Dan Nicholas Park, 6800 Bringle Ferry Road — Walking trails, paddle boats, miniature golf, miniature trains, carousel, gem mine, playgrounds, family camping, picnic shelters, splash pad, petting zoo. 704-216-7800. www.dannicholas.net
Ellis Park, 3541 Old Mocksville Road — 26 acres of ball fields, tennis courts, volleyball court, shelters, playground, event center, walking trail. 704-216-7783.
Sloan Park, 550 Sloan Road, Mt. Ulla — Off NC Hwy 150 approximately 10 miles west of Salisbury. Features Kerr Mill, an 1823 grist mill.
Gold Hill Mines Historic Park 735 St. Stephens Church Road — Historic tours available by appointment: 704-267-9439, www.HistoricGoldHill.com
Gold Hill Rail Trail — Hiking, biking trail begins at Gold Hill Mines Historic Park, continues into Cabarrus County. 704-267-9439.
Dunn’s Mountain Nature and History Preserve, 1640 Dunn’s Mtn. Road — Trail walks, overlooks, see 120 miles in most directions, blacksmith shop display, Saturday-Sunday shuttle service, 704-216-7803.
Tweetsie Railroad, Blowing Rock — Season opens April 12. NC’s first theme park features live shows, amusement rides, concerts, a three-mile Wild West steam locomotive adventure. Tweetsie.com, 877-893-3874.

NC Transportation Museum, 411 S. Salisbury Ave., Spencer — 704-636-2889, 877-NCTMFUN, www.nctrans.org
Spencer Doll & Toy Museum, 108 4th St., Spencer — 704-762-9359, www.spencerdollandtoymuseum.com
Rowan Museum, 202 N. Main St. — 704-633-5946, www.rowanmuseum.org
Utzman-Chambers House, 116 S. Jackson St. — Season opens in April. 704-633-5946, www.rowanmuseum.org
Old Stone House, Granite Quarry — Spring Frolic 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, April 6, $4 for adults, $2 for students. Email rowanmuseum@fibrant.com, call 704-633-5946, visit www.rowanmuseum.org
1820 Dr. Josephus Hall House, 226 S. Jackson St. — On Exhibit through December: “Captive in a Foreign Land: Life and Death in a Civil War Prison Camp,” Saturdays/Sundays, 1–4 p.m., 704-636-0103, www.historicsalisbury.org
Historic Rockwell Museum, 102 E. Main St. — 704-279-4979.
Price of Freedom Museum, Old Patterson School building, China Grove — 704-857-7474, www.priceoffreedom.us
China Grove Roller Mill Museum — 704-433-3912. www.hist-society-srowan.com
NC Music Hall of Fame Museum, 109 West A St., Kannapolis — 704-934-2320, www.NorthCarolinaMusicHallofFame.org
Historic Gold Hill/Gold Hill Mines Historic Park — 704-279-5674, www.HistoricGoldHill.com
Reed Gold Mine historic site, 9621 Reed Mine Road, off Highway 200 near Locust — Road, Midland, 704-721-4653, reed@ncdcr.gov, www.nchistoricsites.org/reed/
Gregory Creek Homestead and walking trails, 1335 Museum Road, Statesville — 704-873-4734, www.iredellmuseums.org.
Fort Dobbs State Historic Site, 438 Fort Dobbs Road, Statesville — 704-873-5882, www.fortdobbs.org
Town Creek Indian Mound, Mount Gilead — 910-439-6802, towncreek@ncdcr.gov, www.towncreek.nchistoricsites.org
Discovery Place, Charlotte, 301 N. Tryon St., Charlotte — 704-372-6261, www.discoveryplace.org
Discovery Place KIDS Huntersville, 105 Gilead Road — 704-372-6261, discoveryplaceKIDS.org
Mint Museum of Art, 2730 Randolph Road, Charlotte and Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon St., Charlotte — 704-337-2000, www.mintmuseum.org
Charlotte Nature Museum, 1658 Sterling Road, Charlotte — 704-372-6261, charlottenaturemuseum.org
Historic Latta Plantation, 5225 Sample Road, Huntersville — 704-875-2312, lattaplantation.org
Old Salem, Winston-Salem — 336-721-7300, www.oldsalem.org
Reynolda House Museum and Reynolda House Museum of American Art, 2250 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem — 336-758-5150, reynoldahouse.org
Children’s Museum of Winston-Salem, 390 S. Liberty St. — 336-723-9111, childrensmuseumofws.org
SECCA — Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, 750 Marguerite Drive, Winston-Salem. 336-725-1904, www.secca.org
Natural Science Center of Greensboro,4301 Lawndale Drive — 336-288-3769, www.natsci.org
Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St. — 336-574-2898, www.gcmuseum.com
NC Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh — 919-839-NCMA, www.ncartmuseum.org
Contemporary Art Museum, 409 W. Martin St., Raleigh — 919-513-0946, camraleigh.org
NC Museum of History, 5 E. Edenton St., Raleigh — Across from the State Capitol. 919-807-7900, ncmuseumofhistory.org
NC Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 W. Jones St., Raleigh — 919-733-7450, www.naturalsciences.org
NC Museum of Life and Science, 433 Murray Ave., Durham — 919-220-5429, www.ncmls.org
The North Carolina Pottery Center, 233 E. Ave., Seagrove — www.ncpotterycenter.org