GSMNP to Offer Parks As Classrooms Program In Autumn

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be offering its fall Parks as Classrooms (PaC) program, September – November, for students in grades K-8 from Tennessee schools. Resource Education Park Rangers are the subject experts and primary instructors during on-site field trips to the Park. Lesson plans combine Park resources with educational disciplines, including science and social studies. During activities, the Park becomes an outdoor classroom with hands-on learning experiences at several Park locations. The following are the programs available at this time:

Anthony Creek Classroom at Cades Cove. (1st grade) Rangers teach students to become nature detectives and participate in a habitat discovery hike. A show and tell activity teaches about different animal groups and their characteristics.

Porters Flat Classroom at Greenbrier and Cove Homeplace Classroom at Cades Cove. (2nd grade) Children travel back in time to discover how early settlers used the forest for obtaining food and medicines and recreate the experience of building a log home using real tools.

Air Quality Interactions Classroom at Sugarlands Visitor Center or Clingmans Dome. (5th grade) Students collect data for on-going monitoring studies about air pollution as relationships between forest elements are explored. The connections between human activities and impacts to the natural environment are examined in this program.

Soil Exploration Classroom at Twin Creeks Science and Education Center near Gatlinburg. (6th grade) Participate in an inventory of the macro invertebrates of the deciduous forest using scientific methods. In small groups, the class will recognize the interdependence of biotic and abiotic factors.

Cades Cove Loop Classroom (6th grade) This bicycle tour takes students part of the way around Cades Cove Loop Road. Students role-play as Park managers and plan the future of four key resources of the Cove. Class size is limited to 30 students. This program can also be given as a hayride for larger groups rather than on bicycles. (A small fee per student is required to rent the bicycles or hay wagon.)

The New Deal Classroom near Sugarlands Visitor center. (7th grade) A three mile round trip hike allows students to explore the remaining clues of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. The role of the Smokies during this era will be discussed.

Cades Cove Classroom (7th grade) Students participate in how biologists track animals and manage wildlife. Participants will examine many of the historic structures in Cades Cove.

Little River Classroom near Sugarlands Visitor Center. (7th grade) Using scientific methods, students will study streams. Students conduct water quality tests and assess the watershed’s health while discovering stream creatures.

Biodiversity Classroom at Twin Creeks Science and Education Center near Gatlinburg. (8th grade) – Students will study biodiversity by hands-on sampling of microscopic life in the temperate forest biome. Classroom size is limited to 50 students.

All activities are conducted in a three-hour program (including break for lunch), September – November. Chaperones will be required. In addition to the on-site trips, most units include a pre-visit materials package with logistical information, a video, and pre-site and post-site lesson plans for use in the classroom.

Interested teachers can contact the park at 865-436-1713 or visit the Parks as Classrooms program website to learn more. These educational programs would not be possible without the generous support of Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and many other local donors.

Trails Forever Seeks Voluteer with On-line Enlistment

Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced on-line recruitment and scheduling of Trails Forever volunteers who perform a variety of trail rehabilitation and trail projects throughout the national park.

Trails Forever is a partnership between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Friends of the Smokies. The volunteer component of Trails Forever allows the public to take part in trail maintenance. Information about Trails Forever, including the 2009 Trails Forever schedule and Trails Forever Volunteer Application, is now available online at SmokiesTrailsForever.org/about.

Individuals or groups who are interested in taking part in the 2009 Trails Forever volunteer program are encouraged to visit the website and learn more about these volunteer opportunities. “This new information page will provide all the necessary information about volunteering for Trails Forever and greatly improve the volunteer application and selection process,” says Jeremy Sweat, Volunteer Coordinator for Trails Forever.

Trails Forever is one of many volunteer opportunities that are available in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To obtain an information packet on other volunteer opportunities such as staffing visitor center information desks, maintaining and patrolling trails, and assisting in resource management activities, write to the Park at 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, TN., attn: Volunteer Coordinator.

Give Your Wallet a Vacation with Ten Free Thing To Do Around Gatlinburg

Everyone is cutting corner on vacations these days, but that doesn’t mean you have to cut back on adventure. The folks at the Gatlinburg Department of Tourism have put together ten ideas to help get the most out of your visit to Gatlinburg and Smoky Mountains that doesn’t cost a dime. These ten suggestions can keep you busy, entertained and mesmerized for your entire stay and give your wallet a vacation in the process.

