Carolina Ballet's Nutcracker opens this weekend in Chapel Hill with activities for families

The Carolina Ballet's Nutcracker opens this weekend at Memorial Hall on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus with some special activities and snacks.

Shows are 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, and 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 8.

Starting at 12:30 p.m., before both matinees, Kidzu Children's Museum will be there with holiday crafts. Hot chocolate and snacks also will be provided. The Chapel Hill Public Library will host a special storytime. Arts Everywhere will provide a special take-home coloring book. And, on Saturday, attendees can pet service dogs in training from Eyes Ears Nose & Paws.

Bonus: Kids under 12 are half price. (Tickets start at $47.)

This is the first stop for the ballet, which will take the holiday classic to the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham and the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts in Raleigh this month.

For more information about the Memorial Hall performances and to buy tickets, go to Carolina Performing Arts' website.

The Carolina Ballet's website has details about all of the Nutcracker performances.

This show is a longtime hit for my family. The first act, in particular, incorporates magic and illusion, which makes it a lot of fun for kids.