Curling is one option this weekend. So are running and hiking.
Coast
If you need a reason to run, you won’t find a much better one than Saturday’s Run, Roll & Stroll 5K, 10K and 1-mile fun run in downtown Wilmington. The reason? The race benefits Purple Heart Homes, whose goal is to “help reintegrate veterans into the community, and to proudly acknowledge the sacrifice they have made on our country’s behalf. Whether it is adapting an already owned home, building a home from the ground up, or adapting and modifying a foreclosed home, Purple Heart Homes is committed to guiding the veteran through the entire process.”read more
Wings Over Water dominates the statewide outdoors scene with a bevy of events running through Sunday. Meanwhile, the fall migrants are on the move at Lake James while fall color enjoys one last big weekend in the mountains before focusing on the Piedmont.read more
The passage of Labor Day means the crowds are starting to thin from the coast, making it safe to go back in the water. Meanwhile, while the calendar may say fall is officially a couple weeks off, Labor Day signals, to us, the start of the fall hiking season. We’ve got great options for the latter in both the Piedmont and mountains.read more
Learn a thing or two about a swamp at the coast, ditto a riparian corridor in the Piedmont. Meanwhile, the Carolina Mountain Club hikes a new and emerging stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail originating at Waterrock Knob. Another great weekend to be in North Carolina.read more
Learn your shorebirds at the coast, learn your wildflowers in the mountains. Meanwhile, in the Piedmont you can learn a new stretch of trail.
Coast
Friday morning, our friends at the North Carolina Coastal Federation, along with Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours, are conducting a Coastal Birding Cruise. The one-hour boat ride, aboard The Shamrock, will explore the marsh and backwaters around Wrightsville Beach searching for shorebirds, from the pelican and black skimmer to (hopefully) the endangered piping plover (pictured). Guides will explain the area’s ecology as well. A great way to learn more about an area you may visit frequently, but likely don’t know well.read more
