Grandfather Mountain announces 2021 calendar of events
Grandfather Mountain in Linville, North Carolina is taking fun to new heights in 2021.
The park and it's staff are getting ready for a safe and eventful year, releasing their 2021 calendar of events.
With a few exceptions, most events are included with park admission. Members of Grandfather Mountain's Bridge Club will receive discounted admission for paid events.
“At Grandfather Mountain, we like to bridge outdoor fun with education,” said Frank Ruggiero, director of marketing and communications for the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the Linville, N.C., nature park. “Our 2021 slate of events offers folks mountains of opportunities to have fun while exploring our unique classroom in the clouds.”
The 2021 schedule is as follows:
Adult Field Course - Advanced Birding Identification
May 1
8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Limit 10 $60/ $25 Bridge Club
This course will explore such aspects of the lives of birds as seasonal plumage, molt, nestling growth, seasonal occurrence, habitat requirements and similarities between related and sometimes completely unrelated species.
Grandfather Mountain’s Adult Field Course series offers participants the chance to explore the mountain like never before. Students examine speci?c aspects of the park ecosystem through fun, hands-on ?eld excursions. Course leaders are experts in their ?elds and include professors, naturalists, scientists and acclaimed photographers, writers, historians and artists.
Advanced registration is required at www.grandfather.com.
Adult Field Course - Introduction to Landscape Design
May 15
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Limit 10 $60/ $25 Bridge Club
This course is a landscape design workshop that will help participants make informed and confident decisions about issues they face in the landscape. Instructor Preston Montague will present tenets of landscape design he’s learned as a professional landscape architect, as well as his approach to solving a range of problems that includes drainage, planting and overall aesthetics.
The Remarkable Rhododendron Ramble
May 29- June 6
2 p.m.
From May 29 through June 6, a series of 20-minute guided walks will highlight Grandfather Mountain’s rhododendron species and blooms.
Educator Workshop - Project WILD: Bears
Thursday, June 3
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Limit 12
Project WILD is a K-12 interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program emphasizing wildlife. All participants will receive the Project WILD activity guide and earn six hours of Criteria II or III credits toward their N.C. Environmental Education Certification (or 0.6 CEUs). A homework option is available to earn up to 10 hours or 1.0 CEU.
Grandfather Mountain’s Educator Workshops are free to educators and offer credits for Criteria I, II and III programs. Courses include complimentary admission to the park for attendees. Registration is required at www.grandfather.com.
Educator Workshop - Project Growing Up WILD
Wednesday, July 21
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Limit 12
Growing up WILD is an early childhood program that builds on children’s sense of wonder about nature and invites them to explore wildlife and their habitats. While the workshop is primarily oriented toward educators that work with children ages 3-7, many of the activities in the guide can be adapted to a wider age range. Registration is required at www.grandfather.com.
Grandfather Presents: David Sibley
Thursday, Aug. 12
6- 7:30 p.m.
Author, illustrator and avid birdwatcher David Sibley will open the 2021 Grandfather Presents lecture series. With his father an ornithologist, Sibley said birding has been a major part of his life ever since he was a child. He merged his encyclopedic knowledge with his skills as a self-taught artist to become one of America’s best-known field guide authors.
The Grandfather Presents lecture series offers presentations from some of the country’s foremost experts on conservation. Advanced registration is required at www.grandfather.com.
Educator Workshop - Project WILD: Elk
Thursday, Aug. 19
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Limit 12
Project WILD is a K-12 interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program emphasizing wildlife. All participants will receive the Project WILD activity guide and earn six hours of Criteria II or III credits toward their N.C. Environmental Education Certification (or 0.6 CEUs). A homework option is available to earn up to 10 hours or 1.0 CEU. Registration is required at www.grandfather.com.
HawkWatch
September
All throughout September, guests are invited to join the mountain’s naturalists as they count and celebrate the annual spectacle of the fall raptor migration. Participants can meet daily across the Mile High Swinging Bridge on Linville Peak, weather permitting.
51st Annual Girl Scout Day
Sep. 18
11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Girl Scouts are invited to join the park’s education staff for a fun-filled learning adventure on Grandfather Mountain. Participants can enjoy special scout activities and presentations. Plus, all Girl Scouts and troop leaders are admitted free with proof of membership, and family members will receive discounted admission. Reservations are required by calling 828-733-2013.
Creatures of the Night & Bonfire Delight
Sept. 25
6 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Limit 25 $50/ $10 Bridge Club
As night falls on Grandfather Mountain, guests can enjoy rare after-dark tours, fireside tales and a chance to meet the park’s nocturnal residents. Registration is required at www.grandfather.com.
The Fall Color Ramble
Oct. 2-10
2 p.m.
From Oct. 2-10, guests can enjoy 20-minute guided walks that highlight Grandfather Mountain’s fall colors.
Adult Field Course - Late Summer Sketching
Oct. 9
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Limit 10 $60/ $25 Bridge Club
The naturalist’s sketchbook is full of drawings and observations of the outdoors that bring moments in nature to life. Participants will learn how to tell a story through the arrangement of objects in a sketchbook, as well as basic observation and drawing techniques with pen, pencil and colored pencils. Registration is required at www.grandfather.com.
Adult Field Course - Grandfather’s Starry Skies
Oct. 23
5 p.m.-11 p.m.
Limit 10 $60/ $25 Bridge Club
The goal for this class is to create a familiarity with the night sky and learn the basics of stargazing that can be applied on your own on any clear night throughout the year. Registration is required at www.grandfather.com.