2012)

Posted on December 7, 2012 by daddyweekly

If you’ve heard about the holiday train at Pullen Park and are still thinking about going, you will probably keep thinking: Tickets are completely sold out for the entire duration. But a good alternative would be the New Hope Valley Railway, which also has rides with Santa this weekend. They are also sold out, but are holding a limited number of walk-in tickets. Make sure you read details before taking the half-hour-drive. (My suggestion would be to get there before or right at 10 a.m., and be prepared to not get tickets for the very first ride. (There is enough to see during the wait…)

Winterfest on City Plaza (Winter 2012/2013)

Posted on November 30, 2012 by daddyweekly

After its first run in the 2009/2010 season, the “AT&T Raleigh Winterfest” has quickly become one of the signature downtown events of the winter season. Of course there is the ice-rink, complete with skate rental and a golf-cart with the necessary implements to turn it into a mini-Zamboni. But that’s not all:

On a few Sundays (this one included), SnowMyYard will build an artificial sledding hill, something that looked quite enticing last time. The website also talks about a 40-foot Ferris wheel, which will be new this year, and a carousel.

The ice-rink is typically open as follows, but check the schedule to make sure:
Monday: Closed; Tue/Wed/Thu: 4-9; Fri: 4-11; Sat: 11-11; Sun: 12-5
The season runs from Dec-1 through Jan-31.

This Saturday Dec-1, there will be a big kickoff event from 3p-9p. Live music, vendors, outdoors movie and general merrymaking will provide a joyful start of the season.

Don’t miss it! $8 for skating, watching the Zamboni from the sidelines is free.

Raleigh Winterfest ’09 by kmoliver, used under the CC BY-NC-ND license

Sleigh Rides and Cider at Oak View Park (12/2/2012)

Posted on November 30, 2012 by daddyweekly

Let me make a safe prediction by saying this Saturday will not see heavy snow as in the picture above. With temperatures in the sixties and no precipitation, it may even be hard to imagine a winter wonderland at all. But the sleigh in Oak View has wheels (hopefully) and a glass of hot cider is always welcome.

“Sleigh Rides and Cider” at Oak View County Park. Saturday Dec-1, from 5p-7:30p. Free, open to the public, no registration.

I featured this park in a summer post and on Father’s day; a leisurely 0.8mi hike is published at http://goo.gl/maps/JXlt. Go early for the hike – stay for the sleigh ride and cider!

The image is One horse open sleigh! By pmarkham, used under the CC BY-SA license

Can I just skip Halloween? (10/31/2012)

Posted on October 26, 2012 by daddyweekly

I’m sorry, no you can’t. Unless you stay home and hide, which may not be the worst plan given the rainy weekend forecast.

This weekend, you can pretty much go to any of your favorite hangouts and expect to find a Halloween-themed happening. Long-time readers will know that I often have outdoorsy, or science-y, or artsy, so here one event for each of these three categories:

Let’s start with the outdoorsy stuff: There is a haunted hike on Tuesday at Jordan Lake State Park; walk the 1/2 mile trail anytime between 7p-10p and meet real (and not-so-real) nighttime creatures.

New Hope Valley Railroad does haunted rides this Saturday at 4p, 5:15p, 6:30p and 7:45p. (The 7:45p ride not for small kids, I read.)

The NC Symphony is playing spooktacular music at 1p and 4p. Show up early to try out some classical instruments yourself.

Then there is a new event, Raleigh Living Dead taking place on City Plaza. The website states it is for all ages (before 8p at least) and it does have kids activities, but all the grown-ups walking around in zombie costumes might be a little bit too much. Tickets are $10, and $5 for kids.

Benson Mule Days (9/22/2012)

Posted on September 21, 2012 by daddyweekly

Not just Raleigh has its fall festivals. I suggest that after Hopscotch and SPARKcon, you head out for a somewhat different program at the Benson Mule Days. First, where is Benson? Have you ever noticed that going to and coming from the beach on I-40, the signs say you’re going to “Benson”, but then you actually never go through Benson? Well, for future reference, “Benson” is code for “the intersection of I-40 and I-95”. And Benson is also the location of the annual (63rd this year) Benson Mule Days.

A long weekend filled with small town fun, rides, parades, a rodeo and many four-legged animals, mules and others. Here is the website and their program.

