Affordable Family Fun Makes Raleigh Weekend Getaways Memorable

RALEIGH, N.C. (December 2005) – Set amidst parks and lakes, interactive museums and restaurants dishing up nouvelle Southern cuisine, a weekend in Greater Raleigh is the ultimate family experience.  With 20 FREE attractions, including the North Carolina Museum of Art, North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, it's an affordable escape for parents and children alike!

Exploris, the $40 million state-of-the-art interactive museum about the world, has a unique mission: to encourage young people to make connections with the people of all cultures.   Through hands-on exhibits and thought provoking, engaging programs, visitors see how the world works, and the part everyone can play in it. The IMAX Theatre at Exploris provides yet another innovative medium to introduce new places, new people and new ideas to visitors of all ages. In 2006, the IMAX Theatre will screen films such as: Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D, Amazon and Forces of Nature. Admission charged. www.exploris.org

North Carolina Museum of History's collection contains more than 250,000 artifacts representing the state's rich heritage, with exhibits on agriculture, politics, folk life and more. The 2006 signature exhibit Stitched from the Soul: The Farmer James Collection of African American Quilts, is on display through August 2, 2006. Stitched from the Soul is a discovery of 61 quilts made by African Americans from North Carolina dating as far back as the19th century.

The exhibit, A Call to Arms, examines the history of the Thirtieth Division in World Wars I and II and the Thirtieth Heavy Separate Brigade in the Iraq War. The exhibit showcases artifacts from World War I and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Admission is free. www.ncmuseumofhistory.org

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences includes 70,000 square feet of walk-through environments. Four floors of exhibits feature four great whales, the world's only Acrocanthosaurus, better known as the "Terror of the South," and Willo, the dinosaur with a heart. Using cutting-edge techniques, focusing more on habitats (dioramas) than specimens, live animals are included in exhibits throughout the museum. Exhibits throughout the year look at the natural world through the distinct lens of North Carolina's diverse geography, geology, plants and animals.  Opening in September 2005 and running through January 10, 2006 the special exhibit, Discovering Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall is on display. This exhibit is comprised of four distinct themes ranging on the 40 years of research in the Gombe National Park. This "hands-on" exhibit brings the forest of Tanzania to Raleigh.  Museums admission is free; special exhibits may charge.  www.naturalsciences.org

Visit the North Carolina Railroad Museum and ride the New Hope Valley Railway! In October, catch the spooky "Halloween Express," or ride with Santa on the December "Christmas Train."  Admission charged for train rides only. www.nhvry.org

Playspace Museum offers activities to stimulate the senses of children (6 months-7 years.) There is a "pretend" grocery store, hospital, café, puppet theatre, water area, costumes/stage, computers, and infant area. Admission charged. www.playspacemuseum.com

Adventure Landing's super fast go-kart track, and themed activities – including three mini-golf courses, laser tag, batting cages, and arcades – amuse families for hours.  Admission charged.  www.adventurelanding.com

Guests of Hill Ridge Farms can ride into the woods on a covered wagon hayride, ride the Hill Ridge Farms express train ride, or wander through the petting barn. For a bedazzling site, families can mine gem stones, including rubies, sapphires, tourmaline, emeralds, topaz and amethyst! Admission charged. www.hillridgefarms.com 

Silver Lake Waterpark offers swimming, diving and an assortment of waterslides, along with other exciting attractions in their spring-fed lake. For more fun, ride around in a bumper or pedal boat. Heat up on their sandy beach, or relax in the shade and be entertained by costumed critters. Admission charged. (919) 851-1683

Family Adventures in the Great Outdoors

Travelers are sure to enjoy the area's 4,300 acres of award-winning parkland and 1,400 acres of water flowing throughout Greater Raleigh. Choose to wander around one of the 150 interconnected parks, varying from light trails to advanced hikes that venture deep into the heart of the woods. Pullen Park features a carousel, kiddie-boat ride and pedal boats through a duck-filled lake and TV Land's "Andy & Opie" statue. Laurel Hills Park offers an "all children's playground," designed for the use and enjoyment of children of all physical capabilities, with a wooden play structure of tunnels, bridges, towers, swings and rings built over soft sand.

Shelley Lake, a 53-acre lake surrounded by miles of greenway trails, offers fishing, canoeing, sailing, rowing, pedal boating, biking, hiking and picnicking are available. Raleigh's other great lakes – Lake Wheeler (650 acres), Jordan Lake (13,900-acre reservoir) or Lake Johnson (150 acres) – offer similar activities. Shelly Lake and Lake Johnson also offers the unique Fishing Tackle Loaner Program, allow guests to borrow a rod and reel from for free. Neuse River Canoe Launches offers travelers a chance to paddle the river, year-round. Admission is free to all parks with the exception of Jordan Lake, which charges $5 per car ($3 for seniors). There is a minimal fee for renting boats and fishing at some locations.

The Greater Raleigh CVB is a non-profit agency that promotes Raleigh and Wake County to enhance the economic growth and development of Raleigh and Wake County by increasing visitor and convention business. For a free visitors guide or more promotional information, call (800) 849-8499; visit www.visitraleigh.com, or e-mail visit@visitraleigh.com. That's "City Life, Carolina Style."