North Carolina Museum of History

Learn More About The North Carolina Museum of History

Busy Building History

Our Building Is Closed for Renovation

The museum is currently undergoing a major renovation that will enhance the visitor experience and expand the museum’s ability to serve the public in new and dynamic ways. While the building is closed, it continues to engage the public through programs and digital resources. Looking ahead, the museum aims to provide even greater access to its collection, connecting North Carolina’s vibrant history to all 100 counties across the state and beyond.

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Upcoming Events

A black and white photograph from a high angle looking down at a packed audience of women wearing hats and coats in a classic mid-century theater. The women are all seated in long rows of chairs and appear to be waiting for an event to begin.

Crafting at the Cinema: Night at the Museum

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 5:30 p.m.

Garner Performing Arts Center, 742 West Garner Road, Garner, NC 27529

The North Carolina Museum of History, in partnership with the Garner Performing Arts Center, invites you and your family to bring your craft supplies to a showing of Night at the Museum! The theater lights will stay slightly up during the movie, allowing you to color, crochet, or work on any other lap-friendly craft. Be sure to check out pieces of the museum’s collection in the lobby and ask our security guards what really happens at night!

Disclaimer: Attendees are encouraged to bring their own materials for crafting. Lap-friendly crafts are art projects that can be contained to a single theater seat and do not include the use of glue, paint, or glitter.

A close-up of a weathered, antique American Revolutionary War-era flag. It features a cream-colored canton on the left with seven blue, eight-pointed stars, and a field of alternating red and blue horizontal stripes on the right. The fabric is heavily textured and frayed, showing significant age.

NCMOH Pop-Up! The Bend Bar

Thursday, May 14, 2026, 6:00 p.m.

The Bend Bar, 853 W. Morgan St., Raleigh, NC 27603

We’re popping up to bring the North Carolina Museum of History to you! Visit the museum’s pop-up table at the historical Bend Bar, where you can explore reproduction touch items and learn about the museum building renovation. Our trivia contest will help prep you for the upcoming 250th commemoration of the Declaration of Independence, and is sure to have you saying, “I should have known that.” Learn something new and explore our state’s fascinating history at one of your favorite places! 

Book cover for Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. It features a Black woman with her eyes closed, wearing a vibrant crown of sunflowers and daisies. The title is in bold white text against a background of a green field and sunset sky, where a small silhouette of a family walks in the distance.

Author Talk: Dolen Perkins-Valdez

The Book: Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Thursday, June 11, 2026, 7:00 p.m.

Online

As we wrap up the first installment of NCMOH’s Plott Hound Literary Circle, we hope you’ll join us for a special virtual book talk. Award-winning author Dolen Perkins-Valdez will be discussing her critically acclaimed novel Happy Land. Attendees will be invited to submit questions in advance, so be sure to watch for upcoming opportunities to participate!

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