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Children’s museums North Carolina is blessed with a variety of kid-friendly museums. At Fascinate-U Children’s Museum in Fayetteville, children shop at the Gro-Right Grocery & Deli, respond to calls at a 911 Emergency Dispatch Center and give the weather forecast. At the North Carolina Estuarium in Washington, children can view more than 200 displays on science, nature, art and history. Kids can see, hear and touch many exhibit features there, and gadgets and bright colors make a visit fun and educational. Other children’s museums include KidsSenses in Rutherfordton, SciWorks in Winston-Salem, Discovery Place in Charlotte and Kidzu in Chapel Hill. (910) 829-9171 |
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Free travel guides You can receive several free travel brochures in your mailbox from VisitNC.com, including the official 2007 Travel Guide, an events calendar and a golf guide. You may order them individually or all of them as a package. You can download them off the Web site as well. The site offers online videos on hang-gliding, paddling and mountain biking, slideshows of the Piedmont, Coast and Mountains regions, vacation ideas and a list of visitors and tourism bureaus across North Carolina. 1-800 VISITNC (800)-847-4862) |
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Graveyard of the Atlantic The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum on the Outer Banks offers memberships to anyone who appreciates the maritime history of North Carolina. The museum has become a focal point for community events and its uniquely strong building has survived major storms without damage. It is a partner with the National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the UNC Coastal Studies Institute and the Cape Hatteras Secondary School’s School for Coastal Studies. Approximately 45,000 people visit the museum annually. Construction is 90 percent complete, and the total project is 75 percent complete. You can become a member and have the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on your North Carolina vehicle license plate. Contact the GOAM at P. O. Box 191, Hatteras, NC 27943. (252) 986-2995 |
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Parkway plates The Blue Ridge Parkway has provided environmentally-sensitive access to magnificent scenery for generations. The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, which helps preserve and protect this national treasure, is selling specialty license plates to benefit the cause. The annual BRPF tag fee is $30—$20 to benefit the foundation and $10 to assist the North Carolina Beautification Fund and administer the tag program. You can also personalize your plate—up to four characters are allowed. The fee for a personalized plate is $60. (336) 721-0260 |