Weekend Plans: St. Patrick's Day parade, Easter Bunny visits, frogs, more this weekend

It’s another busy weekend. So let’s get started. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About section for more weekend fun.

We have a parade! Raleigh’s St. Patrick Day Parade and Festival starts at 10 a.m., Saturday, in downtown Raleigh. The parade starts on North Wilmington Street near the state government complex, weaves around the State Capitol and finally makes its way down Fayetteville Street. The festival on City Plaza runs from about 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with all kinds of music, performance and vendors.

We have family performances … “Disney’s The Lion King” is at the Durham Performing Arts Center, “The Wolf” is at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts and Raleigh Little Theatre opens “Miss Nelson is Missing.”

The N.C. Symphony rounds out its youth series with the final concert of the season - The Composer is Dead by Nathaniel Stookey with text by Lemony Snicket. Shows are 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., Saturday. Pre-concert activities include an instrument zoo, face painting and other activities. Tickets are $23 plus the usual fees. These are great for kids ages 5 to 12 and their parents.

We have consignment sales in Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill and Fayetteville this week.

Two big destinations are now open for the season - Go Ape Treetop Adventure Park, which opened last weekend, and Three Bears Acres, which opens this weekend.

And don’t forget the Easter Bunny is here! He’s sitting at local malls. Check our Easter events database for more information about those and egg hunts across the region. Zebulon will host its egg hunt this weekend - at 10 a.m., Saturday, at the Zebulon Municipal Complex.

The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences’ 22nd annual Reptile and Amphibian Day is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, at the downtown Raleigh museum. This year’s theme is frogs! The free event includes a variety of destinations, activities and presentations.

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill has several events: A Teen Science Cafe is 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, and features Donita Robinson, an associate professor of psychiatry at UNC. She’ll be talking about the brain and how it “codes” rewards. This one is for teens ages 13 to 18. The program is free. Morehead also will host a free skywatching session from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, at Jordan Lake State Park, weather permitting.

In Durham, the Museum of Life and Science has Forts, which runs through Sunday. Use everyday items to build forts, tunnels and hiding places. It’s free with admission, which is $16 and $11 for kids ages 3 to 12.

The Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties will host a Touch-a-Truck event on Saturday. Kids can check out a variety of trucks. There also will be games, bounce houses, mascots and more. The event starts at 10 a.m. Kids with sensory issues are invited to come from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. where they might enjoy a quieter event. It’s at The Streets at Southpoint in Durham near Macy’s. Tickets are $5 and $15 for a family of four. It’s free for ages 1 and younger.

From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, play some BubbleBall and help raise money for cancer research. Triangle BubbleBall has partnered with the U.S. Bubble Soccer Association and AliveAndKickn for what looks like a fun event. Donation is $25. BubbleBall mixes soccer, sumo and dodgeball and involves giant inflatable balls that you actually get inside. Check out the Facebook event page for more information, including registration details.

Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University will host a free family day from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday. The day includes activities with The Scrap Exchange and performances by Rags to Riches Theatre for Yount Audiences. It's free.

Finally, at 3 p.m., Sunday, Durham County Library will host a lecture on reading and writing (best for teens and adults) from Matt de la Pena at Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St. It’s free. De la Peña is the author of six critically-acclaimed young adult novels, including Mexican WhiteBoy, The Living and The Hunted, as well as two picture books. He won the Newbery Medal in January for his most recent picture book, Last Stop on Market Street. Activities also will include a storytime for young children, book giveaways and book signings. The storytime will happen during the reading and lecture so students will have something to do while adults attend the lecture (or parents can hang with their kids at storytime too). Translation will be provided for Spanish-speaking kids and parents.