Below is a gallery of snaps I took at the media preview for the “Art in Bloom 2026” exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art.
Exhibit from Art in Bloom 2026
I’ve put the Gallery on a different page than my main article, for release after the show is over, so I don’t spoil it for people going to the exhibit.
“Art in Bloom” is an annual fundraiser at the North Carolina Museum of Art, taking place March 18-22, 2026.
Beautiful florals at Art in Bloom
More than 50 floral designers from across North Carolina and beyond will interpret artwork and objects in the NCMA’s People’s Collection during this five-day festival of florals.
This year’s theme, “Written in the Stars”, is reflected in 14 gallery installations inspired by the zodiac’s astrological signs and their various meanings.
I was lucky enough to be invited to a media “sneak preview” of the exhibit before it opened. And I have to say, if you can find a way to get there – do it!!
Opening remarks at the Art in Bloom media preview.
As the NCMA’s largest annual fundraiser, Art in Bloom supports the museum’s public programming, annual exhibitions and the NCMA Foundation, Inc.
(PNC Bank returns as the founding presenting sponsor of Art in Bloom.)
The five-day event also includes floral workshops, lectures and programs as well as special extended hours and expanded food options.
The North Carolina Museum of Art’s collection spans more than 5,000 years, from antiquity to the present, making the institution one of the premier art museums in the South.
The NCMA collection provides educational, aesthetic, intellectual and cultural experiences for the citizens of North Carolina and beyond.
The museum is located at 2110 Blue Ridge Rd. in Raleigh and is home to the People’s Collection.
Last minute touches before the show!
Just a word about parking at the NCMA during Art in Bloom – even if you’re just there to go to the park – it will be terrible!
If you can park at a nearby location, and walk in, it will be much better for you ! 🙂
About the NCMA Art Park
The 164-acre Museum Park showcases the connection between art and nature through site-specific works of environmental art.
Whirligig sculpture and remaining smokestack in NCMA Art Park
The museum park offers changing special exhibitions, classes, lectures, family activities, films and concerts.
Historic Yates Mill County Park is not on my usual round of go-to parks.
View of Yates Mill from the rocks.
This is mainly because it’s a longer drive for me than either Umstead State Park or Bond Park, both of those parks have longer trails – and these days I’m usually looking more for a place to have a serious hike than to entertain kids.
Raven Rock State Park is another great place to take younger kids, but it’s an hours drive away….
But a couple of weeks ago, I had an hour to spend and didn’t want to get too sweaty.
So I dropped by Historic Yates Mill County Park to take an active break.
I’d visited Yates Mill once before, in the winter, but this visit I got to see what it was like in the summertime.
I wasn’t disappointed.
There’s a pond, a few shorter – mostly shady – flat hiking trails, and fishing (with a permit).
Plus, it’s got a historic working water-driven grist mill. So there’s that 🙂
Based on what I found, if you’ve got grade school or younger kids, or even Middle-schoolers who (unlike mine) DON’T refer to hikes as “forced marches”, Historic Yates Mill County Park could be a wonderful hang-out for your family!
We have miles and miles of local greenways available near where I live in North Carolina.
Greenways are a great off-road resource for healthy outdoor family activities like bike rides, hikes and walks.
This is especially important these days, when most State Parks and National Parks have been closed or partially closed since some recent devastating hurricanes, flooding, and ice storms – and we don’t know when we’ll be allowed to fully use them again.
If you’ve never seen the stunning views at Bryce Canyon National Park, get ready for a breathtaking experience!
View from the rim at Sunset Point
I’d seen the rock formations called “hoodoos” at other parks in the American Southwest, but never so many clustered so close together.
And never with such spectacular views of the vivid red, orange, and white rock towers within such easy access to park visitors.
You don’t have to hike for miles to see the hoodoos – which is great news for families with smaller kids or people short on time.
The most spectacular views into the canyon are literally just steps away when you pull into the Visitor’s Center parking lot.
View of the descent via the Queens Garden Trail
Bryce Canyon National Park was a good stopping place on our springtime tour of southern Utah, and a place we were excited to visit!
Bryce is just a short, hour-and-a-half drive northeast of Zion National Park, so it would be an easy drive to get to our lodgings there at the end of the day.
In a perfect world we would have had a longer stop, but Bryce is on the smaller side for National Parks, so we were able to hit the highlights.
I literally couldn’t stop taking photos, because it was so beautiful – and I’ve included probably way too many of them here 🙂
Our half-day in Bryce Canyon was enough time for a 3-mile hike and stops at the most popular view points.
