Bring the little ones out for a morning of exploring! Starting in May, every first and third Wednesday of the month join a Ranger at 10am for a short story followed by a Nature Adventure. Activities will vary and will relate to the story read that week. This is a FREE program, however registration is required. Call the office: 919-778-6234 to register. Participants must be at less three years old.
Events and Programs
Park Maps and Brochures:
Natural History Evenings: Reptiles and...
Due to forecasted weather the Tuesday, July 9th Natural History Evenings program will be held at the Visitor Center. Join us at 6pm to learn about local reptiles and amphibians and identify frogs based on their call!
Last updated on: Monday, July 8, 2019 Swim Lake Hours
Swim Lake hours are 10am to 7pm
Last updated on: Saturday, June 1, 2019 Family Campground Closed
The family campground is closed for reservations and walk-ins due to construction. The bath house is being renovated this year; after completion the bath house will be ADA compliant and feature separate family, men's and women's facilities. Staff will update this alert once the family campground reopens.
Group camping will remain available through the year, but campers will not have access to showers and must bring water with them.
Last updated on: Friday, May 24, 2019Events and Programs
Cliffs of the Neuse State Park offers a variety of learning opportunities for all ages. Typically led by park rangers, these interpretive programs allow the public to gain perspective into what makes North Carolina state parks naturally wonderful.
Most of the events are free, though some require pre-registration. All give park visitors deeper insight into the natural world. Call the park office for more information.
Date of Event:
Wed, 07/17/2019 - 10:00am
Start Location:
Visitor Center
The North Carolina Arboretum has partnered with North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation to expand the Arboretum’s ecoEXPLORE citizen-science youth program to all 41 North Carolina state park locations in 2019. To celebrate this new initiative and launch the parks’ new ecoEXPLORE HotSpot locations (designated areas to observe plants and wildlife), the Arboretum will launch a “10 Parks in 10 Days” tour Monday, July 8, through Saturday, July 20. It will include public science events and demonstrations at 10 selected state parks over the course of 10 days.
As part of the kick-off event, Cliffs of the Neuse State Park will host a special ecoEXPLORE Day at its park on Friday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This family-friendly program will include information programming about ecoEXPLORE, science activities and demonstrations. In addition, visitors can learn about ecoEXPLORE’s new Snake Badge, which correlates with North Carolina State Parks’ 2019 “Year of the Snake” theme.
Date of Event:
Fri, 07/19/2019 - 10:00am to 2:00pm
Start Location:
Swim Lake
Cliffs of the Neuse was once the site of a working plantation and remnants of the buildings and landscaping remain within the park today! (We encourage visitors to check out the old wagon path staff have been working on clearing--it runs from the overlook parking lot to the longleaf trail!)
To celebrate this past we'll be doing some Old Timey Handcrafts this summer:
Join a Ranger for four sessions of Old Timey Crafts. A different craft will be demonstrated for each session. Sign-up is not required, but the DIY Ice Cream will be on a "as supplies last" basis.
The Cold Process Soap and Pickling programs will be geared towards adults while the Ice Cream and Weaving program will be a fun family activity.
These are free programs.
Fri., July 12th at 6:00pm: DIY Ice Cream
Fri., July 19th at 6:00pm: Cold Process Soap Demonstration
Fri., July 26th at 6:00pm: Pickling
Fri., August 2nd at 6:00pm: Weaving (Yarn)
All programs: Meet at the Visitor Center
Date of Event:
Fri, 07/19/2019 - 6:00pm to 7:00pm
Start Location:
Visitor Center and Swim Lake Beach
Come out to the park for some constellation lore! Participants are welcome to bring their own telescopes-- the ranger will also have one.
*In the event of cloudy/rainy weather this event will be canceled, check out Friends of Cliffs of the Neuse on FaceBook for announcements.
Date of Event:
Mon, 07/22/2019 - 8:45pm to 9:45pm
Start Location:
Swim Lake Beach
Park Pals are introduced to the outdoors through games, crafts and activities with a nature theme. This is a four session program that will meet one day a week for two hours per session over the course of four weeks. This program is intended for children ages 5-8 years old. Registration for this program is required and space is limited so don’t delay - Call: 919-778-6234 to sign up.
Date of Event:
Tue, 07/23/2019 - 10:00am
Start Location:
Visitor Center
240 Park Entrance Road
Seven Springs, NC 28578
919-778-6234
cliffs.neuse@ncparks.gov
GPS: 35.235400, -77.893200
Winter (Dec., Jan., & Feb.):
7am - 6pm
Spring (March & April):
7am- 8pm
Summer (May-Sept.):
7am - 9pm
Fall (Oct. & Nov.):
7am - 8pm
Visitor Center
9am - 5pm daily, 7 days a week. Visitor Center may be closed for one-hour at midday on weekends.