The photo is Mule Riding Couple by Mangrove Mike, used under the CC BY license

Paperhand Puppet Intervention (Aug 2012)

Posted on August 10, 2012 by daddyweekly

Every year, Paperhand Puppet Intervention puts together a magical, inspiring, frightening, enlightening show with some of the biggest puppets around. While typical theatre puppets are smaller than humans, these are large scale, some of them towering over their tiny human operators. The show takes place at the Chapel Hill Forest Theater, a nice wooden setting. Bringing a blanket and picnic is encouraged.

Today is the 2012 premiere – maybe wait a day or a week, and beat the premiere crowds. They are playing every weekend for a month, and then perform one more weekend at NC museum of art. The program usually starts at 6:20 p.m. and runs until about 8 p.m., but there are several matinees on Saturday at 2:20 p.m. as well.

Paperhand Puppet Intervention has exact play times and information.

The picture is an older photo of Paperhand Puppet Intervention by BellaBim, used under the CC-BY license

Fire Truck Parade (8/11/2012)

Posted on August 10, 2012 by daddyweekly

Wait, didn’t we already have that? No, no, see: A few weeks ago, we had the Raleigh Fire Department Centennial Fire Truck Parade. This weekend, we’ll see the South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo’s Fire Truck Parade.

The parade starts at 9 a.m., but be there early – it is a pretty short route. The trucks start at the capitol, go down Fayetteville and switch over to Salisbury at the end. After the parade is over, the trucks go to the static display, where they can be looked at from up close, climbed on and sat in.

I may be a bit biased, because my son would happily go to a fire truck parade every weekend. But especially if you missed the last one, this is another opportunity to see some exciting vehicles.

Some impressions from the previous parade can be seen on http://www.youtube.com/daddyweekly.

Marbles Kids Museum (8/4/2012)

Posted on August 3, 2012 by daddyweekly

I would be surprised if anyone reading the Daddy Weekly hasn’t yet been to Marbles. So this is not to ‘present something new’, but to talk a little bit about Marbles and perhaps mention some of the lesser known corners of this large building.

First off, Marbles is changing from time to time. A relatively new exhibit is the corner one level above the gift shop, with a focus on health and sports; a similar topic was there before, but it was all redone a few months ago and is called Power2Play. The newest exhibit to open is “BB&T Toddlers Hollow“, a forest-themes exhibit for kids under 3. (We’ll check that out soon.)

Have you found the pirate ship? It is one of my favorite exhibits, and tucked away in the very back of the ground floor.
How about the garden? Exit behind the pirate ship to find nature and fresh air.

Did you know about First Friday Kids Camp? Drop off your pre-registered, potty-trained, well-behaved preschool or elementary school kid, and enjoy First Friday or just a night off. (Although I have to say, my son enjoys tagging along to various galleries just as much.) $20 for 3 hours is good deal; both for the parents and for Marbles.

Are you a member? For families visiting frequently, it does pay. A family of four (4x$5) will have paid for the annual membership ($100) after just five visits.

So what’s not to like about Marbles? It can get crowded. And while exhibits change, it is largely static. The corporate sponsorships are a tad too dominant, in my view. But these are details, given that Marbles is an excellent indoors playground.

Pirate Ship by chrisdaniel, used under the CC BY-NC-SA license.

2nd Annual Family Science Olympiad (7/28/2012)

Posted on July 27, 2012 by daddyweekly

I’ve added some tips to get away from the 100 degree weather in previous posts, with one recommendation notably absent: Marbles. Marbles is cool, in many ways; cool things to do, and of course cool enough even in the heat of summer.

This Saturday, for all those who didn’t quite make it to London, they are hosting a Family Science Olympiad where you can prove your science skills in direct use for what I would call “competitive crafts projects”. (Drop an egg without breaking it; launch rockets; …) This designed to be completed as a family team, so you’ll have a good bonding opportunity over shared problem solving and shared success – or the lack thereof!

Marbles Kids Museum; 1pm-4pm; free (with admission)

Science Olympiad by Art Jessen, used under the CC BY-NC license

Pilobolus Children’s Matinee (7/7/2012)

Posted on July 6, 2012 by daddyweekly

One of my passions that few people would guess is Contemporary Dance; I even took Modern Dance classes for a while (yes, yes, decades ago). There is probably no dance company better suited to get a young audience excited about dance performance than Pilobolus.

Pilobolus are regulars at the American Dance Festival, and performing this weekend at DPAC in Durham. On Saturday at 1pm, they are giving a special Children’s Matinee. Tickets are still available, and if your youngens are old enough to sit still for a while, they will be mesmerized by their magical movements and transformations.

Tickets and more information available here.

The Daddy Weekly

Things to do with Kids in Raleigh, NC

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