Charlotte's Bechtler Museum To Open In January

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the only museum dedicated to the exhibition of mid 20th-century European modern art in the southeast, will open to the public Saturday, January 2, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Construction of the museum’s distinct four-story, 36,500 square foot building in downtown Charlotte is nearing completion. Museum staff is slated to move into the facility this summer and the collection is scheduled to arrive in the fall. The building, designed by world renowned Swiss architect Mario Botta, is destined to become an iconic structure with its boldly cantilevered fourth floor exhibition gallery, soaring glass and steel atrium and terra cotta exterior.

The museum is named after the family of Andreas Bechtler, a Charlotte resident and native of Switzerland who assembled and inherited a collection of more than 1,400 artworks created by major figures of 20th-century modernism and donated it to the public trust. The Bechtler collection reflects most of the important art movements and schools from the 20th century with a deep holding of the School of Paris after World War II.

Only a handful of the artworks in the Bechtler collection have been on public view in the United States. Until now, the collection was privately held by the Bechtler family and has since been committed to the city of Charlotte.

The NC Weekend Warrior:A Whole Lotta Hollerin'

Looking for something to do this weekend? Every Thursday, the Visit North Carolina Blog will be taking a quick look at things to do around the state to help you plan your adventure. For even more events and happenings around North Carolina, go to VisitNC and click on 'events'.

Holler Back

It is known around the world, and every now and again the champion will make it onto a late-night talk show, but at its heart, The National Hollerin' Contest this Saturday in Spivey's Corner is a celebration of rural life the way it used to be.

There will be music, a car show, and an Antique Farm Equipment and Toy Tractor Exhibit... but the big draw in these parts is the hollerin'. The contest includes several divisions, including juniors, teens, ladies, men's, and even conch shell blowin'. It's definitely worth the trip to Spivey's Corner (between Fayetteville and Goldsboro) if you haven't seen it before! Admission is free.

Mountain Flowers

You know that it's Spring in the NC mountains when the hills come alive with the bright purple flowers of the native rhododendron. From Craggy Gardens to Roan Mountain to Grandfather, the blooms work their way up from the lower elevations during the month of June, casting a carpet of color over the hills and mountains of Western NC.

The folks in the town of Bakersville (in Mitchell County) celebrate this sentinel of spring every year with the North Carolina Rhododendron Festival, which is going on this weekend. The festival includes a golf tournament, a 10K run, a car show, and a street fair, and of course the crowning of the 2010 NC Rhododendron Queen.

Elsewhere, NC has events for just about every interest: Outdoor sports enthusiasts will love Edenton's Music & Water Festival, fishermen will fall hook, line, & sinker for the Smoky Mountain Trout Festival in Maggie Valley, and BBQ lovers will be as happy as a pig in slop at the Hillsborough Hog Days.

Games People Play

Meanwhile, Charlotte is playing host to the annual State Games of North Carolina, an olympic-like event that brings amateur athletes from all over the state to compete in events ranging from figure skating to disc golf.

And, of course, in the middle of June, there's plenty of baseball. Homestanding teams this weekend include the Charlotte Knights, Durham Bulls, Greensboro Grasshoppers, and Hickory Crawdads.

The Heat Is On

Sunday marks the official start of summer, and it is going to feel like it in North Carolina this weekend. Temps across the state will be in the high 80s and low-to-mid 90s, so if you're getting outside, be sure and bring plenty of water and douse yourself in some strong sunscreen.

Enjoy your weekend! Get out and play!

Pinehurst #2 To Host 2014 Doubleheader

For the first time ever, the Men's and Women's U.S. Opens will be held on successive weeks at the same course. And naturally, the course that will host this double bill is North Carolina's Pinehurst #2.

"It's a big opportunity," USGA executive director David Fay told the Associated Press. "I really do think this will generate some buzz for women's golf and the Women's Open. And I think a lot of people will take advantage."

The U.S. Open was already scheduled to return to Pinehurst in 2014, the third time in 15 years the classic Donald Ross course will have hosted the event. The Women's event has played at nearby Pine Needles three times, but has never been played at the fabled Pinehurst #2.

The move makes economic sense, too. By hosting back-to-back tourneys, there will already be corporate hospitality tents and grandstands in place, as well as ropes on the fairways and facilities for players and the media. And there will be no need to tear down, transport and ship scoreboards and other equipment.

But the big winners will be golf fans in North Carolina, who'll be hosting two straight weeks of top-notch professional golf. So circle the dates on your long-range planner! The Men's Open is slated to be held June 12-15, 2014... while the Women's tournament will be held June 19-22.

Great Smoky Mountains Natonal Park Turns 75

75 years ago today, June 15, 1934, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established. The park was actually authorized in 1926, but it took many years of hard work and a sizeable amount of money in the midst of a Depression to get the job done.

But the area desperately needed protection. At the time, the Smokies had been heavily logged by lumber companies, muddying the streams and leaving only about a quarter of the old-growth forests intact. Boar from nearby game preserves soon moved in, streams were stocked with non-native rainbow trout, and a blight was on its way to wiping out the huge American Chestnut trees that used to cover 40 percent of the forest.

But since the Park was established, Mother Nature has fought her way back. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now an International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. Scientists have logged the presence of 100,000 plant and animal species, including some previously unknown to science. The Park is shared by fireflies that blink in unison, 300-pound black bears, and 2-foot-long salamanders.

