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Outer Banks Children @ Play Museum

The Outer Banks “Children at Play” kids museum opened in August, and it’s been getting rave reviews.

Children at Play is located in Kitty Hawk, (beside Papa John’s pizza) at Milepost 4.5. The museum features interactive exhibits where children can learn about the bigger world around them through play! Kids and parents can learn about fishing, and measuring their catch or lighthouses and lifesaving…just some of the exciting opportunities awaiting families on the OBX!

Admission is $5, and their website is: www.childrenatplayobx.com

As a non-profit, one of the challenges behind the creation of such a great space for kids on the OBX is getting enough funding to keep the doors open. To help with fund raising, the great minds at Children at Play recently announced that the 1st Annual Mardi Gras Gala is set for Friday, March 4.

Be sure to bring your dancing shoes and Mardi Gras spirit.

Music
Dancing
Dinner
Open wine and beer bar
Complimentary babysitting services on site (with advanced reservation)
One entry to the VIP raffle

Tickets are $50 per person, or tables can be purchased for $600 each (12 seats per table) and the sponsor will receive a “Helping Hand” on the sponsor wall at the Children’s Museum.

The Gala will be from 7 until 11 PM, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk. Tickets are available at Children at Play, 3809 N. Croatan Highway Unit G, Kitty Hawk, NC. Cash, check and credit cards are accepted.

Children at Play, is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit. For more information call the museum at (252) 261-0290 or check out their website at: www.childrenatplayobx.com

Nags Head Casino

The Nags Head Casino and was a very popular attraction to locals and visitors alike. According to many locals who remember this Outer Banks institution, it was the place to be.

The Casino reached its height of popularity in the 1960s and was located in a two story building near the beach. The bottom floor was a family arcade with duckpin bowling, pinball machines and a variety of game. But second floor drew most of the crowds.The second floor of the building was dedicated as a dance hall with slick floors great for dancing. The Casino’s ballroom was also the spot where some legendary musicians would play on the Outer Banks; Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Artie Shaw to name a few.

Unfortunately, after 40 years of OBX fun, the Nags Heads Casino collapsed in 1976 after a big storm.

In July, a fundraiser will be held to help recreate the Casino vibe. An exhibit is planned be on display on the side deck at the Museum of the Albermarle. “We’ll recreate the old Nags Head Casino on the side porch (of the museum),” said MOA’s exhibit designer Don Pendergraft in a recent Daily Advance interview. “We’re going to try and take people back to the old Casino.”

The exhibit will also display decorations from the old casino to keep it as original as possible. Visitors to the exhibit will be allowed to come forward and share some of their fond memories of the casino.

For more information, or to share your oral histories with the museum, contact Don Pendergraft at 252-335-1453.