Dive presents: Spring Fever

Maple View Farms

Located in Hillsborough, Maple View Farms has sweet homemade ice cream to satisfy those spring weather cravings. The country store offers many seasonal and standard flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet that customers can eat out on the front porch. Apart from its ice cream selection, which includes the Tobacco Road Ice Cream Rivalry with Carolina Crunch and Devil’s Delight, the farm also has milk, local cheeses, eggs, pecans, fudge, candy, soap and handmade crafts. 

This 400-acre property is a great place to go to get away from the frustrations of homework and exams and to sit back with some fresh ice cream and enjoy the relaxing scenery. — Amanda Hayes

Noah’s Landing

Noah’s Landing is a private zoo with more than 60 species of animals for children and adults to learn about. Known for delivering an up-close-and-personal experience, the 12-acre farm offers public Saturday tours where visitors can pet and feed the animals while guides share facts and stories. The zoo may be an hour’s drive to Coats, but the tour guides take their time to give visitors a great experience. Noah’s Landing is opening back up for the spring Saturday just in time to give students some stress relief as we reach the final leg of the school year. — Amanda Hayes

NC Zoo

The North Carolina Zoo has been a great place to go for the past 40 years. 

With its abundance of animals and wildlife, there is no shortage of things to enjoy for people of all ages. Whether it’s looking at the fearsome lions or the adorable baby otters, the animals in the zoo are awesome to look at and bring out the best in anybody who enjoys God’s beautiful creations. 

Visitors can feel as if they are going to a hot African plain or the freezing cold arctic as they experience a wide variety of animals. 

The NC Zoo is a great place to go on a warm day and worth every penny. — Jeremy Wile

Camping on the lake

What better way to get away from the pressures of campus life than to go camping? Jordan Lake State Park is less than 30 minutes from campus, and there are hundreds of available campsites available for visitors. 

Whether you want to rough it on a primitive campsite or have the comfort of electricity, there is something for everyone. 

The Jordan Lake State Recreation Area includes amenities such as picnic tables, a bath house, an amphitheater, and swimming areas. 

If you like sailing or want to go out on the lake in a boat, they also have a boat launch, boat launch ramp and sailboat launch. Most locations have handicap access as well. — Stephanie Zimmerman

Duke Lemur Center

If you’re an animal-lover wanting to spend some time with the planet’s most endangered group of mammals, and you aren’t quite up for a weekend trip to Madagascar, check out the Duke Lemur Center.1 The Center, which promotes ecological research and advocacy, houses 31 species of lemurs and other primates.2 It offers a variety of tours, both seasonally and year-round. 

Get up close and personal with the Center’s 250 lemurs with Lemurs Live!, an hour-long walking tour perfect for a warm spring day. The Center’s other programs include behind-the-scenes looks at caring for the lemurs, lemur behavioral workshops and even painting with the primates — all fun, unorthodox ways to spend a day. — Drew Goins

Duke Gardens

As flowers start to bloom, Duke Gardens is the perfect place to see all the colors emerge. Take a stroll down the Blomquist Garden to see some local fauna, including their impressive collection of native carnivorous plants. 

Then take a walk through the Asiatic Arboretum to see the famed Japanese maples. While you’re there, check out the pavilion, which serves as a venue for chanoyu, the preparation and service for traditional Japanese tea. 

You can also buy some duck food at the gift shop and get up and close to the ducklings at the feeding area beside the garden pond. 

When you’re hungry, grab some lunch at the Terrace Café, located inside the grey stone-covered Bartter House. With such pretty scenery, it’s no wonder this 55-acre garden was picked among the top 10 public gardens in the U.S. — Marcela Guimaraes

Greensboro SciQuarium/Science Center

The Greensboro Science Center is well worth the hour-long trip as it’s equipped with a zoo, museum, aquarium and 3D theatre to keep you entertained for hours. You can check out a model of a T-Rex, watch penguins being fed, learn about black howler monkeys and pet a stingray all at the same place. Its cheap $12.50 admission ticket will gain you access to all of the exhibits sans the theatre, which is a great way to experience all kinds of animals from different places on earth and in time. You can start your day outside at the Animal Discovery Park walking through tigers, wolves, lemurs and pandas, then take a break to watch a movie about sea monsters before watching a shark reef dive and touching a Category 5 hurricane. There are tons of fun programs and activities to experience throughout the day at the Greensboro Science Center for everyone. — Amanda Hayes

Acid Park

If you drive just a little over an hour away to Wilson, you’ll find Acid Park, a place surrounded by urban legends. The story goes that a girl took LSD and was killed in a car crash on her way home. Her father had dreams of what she might have seen before she died and was inspired to build reflector-covered windmills to commemorate her death. There’s even a wrecked car near Acid Park. Urban legend aside, the eight windmills were actually constructed by Vollis Simpson out of old car scraps and reflectors. He calls his art pieces “whirligigs” and they can be seen along Wiggins Mill Road near the park. If you really want to see a show, drive down the road at night to catch the impressive spectacle of aerial reflectors. — Amanda Hayes

Carolina Tiger Rescue

Animal lovers and adventure seekers alike should take advantage of a great opportunity only half an hour away from campus. Carolina Tiger Rescue is an organization working to protect wildcats in captivity. This non-profit wildlife sanctuary, located in Pittsboro, offers tours as well as feeding and training sessions with the large cats and an animal keeper. 

Don’t let the name fool you, Carolina Tiger Rescue is also home to lions, cougars, leopards and more. Spend your day on a half-mile outdoor walk, meeting some of the world’s endangered species. 

Not only are you guaranteed an exciting afternoon, but you will be supporting the animals and the organization that takes care of them. — Natalie Carney