TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
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NORTH CAROLINA’S TOP RANKED
STATE PARKS Josh Shaffer for Triangle Today
Now that winter’s final flake has melted, the Triangle rubs its groggy eyes, shakes off three months of coughs and frozen pipes and sees spring strolling up its driveway in Tevas and a floppy hat. After a subfreezing January, the psych-out warm weeks in February and the freak snows of March, the equinox has arrived. If you listen hard, you can hear kayaks getting dragged out of sheds. Last year, North Carolina saw record crowds pour into its state parks: 1.94 million visitors — a 3.4 percent increase over 2016 numbers. Most of the favorites — Jockey’s Ridge, Fort Macon, Umstead — sit within easy driving of big cities or popular beaches, leaving the lazy with no excuse. Over the past 20 years, I’ve trod through all 41 parks in the state. So with springtime rebirth in mind, I offer this guide to the Top 10 on the state’s list, ranked in order of attendance and featuring a signature activity for each. Those hiking boots in the closet need to lose some tread.
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1. Jockey’s Ridge, Nags Head: 1,560,254 visitors This one qualifies as an obvious stop considering the Outer Banks’ beaches, lighthouses and pirate paraphernalia, but great fun can be had at the state’s most popular park without tripping over sunbathers. For the best chance at fun, rent a sandboard from any outfitter nearby and surf down the tallest sand dune system east of the Mississippi River. A standard boogie board works just as well for surfers wishing to ride on their bellies rather than upright. It’s a good idea to check in with rangers because this type of fun is typically allowed between October and May, and fancier boards with foot straps require a free permit. But close your eyes on the way down the dune and you’ll channel Orville Wright. 2. Fort Macon, Atlantic Beach: 1,543,772 visitors Civil War enthusiasts can tour the coastal fort without having to change out of their swimming trunks, taking in the cannons and thick brick walls on near-daily tours. But to really get a feel for a
soldier’s life in 1862, watch the calendar for the musket demonstrations. Rangers will show off all nine steps for loading the antique guns, attaching the bayonets and — on a lucky day — tossing in some 19th-century jokes. 3. Umstead, Raleigh: 1,538,830 visitors Before it became a beloved patch of urban wilderness, the land at Umstead state park held settlements dating back to 1810. In the height of the Depression, when the state and federal government first bought the land, hardscrabble farmers tried to grow cotton in the depleted soil around Crabtree Creek. One of the best parts of hiking through Umstead is finding artifacts strewn about the woods. A pair of cemeteries. A ruined chimney. Rusted metal shot through with holes. Some hikers make an annual jaunt through these remnants.
Watch the video and read the rest of Josh’s top 10 at triangletoday.com.
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The Triangle’s vibrant theater scene, with more than 50 theater companies and presenting organizations, offers everything from hit musicals on tour and plays fresh from Broadway to original works by area playwrights. Here are some highlights. RETURNING FAVORITES
“THE COLOR PURPLE”
April 3-8, Durham Performing Arts Center. dpacnc.com. Based on the beloved Alice Walker novel, this newly reconceived version won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival.
“THE SOUND OF MUSIC”
April 20-22, Durham Performing Arts Center. dpacnc.com. The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic is back for a visit in a version with an eye towards age-appropriate casting and deeper characterizations. FRESH FROM BROADWAY
“KING CHARLES III”
April 12-29, Burning Coal Theatre, Raleigh. burningcoal.org. Mike Bartlett’s speculative play about Prince Charles as King of England deals with scandals and the press. The show ran on Broadway in 2016, and a film version was on PBS last year.
“HAND TO GOD”
April 20-May 6, Theatre in the Park, Raleigh. theatreinthepark.com. The 2015 Tony-nominated play is an irreverent comedy about a Texas fundamental church’s puppet ministry for teens, which goes awry when the puppets begin expressing the “sinful” desires of the teens manipulating them.
Check out the searchable arts calendar at triangletoday.com
TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
local music SCOTTY MCCREERY HITS NO. 1 – AGAIN David Menconi for Triangle Today
It’s another No. 1 hit for Garner native Scotty McCreery. The 2011 “American Idol” winner’s newest album “Seasons Change” debuts at the top of Billboard’s Country Album chart. It’s McCreery’s third album to reach No. 1 on the country charts, following 2011’s “Clear as Day” and 2013’s “See You Tonight.” “Seasons Change” comes in at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart, which includes albums of all genres. “Clear as Day,” released after McCreery won Season 10 of “American Idol,” also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart. The album milestone comes after McCreery’s “Five More Minutes” single reached No. 1 on Billboard’s country airplay chart last month — McCreery’s first No. 1 single. “I’m excited,” McCreery said last month after hearing about his No. 1 single. “It was a big mountain to climb… This gives more validity to what I’ve been doing. Credibility as an artist has been the goal the last few years — to move away from the TV guy who was on ‘American Idol’ to be a country artist with songs and stories.” “Seasons Change” is a slice
Scotty McCreery will be revisiting “American Idol” this spring.
of North Carolina with lots of local details, and even a beach song (“Barefootin’”). It’s the first album where he co-wrote every song, so it means a lot to him. It’s also his first album since being dropped by his label, Universal Music. He said last month that it took most of 2016 to find out where his music would find a home. “Professionally, 2016 was not fun,” McCreery said last month. “Boom, I was out. That was a shock. With losing that deal came figuring out the “American Idol” deal I was locked into. So I spent every day in 2016 on the phone with my attorney and business manager figuring out that mess and where the next home for new music would be. It took
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until that December (2016), and here we are today.” This year will be a busy one for McCreery. While he no longer is a student at NC State, he is touring and is planning a summer wedding with longtime girlfriend Gabi Dugal. He’ll also be revisiting “American Idol,” the reality singing competition now on ABC, sometime this spring in the role of guest mentor, a spot that has already been recorded. It’s expected to air in April, but the date has not yet been released.
See more about Scotty at triangletoday.com
TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
DYLAN LEBLANC WANTS EACH ALBUM TO STAND THE TEST OF TIME Ed Condran for Triangle Today
It was evident early in Dylan LeBlanc’s life that he would become a musician. The Louisiana native was exposed to a professional music setting as a child. His father, singersongwriter-guitarist James LeBlanc, is a longtime Muscle Shoals sessions player. It was common for Dylan to watch his father play in the studio and at clubs and bars.
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“When you’re immersed in that environment, either you’re into it or Dylan Leblanc is playing at the Cat’s Cradle. Abraham Rowe Photography not,” LeBlanc said. “I was really into it. I loved everything about watching my dad make and play music.” By the time LeBlanc was 11, he was crafting songs, and within four years, he was performing regularly in Louisiana. “I wanted to write and perform so badly,” LeBlanc says. “I was so passionate about it and I still am. There is nothing I would rather do than make music. I felt that way before I was a teenager.” Dylan LeBlanc, with the Artisanals When: 8 p.m. April 4 Where: Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 300 E. Main St., Carrboro Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 day-of Info: catscradle.com
See more about Scotty at triangletoday.com
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