Madagascar at DPAC, Durham, NC

Looking for some fun with the family, without the video factor?! Always a favorite is going to the live theatre. Madagascar is coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center this weekend. I wish it were here for a longer stretch, I hope many folks can get there.

Our entire family really enjoys DPAC, they really do an awesome job of promoting culture other than video/media! The facility is state of the art and is really a spectacular building. I love the fact that CarolinaMama and I are teaching the Tigers the love of the arts through events like Madagascar and Beauty & The Beast!

Hope you can make it out this weekend, if not, be sure to check the schedule of DPAC. There are some big time names & events coming soon!

Do you enjoy the live show? Hope to see you there! Hope this helps with some fun family ideas for your weekend time together.

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Need a Week to Spend in Charlotte, NC (Friday Family Fun Day)

CarolinaMama, the Tigers & I had the pleasure of spending a 24+ hour period of time in Charlotte, NC and the surrounding area. It is amazing how much there is to do in that awesome city.

You can start with hanging out downtown, there are a lot of local restaurants with great food & atmosphere. The Carolina Panthers play in downtown Charlotte, what a beautiful stadium they have built there. Don't forget you could spend the day at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

I discovered what looks like an awesome museum. Carolinas Aviation Museum They are running a special right now, $40 for a Family Membership. It is good for unlimited visits for a year. It is right off the end of one of the runways of Charlotte's super busy Charlotte Douglas Airport! I have to say, they have my all time favorite on display, the F-14 Tomcat. Photo below courtesy of the museums website.



I am going to say how much I enjoyed with the Tigers Crowder's Mountain State Park, it was great to be on a little bit of a hill again. This was about 45 minutes away, to the west. To the east: Concord, NC. I will write some more about what a fun city Charlotte is another time. As per the title, a full week still may not be enough!

How about you? Plans to visit Charlotte anytime soon! Have a great week! Until next Friday Family Fun Day,

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Enterprise Car-Rental Leads The Way On Going Green

Going somewhere for Friday Family Fun Day/Weekend? Get to Enterprise car rental, where they have awesome rates, great customer service and best of all, a phenomenal Green Program.
Check out the link above, and you will be very pleasantly surprised.

Enterprise Car Rental leads the way in car rental in more ways than one! Not only the biggest, but the greenest! I am thoroughly impressed with their Keys to Green Program.

This is very impressive. "Delivery of 500 Nissan LEAFs will begin in January 2011 and will continue throughout the year. In addition to the LEAFs, the company will offer customers electric vehicles from other manufacturers as they become available."

This is an excerpt from the link to that part of their extensive Green Program.
Take a look at this exciting program with the link above.0 Next time you are needing to get a rental car, let's support an awesome effort to reduce our pollution and dependence on foreign oil.

Don't forget that Enterprise has bought Alamo and National Car Rental!
Go Enterprise, Go Green!

Do you like renting cars to go somewhere fun?

Tell me of your awesome experiences with Enterprise Car-Rental!

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Raleigh Christmas Parade-Friday Family Fun Day

It's almost "The most wonderful time of the year!" Start kicking Christmas off a little early this weekend if you are in the Raleigh-Durham area. Check out the ever popular Raleigh Christmas Parade in downtown Raleigh. It begins Saturday, November 20th at about 9:30 am. It lasts approximately 2.5 hours, and the weather forecast is absolutely perfect for a parade. It is boasting the 66th annual parade. Wow!

And how's this for some fame: "Join us for the largest Christmas Parade between Washington, DC and Atlanta." How awesome is that? The parade ends at the state capitol! This parade features all kinds of awesome things you would love in a parade, highlighted by the big fancy balloons you get to experience in something like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Bundle up a little in the am, and then shed the layers as the beautiful day (forecast) unfolds. What a great way to have some family fun, at a great time of year! If you can't make it in person, it is on WRAL-TV from 10am-12pm, and is also re-broadcast on Christmas Day! What a great tradition! Check out the 2010 Raleigh Christmas Parade for more information.

How about you, do you have a favorite Christmas event or Christmas parade? Hope to see you out there this weekend.

Until next Friday Family Fun Day,

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Photograph of the parade last year from the website for last years parade.

Green Acre Farm - Friday Family Fun

This weekend I am letting those of you in the Raleigh-Durham area know about Green Acre Farm in Cary, NC. This is one awesome corn maze. They have all kinds of activities for the entire family.

