd I have to save final judgement about it later. Even some of the directors of the labs, and people that worked in the museum (red shirts) mentioned how they were just given the go ahead to move less than a week before the grand opening. I would say half of the interactive displays did not function properly, or were just turned off. The projectors were broken, so they had makeshift displays set up, that were broken as well. The labs didn't have their equipment set up, so we couldn't get a real feel for the labs. As I walked through the museum I wold see a panel that was laying on the floor exposing wires, bags of screws laying out, or trim just laying on the ground. I don't think they did a walk through to make sure the building was ready for thousands of people to come in. But, I will be back later just to see all of the exhibits after they get them fully functioning. For anybody that is wondering, since the rest of the building obviously was no where close to being finished, I was told that it was office space. Office space or not, it looked horrible for a state wide Grand Opening as the backdrop as the Governor was speaking.

A visit to the Johnston County Heritage Center is very interesting! With its ever-changing…read moreexhibits, the Heritage Center does a great job of celebrating the past. It is also an excellent resource for genealogical research. I enjoy looking at microfilms from 50-year-old editions of The Smithfield Herald.

I love this place so much! It is a great resource we have in Smithfield to help with historical…read moreresearch of the area. I have used their ancestry resources to trace back my family roots and I'm so grateful I could do this for free here. Also the staff members are all kind, friendly, and very knowledgeable! If you grew up or have family around here you definitely want to start your research here. Also you can donate to help them keep the building running too!

The annual celebration of the arts in Historic Oakwood is organized by a group of women…read moreartists/artisans, intellectuals and philanthropists with an intense dedication to art, the community, and chosen charitable endeavors. It is one of my best events of the year, and attended by serious art lovers from near and far. Organizers are Gretchen Quinn of Gretchen Quinn Pottery and potter Helen Johnson as well as a host of volunteers. This event, held annually in May, features artist set-ups on local porches and lawns, and a drawing supporting a charity, while the surrounding area provides excellent restaurants, cafes, and eateries where visitors may grab a bite while browsing the art. (As a local artisan, I was so enamored at the success, excitement, and vision of this event that I have participated twice, in 2016 and 2017. Consequently, I recommend this event for both artists and art-lovers, as those partaking and attending have an understanding of what creative people are attempting in their artistic lives.)

This is the best festival. Art galore soap, essential oil, wood, to metal, jewelry, fiber,…read morepottery, 2D art, and so much more. It is a great day with many local businesses to stop in for coffee, lunch or a drink!