Upcoming Events
From music festivals, racing, history, heritage, food and everything in between. Here's your guide.
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Summer in the Park
3:30 PM TURKEY TALK – Let’s “talk turkey” about our biggest native game bird.
Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bathhouse if it’s raining.
6:00 PM ANIMAL ARCHITECTS – Animals build their homes in many ways. For
some animals, making a home is a lot of work! Come learn about one of
Tennessee’s most notorious architects, the beaver, and how they make a
nice home for themselves and others! Meet at the main bathhouse.
9:00 PM FLASHY FIREFLIES – Everyone loves watching and catching nature’s
fireworks! Join us for a short talk on fireflies and then catch (and release)
some fireflies with park staff. Meet at the Open-Air Chapel.
TUESDAY JULY 23
9:00 AM POPSICLE STICK WEAVING – Appalachia has a long tradition of
weaving. Come try your hand at a simple weaving project using popsicle
sticks and yarn. Meet at the Open Air Chapel (main bath house if it’s raining.)
10:30 AM SCAVENGER HUNT – You can be a park detective! Use the clues to find
out more about Warriors’ Path. You might win a prize, and you’ll surely
win lots of exciting discoveries. Meet at the Open Air Chapel to begin the
hunt.
12:00 PM WATER’S EDGE WALK – Let’s enjoy a mid-day walk along the
Lakeshore Trail and take our time exploring the nature around us and our
role in it. Meet at the main bathhouse.
2:00 PM SPOTLIGHT STROLL – Let’s shine our light on some bright natural
discoveries. Meet at the camp store to begin a short, sunlit walk.
3:30 PM ANIMAL GROUPS BINGO – Discover new insights into our unique and
different animal groups. Afterward, you’ll use your newfound knowledge
to win a game of animal groups bingo. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. In
case of rain, meet at the main bathhouse.
5:00 PM ANIMAL HOMES – Meet some small “guest speakers” and discover more
about who is “at home” here at the park. Come to the Open Air Chapel to
find out about their habitats, and ours. In case of rain, meet at the main
bath house.
6:00 PM HIKE THE DARWIN’S REVENGE TRAIL – It may have a very strange
name, but it is an awesome trail! Come spend several hours in one of the
most beautiful and wildest parts of the park. Be sure to wear good walking
shoes, comfortable clothes, and bring some drinking water. Meet at the
Mountain Bike Trail parking lot.
9:00 PM BAT AND MOTH – Use your ears and “bug hunting” skills! See if you
could survive a night out in the woods and fields – if you were a flying bug!
Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
NOTE: All activities meet in and near the park’s Main Campground, unless otherwise specified.
9:00 AM TISSUE PAPER FLOWERS – Join us for this class flower-themed craft while
learning some more about native wildflowers! Meet at the main bath house.
10:30 AM KNOT TYING – Be “knot” afraid of this important skill to many outdoor
activities. Come learn some basic knots at the Open Air Chapel (main bath
house if it is raining).
12:00 PM LIFE UNDER LOGS – Come dig into the world of trees and the little critters
that use them for homes! We will go on a hike along the Lakeshore Trail (1/2
mile) hunting for the little critters that love to hide under logs and figure out
why they’re so important to our park. Meet at the main bathhouse.
2:00 PM FIELD SWEEP – This green world at our feet is teeming with amazing life.
Help us “sweep up” some field discoveries. Meet at the Open Air Chapel.
4:00 PM TAG – You’re it! You’re the one we need to make all these great tag games work.
Meet at the Open Air Chapel for all kinds of tag games. If it is raining, meet at
the main bath house.
5:30 PM TREE FRISBEE – Come have a flying good time, and find out more about park
trees at the same time! Meet at the Open Air Chapel. We have plenty of frisbees!
6:30 PM SPIDER SCAVENGER HUNT – Are your spidey-senses tingling? Come see
how good your spidey-senses are with this spider themed scavenger hunt. Meet
at the Open Air Chapel to see how fast you can find some multi-legged friends.
9:00 PM TENNESSEE SPIDERS – What spiders are common here in Tennessee and
how do you identify them? Come find out about our most common spiders
through a slide illustrated talk then use some of your new knowledge to find
spiders in the night. Meet at the Open Air Chapel.
THURSDAY JULY 25
9:30 AM DEVIL’S BACKBONE HIKE -Come hike to the high places, and get some new
views of our park land. Drive to the camp store, and we’ll carpool to the start of
an invigorating hike.
10:30 AM EXOTIC JEWELRY – Make your own bracelet or necklace, while also helping
control invasive exotic plants that try to take over our homes and gardens! Bring
your creativity to the main bathhouse.
11:30 AM LEAF PRINTING – See what art you can create using nature’s leaves as your
tool! Meet at the Open Air Chapel, main bath house if it rains.
