Kayak Stargazing

Enjoy an evening under the stars, floating along the Bays Mountain Reservoir, safely from the comfort of your own kayak. It’ll be a cool and relaxing evening like no other.

Bays Mountain Park is pleased to bring back the kayak stargazing program this spring. The program is an astronomy class with a twist where you’ll learn about the constellations, the Moon and the viewable planets with the naked eye.

Kayak Stargazing programs will be held from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 14, 16 and 21, and from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on May 7, 12 and 14. The cost is $5 for park members and $10 for non-members. Each program is limited to 20 boats so be sure to sign up early.

Participants are required to bring their own kayak, canoe or stand-up paddleboard and paddling equipment, along with a Type III personal flotation device. You will also be allowed some time to paddle around the lake as you wait for the sky to darken.

To register, visit https://bit.ly/4scXg2N. You can also register by clicking on the CivicRec link in the Connect Kingsport app or go to www.kingsporttn.gov and click on “CivicRec,” then search for “kayak” in the search bar.

For more information about Bays Mountain Park visit www.baysmountain.com.

Annually, more than 200,000 visitors pass through Bays Mountain Park making it one of the State of Tennessee’s Top 50 Most Visited Attractions, according to the State of Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. One of the nation’s largest city-owned parks with 3,750 acres, Bays Mountain Park features roughly 44 miles of hiking trails, a state-of-the-art planetarium, wildlife habitats, fun exhibits, a 44-acre lake, trails for mountain biking and much, much more. For more information, please visit www.baysmountain.com.

Founded in 1917, the City of Kingsport (pop. 55,400) is located on the Tennessee-Virginia border at the crossroads of I-81 and I-26 near the geographic center of the eastern United States. The city is widely known as a planned community, designed by renowned city planner John Nolen and wrapping around the foot of Bays Mountain – a 3,750-acre park, nature preserve, planetarium and observatory. Kingsport is recognized as an International Safe Community by the National Safety Council, a Healthier Tennessee community, and won the 2009 Harvard Innovations in American Government Award for its higher education initiatives. While many city names are duplicated throughout the U.S., there’s only one Kingsport – a fact that invokes community pride, known locally as the “Kingsport Spirit.” For more information, please visit www.kingsporttn.gov.