In this museum’s park, explorers young and old dig through fossil pits in search of the big one — a megalodon tooth, our official state fossil — as well as other shark teeth and marine fossils.
400 Main Street
Aurora, NC 27806
(252) 322-4238
aurorafossilmuseum.org
At this historic site, which commemorates the beginning of forest conservation in the United States, climb into the fuselage of a UH-1 Huey Forest Service helicopter, and take flight during a realistic simulation. Guided by pilots and flat-screen projection, visitors will learn about forest fires in the southern Appalachian Mountains
11250 Pisgah Highway
Pisgah Forest, NC 28768
(828) 877-3130
In the lobby of this museum — the only education center in the state that interprets the science of estuaries — a giant, interactive driftwood sculpture, completed in 1998 by former public school art teacher and artist Whiting Toler, conceptually shows how the water cycle works.
223 East Water Street
Washington, NC 27889
(252) 948-0000
facebook.com/ncestuarium
Let off some steam: Take a 25-minute train ride around the site once home to Southern Railway’s largest steam locomotive repair facility in the Southeast.
1 Samuel Spencer Drive
Spencer, NC 28159
(704) 636-2889
nctrans.org
The 84-acre Museum of Life & Science in Durham is filled with science and nature exhibits and interactive experiences, like the Treehouse Village play zone. Photography courtesy of VISITNC.COM, MUSEUM OF LIFE & SCIENCE
See red wolves Niko (above) and Oak in their naturalistic habitat at this museum, which is part of a nationwide program to rebuild the critically endangered species — once common in North Carolina but now only found in the wild on the Albemarle Peninsula. Since 1993, 23 red wolf pups have been born at the museum.
433 West Murray Avenue
Durham, NC 27704
(919) 220-5429
lifeandscience.org
Tucked into a historic neighborhood, a backyard in Forsyth County holds hundreds of Southern wildflowers collected by one wild flower woman.
John Champlin has traveled across the state — and the nation — in search of hard-to-find spots that serve an unforgettable hot dog. After 11 years, what he’s discovered goes way beyond the bun.
In the early 20th century, textile mill owners sponsored baseball teams, providing entertainment for their employees and nurturing a passion for the game that’s been handed down through generations of North Carolinians.
Our writer reflects on where his love of vinyl began, and how the snap, crackle, and pop of a needle sliding across a turntable will always satisfy his soul.