It's been a long road... and there are still many issues the Park will have to conquer. But this year there are many events in both North Carolina and Tennessee marking the 75-year milestone. Today in Cherokee, NC there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Oconaluftee Visitors Center that will highlight both Cherokee and Appalachian culture. On September 2 at Newfound Gap, there will be a major ceremony marking the day in 1940 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt officially dedicated the park "to the free people of America." President Barack Obama has been invited.

Happy Birthday, Smokies... and many happy returns.

Music Factory Ready To Rock

Developers say it will make Charlotte a music destination... and it all begins this weekend.

The NC Music Factory has been in the works for years, but this weekend the centerpiece of the project, a 5,000 seat amphitheater, will kick off its inaugural season with a sold-out concert by alt-rockers The Fray. Next week, another 2,000 seat venue, the legendary Fillmore, will open with folk singer Corey Smith.

Other restaurants, bars, and clubs will be opening soon... and developers are hoping that eventually condos will be built on the 70 acre complex as well. Their vision is to make the NC Music Factory Charlotte's version of SoHo, a place where artists of all musical stripes will be able to live, work, and perform... and a place visitors from all over the region will come to hear the hottest names in pop, rock, country, and R&B.

Win A Week At Carolina Beach!

Nothing beats a week at the beach in the summer... except perhaps a FREE week at the beach. During the month of June, Visit NC is holding a sweepstakes for a week-long stay at Carolina Beach, along with a bunch of other really cool prizes.

The winner receives:

• Seven nights at the Courtyard Marriott Carolina Beach on the oceanfront
• Breakfast buffet each day for up to four people
• 2 beach chairs with an umbrella every day for seven days
• Four tickets to the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher
• A $200 shopping voucher, a $100 dinner voucher, and a $200 gas card
• A $500 travel voucher

That's some prize package! Click here to enter any time before June 30, 2009.

Get Eye To Eye With Giraffes at the NC Zoo

Giraffes are a favorite animal at any zoo, but the one problem is that we humans always end up having to look up at them. Well, that won't be a problem anymore at the NC Zoo in Asheboro, which is opening its new Acacia Station giraffe feeding station to the public on June 6th.

For a $3 admission fee, you'll be able to walk out onto the platform, suspended 16 feet above the ground. Then, keepers will hand you a few leaves to offer the giraffes, explain how to feed the gentle animals, and answer any questions you may have about their care. Watch out, though... a giraffe's tongue can be up to 20 inches long!

The zoo also has two new giraffes to show off at the exhibit. Jitu and Asha are both year-old giraffes that arrived in March. Keepers have been busy getting them used to their new surroundings and to the other giraffes in the exibit, Turbo, Tafari, and Julie, a 32-year-old female female giraffe.

The NC Weekend Warrior:Winner Takes All

Looking for something to do this weekend? Every Thursday, the Visit North Carolina Blog will be taking a quick look at things to do around the state to help you plan your adventure. For even more events and happenings around North Carolina, go to VisitNC and click on 'events'.

Field Of Dreams

Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill will be the scene of an intense in-state baseball battle this weekend, with the loser going home and the winner heading to the College World Series in Omaha.

The East Carolina Pirates (46-18) and the North Carolina Tar Heels (45-16) both advanced to the Super Regionals last weekend, so you can expect both teams to be playing their best when they begin the best-of-three series on Saturday. The state is guaranteed to have one representative at the CWS, but which one will it be? It will all be decided here, so expect both Heels and Pirate fans to be loud and proud and out in full force.

Cruising The Coast

North Carolina's Coast is home to several big events this weekend. In Morehead City, the 51st Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament kicks off Friday for nine days of fun and fishing. Events also include a daily weigh-in, a Captain's Dance, and a Big Pig Pickin' at the Town Creek Marina in Beaufort.

If you love beach music, then Carolina Beach is the place to be for the 24th Annual Beach Music Fesitval, one of the longest-running beach music festivals in the country. And, if the play's the thing, head on over to Wilmington for the opening of the Shakespeare on the Green Festival, which runs every weekend through June at the Greenfield Lake Ampitheater. This year's festival features The Merry Wives of Windsor.

A Football Fix

Yeah, we know. It's now been four months since the Super Bowl and you're feeling like you need just a taste of the gridiron to get you through to the fall. Well, the Fayetteville Guard has just what you need: an indoor football game Saturday against the Florence Phantoms at Crown Coliseum.

Elsewhere, of course, the boys of summer continue to dot the North Carolina landscape, with the Asheville Tourists, Charlotte Knights, Hickory Crawdads, Kannapolis Intimidators, and Winston-Salem Dash all homestanding this weekend.

Weekend Weather

It looks like 80-degree temperatures throughout the state this weekend. A line of showers and storms will be clearing the eastern half of North Carolina during the day Saturday, leaving mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures across the state after it passes. Sunday looks seasonal, with just a small chance of pop-up thunderstorms late in the day.

Enjoy your weekend! Get out and play!

Fun on the Farm

From corn to Christmas Trees, North Carolina has always been a place where good things grow. To celebrate that fact, VisitNC has just unveiled its "Stop By The Farm" journey... just in time to catch the fresh flavors of summer!

The journey features all of the agritourism activities that abound in NC: from U-pick farms and State Farmers Markets to food-based festivals and working farms that give tours or hayrides or let kids pet their animals.

There's even a section dedicated to farm guest homes and bed-and-breakfasts, where visitors can enjoy the quiet comforts of the rural life, and even help out with the daily chores if they so desire.

So if a day or a week of agritourism seems like the perfect getaway for you, check out all the ideas you'll find in this new farm-based journey.