North Carolina Museum of Art and Museum Park050

The North Carolina Museum of Art has a collection that spans more than 5,000 years, from Ancient Egypt to the present. The museum is perhaps best known, though, for its outstanding European collection.

Events for families abound, and the hands-on Learning Center for adults and children offers activities for making visual connections between art and popular culture.

Preschool and early elementary aged audiences can enjoy Tour-in-a-Tote bags that engage young visitors in games and interactive activities exploring five different objects in the Museum galleries. Totes are free to borrow and may be checked out from the Information Desk.

The adjacent Museum Park sprawls across more than 164 acres of open fields and woodlands. Make a point of wandering around to check out the environmental art - especially Cloud Chamber, a stone hut with a small hole in the roof that acts much like the aperture of a camera, projecting images of the world outside on the cottage's floor and walls.

Other activities include an outdoor family film series, a rock 'n' roll extravaganza in the Museum Park Theater, chamber music concerts, and countless workshops.

The Museum Park rolls out across 164 acres of woodlands, open areas, and streams filled with trails and dotted with works of environmental art. Outdoor activities in season include concerts and festivals in the Joseph. M. Bryan, Jr., Theater and John Deere Green.

The museum also hosts inexpensive summer camp programs for children ages six to eight and nine to 12. Check the website for details.