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Film studio tour You can take a walk through decades of film history on a tour at EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington. Home to more than 300 film, television and commercial productions, the facility offers tours Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The one-hour walking tour show includes a brief video and visits to sets such as “One Tree Hill” and “Dawson’s Creek.” Tour guides spice it up with anecdotes and movie trivia about Wilmington-made movies. Reservations are requested for groups of six or more, and it’s possible to schedule tours outside regular hours. Call (910) 343-3433 or visit www.screengemsstudios.com |
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Klub for kids Parents looking for fun, educational activities this summer can sign their children up for memberships to Herr Kater Klub at the Old Salem Children’s Museum in Winston-Salem. Members receive free admission to the Children’s Museum, newsletters with activities and upcoming events, and a T-shirt. The Old Salem Children’s Museum is an active space that teaches children ages 4 through 9 years old about history by engaging them in hands-on activities. Children can try on 18th-century clothing, play in a child-sized replica of the 1771 Miksch House, try historic games and see occasional puppet shows. The Herr Kater Klub membership is $15 a year. Call (919) 721-7300 or visit www.oldsalem.org |
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Hello, dollies A sight to see, the Angela Peterson Doll and Miniature Museum in High Point is one of the South’s largest doll museums. It contains miniature displays, dollhouses, costumes, related artifacts and more than 2,500 dolls, including more than 115 Shirley Temple dolls and 17 African-American dolls. There’s also a 6-foot model of a mobile home in the Shadow Box Room. A special current exhibit showing Pete Ballard Hat Dolls is planned to run at least through June. The dolls chronicle 65 years of women’s millinery fashion from 1858 to 1923. Mr. Ballard, who taught in North Carolina, formed the dolls from papier-mâché, tissue paper, clothesline wire, surgical gauze and other scraps. Each of the 20 dolls represents weeks of concentrated effort, some wearing actual period fabrics with semiprecious stones. The museum is open seven days a week until Nov. 1. Call (336) 885-3655 or visit www.highpoint.org/attractions.html |
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A farm for kids The
folks at Peach Tree Farms say their friendly goats will put a
smile on your face and they invite you to visit. Children, parents
and grandparents can see registered Boer and registered Nigerian
Dwarf goats, along with registered Great Pyrenees Guardian Dogs.
The farm, which has its own hay operation, is about 25 miles east
of Charlotte in Red Cross. Call (704) 485-4694 or visit www.geocities.com/peachtree |
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Coastal paddle maps Paddlers can obtain free paddle trail maps for the central region of the North Carolina coast. The maps, prepared by the Crystal Coast Canoe and Kayak Club, cover Carteret County and include sounds, rivers, black water estuaries, tributary streams and sites such as Bear Island. To find out what locations are featured, visit the club’s Web site at www.CCCKC.org. To order maps, you can call (252) 726-8148 or e-mail your request to: vacation@sunnync.com |
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Aquarium membership Ever dress up like a shark? Wonder how to feed an alligator? There is so much to do and learn at the three North Carolina Aquariums in Pine Knoll Shores, Fort Fisher and Roanoke Island. The aquariums are adding ocean tanks and exciting new exhibits, and by becoming a member of the N.C. Aquarium Society you can support their expansions. Members receive a newsletter, gift shop discounts, and free admission to the aquariums, the N.C. Zoo in Asheboro and more than 150 other zoos and aquariums around the U.S. Call (800) 832-3474 (FISH) or visit www.ncaquariums.com. |