Included in the $8 entry fee is the corn maze of course, hay rides and bouncy action for the kids. This is a wonderful place to spend a fall day. What is really great about it si the fact that it is so close to Raleigh-Durham. If you don't have the time to go to the "true" country, this is a great way to be in the "country" even though it is surrounded by regular city.

We want to make Green Acre Farms a part of our fall tradition. Check it out today, don't miss it. They are open (I should have posted this earlier) from September to October 31. You can grab your pumpkins there also. You can also get some very nice Christmas trees during that season as well.

You still can get out over the next couple of weeks. Hope you can break away from some of that fun football to get some fresh area.

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Harpers Ferry Family Fun Day

This week we're going to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia! 3 states in less than an hour's time! This is a very quaint, historically rich town that we really just ended up there one Saturday as we were enjoying a country drive outside of Northern Virginia. It is a peaceful place, with some awesome shops, restaurants, and lots of history.

Anytime of year is great, but if you can do it in the fall when the leaves are changing that is when I recommend the most. It happens to also be the beginning (or end) of the nationally renowned Shenandoah National Park with Skyline Drive as a highlight for the fall! We never did make Skyline Drive, but I have heard it is a must see.

So, if time permits you need to spend 2-3 days in the area taking in the breathtaking scenery and then enjoying the awesome history of our country.

Did you know that President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation creating Harpers Ferry National Monument on June 29, 1944!

How about you, is it fall weather yet in your neck of the woods? Big plans this weekend, or is it time to watch your favorite football team?

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Family Friday Fun -Great Falls Virginia

This weekend, I am going to feature a place that our whole family has some absolutely wonderful memories of some awesome times together in an incredibly beautiful setting. This place is in Great Falls Park, Virginia on the Potomac River. We ended up loving it so much when we lived in that area, we ended up buying a year pass. One of the best things about the year pass was how different it would look in each season.

Great Falls, VA is a small town outside of Washington, D.C. and the park is up the road from the town. When you go to the park, you really have a hard time realizing that you are 15 ish miles up the river from the Nation's Capital, Washington, D.C. It is a park far enough removed from all the hustle and bustle of the area that your really do step into another world.

One of our favorite memories was a time we went over to the park because the area had been receiving a lot of rain, we wanted to see how full the river would be. It was a very impressive sight, as the Potomac had over-run its banks some. It made for some very loud, full, frothy conditions in the river.

It is $5.00 for the car for 3 consecutive days, and only $20 for the year pass. If you are in the D.C. area, any time of year, you need to check this park out. You can also access the park in the next state over, Maryland, just across the river. We have been there during every season, and it is hard to say which is more beautiful. With Fall around the corner, it is a great way to see some awesome fall colors while enjoying the awesome waterfalls.

How about you? Big plans for the weekend? If you are in the D.C. area, and letting everyone else hit the roads, check this awesome park out!

CarolinaMama and the Tigers!





Pictures are by Boulder Mountain Man and Carolina Mama.

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Make it a Movie Night!

For your Family Friday Fun, make it a movie night! We have really enjoyed making that a tradition in our home over the last few months! We all have our favorites, and the Tigers have been loving watching the original Star Wars Trilogy. (I am having them watch the way I had to, the last 3 then the first 3!) I am not, however, torturing them for 3 years in between movies the way we all had to!

Red Box, Netflix, Blockbuster...Awesome options for your movie night. Two weeks ago I surprised them with a night out at the theatre and we saw Disney's Oceans. What a great movie! For the most part, we really enjoy just relaxing around the house, and who can forget the Little Caesar's Pizza that has become a great tradition as well!

So how about it? When do you do your movie nights? Make it a fun night anytime!


Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Family Friday Fun Day

This weekend we are heading to Sunset Crater Volcano outside of Flagstaff, AZ. Hiking a volcano, with the option to camp out as well!

For $5 dollars, yes $5, you can enter this park for 7 days if you just need to keep coming back. Explore a volcano while getting some awesome exercise as you hike along a real volcano! There are camping facilities as well, along with 2 other awesome parks nearby. Count me in, as long as no one is blowing their top! Have a fantastic, safe, 4th of July weekend!

What are plans? Traditions for the 4th? I know we always get the fireworks in, ever since the Tigers were about 3 years old. You? Picnic? Grill Out? God Bless America!

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man