Travel NC

The US Figure Skating Championships 2015 will be held in January at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. The events will be January 17-25, 2015. The nine-day events include men’s, women’s, dance and pairs ice skating championship competitions. Several different types of tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster or the Greensboro Coliseum Box Office.

Tickets include All-Event, Weekend Packages, and Single Session tickets. There will also be again a FanFest this year. FanFest has skating demonstrations, competitor and alumni autograph sessions, and other skating-themed activities to enjoy.

Here is a link to a detailed schedule of the  2015 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships. This will be a popular event so make plans now. If you love the grace and elegance of ice skating and ice dancing you will love this event. Go for the day, spend the weekend or stay for the entire event. Participants in this championship may be at the next Winter Olympics of 2018 in PyeongChang.

North Carolina New Years Eve 2015 Celebrations and Some Interesting Traditions!

North Carolina New Years Eve 2015 can be exciting and very interesting. Things dropped to ring in the New Year in towns across the state can be very unusual. Here are some unique ways the people of North Carolina celebrate the New Year by dropping these items at midnight!

Flea Drop at Eastover, NC
Possum Drop in Brasstown, NC (A live possum will not be used tonight to bring in 2015. A permit was required this year and organizers didn’t obtain a permit)
Pickle Drop in Mount Olive, NC
A lighted crown in Charlotte, NC (“The Queen City”)
An Acorn in Raleigh, NC (“The City of Oaks”)

Have a safe and Happy New Year North Carolina!

A Christmas Carol with Ira David Wood is a Triangle Tradition

The holiday favorite A Christmas Carol with Ira David Wood III is going on now! This musical comedy is based on Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol but
with music and comedy that makes it a fun and entertaining popular event enjoyed every year by hundreds in the triangle area. A Christmas Carol is at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium December 10-14, 2015. Then the show moves to Durham Performing Arts Center for December 18-21, 2015.

This is a yearly tradition in Raleigh and Durham and shows can sell out. A Christmas Carol with Ira David Wood III was voted one of “the top 20 events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society. Each year over 30,000 people see the show during the special holiday event in North Carolina. The production lasts about 3 hours which includes the 20-minute intermission.

This adaptation of the Christmas classic is full of dancing, singing and laughter. Ira David Wood III plays the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Many cast members return each year to play a character in the annual show. It is as much fun to act in the play as it is to attend the show! If you have never been to this popular triangle holiday event make this year the year you attend. It may just become your family’s annual holiday tradition!

Ring in the New Year at First Night Raleigh 2015

Raleigh will again celebrate the New Year with First Night Raleigh 2015 in downtown Raleigh on December 31, 2014. The theme for this years celebration is Out of this World! presented by Artsplosure. Watch the lowering of the Acorn at midnight after enjoying all the fun activities that will be at First Night Raleigh 2015.

Buy an admission pass that  covers access to all the  performance and all the activities throughout the entire day. There will be over 100 performances in over three dozen locations across 20 blocks of downtown Raleigh.

First Night Raleigh 2015 starts at 2:00pm on 12/31/2014 with the Children’s Celebration at NC Museum of History, NC Museum of Natural Sciences and outdoors on the Bicentennial Plaza. The kids can ring in the New Year with the Early Countdown at 7:00pm just for them. Performances at the Main Stage will start earlier this year at 4:00pm. And later into the night, downtown Raleigh will come to life with performances in over 20 blocks of downtown Raleigh.

First Night Raleigh 2015 Tickets

Music, performances, fun, food, children’s activities and so much more will make for an exciting way to bring in the New Year in North Carolina. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, tickets or a complete list of activities see First Night Raleigh 2015.

First Night Raleigh 2015 Parking

There are several parking decks and surface lots in the downtown area of Raleigh. City-owned lots and decks will be open all day and night and are pay to park. State government visitor lots are available at an hourly rate during the day, and other state-owned surface lots are available for free parking after 6:00 PM. There will also be a tram service to make getting to and from different locations over the 20 blocks of First Night Raleigh easy.

The Omni Grove Park Inn Gingerbread House Display in Asheville Going On Now!

The Omni Grove Park Inn Gingerbread House competition has on display this holiday season the 2014 Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, North Carolina. The

competition took place a few weeks ago but the gingerbread houses are on display now until January 1, 2015. The gingerbread houses from this year’s competition are on display to the general public Sunday through Thursday and on display for resort guest on Friday and Saturday.

2015 National Gingerbread House Competition Link For Dates

You will be delighted as you stroll through the  display of magical gingerbread houses from cooks from all over the United States. While in Asheville make a special trip to the Omni Grove Park Inn to see this favorite holiday event. Enjoy the intricate candy decorated gingerbread creations. It will be hard not to get into the magic of Christmas while walking though the display. You may even become inspired to make your own holiday gingerbread house!

The Gingerbread Houses are on display in the main lobby floor (both wings). A map can be obtained from the information desk of the Omni Grove Park Inn. While at the Omni Grove Park Inn you can also do some shopping at the gift shop, warm up and enjoy the fire in the fireplace in the lobby, and see the display of decorated Christmas trees.

There is a $10 parking fee per car.

See last year’s winner of the Omni Grove Park Inn Gingerbread House Competition…