🏆 Pick your favorites for this year's Carolina's Finest Awards for a chance to win $100! VOTE NOW

Celebrate the Fourth of July

Whether you’re planning a party or looking for local events, we have everything you need to make your Independence Day celebration great!

Recipes Events Tips

Star Spangled Recipes

View all recipes

America’s Birthday Cake

Carolina Country style

Let Freedom Ring Deviled Egg Dip

Barbecue Burger

Red, White & Blue Watermelon Parfait

Barbecued Hot Wings

Honey Baked Bean

Red, White & Blueberry Pie

Buffalo Chicken Burger Salad

Red, White and Blue Watermelon Cake

Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Wings

Ribeye Steak Kebabs

Taco-Flavored Chicken Wings

Cool Summer Minty Rainbow Wraps

Grilled Korean Ribeye Steak Sandwiches

Celebrations Around the State

Jul 24 – Jul 26
Mountains

Chetola Resort Toast & Taste

Chetola Resort

Jun 23 – Jul 26
Piedmont

Embracing Tranquility

Hillsborough Gallery of Arts

Jul 28
Mountains

Catsman Foundation Global Film Series- Happy Birthday

Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts

Jul 29
Mountains

Animal Enrichment Day

Grandfather Mountain

Jul 29
Mountains

Calidore String Quartet

Rosen Concert Hall at Broyhill Music Center

Jul 31
Mountains

Aaron Diehl

Rosen Concert Hall at Broyhill Music Center

Jun 6 – Aug 1
Piedmont

Sweet Valley Ranch’s Dinosaur World

Sweet Valley Ranch

Jul 26 – Aug 1
Piedmont

International Black Theatre Festival

Various locations

Jun 25 – Aug 1
Coast

Morehead City Marlins Baseball!

Big Rock Stadium

Aug 1
Mountains

Adult Field Course: Exploring Natural Communities of Grandfather Mountain

Grandfather Mountain

Aug 1
Mountains

CoMMA presents Donna Washington: Fun, Foolery & Folktales

CoMMA Performing Arts Center

Aug 1
Mountains

The Jayhawks

Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts

Jul 25 – Aug 2
Mountains

K9s In Flight Frisbee Dogs

Tweetsie Railroad

Aug 6
Mountains

Adult Field Course: Fungi in the Cloud Forest

Grandfather Mountain

Jun 26 – Aug 8
Mountains

Horn in the West

Horn in the West Amphitheater in the Daniel Boone Park – Boone, NC

Aug 8
Mountains

Junior Naturalist Day

Grandfather Mountain

Aug 8
Piedmont

Tea with Seagrove Potters

Participating Seagrove Potters

Aug 7 – Aug 8
Coast

Ocracoke Fig Festival

Berkley Barn

Aug 8 – Aug 9
Mountains

Riders In The Sky

Tweetsie Railroad

Aug 7 – Aug 9
Coast

9th Annual Sarah James Fulcher Redfish Tournament

Cedar Island Resort

Aug 12
Mountains

Adult Field Course: Appalachian Woodcraft

Grandfather Mountain

Aug 15
Piedmont

Intertwined – Artist Talk

Hillsborough Gallery of Arts

Aug 15
Coast

Monster Trucks @ Carteret County Speedway

Carteret County Speedway

Aug 15
Mountains

34th Hot Nights Cool Rides Car Show

Historic Main Street in Forest City

Aug 15
Mountains

Lions Duck Tace Festival

Riverview Lions Sheets

Jun 4 – Aug 22
Coast

“The Lost Colony” Outdoor Drama

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

Aug 22
Mountains

Mindfulness and Well-being Series: Nature and Forest Therapy at Grandfather Mountain

