Parks & Rec

Feed your belly and your brain! Bring your lunch to the City of Raleigh Museum and listen to a captivating lecture every third Thursday of the month. Join us for a Lunch Box Lecture by Madison Phillips, Assistant Director at Chavis Park. This will be a presentation on the Red-light district in Raleigh during the early 1900s. You will be led through time and space to uncover some of the most sensational stories of this city’s red-light district and how government officials of the Progressive Era worked to end this industry. Still, the women you will hear about were clever and resilient forces to be reckoned with! Date: Thursday, May 15 Time: noon - 1 p.m. Ages: All Cost: Free

The Five Points Center for Active Adults invites the community to its Spring Fling on Friday, May 16, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This free, family-friendly event celebrates community, creativity, and connection. Guests can look forward to live music from the Raleigh Parks Band, festival-style games, program demonstrations, and a variety of delicious local food trucks. Kids 12 and under eat free with pizza from Timber Pizza, and additional food will be available from Party in a Pita, Lee’s Kitchen, and Jones Lemonade Slushy. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets for an evening on the lawn filled with fun activities, cornhole, and dancing. Inside, enjoy interactive demos of popular center programs like yoga, soul line dancing, art classes, and drumming. The Spring Fling is a great opportunity for neighbors to reconnect and explore all that the Five Points Center has to offer. Location: Five Points Center for Active Adults Date: Friday, May 16 Time: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Ages: All Cost: Free

ACA (American Canoe Association) of North Carolina and the North Carolina State Parks are once again joining together to host their annual Kayaking 101 event on May 17 to kick off National Safe Boating Week. Learn more about Introduction to Kayaking at Lake Johnson Location: Lake Johnson Date: Saturday, May 17 Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Ages: 18 and older Cost: Free Learn more and Register Today

Join us at Walnut Creek Wetland Park for an open house where you can: See our program in action through hands-on activities Meet current NEC students and hear their experiences Get to know our instructors Learn more about our curriculum Details Location: Walnut Creek Wetland Park Date: Saturday, May 17 Time: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Ages: Middle and High School Students Cost: Free

The Rootle Roadster Tour is back and rolling into Moore Square on Saturday, May 17, for a free, fun-filled morning designed especially for young children and their families! From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Square will transform into a vibrant hub of hands-on learning, creativity, and play. This unique, on-the-go event supports early childhood education through joyful activities that foster curiosity and discovery. Families can look forward to: Interactive crafts and sensory play stations Music and movement activities that get everyone grooving Literacy and learning games to spark little imaginations Community resources from local partners and educators Meet-and-greets with favorite Rootle characters (while supplies last!) Designed with children ages 2–8 in mind, the Rootle Roadster Tour brings the trusted, educational programming of PBS Kids off the screen and into your community. Join us at Moore Square for a joyful celebration of learning, family, and fun—right in the heart of Downtown Raleigh! Presented by PBS North Carolina in partnership with Raleigh Parks and Marbles Kids Museum. Details Date: Saturday, May 17 Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Ages: All/Family-friendly Cost: Free Does not include admission to the Marbles Kids Museum.

Attention foodies and music lovers alike... Join us for our first night of a series of evenings featuring curated pairings of music genres and delicious cuisines. Dance the night away while savoring yummy bites! Location: John Chavis Memorial Park Ages: All Cost: Free

The Guinness Book of World Records doesn't have a record for Oldest Cope's Grey Tree Frog, so we are celebrating our special friend and Animal Ambassador, Pudge, with a surprise 8th birthday party! Join our staff naturalists and educators for an afternoon of frog-themed fun. Learn about how Pudge came to the Wetland Center, talk about why frogs are so special, and learn ways to be good friends to all the frogs in our lives. There will be crafts, a story, animal encounters, and nature lessons. Please come prepared to spend some time in the outdoors and have a blast! Location: Walnut Creek Wetland Center Date: Sunday, May 25 Time: 1:30 - 3 p.m. Ages: 5 - 8, families welcome Cost: Free Register on RecLink

Please join us for our National Senior Health and Fitness Day Event! Hosted by Barwell Road Community Center, Centerwell Senior Primary Care & Humana. Come out and learn about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We will have an outdoor walk, games, presentations, refreshments, and fun for everyone! Location: Barwell Road Community Center Date: Friday, May 30 Time: 9 a.m. - noon Ages: 50 and older Cost: Free Registration is not required

Wanting to learn more about your family tree? Join us for a free two-hour Find Your Family Event hosted by the Wake County Genealogical Society! Using their laptops, they will aid you in a search on Ancestry or FamilySearch websites. There will also be more information about genealogy through an informational video to be played throughout the event! Location: Laurel Hills Community Center Date: Saturday, May 31 Time: 10 a.m. - noon Ages: All Cost: Free Register on RecLink

Friends of the City of Raleigh Museum in collaboration with Artist Studio Project Publishing invite you to our Third Annual International Children’s Day. We all have an inner child and stories have a way of awakening the magic in all of us. Come join us for a free, fun-filled day of storytelling and magic for the whole family. Part of the 10th Annual El Quixote Festival - Voces Cervantinas Ages: All Cost: Free

Join artist, Jim Gallucci, for a scratch block workshop at Sertoma Arts Center. Participants will carve their own design into a sand mold that will be cast with molten iron during an iron pour event later this year. Jim will incorporate the completed iron blocks into his design for new art that will be a part of the Sertoma expansion. All materials will be provided. The activity involves scratching into sand, so be prepared to get a little sandy.   Register for the Scratch Block Workshop. Learn more about Public Art at Sertoma Arts Center.

Ready to turn memories into living history? Join Raleigh Arts and StoryShed Studio for an energetic, hands‑on workshop that shows you—step by step—how to record and preserve the stories that matter most. From cherished family tales to neighborhood legends, you’ll learn how to capture oral histories through your smartphone and help keep these stories alive. Add your story to Raleigh’s ever‑growing Living Archive and help showcase the city’s vibrant voices. Register for the workshop.