Raleigh's "Top 10" Magnificent Museums

RALEIGH, N.C. (December 2005) – North Carolina's capital city boasts an eclectic collage of culture. This unique concentration of museums has rendered Raleigh the nickname, Smithsonian of the South.

African American Cultural Complex (AACC)
The African American Cultural Complex displays a collection that recounts the story of African-American contributions. One permanent exhibit highlights everyday items that were invented or include components of inventions made by African-Americans, including an ice cream cone, a bottle of peanut oil and an eggbeater. A replica of the Amistad slave ship is on display year round, although it shines each July, during the annual production of, The Amistad Saga: Reflections, the only outdoor drama written, produced and directed by and about African Americans in the U.S. Admission to the museum is free; there is a charge for the Amistad performance.  www.aaccmuseum.org

Exploris/IMAX Theatre at Exploris
 Exploris, a state-of-the-art interactive museum about the world, has a unique mission – to encourage visitors to make connections with people of all cultures. Through hands-on exhibits and thought provoking programs, guests have the opportunity to see how the world works, and the part each human can play in it. Many Voices encourages visitors to discover world voices by paging through unfiltered news from more than 40 countries and expressing personal thoughts by building a website. The IMAX Theatre at Exploris provides a medium to introduce new places, new people and new ideas to visitors of all ages.  Admission charged.  www.exploris.org

Legends of Harley Drag Racing Museum
Ray Price is quick to escort you to the museum floor – just upstairs from one of the East Coast's largest Harley dealership! More than six decades of American motorcycle history are on display, with Harley Davidson bikes representing each era from 1936 to the present, both in original and restored condition. Admission is free. www.rayprice.com

Mordecai Historic Park
Mordecai Historic Park was once the heart of an extensive antebellum plantation. Surrounding Mordecai House, the park's Greek Revival house museum, are other historic structures including
the birthplace of Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States. These buildings, relocated from Raleigh and the surrounding area for preservation efforts, are grouped together in a "village street" setting and provide a unique glimpse into 19th-century Raleigh life. Admission charged.  www.raleighnc.gov

North Carolina Museum of Art
This museum houses 5,000 years of artistic heritage, from ancient Egypt to the present. The collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings, with works by Van Dyck, Jan Brueghel and Raphael, is internationally recognized. Significant American paintings include works by John Singleton Copley, Winslow Homer and Georgia O'Keeffe. Also represented are collections of African, Oceanic, New World, Egyptian, Greek and Roman, 20th-century and Jewish ceremonial art. Feature exhibits include:  The Potters Eye: Art and Tradition in North Carolina Pottery, is on display October 30, 2005 – March 19, 2006. This exceptional exhibit showcases masterpieces from the state's 19th-century pottery tradition as well as exemplary pieces from South Carolina, New England, Great Britain, Germany, China, and Japan.

The blockbuster exhibit, Monet in Normandy, is on display October 15, 2006 – January 14, 2007. This world-class exhibit, drawn from collections around the world, features some of Monet's most famous works including his paintings of haystacks, gardens of Giverny and the Rouen Cathedral. Admission to the museum and the permanent collection is free. There is a charge for select special exhibitions. www.ncartmuseum.org

North Carolina Museum of History & North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
The North Carolina Museum of History's collection contains more than 250,000 artifacts representing the state's rich heritage, with exhibits on agriculture, politics, folk life and more. The 2005 signature is: Stitched from the Soul: The Farmer James Collection of African American Quilts, on display through August 2, 2006. This powerful exhibit provides a chance to see 61 quilts stitched by African Americans using a variety of different cloths giving each quilt a different shape, texture and meaning. The exhibit, A Call to Arms, displayed through July 10, 2006, focuses on the lineage of North Carolina's 30th Heavy Separate Brigade from present day to World War I. Artifacts from World War I to Operation Iraqi Freedom will also be on display.

Located within the North Carolina Museum of History, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame exhibits personal items donated by many of the 200 inductees. From Richard Petty's #43 racecar to Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice's #22 football jersey, this exhibit is a treat for all sports fans. Admission is free.  www.ncmuseumofhistory.org

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences includes 70,000 square feet of walk-through environments. Four floors of exhibits feature four great whales, the world's only Acrocanthosaurus – better known as the "Terror of the South"– and Willo, the dinosaur with a heart! Using a cutting-edge exhibit technique, live animals are included in exhibits.

Through January 2006, the special exhibit, Discovering Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall brings the Gombe National Forest to Raleigh. This interactive exhibit showcases Jane Goodall's 40 years of work in the African jungle. January 28 – May 7, 2006, "The World Inside Your Head" takes center stage exploring the function of your brain and interprets the latest research on the development, function and geography of this organ.

BugFest, the annual festival where guests can cheer for their favorite candidate during the roach races, and savor creepy-crawly cuisine, is planned for August 2006. Admission to the museum and the permanent exhibits is free. There is a charge for select special exhibitions. www.naturalsciences.org

North Carolina Railroad Museum
Visitors to the North Carolina Railroad Museum are invited to view the collection of train equipment, including a recently restored Vulcan Tank Steam Locomotive. The equipment on display at the museum is available for viewing during normal daylight hours – however the museum is only staffed on Work Days, Train Ride Days and Group Ride Days. To ride the rails, catch a one-hour adventure from Bonsal to New Hill and back. From May through November, guests can board the train the first Sunday of each month. Special holiday trains including the spooky "Halloween Express" in October and "Christmas Train" featuring Santa in December are always a hit. Admission charged for train rides only.  www.nhvry.org

Raleigh City Museum
After 200 years of North Carolina's capital city having no repository for its cultural artifacts and no place to preserve its past, the city opened its first exhibit in 1993. Since then, the Raleigh City Museum has dedicated itself to helping people understand the city's present through knowledge of its past by collecting, preserving and interpreting materials pertaining to Raleigh's unique history and culture.

Through winter 2006, Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Transportation in the Triangle showcases the evolution of transportation in the Triangle region. Admission is free. www.raleighcitymuseum.org

Wake Forest College Birthplace Museum
Dedicated to the history of Wake Forest College and the town of Wake Forest, this museum is housed in a circa-1820 structure that served as the home of the first president of the college and the location of the school's classrooms. The well-preserved collection of artifacts includes objects of interest relevant to the beginnings of campus, the town of Wake Forest, medical and law schools, athletics and student life through 1956. Admission is free. (919) 556-2911

The Greater Raleigh CVB is a non-profit agency that promotes Raleigh and Wake County to enhance the economic growth and development of Raleigh and Wake County by increasing visitor and convention business. For a free visitors guide or more promotional information, call (800) 849-8499; visit www.visitraleigh.com, or e-mail visit@visitraleigh.com. That's "City Life, Carolina Style."