Getting Kids Outside

Go On An Adventure

We know that students are home for the foreseeable future, now is the perfect time to take that hike you’ve wanted to take your kids on, go kayaking on your favorite river or teach your kids to fish. There are so many outdoor activities that you can still enjoy while practicing social distancing.

State and National Parks

Click here to find a State Park near you that is open.

Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle, North Carolina

Click here to find a National Park or historic park that is open near you.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Can’t Travel?

If you can’t visit a State or National Park, below is a list of some activities you can do right around your house or neighborhood outdoors.

  • Have a picnic
  • Ride your bike
  • Go on a scavenger hunt
  • Go for a walk/walk your dog
  • Go fish at a nearby pond
  • Play with sidewalk chalk
  • Go for a hike
  • play a game of hide-n-seek
  • PLAY OUTSIDE
  • Build a fort in your backyard
  • Play with bubbles in your yard
  • Play board games or read a book outside
  • Plant a garden
  • Paint rocks

Virtual Tours & Virtual Learning

Going outside on a new adventure may not be possible right now, so we have some awesome virtual ways to see the outdoors below: 

We have created some great new content on our YouTube channel. We have videos about different state parks, different outdoor activities and more. Check out our YouTube channel here and be sure to subscribe to never miss a video. 

The NC State Parks has awesome pictures, videos and virtual tours that you can check out here

You can go on a virtual tour of many of our National Parks including: 

YMCA

The NC State Fair is posting activities you can do at home to bring the fair at home, click here to visit there site. 

Learn at Home

The NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has an amazing resource for at-home learning, click here to visit their site. They have virtual tours from some amazing places across the state, distance learning lessons, blog posts and YouTube channels all right at this one page. 

YMCA

The YMCA of the Triangle has put together free resources for parents that includes academic resources, nutritional resources, sports and more, click here to visit their site.

Agents

The Wonders of Wildlife has an awesome app, collaborating with Agents of Discovery launched Mission Conservation. The app is free and new content is added every Monday. Click here to go to their site to learn more. 

NC Zoo

The North Carolina Zoo posts awesome content daily on their facebook page including video chats with their experts and facbook live videos. Click here to visit their facebook. 

Historic Sites

You can tour NC Historic Sites from home with their new web page, click here to start your tours. 

Asheville

Explore Asheville partnered with Google to create some amazing virtual tours! They went hiking and were able to capture more than 20 iconic hikes and destinations. Check out their tours and how they created it all by clicking here.

Wilmington

You can explore Wilmington, the battleship and local beaches through this cool website! This lets you explore the Wilmington area from the sky or the ground, click here to check it out. 

Fishing 101

The International Game Fish Association has some awesome online classes for kids, including a free Fishing 101. Check it out here. 

The Boat U.S. Foundation has a free online North Carolina Boating Safety Course that kids can enroll in and complete. Click here to find out more.