Only at the N.C. Museum of History’s upcoming Farm Fresh Family Day will you be able to catch a hay ride in downtown Raleigh.
The free event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, with a wide variety of agriculture-themed activities, including a hayride, scavenger hunt, antique farm equipment, cooking demonstrations and more. The rest of the day’s lineup sounds like a lot of fun as well:
- The list of Family Day activities seems as endless as farm chores, which you can do, by the way. Try your hand at ginning cotton, grading tobacco and making butter the old-fashioned way.
- A scavenger hunt will take you outside to the museum’s gardens filled with pumpkins, sweet potatoes, beans, sorghum, cotton and squash. Later, plant a few seeds and learn more about these North Carolina crops.
- During the cooking demonstrations, sample delicious and nutritious foods, and pick up recipes and tips for healthy living. If you grow your own vegetables, get some great pointers from the Wake County Master Gardeners.
We’ve covered the museum’s growing garden here on the blog before (check out Commissioner Troxler’s explanation of topping tobacco and this video interview with assistant curator Jeff Currie and our own agronomist Don Nicholson on how the garden showcases N.C. agriculture), so this should be a great “harvest” event as the weather cools off.
“Through displays, demonstrations and hands-on activities, visitors will learn about the state’s rich agricultural legacy and the changing face of farming,” says museum educator Rachel Dickens. “Representatives from commodity groups and historical agencies will be on hand to highlight North Carolina’s farm history and promote locally grown produce and healthy nutrition.”
You’ll also be able to learn more about the agricultural history of North Carolina from representatives from Tobacco Farm Life Museum, Duke Homestead State Historic Site, Historic Stagville, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Wake County Beekeepers Association, N.C. 4-H and the N.C. FFA.