Triangle of fun
RESEARCH TRIANGLE REGION DETAILS
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can walk along a wooded forest path to see life-sized dinosaurs from the late Cretaceous period all within the same 84-acre park. Highlights include the Magic Wings Butterfly House, which is one of the largest conservatories in the Southeast, said Taneka Bennett, museum spokeswoman. “The museum is also home to more than 110 animals including rescued black bears, endangered red wolves and exotic lemurs,” Bennett said. Happening in July is DinoDays, which will celebrate the second anniversary of the museum’s Dinosaur Trail. The event, July 16-17, promises to be fun a weekend full of fossils and fun. Visitors can meet local collectors from the North Carolina Fossil Club, speak with paleontology experts and discover their own fossils. Chapel Hill can claim many important firsts. For example, the University of North Carolina was the first public university in the United States. It’s also home to Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, which was the first planetarium built on a college campus, in 1949. Today, Morehead is best known for its amazing planetarium shows, marketing manager Karen Kornegay said. It is the largest full-dome planetarium in the Southeast and last year, Morehead installed a new digital video projection system in its dome. “Full-dome technology creates an immersion environment — you’re actually surrounded on all sides by the action, and the sensation of being immersed in the middle of the planetarium show is so complete that you feel you could reach up and touch the spacecraft passing directly overhead,” Kornegay said. “Most of Morehead’s planetarium shows are designed to meet the educational needs of children in elementary grades, and we include show elements that appeal to adults, too.” Each month Morehead offers a pair of programs geared toward families. The Starry Nights Series allows visitors to explore the night sky under the planetarium dome, with an expert guide. Star Families, which is based on the same
SPECIAL TO WNC PARENT
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill is the largest full-dome planetarium in the Southeast. themes as Starry Nights, is geared toward learners ages 7-12. If the movie “Madagascar” was a hit in your house, or if your family simply loves animals and nature, then check out the Duke Lemur Center. The center has been caring for lemurs and other related prosimian primates — animals that appeared on Earth before monkeys — since 1966. Approximately 13,000 people tour the Duke Lemur Center every year. It also the largest sanctuary of its kind in the world and features about 250 animals, including 233 lemurs from about 15 different species. There are several tour options available for visitors, including walking alongside lemurs in their habitat. Other tours offer guests a chance to assist animal caretakers as they demonstrate the use of positive reinforcement to care for the animals. “The center just opened a new tour path to welcome the public,” Duke Lemur Center spokeswoman Lari Hatley said. “It is as close to a little bit of Madagascar — the only place on Earth that lemurs naturally occur — as you can get and it is right here in Durham.” Southwest of Durham, in Pittsboro, Carolina Tiger Rescue tends to a different sort of animal, and its mission is
W N C PA R E N T. C O M
◆ North Carolina Museum of Life and Science: 433 W. Murray Ave., Durham. 919-220-5429. ◆ Morehead Planetarium and Science Center: 250 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill. 919-962-1236. ◆ Sarah P. Duke Gardens: 420 Anderson St., Durham. 919-684-3698. ◆ Duke Lemur Center: 3705 Erwin Road, Durham. 919-489-3364. ◆ Carolina Tiger Rescue: 1940 Hanks Chapel Road, Pittsboro. 919-542-4684 ◆ Kidzu Children’s Museum: 123 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill. 919-933-1455. ◆ Frankie’s Fun Park of Raleigh: 11190 Fun Park Drive, Raleigh. 919-433-7888. ◆ Marbles Kids Museum: 201 E. Hargett St., Raleigh. 919-834-4040. ◆ The Pit: 328 W. Davie St., Raleigh 919-8904500. ◆ Fuhgeddaboudit Pizza: 7321 Six Forks Road, Raleigh. 919-844-6692. 3450-158 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary. 919-387-7711. ◆ Elmo’s Diner: 200 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro. 919-929-2909. 776 Ninth St., Durham. 919-416-3823. ◆ Tyler’s Restaurant and Taproom: 1483 Beaver Creek Commons Drive, Apex, 919-355-1380; 102 E. Main St., Carrboro, 919-929-6881; 324 Blackwell St., Durham, 919-433-0345. ◆ Mama Dip’s Kitchen: 408 W. Rosemary St. Chapel Hill. 919-942-5837. simple: saving the protecting wildcats in captivity and in the wild. To achieve this, the organization rescues wildcats, providing them with lifelong sanctuary, while educating the public about the plight of wildcats. The facility features many different species of big cats, including tigers, lions, caracals, servals, ocelots, bobcats, binturoungs and kinkajous. Public tours are offered on Saturdays and Sundays, with a Twilight Tour offered on Saturday evenings. Reservations are required for both tours. On the second Saturday of each month, Carolina Tiger Rescue hosts Kid’s Enrichment Day where children make animal enrichment crafts, which include papier mache balls, scented toys Continues on Page 30
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