Calendar

The New Bern Academy is North Carolina’s first public school to be chartered by the NC General Assembly in 1764.  Today, it houses four exhibits for visitors to explore. Self-touring of this historic building built in 1809 is offered on most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 12:30 – 4:30 pm. Prior to your visit, please contact the Ticket Desk at the NC History Center at 252.639.3525 to confirm that the building is open.      

Join us for a FREE fun-filled Kit Club Adventure at the North Carolina History Center, featuring a special evening showing of the movie, “Night at the Museum.   Enjoy free admittance to the Pepsi Family Center and all its fun interactive exhibits.  Just for Kids…receive a coloring book from Kit Club and don’t forget to sign up for more Kit Club Adventures.  Doors open at 5:30 p.m., movie screening at 6:00.  Enjoy FREE Pepsi and popcorn.   Pre-registration is required.  Sign up today for this evening of family fun and community!    

Join us at Tryon Palace for the September Garden Lecture on Saturday, September 14th, 2024. Titled “Tough Plants of ENC: A Fall Plant Sale Sneak Peek,” the lecture will be presented by Hadley Cheris and Mike Spafford, members of the Tryon Palace Garden Staff. Delve into the world of resilient plants that thrive in Eastern North Carolina, overcoming the challenges posed by the weather in the past year. Get an exclusive preview of the diverse plant selection available at the upcoming Tryon Palace Fall Plant Sale. The lecture kicks off at 10:30 a.m. in Cullman Performance Hall at the North Carolina History Center. We welcome a suggested donation of $5 to support this informative event. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the hardy flora of the region and prepare for the upcoming Fall Plant Sale!

Join Tryon Palace and DAR to learn about Constitution Day and Constitution Week. It was Gertrude Carraway of New Bern, Tryon Palace’s first Executive Director, who persuaded Pres. Eisenhower to establish these dates as nationally recognized observances. Did you know one of the Constitution’s signers was from New Bern? Join in the activities, sign your own copy of the Constitution, and receive a bell to ring on Constitution Day, September 17th!  FREE to attend!    

This tour explores the experiences of the men, women, and children whose toil in the Palace, Stables, and Kitchen Office enabled the private and public functions of Tryon Palace, New Bern’s first permanent capitol. Their stories, their work, and the true value of their contributions to history are brought to the forefront, offering a more complete understanding of this iconic site.

Join historic interpreters and step into Tryon Palace to learn the facts versus fiction of Diana Gabaldon’s award-winning Outlander series. The tour explores the lives of the fictional Fraser family, their friends, and their interactions with true historic figures of the Colony of North Carolina through the tumultuous period of the American Revolution. This tour covers books 4 – 8 and the Starz Outlander production seasons 4 – 7.  Tour includes access to the 18th century Stable Office, militia encampment, and the Palace Gardens.

Immediately after contact with the Spanish in the 1500s, followed by a successive flow of pirates, attempted settlements, and colonization; American Indian tribes navigated both the opportunities and challenges of European contact. Join Nancy Strickland Chavis as she explores the tumultuous times of these two centuries and examines the agency, power, and diplomacy Indigenous communities enforced to maintain their culture, identity, and homelands during these shifting times.