1:30 PM STORYTELLING WITH CHALK – Throughout time, people have told stories,
and used pictures to illustrate them. Let’s use our words and our fingers to draw
some good tales! Meet at the main bath house.
3:30 PM 100 INCH HIKE – Especially for small, tired feet! Discover life on the tiny side.
This will also be a great chance to catch a critter for the races! Meet at the main
bathhouse.
4:30 PM TN SYMBOLS BINGO – Do you know our TN State Symbols? Let’s test our
State Signs knowledge with a bingo game. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. (Rain
Location – Main Bathhouse.)
6:00 PM SKULLS – NATURE’S TOOL BOX – Every animal carries along all the tools it
needs for survival! Come investigate some natural “tool boxes,” and find out
more about each animal’s job! Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house
if it is raining.
THURSDAY, CONTINUED
7:30 PM PREDATOR/PREY – Will you be a carnivore, a herbivore, or an omnivore? Will
you find dinner, or BECOME dinner? Try this great game at the Open Air
Chapel, main bath house if it rains.
9:00 PM NIGHT HIKE TO SINKING WATERS – It’s a whole different world out there
at night! Tonight is our chance to discover the peace and the excitement of a
night in the Sinking Waters wetland. Bring a dim flashlight and drive to the
camp store. We’ll carpool out to the park back country.
8:00 AM BREAKFAST WITH THE BIRDS – Come wake up to our feathered neighbors.
Meet at the main bath house to begin a stroll through bird country! (The first 12
people to come get free doughnut & juice!)
10:30 AM BRAINY BIRDS – How smart are you and I compared to a common park bird?
Come find out just how smart crows are and how they are able to survive so
well. Meet at the main bathhouse.
1:00 PM BIRD CALL BINGO – Which bird song is that? Let’s “listen in” to some
common Tennessee bird calls, then test our knowledge through a classic game of
bingo. Meet at the main bath house.
2:00 PM WASPS & HORNETS – Yes, they do sting if you bother them! But they are
really amazing creatures when you get to know them, from a safe distance..
Let’s get a close, stingless look at these common, important, misunderstood park
critters. Meet at the main bath house.
3:30 PM MEET THE SNAKES – They’re not the fearsome creatures you’ve been led to
believe! Come out and learn some interesting and helpful facts about these
animals. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. In case of rain, meet at the main bath
house.
4:30 PM MEET THE CRAWDAD – There are so many things to discover in a creek, but
crawdads are unlike anything else. Let’s discover why these creatures are so
important to our world. Meet at the Open Air Chapel. In case of rain, meet at
the main bath house.
6:00 PM NATURE GAMES – Don’t miss the natural fun – for the young or the young-at-
heart! Meet at the Open Air Chapel for some lively games about our natural
world. If it’s raining, meet at the main bath house.
7:30 PM LEAF HIKE – Leaves are shade on a summer day. Leaves are the green carpet
of the hills. Leaves are full of amazing stories! Let’s walk under the leaves and
listen in. Meet at the main bath house to start our hike.
9:00 PM DRAGONFLIES – These fascinating insects have some amazing life stories to
tell. Come enjoy a slide-illustrated talk about these “bugs” that zip through the
summer skies. Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or the pool entrance if it’s raining.
SATURDAY, JULY 27
9:30 AM WETLAND WALK – Wetlands are wet, and full of life! Come along for a soggy
hike near Fall Creek, on the far side of the Devil’s Backbone. We might even
spot a few dragonflies! Drive to the camp store, and we’ll carpool.
11:30 AM NATURE YOGA – Yoga is a great way to stretch and be active in our park.
During this practice, we will focus on poses that are animal and nature-themed.
Bring a mat or towel if you’d like something to sit on. Meet at the Open Air
Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
1:30 PM NATURE PICTIONARY – Picture this: a great game for the whole family, with
lots of nature discovery built right in! Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main
bath house if it is raining.
4:00 PM LEAF CONFETTI – Come learn how to make this eco-friendly alternative to
plastic confetti! Leaf confetti is the perfect addition to any outdoor celebration
this summer. Meet at the main bath house.
6:00 PM WILDLIFE TRACKING – You can be a wildlife detective! Learn to read the
tracks, scats, and other signs of our nearby wild creatures. Park staff (and a
small native animal) will be at the Open Air Chapel so you can have a chance to
meet our 4-legged friend and enjoy his tracking lesson.(In case of rain, meet at
the main bath house.)
9:00 PM CAMPFIRE – What a perfect combination: A dark night, a crackling fire, and
some local, traditional ghost tales. Meet at the campfire circle, east end of the
main campground. If it is raining, we’ll have an indoor “campfire” at the pool
entrance.
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SUNDAY, JULY 28
9:00 AM WORSHIP SERVICE – Enjoy a peaceful morning worship service at the Open
Air Chapel, or at the pool entrance if it is raining. Sponsored by the Colonial
Heights Baptist Church.