Grandfather Mountain

Aug 21 – Aug 22
Piedmont

NC BeachBlast Festival

Patriots Park

Jul 28 – Aug 23
Piedmont

INTERTWINED

Hillsborough Gallery of Arts

Sep 3
Mountains

Grandfather Presents: Eleanor Spicer Rice

Grandfather Mountain

Jul 4 – Sep 5
Coast

Cannon Day at Fort Macon State Park

Fort Macon

Sep 4 – Sep 6
Piedmont

Uwharrie Bigfoot Festival

Camp Barnhardt

Sep 4 – Sep 6
Piedmont

Uwharrie Bigfoot Festival

Boy Scouts of America Camp John J Barnhardt

Sep 4 – Sep 7
Mountains

North Carolina Apple Festival

Main Street, Hendersonville

May 15 – Sep 7
Piedmont

Titanic: The Exhibition Charlotte

The Park Expo & Conference Center

Sep 11
Mountains

Grandfather by Night: Naturalist Program

Grandfather Mountain

Sep 12
Piedmont

Homeschool and Family Day

Alamance Battleground State Historic Site

Sep 12
Mountains

Art in the Park

Downtown Blowing Rock

Sep 11 – Sep 12
Coast

Ayden Collard Festival

Downtown Ayden

Sep 12
Mountains

55th-Annual Girl Scout Day

Grandfather Mountain

Sep 13
Mountains

Concert in the Park

Memorial Park Gazebo

Sep 12 – Sep 13
Piedmont

Fayetteville Greek Festival

Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

Sep 18
Mountains

Grandfather by Night: Naturalist Program

Grandfather Mountain

Sep 19
Mountains

Adult Field Course: The Wonders of Migration

Grandfather Mountain

Sep 18 – Sep 19
Piedmont

Southern Randolph Country Days

Downtown Seagrove

Sep 19
Piedmont

Randy Travis Music Festival

Downtown Marshville

Sep 19
Piedmont

Randy Travis Music Festival

Downtown Marshville

Sep 19
Mountains

Cockman Family Gospel Bluegrass Concert

Old Rock School

Sep 26
Coast

American Music Festival Concert Series – Kenari Saxophone Quartet

First Presbyterian Church

Sep 26
Piedmont

Esperanza Festival

Downtown Graham

Sep 25 – Sep 26
Mountains

Tweetsie Ghost Train Begins

Tweetsie Railroad

Sep 1 – Sep 30
Mountains

Hawk Watch

Grandfather Mountain

Oct 3
Mountains

Spirit of New Orleans : A Soulful Celebration with The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra

CoMMA Performing Arts Center

Oct 2 – Oct 4
Coast

40th Annual North Carolina Seafood Festival

Morehead City Waterfront

Oct 10
Mountains

43rd Annual Mountain Glory Festival

Historic Downtown Marion

Oct 9 – Oct 11
Piedmont

EJ Snyder’s Uwharrie Bigfoot Survival and Outdoor Expo and Overlander Show

Camp Barnhardt

Jul 15 – Oct 15
Coast

Alive at 5 Concert Series

Jaycee Park

Oct 17
Piedmont

Autumn Art & Plant Festival – Presented by The Wake Forest Garden Club

The Gardens of The Wake Forest Historical Museum

Oct 17
Piedmont

36th Annual Taylorsville Apple Festival

The streets of Taylorsville

Oct 17 – Oct 18
Mountains

Woolly Worm Festival

Lawn of Historic Banner Elk School

Oct 18 – Oct 19
Mountains

Lake Lure Art’s and Crafts Festival

The Arcade Commerce Building

Oct 24
Piedmont

The Barbecue Festival

Main Street, Lexington

Oct 25
Coast

Early Bird Christmas Bazaar

VFW Post 9960 Cedar Point

Oct 29
Mountains

CoMMA presents Kevin Nealon

CoMMA Performing Arts Center

Oct 10 – Oct 31
Coast

Atlantic Beach King Mackerel Tournament

Chasin Tails Outdoors Bait & Tackle

Nov 7
Piedmont

Triangle Weaving Guild Annual Fiber Arts Show & Sale

Triangle Fiber Arts Center

Sep 11 – Nov 13
Piedmont

18th Annual Field of Honor

U.S. Army Airborne Special Operations Museum

Nov 14
Coast

American Music Festival Concert Series – Erinys String Quartet

First Presbyterian Church

Oct 10 – Dec 31
Mountains

No Rain, No Flowers: The Art of Taylor Robenalt

Grovewood Gallery

Sep 12 – Sep 13
Mountains

Biannual Grovewood Village Studio Tour

Grovewood Village

Tips for making your celebration memorable, delicious and safe

View all stories
On The House

Be an Energy Efficient Grill Master

Take the cooking (and the heat) outside

Feature Story

10 Steps to Hostin’ a Pig Pick’n

Organizing a Carolina tradition doesn’t have to be complicated

Feature Story

Baked beans for flavor fireworks!

Carolina Gardens

Bug Off with Mosquito-Repelling Plants

Plus Garden To-Do’s for May

Carolina Living

How to Deep Clean Your Grill

Boost that grill flavor with regular maintenance

Carolina Living

How to grill meats, fruits and vegetables

Grilling offers a convenient and heart-healthy way to prepare food, if done right.

Carolina Living

Celebrate with a Bang, Not a Burn

Enjoy fireworks safely this holiday season

Carolina Living

Be the Grill Hero

Master your next cookout with these ribs and kabobs

Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday

View More
Carolina Adventures

Honoring 250 Years of Independence

Celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with history, heritage and fun

Feature Story

Where the Bison Once Roamed

An American icon’s return to NC

Feature Story

North Carolina and the Founding of Our Nation

Test your know-how with NC Revolutionary War trivia

Feature Story

Elevated Paths

State trails represent the best of North Carolina