This July 4, celebrate our independence in the freedom of the great outdoors.
Note: Most coastal state parks are planning to close Thursday and Friday in anticipation of Hurricane Arthur. Their reopening is dependent upon Arthur’s wrath. Check the North Carolina State Parks website before heading to any park that may be affected by the storm.
You can’t escape the heat and humidity, but you can work with it. Paddling on the Lumber River, for instance. Or playing and partying at the Triangle’s biggest outdoor festival. Or taking a high country hike with a National Park Service ranger.
Coast
Because of the mid-week holiday we’re relaxing the definition of “weekend.” It starts … today!
Coast
You go to the beach regularly, maybe even live there for a week every summer. Yet how much do you know about your fellow residents, especially the year-round residents? The sea turtles, for instance, or the sea gulls? Tag along on Audubon North Carolina’s Free Friday Field Trip at Mason Inlet, a “fascinating sanctuary where you can get close-up looks at nesting birds and chicks,” according to ANC. “Coastal birds are scrappy survivors that combat extreme temperatures, unpredictable weather, and predators to successfully raise their young.” Who wouldn’t want to spend time with scrappy survivors?
You’ll need the extended three-day July 4 weekened to fit in everything going on in North Carolina this weekend.
Coast
North Carolina’s salt marshes offer some of the best paddling in the state. One minute you’ve sweeping views to the mainland or across the Atlantic, the next you’re in a labryinthine waterway weaving amid salt marsh cord grass. It helps to have a guide to show the way — and to explain this coastal habitat.