Find Adventure Along The Parkway

Put on your walking shoes, get out of the car, and join in the great family tradition of the downtown Parkway stroll also known as the center of excitement to those who visit Gatlinburg frequently. Explore every nook and cranny where you’ll find more than 200 unique shops, dozens of restaurants, and attractions for all ages. As you stroll, be on the look-out for homemade mountain taffy pulling, mouthwatering caramel apples being dipped or delectable fudge being prepared. You might just choose to play miniature golf, experience the world’s largest underwater aquarium tunnel, ride America’s largest aerial tram, take an elevator of chair lift to the top of the town, visit the unique museums or take a turn on live-action rides along the way. You can even people-watch!

Stroll River Road By The Little Pigeon River

If you need an “away from it all” moment, take a leisurely stroll along the Riverwalk that runs along the Little Pigeon River one block off the downtown Gatlinburg Parkway. Feed the ducks, watch as fishermen cast their flies in hopes of landing a mountain trout, or relax along the riverbank as you listen to the swift river flow before you. Admire beautiful arrays of flowers and dip your feet in the brisk mountain river. Find the perfect photo spot and help assure that your moments in Gatlinburg are never forgotten.

Drive The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Need to rest your feet? Jump in your car and explore a collection of historical sites on Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail including the preservation of a homestead owned by the Noah “Bud” Ogle family who lived in Gatlinburg after the Civil War. See log cabins, Roaring Fork Cemetery, and the remains of a village that supported some two dozen families more than 150 years ago. The motor nature trail is accessible to automobiles via the eight-mile one-way paved road. Many stops along the way allow you to get out, take a deep breath of mountain air, step back in time as you visit the sites and enjoy the aura of the mountains.

Absorb Sugarlands Visitor Center

Located at Great Smoky Mountain National Park’s main northern entrance two miles south of Gatlinburg along Newfound Gap Road, (U.S. 441) Sugarlands is a visitor center you should visit. A free 20-minute orientation motion picture provides an in-depth look at the Smokies and the enormous diversity of plant and animal life in the Park. Natural history exhibits include mounted specimens of park animals in recreations of their habitats and reproductions of journals kept by the first park naturalists. Ranger talks and slide shows are presented daily from spring through fall.

Explore The Greenbrier

Just a few miles outside of Gatlinburg and is a hidden jewel known as Greenbrier. A plethora of daytime fun and free outdoor activities can be enjoyed at this area of the National Park, located just east of Gatlinburg. Tube, swim, picnic, hike, sunbathe, or mountain bike. Ramsey Cascades Trail Head is also located here.

Discover Cades Cove

Historical cabins, farmhouses and churches are maintained in Cades Cove, a western valley in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. First settled by Europeans in 1819, today, the National Park Service maintains a historical and cultural preserve of log cabins, churches and other structures. The 11-mile one-way road passes by 19 numbered tour stops as identified in the pamphlet available at the entrance. Be sure to bring your camera in hopes of spotting wildlife such as deer, bear, turkey, owl and fox. If you prefer, you can also experience the loop on horseback or bicycle!

Take In The Gatlinburg Overlook

See Gatlinburg from a bird’s eye view from the two overlooks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s the perfect souvenir photo spot and one of the most popular places to watch the sun rise. So grab your cameras and head up to Gatlinburg Overlook and enjoy the view!

Visit Arrowmont School Of Arts & Crafts

Indulge in a little culture as you browse the galleries of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Arrowmont has developed into a leader of contemporary arts and crafts education. Founded in 1945, the school has developed into a leader in arts and crafts education, with an annual enrollment of more than 2,000 students from the United States and abroad. Stop by and tour select collections of the art galleries, the resource center and the book and supply store.

Investigate Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community/The Glades

Take a trolley ride or take a leisurely drive to visit the eight-mile loop of Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community and see craftsmanship at its best, as artisans using simple tools and skillful hands whittle, carve, cast, sew, weave and transform raw elements into works of art and function. Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community is recognized internationally as the largest group of independent artisans in North America with nearly 100 shops, studios, galleries, cafes and lodging options.

Enjoy Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales

All summer long visitors can meet characters, hear mountain music and learn about life in the Smokies on the streets of Gatlinburg. In conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, enjoy storytellers, musicians and cloggers performing along the Parkway every evening during this fourth annual event!