Tag Archives: Afternoon Culture

Permalink to Awash in History: Yates Mill Historic Park

Awash in History: Yates Mill Historic Park

by WanderSouth|on November 13, 2011 |in Afternoon Culture, Attractions, Life in the South, North Carolina, Raleigh |tagged , , , , , , |Leave a comment
Awash in History: Yates Mill Historic Park

It was a crisp autumn day with leaves fluttering to the ground when we went to the Historic Yates Mill County Park in Wake County, NC. This beautiful millpond and nature park is home to the stately gristmill named the Queen of North Carolina because it is one of the few left in the region. For just $5 an adult you can get a hour-long tour of the grounds and the mill.

There has been a mill on the grounds since 1750 – yes, that is colonial times. The land was purchased by NC State in the 1960s and turning into a public park in 2006.

The best part of the tour was seeing the mill in action. The creaks, groans and grind of the water turning the giant wheel was a magical sound. It’s a sound of times long since past.

This is an amazing spot for photographs for the whole family. We saw numerous families and couples with professional photographers. Wonderful fall backgrounds and so Southern! See all the fabulous photos here and here from our trip!

We were just a weekend early for the last corn grinding day of the season, so if you are looking for a fun autumn adventure head out on November 19 & 20 to see the Queen hard at work. On corn grinding weekends, tours will start every 20 minutes and volunteers will be in historic dress. Can we say fun?!

Distance from Raleigh: 6 miles ’round about 15 minutes – See the map

Tickets: Tours of the Mill are on the weekends at 2:00 during the spring, summer and fall. $5 for adults – even cheaper for kids, seniors and students.

Wander Well Tips:

  • Beautiful spot for a picnic – bring a basket and then go on the tour
  • Bring your camera – lots of great photo vistas
  • They take cash or checks for the tours – no credit cards

 

Permalink to You Are Crunchy, Mr. Cricket: Bug Fest 2011

You Are Crunchy, Mr. Cricket: Bug Fest 2011

by WanderSouth|on September 21, 2011 |in Afternoon Culture, Foodie, Life in the South, North Carolina, Raleigh |tagged , , , , , |2 Comments

It’s a year later and I’m fulfilling a promise. This time last year, I pledged that I would eat insects at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science’s annual’s Bug Fest – read the post – and I made this buggy craziness a reality.

Bug Fest is an annual celebration of insects, every year they host Cafe Insecta where you can try bugs cooked up by local restaurants for free. I couldn’t brave it last year, but this was my year. These are the photos…

My first dish was a fine plate of cricket and crayfish jambalaya from Acro Café.

It was as terrible as you think it’s going to be! The jambalaya is all tomato-y and then you get to the cricket which is crunchy and then slimy and then gross. I could actually feel its little legs. (Honestly, the jambalaya wasn’t’ even good)

On to fried little things…

First were fried meal worms with Cajun seasoning. Really not bad, like a potato chip.

Next was spicy crickets – gross, very bitter tasting. At least thier legs got fried off.

Finally, 6-leg salsa…

The most disgusting of all and the last thing I ate. So bitter and squishy and horrible. Had to buy a drink after this one. Awful!

Despite the nasty tastes, it was a BLAST to eat bugs. I’m so thankful that we have such a great adventurous event in Raleigh!

Permalink to Hipster Zoo Animals

Hipster Zoo Animals

by WanderSouth|on September 3, 2011 |in Afternoon Culture, Attractions, Confessional, Life in the South, Writer's Whims |tagged , |Leave a comment

I have a confession: I am a zoo nerd. I go to zoos… a lot. I like to look at cute animals. I like to see how different zoos create enclosures for the critters. I like to see how zoos organize and educate the public about these furry, scaly and wet friends.

Zoos offer an incredible opportunity to get up-close and personal with amazing critters from around the world. For many of us, this is the only time we’ll ever be able to see and learn about many of the animals in the world.

