Experiences Inside and Out of the Museum
Explore North Carolina history through engaging programs and events for all ages. From expert-led lectures and hands-on experiences to community festivals, pop-up events, and family activities, our offerings connect the state’s past, present, and future. Learn more about upcoming programs and events below.
November 10, 2026—Chapel Hill
“The Samuel Adams of North Carolina?”: Cornelius Harnett and the Revolution in North Carolina
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 6–8 p.m.
Location: Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Speaker: Dr. Jason Stroud, Associate Professor of History, Greensboro College
Discover North Carolina’s “Samuel Adams” in this talk held in conjunction with the exhibit Witnesses to the Revolution: North Carolina and the War for Independence, a collaborative effort of Wilson Library and the Museum of History. Only dimly remembered today, Cornelius Harnett of Wilmington was recognized in his time as among North Carolina's most powerful and influential Patriot leaders. This lecture will explore what we can learn about the American Revolution in North Carolina, particularly the lower Cape Fear, by taking a closer look at Harnett's life. Discover this important historical figure with Dr. Jason Stroud, who has been researching and pondering Harnett’s life and contributions. Before the conversation, explore the exhibit to see the “stuff” of North Carolina Revolutionary history.
November 20, 2026—Virtual
American Indian Heritage Celebration Education Day
Friday, November 20, 2026, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Enjoy memorable and impactful sessions showcasing a rich variety of music and dance performances, hands-on craft demonstrations, and presenter sessions from past Cultural Education Days held in conjunction with the American Indian Heritage Celebration. Streamed in one convenient package, this event highlights diverse traditions, art forms, and cultural perspectives and includes a recently recorded conversation with an Indigenous fashion designer. This compilation celebrates the vibrant and transformative experiences of Cultural Education Days. Watch the stream anytime or all the time!
November 21, 2026—North Carolina Museum of Art
American Indian Heritage Celebration
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Location: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh
The North Carolina Museum of History proudly presents the annual American Indian Heritage Celebration (AIHC)! The celebration—with support from its community partners, the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs and the North Carolina American Indian Commission—has been the culminating event in honor of American Indian Heritage Month in North Carolina for more than three decades.
The celebration highlights traditional and contemporary artistic, historical, and cultural contributions of American Indian communities in North Carolina. It also brings together members of all nine state-recognized tribes. The consistent theme and message of AIHC, as expressed by its planning committee, is visibility: Indigenous people are still here!
February 24, 2027—Virtual
History at High Noon: Fight Songs: A Story of Love and Sports in a Complicated South
Wednesday, February 24, 2027, 12 p.m.–1 p.m.
Location: Virtual
On the eve of the ACC Tournament, come hear Ed Southern discuss his book Fight Songs: A Story of Love and Sports in a Complicated South. Fight Songs explores the connections and contradictions between the teams we root for and the places we plant our roots; between the virtues that sports are supposed to teach and the cutthroat business they've become; between the hopes of fans and the demands of the past, present, and future.
The Museum Shop will have copies of Fight Songs: A Story of Love and Sports in a Complicated South for purchase.
For questions, please contact Stacey Smith (919) 814-7032
Speaker bio: Ed Southern is the author of Fight Songs: A Story of Love and Sports in a Complicated South and the editor of the anthology The Devil's Done Come Back: New Ghost Tales from North Carolina. His stories and essays have appeared in the Oxford American, The Bitter Southerner, the North Carolina Literary Review, Zona Motel, and elsewhere. A native North Carolinian, since 2008 he has been the executive director of the North Carolina Writers' Network. He lives in Winston-Salem.