NORTH CAROLINA STATE PARKS
BIG BIRTHDAY: North Carolina State Parks is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and the parks system is continuing to grow. In 2015, the state’s parks hosted more than 17 million visitors, an increase from 2014’s 15.6 million visitors. Goose Creek State Park celebrated this milestone with a First Day Hike in early January and its own viewing of “Saving the Best: North Carolina State Parks at 100” on Wednesday night. Pictured are some of the views from Pettigrew State Park in Creswell, N.C. For more information about the parks system, visit www.ncparks.gov.