Topics Related to Family-Friendly Events

Thomas Wolfe's 126th Birthday Celebration!

October 3, 2026, 9am - 5pm
In celebration of Thomas Wolfe's 126th birthday, join us at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial for free guided tours of the Old Kentucky Home for NC Residents with valid ID.
Enjoy birthday cake in our visitors' center and help carry on the legacy of Thomas Wolfe!

Home for the Holidays: A Victorian Holiday Open House of the Old Kentucky Home

December 12, 2026, 5pm - 7pm
Join us for this special after-hours open house at the Old Kentucky Home as we explore Victorian Holiday traditions of the time. Come see the home all dressed up in its Christmas finest! Guests will walk through the boardinghouse at their leisure to view this pop-up Holiday Traditions exhibit.
Enjoy holiday crafts, our exhibit hall, Christmas cookies, and warm apple cider in the Memorial's Visitor Center. Last admission to the house is at 6:45 pm.

From Death to Mourning: Spiritual Journeys of the Wolfe Family

October 24, 2026, 5pm - 7pm
Join us for this intimate, open-house-style tour of the Old Kentucky Home as we explore how the Wolfe Family grappled with death, spiritualism, and mysteries of the beyond. Discover stories of early 20th century funerary practices, family visions, and the ways death shaped one of America's greatest writers.
Come and see the skeletons in our closets.

Film Screening - You Can't Go Home Again from CBS (1979)

October 16, 2026, 5pm - 7pm
Join us for a special screening of “You Can't Go Home Again” from CBS, a rare chance to experience Thomas Wolfe’s work on screen.

Thomas Wolfe's Buried Lives: A Special Evening Riverside Cemetery Tour

October 3, 2026, 5pm - 7pm
In celebration of Thomas Wolfe's 126th birthday, join us for a SPECIAL EVENING TOUR of Riverside Cemetery where guests will also encounter a handful of characters from beyond the grave.

Look Homeward, Asheville: A Downtown Walking Tour Through Thomas Wolfe's Eyes

September 26, 2026, 10am - 11:30am
Step into the world of Thomas Wolfe with this guided walking tour through downtown Asheville- Wolfe's hometown and the vivid backdrop for his (in)famous novel Look Homeward, Angel.

Thomas Wolfe's Buried Lives: A Riverside Cemetery Tour

September 19, 2026, 10am - 11:30am

Join us as we welcome Fall and explore portions of Riverside Cemetery, piecing together fact and fiction by highlighting many of the folks that inspired various characters in Wolfe’s works, as well as other notable Ashevillians.
The tour will begin at the front gate of Riverside Cemetery. Parking is available along Birch Street and near the gate. Plan for a two-hour, leisurely-paced tour!

Frederick Douglass Community Reading - 2026

July 4, 2026, 10am - 11:30am
Commemorate Independence Day with a participatory community read-aloud of Frederick Douglass' powerful address, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July" at Historic Stagville State Historic Site.

1st Saturdays at Town Creek - Finger Weaving

February 7, 2026, 10am - 2pm

Have some fun at Town Creek on Saturday, February 7th with a finger weaving craft! Learn to make a bracelet using one of the many weaving traditions in North America. Bring a friend or make new ones as you create a friendship bracelet. Proceeds benefit The Friends of Town Creek Indian Mound Inc., which supports programs at Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site.

$3 per person

10am, 12pm, and 2pm

North Carolina Rice Festival at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site

March 7, 2026, 10am - 5pm
Join us at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site for the North Carolina Rice Festival!