Give a uniquely crafted gift this holiday that captures North Carolina art or history from a state art or history museum, or historic site within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. These sought after gifts are perfect for the art or history buff in your life. In addition to great fun and family experiences, gift shops at many of the 27 state historic sites and seven history museums offer unusual toys or crafts from pre-Colonial days to the present. Many of the shops offer works by North Carolina artisans as well. Event information is at www.ncculture.com.

The N.C. Museum of History stores offer gift baskets, books, jewelry, toys, pottery, specialty foods, and more online and at each location. The N.C. Museum of Art and SECCA shops offers artisan-crafted jewelry, posters, art kits and games. Delightful nautical or pirate-themed gifts also will shiver your timbers at the three maritime museums. Timeless temptations such that pleased a royal governor at Tryon Palace or Civil War soldiers await imaginative holiday shoppers in these gift shops.

Tickets to a North Carolina Symphony concert, the Battleship USS North Carolina or Tryon Palace make great stocking stuffers. Gift memberships to the symphony, battleship, or the museums or historic sites also assure special perks to members all through the year.

For that got-to-be there gift, tickets to the Porsche: Designing Speed exhibition at the N.C. Museum of Art will offer a unique opportunity to view a one-of-a-kind exhibit created for the N.C. Museum of Art. See 22 Porsches that demonstrate the design sensibility of one of the world's most venerated vehicles.

To celebrate the opulent and the sacred simultaneously, tickets the Russian exhibitions at the N.C. Museum of History are the answer. The Tsars' Cabinet showcases 300 years of decorative arts from the reign of the Romanov family, a jewel-encrusted cigar case and other personal items, ornate dinnerware and other objects provide a visual feast. Windows into Heaven exhibits 36 religious icons from the Russian Orthodox Church, which celebrate the icons as a conduit to God in heaven. See the two exhibits for one fee; admission is discounted Dec. 31 for the First Night Raleigh event.

Book lovers will find a unique collection of titles from the N.C. Historical Publications Branch and a holiday sale as well. There are great posters from the World War II era, or others that capture other historic events.

North Carolina's arts and culture gifts will make for a more authentic, original holiday this year.

About the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources:

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's cultural resources to build the social, cultural and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan Kluttz, NCDCR's mission is to enrich lives and communities by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina that will spark creativity, stimulate learning, preserve the state's history and promote the creative economy. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.

Through arts efforts led by the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony and the N.C. Museum of Art, NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and spurring the economic stimulus engine for our state's communities. NCDCR's Divisions of Archives and Records, Historical Resources, State Historic Sites and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North Carolina's rich cultural heritage to offer experiences of learning and reflection. NCDCR's State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state to develop and to offer access to educational resources through traditional and online collections including genealogy and resources for the blind and physically handicapped.

NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation's first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state's creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.