# Things to do with kids in Johnston County, NC

> 11 upcoming family events and 4 places and ongoing programs in Johnston County, NC, in the Raleigh–Cary area. Listings whose address ZIP code is in this county (Census Bureau ZIP-to-county file). Dates and times are Eastern Time. Today is Mon, Nov 2.

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Nov 2, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-11-01), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/counties/johnston-county-nc

## Events ahead

- [Harvest Festival at the Tobacco Farm Life Museum](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/harvest-festival-at-the-tobacco-farm-life-museum--listing-fd4d704fbdb11816ef33f414) — Sat, Nov 7 · 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM · Tobacco Farm Life Museum, Kenly · All ages · Free · checked Oct 27. The Tobacco Farm Life Museum in Kenly holds a free fall Harvest Festival on the first Saturday of November, a day of autumn activities built around North Carolina's agricultural…
- [Fall Festival at Bentonville Battlefield](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/fall-festival-at-bentonville-battlefield--listing-86904693daa6bcce938f5a1c) — Sat, Nov 14 · 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM · Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, Four Oaks · All ages · From $5 · checked Oct 27. Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site near Four Oaks, in southern Johnston County, holds a family Fall Festival on the grounds of the largest Civil War battle fought in…
- [Lights on the Neuse Christmas Hayride](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/lights-on-the-neuse-christmas-hayride--listing-65b5152904bc09735b81bcd3) — Fri, Nov 27 (+15 more dates) · 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM · Boyette Family Farms, Clayton · All ages · From $11 · checked Oct 27. Lights on the Neuse is a farm Christmas light show at Boyette Family Farms outside Clayton in Johnston County, seen from an old-fashioned tractor-pulled hayride rather than from…
- [Christmas Village and Tree Lighting — Clayton](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/christmas-village-and-tree-lighting-clayton--listing-3e587039a915837153627eb5) — Thu, Dec 3 · 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM · Downtown Clayton — Main Street (Horne Square to Town Square) · All ages · checked Oct 27. Downtown Clayton's Main Street turns into a holiday village for one evening each December, ending with the lighting of the Town of Clayton Christmas tree. From 5 to 8 pm local…
- [Christmas Carriage Rides in Downtown Smithfield](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/christmas-carriage-rides-in-downtown-smithfield--listing-2173fd78859370b5466ba006) — Fri, Dec 4 (+4 more dates) · 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM · Downtown Smithfield — carriage stop on S. 3rd Street near Santa's Workshop · All ages · From $25 · checked Oct 27. The Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation runs horse-drawn Christmas carriage rides through downtown Smithfield on several December evenings, so families can see the…
- [Christmas on Main in Downtown Benson](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/christmas-on-main-in-downtown-benson--listing-5f5747b64a089fe1238869c6) — Fri, Dec 4 · 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM · Downtown Benson · All ages · Free · checked Oct 30. Benson's free holiday kickoff on Main Street with vendors, shopping, a parade, visits with Santa and a Christmas show.
- [Holiday Open House at the Tobacco Farm Life Museum](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/holiday-open-house-at-the-tobacco-farm-life-museum--listing-51785e0eea34ded42d8a5569) — Sat, Dec 5 · 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM · Tobacco Farm Life Museum, Kenly · All ages · Free · checked Oct 27. The Tobacco Farm Life Museum in Kenly, a state-run museum of eastern North Carolina farm life in northern Johnston County, opens its doors for a free holiday open house on the…
- [In Heavenly Peace: A Civil War Christmas at Bentonville Battlefield](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/in-heavenly-peace-a-civil-war-christmas-at-bentonville-battlefield--listing-d3d2d2794380bb7981330cd7) — Sat, Dec 5 · 5:00 PM – 8:30 PM · Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, Four Oaks · All ages · From $5 · checked Oct 27. On the first Saturday evening of December, Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site in Four Oaks lights the Harper House by candlelight and opens it for a nineteenth-century…
- [Smithfield Christmas Parade](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/smithfield-christmas-parade--listing-6b41a044d2a2ce5e8052945a) — Thu, Dec 10 · 7:00 PM · Downtown Smithfield — Market Street parade route · All ages · checked Oct 30. The Town of Smithfield holds its annual Christmas Parade through downtown along Market Street on an evening in mid-December. Families line the street to watch floats, music and…
- [Santa's Workshop in Downtown Smithfield](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/santa-s-workshop-in-downtown-smithfield--listing-1e89d4aa33fa88232c84ac53) — Fri, Dec 11 (+5 more dates) · 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM · Santa's Workshop at the Johnston County Courthouse, Smithfield · checked Oct 27. On the two weekends before Christmas, Santa sets up a small workshop in downtown Smithfield beside the Johnston County Courthouse on 3rd Street, where children can stop in to…
- [Clayton Christmas Parade](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/clayton-christmas-parade--listing-448d79cf6d0631ae926a6651) — Sat, Dec 12 · 11:00 AM · Downtown Clayton — Main Street parade route · All ages · checked Oct 27. The Clayton Rotary Club and the Town of Clayton stage the Clayton Christmas Parade through downtown Clayton on the second Saturday of December, which in 2026 falls on December…

## Places and ongoing programs

- [Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/bentonville-battlefield-state-historic-site--listing-6afa6df122ce2c055a908f85) — Tuesday–Saturday 9 am–5 pm. Closed Sunday, Monday and designated state holidays (the… · Bentonville Battlefield, Four Oaks · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. The site of the Battle of Bentonville, fought March 19–21, 1865 — the largest battle ever fought in North Carolina and the last full-scale Civil War action in which a Confederate…
- [Clemmons Educational State Forest](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/clemmons-educational-state-forest--listing-e8d520c65d744be34a6752d4) — November 1 through end of February: Tuesday–Friday 9 am–5 pm; closed Saturday, Sunday… · Clemmons Educational State Forest, Clayton · All ages · checked Oct 24. North Carolina's first Educational State Forest (opened 1976) near Clayton, built for learning in the woods. Self-guided trails include the Forest Geology Trail with 'Talking…
- [Storytime at the Public Library of Johnston County & Smithfield](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/storytime-at-the-public-library-of-johnston-county-and-smithfield--listing-c208852534e305afb874c3b3) — Every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 am (about 30 minutes, then activity and sensory… · Public Library of Johnston County & Smithfield · Ages 0–5 · checked Oct 24. A roughly 30-minute storytime for babies, toddlers and preschoolers with songs, American Sign Language, movement and reading. After the first part, activity and sensory tables…
- [Tobacco Farm Life Museum](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/tobacco-farm-life-museum--listing-7bf3c1a651895bee2adc6b1e) — Tuesday–Saturday 10 am–5 pm. · Tobacco Farm Life Museum, Kenly · All ages · checked Oct 24. A museum of eastern North Carolina's agricultural history in Kenly, with a 6,000-square-foot exhibit gallery and education space, six historic and recreated 20th-century farm…

## Nearby

- Towns in Johnston County, NC: [Clayton, NC](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/towns/clayton-nc) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/towns/clayton-nc.md), [Smithfield, NC](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/towns/smithfield-nc) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/towns/smithfield-nc.md), [Four Oaks, NC](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/towns/four-oaks-nc) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/towns/four-oaks-nc.md), [Kenly, NC](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/towns/kenly-nc) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/towns/kenly-nc.md)
- [Things to do with kids in Raleigh](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh.md)
- [This weekend in Raleigh](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/this-weekend.md)

Town pages are listed once a town has 3 current listings, county pages at 10.