Here’s what we did, and info about some other trails and park attractions we’ll see on our next visit – maybe you’ll get some ideas for your visit, too.
Below are all of our posts with helpful tips and info for outdoor activities for kids, plus outdoor kid-friendly destinations for families with children of all ages.
Signpost on the Green trail at the edge of the NCMA park.
The North Carolina Museum of Art Park has been a tremendous gift to the whole Raleigh community.
The park’s trails and open lawns, ponds and pools, larger than life outdoor art, plus the amphitheater and outdoor movie screen provide a beautiful open air gathering place for everyone.
NOTE: We were just named a local NCMA expert on ApartmentGuide.
I’ve gotten a lot of good use from the safe – and inexpensive – outdoor activities for kids the Museum Park has made available over the years.
From the time my daughter was in kindergarten through her college years – and even now as a young adult in the community – the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) and the Museum Park events and grounds have been a big part of both of our lives.
The trips are remarkable not just because of the destinations or the activities, but because of the underlying vision of the company for sustainable, ecologically friendly travel.
Helicopter rescue on a G Adventures hike in the Mont Blanc area.
G Adventures Beginnings
It all began in 1990 when a very inspired young man named Bruce Poon Tip returned from a backpacking tour of Asia, determined to share his vision of how to experience travel adventures in an authentic and sustainable manner.
G Adventures has custom-made travel adventures for everyone! (Click logo to go to the G Adventure website.
By offering adventure-craving travelers an affordable small-group alternative to crowded resorts and cruises, Bruce (G Adventures CEO) changed the way people looked at their holiday time.
What started off as a one-man show in 1990 has since grown to become the world’s largest adventure travel company with more than 2,200 employees in 28 offices worldwide.Continue reading Adventures For You!
Pilot Mountain State Park views from the top are especially spectacular when the Fall colors come out! It’s a great place to take a family trip any time of year, with miles of trails, camping, climbing, canoeing, and lots of Ranger programs.
I’ve been visiting this park for many years, first with my daughter when she was young, and later with hiking friends or on my own.
View from the Ledges trail
Like the rocky escarpments in nearby Hanging Rock State Park, Pilot Mountain is a remnant of the ancient Sauratown Mountains.
In fact, the Sauratown Trail, a 22-mile (30 miles with spurs) trail for both hikers and equestrians, crosses the range and interconnects the two state parks.
This is a hike I’ve been dreaming of tackling for a while now – you’ll hear all about it when I do!
Perfect for Day Trips
Map of NC State Parks within an easy drive of Winston-Salem
Several NC State Parks are just far enough away to be special trips but still close enough to make good day or weekend trips from the Raleigh area.
Pilot Mountain SP is an easy 2.5 hour drive from Raleigh, so you can easily get there, hike all day and still make it home before bedtime – especially on longer summer days. Of course, if you live in Winston-Salem it’s an even shorter trip 🙂
Every time I visit, there’s something new to see, and the view from the summit never loses it’s charm.
If you want to spend more time to thoroughly explore the park and visit local attractions like Horne Creek Farm or Divine Llama Vineyards, you’ll need to find a place to stay.
There are camping sites and canoe-in camp sites available in the park. You can reserve a campsite on the ReserveAmerica site.
The Flume Gorge natural area in New Hampshire’s Franconia Notch State Park is spectacular and pictures just don’t do it justice.
Avalanche Falls in the Flume Gorge
Eight hundred feet long and about 20 feet from side to side at its widest, with granite walls 90 feet high, the Flume feels like you’ve entered a different world or stepped back in time.
It’s something you really have to see for yourself to appreciate.
I returned last week from my second visit (in the past year!) to the area – the first was early last November, and a freak storm had covered the place deep in snow, so I wasn’t able to hike very far.
But my most recent visit, in early May, was perfect weather for visiting the gorge, and well worth the return trip!
I went on my own, but walking the self-guided 2-mile Flume Trail through the Flume Gorge is a great way to spend some time outdoors with the whole family.
Bear Cave near the Flume Trail boardwalk
Though there are many more difficult hikes in the Franconia Notch area for seasoned hikers, the Flume Trail is an easy manicured walk for hikers of all ages and abilities.
But don’t think you’ll be bored because it’s an easier hike.
In addition to the prehistoric beauty of the gorge, you’ll be splashed by waterfalls and cooled by mist, see huge Ice Age boulders, walk through historic covered bridges, and take in some beautiful mountain views. Continue reading Explore the Flume Gorge in Franconia Notch State Park
