We stopped by here for a road trip pit stop since it participates in the ASTC reciprocity program…read more The kids' area was much smaller than I had anticipated (though my kids still had fun!), and unfortunately the planetarium was closed for renovations. The special exhibit was about bikes and the natural history portion was a weird mix of taxidermy and fake animals. We also checked out the art area which had a good collection by local artists and school children. Very laid back place to visit and stretch your legs, but I'm glad we didn't go out of our way to check it out.

It was such a joy to stop here to break up our trip back home. This is the perfect place to spend…read morehours with kiddos young and old. They have lots of natural discovery zones for little ones to go to and immerse themselves in learning and play. They hd numerous lego stations with guided learning or just independent play. A huge sized connect 4 game offers a delightful opportunity to play with hand sized discs and drop them into the slots with your partner or kid. My husband and I played several rounds of this together! Then there's the planetarium with several shows planned throughout the day. While the show was a bit pixelated for modern-day technology, it was completely fascinating and enjoyable. The program walked us through the spring sky and the constellations we could find. The program was designed with specific memory clues that were repeated a few times so that even an adult with challenged short-term memory would come away with new knowledge and tricks to recover the information again and again. Read the blip about Pathagaras and how math and music work together... then follow the sheet music and tap the colored pipes with flip-flops to play familiar songs! Y'all I can't say enough wonderful things about this place. The museum area had so much entertainment that we never had the chance to make it to the art gallery side of the building so I can't speak to that. But let me say, this was so worth it! We spent 2 & a half hours there and could have stayed for another two in the museum alone. Each one of us was sad to leave. It is apparent that the museum staff is incredibly dedicated to what they are doing there. Each person was glad to be there and was joyful that they were giving kids the opportunity to expand their imaginations. I do hope to come back again soon!

Pace Family Farms is the best! We are so fortunate to have this family farm in the area. My husband…read moreand I are big fans of their weekly specials and are excited for their CSA to launch again next spring. We're also excited for strawberry picking since we haven't been yet! In the fall, they sell decorations such as mums, pumpkins, hay bales, and corn stalks. They accept them back as donations at the end of the season and put it to good use as fertilizer, erosion control, or treats for the cows and pigs, which we love because of its sustainability and reusability. In the winter, they host an annual Christmas Craft fair, which had a ton of amazing local vendors and was such a fun time. The Pace family is incredibly friendly and you get such a good amount of produce for the price. We always leave feeling like we got a great deal! Go pay them a visit!

Pace Family Farms is a good sized farm. The sunflowers drew me to this property. They have…read moredesignated days to view the sunflowers. This season, they had three sunflower days so make sure to check their website. Sunflowers could be cut for $1 a stem if you bring your own scissors. Besides the sunflowers, they have a produce stand with watermelons; cantaloupe; peppers; corn; tomatoes; squash and potatoes. The produce stand has different hours each day so that it more people can shop as we all have different schedules. The staff is friendly and helpful. Remember to bring your own bags or boxes to hold your produce.

I've been coming to Vollmer Farm for years back when they had the organic strawberries. But now…read morethey just have blueberries; blackberries; sunflowers; produce; the Back Forty and other events. I did a flower decorating class here once. The Market sells pumpkins in season; produce; jams and locally made products. Then the Market cafe has ice cream and sandwiches and coffee. My last two visits were to pick up pre-orders for holiday dishes. I do love the sweet potato casseroles and sweet potato pies. The staff is always friendly and helpful.

Love the coffee shop and that they have all of the food/produce from the farm. Workers are usually…read morefriendly, Madison was always great when she was there. But it seems to have turned into more of a boutique shop for other small local sellers. I enjoyed it being more of a local thrift & find than a boutique set up for other shops. I'm local so it's nice to have a family owned gem spot where I'm not traveling 20 minutes to go somewhere for good coffee and a small spot to find something cute for the house! I'll always go back for the coffee :) Went for the blueberry festival last year and that was cool! Definitely more of a kid/family friendly event but we enjoyed the live music and the food that was available, they also had sellers set up at tables for local home made goods which was neat!

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!

We had so much fun at the Wendell Blueberry Farm. When you walk in there are chickens and even a…read moreturkey so that caught my son's attention immediately! Then when you go blueberry picking there are literally over 1,000 bushes all ready to be picked! The blueberries are pesticide free and were all absolutely delicious. It wasn't too crowded so it was easy to get as many blueberries as we wanted. Will go back at least a few more times this season!

My kids and I had so much fun picking blueberries here! Everyone was so welcoming and friendly!!!…read moreThere were sooooo many blueberries and the price is very reasonable for the quality you're getting!!! They taste delicious as well!! This was a great way for us to spend time together and we will definitely be back!

Amazing vineyard! Love their juice especially. Had one sip at a state fair once and fell in love…read morewith it instantly. It's only a dollar to get a bucket to fill with grapes, and they charge per pound. I stocked up on some juice for home here. Service seems friendly and efficient. Ambiance is laidback and nice. It's a getaway from suburban life.

Wonderful staff and delicious wines! We sat on the patio, overlooking the vineyard and enjoyed the…read morebreeze and live music as we sipped our wine. There was a food truck for lunch on the Saturday we visited. Glad we stopped by!

The Freeman Roundhouse Museum is located in Wilson, NC. It opened in 2001. Admission is free but…read moredonations are welcome. The museum focuses on African Americans in Wilson and tells about the history. It is divided into sections so you can learn more about veterans; medicine; education; art; the citizens and religion. Bill Myers wanted the house restored and preserved as the house was where a housing project was to be built. This led to the city buying the house and moving it to its current location. The dinosaur sculpture was among the items that moved with the house. There is a display about the move and all that went into that. The museum started out in the round house built by Oliver Nestus Freeman but as the museums displays grew from the donations received, they needed to build another building that opened in 2018. Freeman built the house in 1946 as there was a shortage of housing for soldiers returning from WWII. He was a stone mason. The circular house had wedge shaped rooms. It was thought to be made of stone but they have found bottles, concrete from sidewalks; scrap wood; tree saplings, marbles and strings used too. Wilson's first redevelopment project was named the Freeman Place because of his architecture and the community he built. If you can't visit the museum in person there, you can visit on a virtual tour.

The Dunn Center for Performing Arts is located on the Wesleyan University campus in Rocky Mount,…read moreNC. When you get close, look for signs in the road as to where to turn. There are parking lots on both sides of the building, as well as some spots in front. The Mims Gallery has some great exhibits that I haven't seen anywhere else. This visit, I got to see the Charles Schulz exhibit. Admission was $5, and you got to learn about the artist and the Peanuts characters. A Bob Ross exhibit was also here with his artwork. The lobby has a player piano that is a delight to listen to. Performances are held at the center throughout the year.

We went for the Bob ross experience. They had it set up well with clear instructions on where to go…read moreto enter the exhibit. They check you in, and you are free to wander the exhibit and can even touch the paintings! They naturally have the Bob Ross channel playing continuously, and there are a few benches so you could sit to watch. There are people walking in front of you the whole time, but it's still always amazing to see him painting. Tickets are completely reasonable, so if you have a chance, check it out! Ross's happy little trees will make you smile