VARIOUS THURSDAYS Morehead City

Magic on the beach

At 7 p.m. July 12, 19 and 26 – all Thursdays, magicians take the stage at Morehead City’s Morehead Center, 1311 Arendell St., for a family-friendly evening of tricks, stunts and audience participation. Tickets: $10. Details: 252-726-1501.

JULY 14-LABOR DAY Cherokee

Music stars play casino

Here’s an updated list on who will be performing in the Event Center at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, in Cherokee. July 14: Gary Allan; July 20: DJ Pauly D; July 21: Ultimate Elvis Contest; July 27: Creed; Aug. 3: Billy Engvall; Aug. 11: Kathy Griffin; Aug. 24: Justin Moore; Sept. 1: Kenny Rogers.

Contact the casino at for show time and ticket info: 800-522-4700; www.harrahscherokee.com (click “Events/Entertainment”).

JULY 15-18 Walland, Tenn.

‘Smoky Mountain Table’ at Blackberry Farm

Blackberry Farm, the 62-room East Tennessee resort named No. 1 in North America by Travel + Leisure magazine, is staging “Smoky Mountain” table July 15-18, with garden demonstrations, a dairy tour, cheese making classes, hands-on cooking demonstrations and an epicurean meal. Reservations/details: 800-557-8864; www.blackberryfarm.com (click “Events”).

JULY 15 Columbia

Palmetto Tasty Tomato Festival

From 5 to 9 p.m. July 15, Slow Food Columbia and Sustainable Midlands will stage the Palmetto Tasty Tomato Festival, a family-friendly, midsummer’s evening event with a free heirloom tomato tasting, live music, food/drink vendors, tomato bobbing, a tomato potluck, the Tasty Tomato Contest, and more. The event is at City Roots urban farm. 1005 Airport Blvd, in Columbia’s Rosewood neighborhood. Cost: $10/advance; $15/gate; 12 and younger, free. Details: http://tastytomato2012.eventbrite.com.

THROUGH SEPT. 10 Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Exhibit honors Gullah culture

The Coastal Discovery Museum at Hilton Head Island, S.C., is staging “Looking Back, Rising Forward,” an arts display honoring the history of the Gullah-Geechee islands, June 29-Sept. 10. Works include paintings by Amiri Farris and bronze and clay sculptures by Judy Mooney. Hours: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Admission: free. Details: 843-689-6767; www.coastaldiscovery.org

NOW OPEN Sevierville, Tenn.

Ride slide ride in see-through capsule

What’s billed as “only near-vertical, translucent, looping waterslide in the Southeast” has opened at Wilderness at the Smokies Resort, in Sevierville, Tenn., just off Interstate 40. Riders board the 66-foot-tall ride in a capsule over a trapdoor; when the door is released, there’s a 39-foot vertical free-fall with a 2.5 G-force. The ride lasts seven seconds. In March, the resort opened a family entertainment park that has a three-story ropes course, laser tag arena and more. Details: 877-325-9453; www.wildernessatthesmokies.com.

John Bordsen

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