I know how hard it is to get young kids out of the house to go somewhere - even quick outings require you to pack enough snacks, diapers, and toys to make you think you’ll be gone for a week. And who wants to wrestle kids in and out of carseats just to find out that your destination isn’t kid-friendly? That’s why I’ve decided to visit Triangle area sites to see if they’re worth your trip. I won’t use a rating system but I’ll try to describe what you’ll see well enough for you to decide if your kids would find it interesting. I’ll also give you the heads up on bathrooms, stroller accessibility and any other SNAFUs I encounter.

1/20/2015

"STARRING NORTH CAROLINA" exhibit NC Museum of History - Raleigh


Ever seen a real Emmy?

Website

I was worried this was going to be a small, 'one and done' type of exhibit with a handful of props on a table and list of movies filmed in NC (especially since the exhibit requires paid admission). But I was pleasantly surprised - there's a significant number of artifacts and my kids had a good time.

I had all three kids this day because of a teacher workday.

The exhibit starts at the dawn of film production with the loose connections between NC and the silent era. Kids can crank their own Zoetrope here to see the basic principle behind moving pictures.

A small mini-movie theater with seats continuously plays clips from NC grown movies.

Please sir can I have some more?
Katniss goes looking for bread
Moving on, visitors get to see props from well-known movies. Small red signs warn parents that some approaching props (mostly from crime or horror movies) are grotesque.

A small deviating path of the exhibit focuses on how we've come to watch movies over the years with a focus on drive-ins, local theaters, and the ugly past of theater segregation.

The latter part of the exhibit's material is simply movie posters but it's surprising how many movies - even ones you never would have guessed - were shot in NC. And chances for kids to interact are mostly of the 'lift-the-flap and find the answer variety,' which doesn't do much for the pre-reading crowd.
Nobody puts Baby in the corner:
sweater of the anti-Swayze

The best feature for the kids comes at the end when your kids are able to be real foley artists - creating sound effects for a fake cop-action or horror film.

And if you're like me and you came mostly to see Iron Man 3 props then you should know that they save the best for last!

Admission: $10 for adults, $6 for kids 7 and up
Dates: runs through Sept. 7 2015




"And thank you for my smoking hot wife:"
Ricky Bobby's race car graces the Museum's lobby




Lying among the wreckage of Stark manor:
these foam pieces are strikingly metallic