Looking for something fun to surprise Mom with this Mother’s Day? Here are a few ideas that are a little off the beaten path.

TheatreNOW, 19 S. 10 St., will host a Mother’s Day Jazz Brunch featuring Grenoldo Frazier at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children under 12 and include a three-course brunch. The menu consists of a first-course pastry basket, second course options such as a pimento cheese and bacon omelette, crème brûlée French toast, spring vegetable quiche, seafood eggs benedict and baked meatloaf with homemade mashed potatoes. The third course features the dessert of the day. Click here for details.

The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher is free to all mothers on Sunday and will host a Mother’s Day brunch catered by Bon Appetit from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The prix-fixe menu includes meat and vegetable quiche, mini fruit kabobs, finger sandwiches, cashew-encrusted chicken fingers and pasta salad. Tickets for brunch are $24 per adult, $22 for children 3–12, $5 for two year olds and free for children 1 and younger. N.C. Aquarium Society members pay $13, and children 2 and younger are free. Reservations are required; click here for information.

Wrightsville Beach Scenic Cruises will host its second annual Mother’s Day Cruise for which mothers receive a free cruise and beverage with a paid passenger. Cruises depart hourly from the Blockade Runner Resort dock beginning at 11 a.m. and ending with the sunset cruise at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are suggested; click here for full details.

Cape Fear Riverboats will host a scenic cruise aboard the Henrietta III on the Cape Fear River, narrated by the captain and followed by a buffet luncheon. The buffet will include tossed salad with house dressing, pasta primavera, carved ham and turkey, a chef's side dish, a variety of breads and cheeses, homemade southern-style potato salad, rolls, Cape Fear mud pudding and coffee and tea. Tickets are $28.50 for adults and $13 for children ages 2-12. Click here for full details.

Wilmington Water Tours will host a 90-minute Mother’s Day cruise along the Cape Fear River with a dessert buffet catered by Bon Appetit. Bite-size portions of a variety of homemade desserts such as key lime and creamsicle mousse, cheesecake, turtle cake, flourless chocolate cake, carrot cake and chocolate covered strawberries will be served. Tickets are $25; click here for information.

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