Travel NC

Elizabethan Gardens Winter Lights a Magical Display at the Outer Banks on Roanoke Island

The Elizabethan Gardens at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Roanoke Island at the North Carolina Outer Banks presents Elizabethan Gardens Winter Lights – A Million Lights of Holiday Spectacle!

Winter Lights will be December 2, 2014 – January 3, 2015. The holiday lights show features “lights, floral delights, holiday sights and other events” at The Elizabethan Gardens. Winter Lights will be Tuesdays thru Saturdays from 6:00pm-9:00pm. 

Visit Winter Lights and walk along holiday-decorated garden paths and enjoy the magic of the holiday season with “lights, sights and sounds transforming The Elizabethan Gardens into an illuminated winter wonderland. The radiant glow of the gardens, traditional holiday decor and fantastical displays are a true spectacle to behold. Festive trees grace the Gatehouse and Odom Hall and a crackling open-air fire warms the Great Lawn”. The seasonal gift shop and plant sale will also be ongoing during the event.

Winter Lights Admission Cost: Adults $10, School Age (ages 6-17) $8, Preschool (5 and under) $5.

This is an outdoor event and is subject to change due to weather conditions.

Tanger Outlet Mebane NC Moonlight Madness and After Thanksgiving Sale

Tanger Outlet Mebane NC is having a Moonlight Madness and After Thanksgiving Sale. It will be the biggest sale of the year they advertise.

Load up the car with family, friends, neighbors or coworkers and get some shopping done with sale prices too good to be true at the Tanger Outlet Mebane NC Moonlight Madness Sale and After Thanksgiving Sale in Mebane just off I-40/85.

Tanger Outlet Mebane NC hours:

Shop the Moonlight Madness Sale starting Thanksgiving Night November 27, 2014 from 6:00pm – 2:00am. Stores

will then close at 2:00am and reopen at 6:00am for the After Thanksgiving Sale on Black Friday Nov. 28, 2014.

Tanger Outlet has it all from Accessories and Jewelry, Apparel for Men, Women and Children, Footwear for the whole family, Housewares and Home Furnishings, Food Shops and Specialty Shops. If you can’t find it at Tanger Outlet you can’t find it anywhere else at these special holiday sale prices!

Come join in on all the fun after all the turkey and stuffing has been eaten and the guys settle in to watch the games. Shoppers head to Tanger Outlets in Mebane and see what deals you can find. The Tanger Outlet Moonlight Madness Sale and After Thanksgiving Sale will be just the place to go to buy all the holiday gifts on your list!

On I-40/85 take Exit 154 to get to Tanger Outlet at 4000 Arrowhead Blvd, Mebane, NC. Regular November shopping hours for the outlet are:

Monday – Thursday  9am-9pm

Friday – Saturday   9am-10pm

Sundays  11am-8pm

Army Ground Forces Band Free Concert Home for the Holidays

A free holiday concert with 2 shows on one day will be December 17, 2014. The Army Ground Forces Band will give 2 free holiday concerts at Meymandi Concert Hall at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. The concert Home For The Holidays will feature

favorite and well know holiday music to celebrate the holiday season. This free holiday music concert by the band will be an event to enjoy and get you in the holiday spirit this special time of year. Gather family and friends and plan to attend this special concert by the Army Ground Forces Band. This would be a great event to take the kids to introduce them to a concert band performance.

The Concert Band can perform a wide range of music including traditional and contemporary music, marches, instrumental and vocal solos, popular tunes, patriotic music and holiday favorites.

There will also be a concert on Friday December 12, 2014 at 7:30pm at the Arena at the Crown Complex in Fayetteville, NC by the Army Ground Forces Band.

The mission of the band reads “The Army Ground Forces Band provides world-class music in support of the U.S. Army Forces Command, headquartered at Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C. It serves as the musical ambassador of the American Combat Soldier to the American people, instilling pride in our troops and promoting a spirit of patriotism and support for our nation’s military through the performance of music at the local, regional and
national levels.”

The band calls Fort Bragg home in Fayetteville, NC. North Carolina is proud to have the Army Ground Forces Band in our state. Please support them and show them how proud we are of our military.

The Christmas Carousel Holiday Gift Market in Raleigh

The Christmas Carousel Holiday Gift Market is the weekend after Thanksgiving November 28-30, 2014 at the Jim Graham Building at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. This is the perfect place to do some holiday shopping with about 250 vendors at the show this year. It is a 3 day event starting on Black Friday and runs through Sunday.

Find out the 2015 dates for this event here!

Just some of the vendors are Amazing Handmade Dresses, A Stroke of Paint, Bags Etc., Jenni K Jewelry, Be Dazzled, Bone-A-Fido, Bows & Sew On, Bridgegate Kitchen, Childtime Creations, Country Home Crafts, Flowers by Joyce, Hair Doozy, Kerr Lake Candles, Personalize Me, and so many more. There will be candles, food items and mixes, hair accessories, wood puzzles, jewelry, aprons, toys, art, garden items, silk flowers, wreaths, pottery, wine, flags and more. This is the place to find those unique gifts. It is a favorite holiday shopping event in North Carolina for many.

Get the girls together and head to Raleigh the weekend after Thanksgiving to do some shopping. This is always a popular annual holiday event. Enjoy a day of shopping for those one-of-a-kind gifts. So many different types of gifts all under one roof. You will be sure to please all those people you buy for with gifts bought at the 27th annual Christmas Carousel.

For a complete list of the vendors and to see the floor plan and find out more information (or get advanced tickets) go to The Christmas Carousel. Or visit their Facebook page.

Santa will be there too for the kids and for pictures with the kids!

FREE Parking!

Hours for The Christmas Carousel Holiday Gift Market 2014:

Friday        November 28        9am – 7pm
Saturday   November 29    9am – 6pm
Sunday      November 30     11am – 5pm

The Raleigh Christmas Parade is November 22, 2014!

The Raleigh Christmas Parade will be Saturday November 22, 2014. The parade starts at 9:40 am on Hillsborough Street at St. Mary’s Street. The route then heads to the State Capitol, turns right onto Salisbury Street then turns left onto Morgan St., then turns right

onto Fayetteville St and continues to Lenoir Street where it ends. The parade route is over 1 mile long and winds through downtown Raleigh. It will last about 2-1/2 hours. The Raleigh Christmas Parade will be televised on WRAL starting at 10:00 am Saturday morning with coverage by Lynda Loveland, Renee Chou and Bill Leslie. This year will be the 70th Annual Raleigh Christmas Parade.

Raleigh Christmas Parade Grand Marshal

This year the Grand Marshal of the parade will be Ira David Wood III. The parade will include “marching bands, large festive floats, giant helium balloons, animals, entertainers, specialty vehicles, plus special holiday surprises.” The Raleigh Christmas Parade is one of the best on the East Coast! The weather for the parade on Saturday morning will be clear but cold with temperatures in the low 40’s! Just right for a Christmas Parade!. Pack the chairs, blankets and hot chocolate and come watch the annual tradition! Make plans now and get there early to get a good seat with the best view of the bands, pretty girls, the fancy holiday floats, and of course Santa Clause.

Did you know the Raleigh Christmas Parade has a Facebook page where you can see pictures of past parades and see plans and preparations for this year’s parade? Make sure to visit their Facebook page and see all the fun pictures. It will get you in that holiday mood!