Since I heart zoos so much, I often take way too many photos to capture my experience. These usually result in files of photos that just sit there for all of digital posterity. Since I’ve discovered Instagram on my iPhone, I’ve rediscovered my love of zoo photography. I’m now on the hunt for funny pictures of animals to run through their analog, hipster-esque photo filters.

I try to write witty captions for these hipster critters. It’s all a lot silly. I hope you enjoy my collection of Hipster Zoo Animals!

 

Permalink to Run Through Art: NC Art Museum – Art in the Park

Run Through Art: NC Art Museum – Art in the Park

by WanderSouth|on August 28, 2011 |in Afternoon Culture, Attractions, Exercise, Life in the South, North Carolina, Raleigh |tagged , , , , , , |Leave a comment

Cloud Chamber at @ncartmuseum. Honestly one of the coolest things I've experienced in a while!We started the Couch to 5K running program at the beginning of August, to change up our routine and see some art we headed over to the NC Art Museum’s Art in the Park trial system. Hidden along the trail are beautiful contemporary art sculptures.

Our favorite piece was Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky by Chris Drury. An incredible optic experience, if you sit inside for a few minutes on a bright day, shadows of the trees outside slowly become viable on the floor and walls of the dark chamber. Such a fantastic experience of nature and patience.

Fooling the dog at Whisper Bench @ncartmuseumWe also enjoyed Whisper Bench by Jim Galluchi. It takes two people to interact with this art – one sits on a bright yellow curly-Q bench and speaks softly into a megaphone that sweetly carries your words underground to the 2nd bench. This also works well to fool doggies into being the RCA dog.

The sculptures at the NC Art Museum was one of the things that enchanted us and made us fall in love with Raleigh. We are so lucky to have such a great resource right here in our own backyard. I will never get over the soaring curves of Gyre by Thomas Sayre. It is a beautiful feat of human melding with nature and leaving an indelible stamp of progress.

More than seeing super cool art, we got in a great workout. We run/walked nearly 2 miles of the trail in less than an hour – see our route. After 3 weeks of running, I might not be able to out run a fast zombie yet, but I can run for more than 3 minutes at a time.


I can't out run fast zombies yet, but I can run for longer than 3 minutes at a time!!!

My running boys

Permalink to Afternoon Culture: CAM Raleigh

Afternoon Culture: CAM Raleigh

by WanderSouth|on July 28, 2011 |in Afternoon Culture, Life in the South, North Carolina, Raleigh |tagged , , , |Leave a comment

Beautiful things come in small packages. Peak inside the windows at the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) of Raleigh and you’ll see emerging artists’ sight specific installations. What a gift for the South. This 3 gallery space has quickly rotating shows of the hottest in current artists showing their latest inspirations.

For $5 a person, or $75 for a family annual membership, you can experience the galleries. In a completely new space, this nonprofit, with strong ties to the North Carolina State University, offers a fresh spin on art. The exhibits are a bit challenging if you are new to contemporary art, but far more accessible than most collections.

When we went in late July there was a vibrant show from Dan Steinhilber who uses common objects in beautiful ways – read: trash in new shapes. The piece with most impact was a huge inflatable shape that offered entry through a refrigerator door into a colorful world of plastic affixed to the interior walls. It was fun to interact with this piece and be part of the art. Other pieces in the show used plastic stretched over wooden moving palates and in large geometric patterns. Another winning piece was simple wire and paper hangers arranged in beautiful sweeping shapes.

This museum is a quick afternoon jaunt. We experience the museum in less than an hour. It would be a great dinner and museum date. We’re planning on going a couple of times a year to see new artists.

Distance from Raleigh: 0 miles it’s in downtown Raleigh – See the map

Wander Well Tips:

  • Plan for a short trip, it’s a small place but packs a punch.
  • Come back often – artists change frequently
  • If you live in the area and love art, spring for an annual membership, it will be worth it
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