Description: Summer In The Park, week of May 25-31
Location: Warriors Path State Park
Come enjoy a week full of outdoor fun! You and your family can hike strenuous and easy, meet wildlife on land and in water, enjoy traditional games and ghost tales, and much more. And it's all free!
IMPORTANT NOTE - You DO NOT have to preregister for these "Summer In The Park" activities. However, we are offering registration for those who wish to donate to the park's programming efforts.
Here's the detailed schedule for this week:
MONDAY, MAY 25
5:30 PM TREE COOKIES - Let’s read a small slice of nature! The inside of a tree holds many clues to the outside of the land! Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
9:00 PM NIGHT VISION - Come find out who has great night vision and we’ll even test out our own. Meet at the Open Air Chapel.
TUESDAY, MAY 26
10:00 AM NATURE’S SKYSCRAPERS - Forests are like apartment houses! Come along on this forest hike, and we’ll find out more about who lives “upstairs.” Meet at the Campfire Circle on the east end of the campground.
11:30 AM OWL GAMES - Test your skills as an owl (or a mouse!) with some lively games! Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
1:30 PM “INVADERS” AMONG US - Discover more about the dangers of invasive plant and animal species by playing a nature game about these invaders. Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it’s raining.
2:30 PM NATURE JOURNALS - Come learn the basics of nature journaling and create your own masterpiece. Meet at the Open Air Chapel (main bath house if it’s raining).
5:00 PM POLLINATORS ARE PRECIOUS- Let’s take a walk through pollinator country! Come help us discover the creatures who help craft our future by helping plants make seeds. Bring yourself and your keen eyes down to the camp store to begin a short hike.
7:30 PM EVENING STROLL - Let’s wake up our senses to evening in the forest. Meet at the main bath house for a short, refreshing hike.
9:00 PM PLANTS & POLLINATORS - Enjoy a slide-illustrated talk on native wildflowers, and the “busy bugs” who help them thrive. Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it’s raining.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27
8:30 AM WAKE UP WALK - Let's wake up to the sounds of nature around us. Meet at the the main bath house for a refreshing walk through the woods.
11:30 AM HOLSTON BLUFFS RAILROAD TOUR - Our park is tied to history through the rails! Let’s hike the old RR grade, and hear the stories of these early railroaders lives. Meet at the entrance to the Moody Bluff Campground.
1:00 PM LEAF SCAVENGER HUNT - You can be a tree 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.
2:30 PM PAW PAW PATROL - Have you heard of Paw Paw trees? Let’s go “way down yonder to the Paw Paw patch!” We’ll discover more about this amazing native fruit tree. Join the “Paw Paw Patrol” along the trail. Meet at the Open Air Chapel.
4:30 PM MICRO-PARKS - Here’s your chance to plan and share your own nature park. You might even get “paid” by your “customers”! Bring your best park managing skills to the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
6:00 PM NOISY TOYS - How did the pioneer children make music or noise? Make your very own “musical” instrument with a few simple things from nature. Meet at the Open Air Chapel to create some “beautiful music.” In case of rain, meet at the main bath house.
7:30 PM EDIBLE PLANTS RAMBLE - Are they weeds or are they dinner? Learn to make a salad from lawn plants. Meet at the camp store and let’s walk on down.
9:00 PM NIGHT SOUNDS - Nature is full of sounds when the sun goes down! Some seem eerie, but there’s no need to be nervous. Come find out whose noise is whose. Meet at the Open Air Chapel for a short slide show of the creatures who “talk” in the night! (At the main bath house if it is raining.) NOTE - there will be a special NIGHT SOUNDS contest for children after the show.
THURSDAY, MAY 28
9:00 PM APPALACHIAN “ENGLISHES” - Ever wonder where an accent comes from? Well, wander on down to the Open Air Chapel to find out how our landscape changes the way we speak. (In case of rain, meet at the main bath house).
11:30 AM OH DEER- Oh Dear a deer! See if you can find what a deer needs to survive. Join us at the Open-air Chapel. Or main bathhouse if it is raining.
2:00 PM LEAVE NO TRACE - We can enjoy the wilderness, and leave the land as beautiful as it was. Find out how to camp and hike, and leave no signs of your presence. Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
3:30 PM BIRD BINGO - Discover new insights into our unique and different feathered friends. Afterwards, you’ll use your newfound knowledge to win a game of bird bingo. Meet at Open Air Chapel. In case of rain, meet at the main bath house.
5:00 PM SOIL STUDIES - It’s not just plain old “dirt!” Come “dig into” some new discoveries about the soil beneath our feet. Meet at the Open Air Chapel.
6:00 PM HIKING BY THE RIVER - This slow-paced hike is a chance to discover more about natural places along the water’s edge. Meet at the camp store.
7:00 PM SEED RACES - Wind, water, and animals carry seeds of new trees and plants all across the land. Our “wind” can help too! Meet at the Open Air Chapel to show off your “hot air” and plant some new life. Meet at the main bath house if it rains.
9:00 PM WILDLIFE TRACKING - You can be a wildlife detective! Learn to read the tracks, scats, and other signs of our nearby wild creatures. Meet at the Open Air Chapel to meet our 4-legged “wildlife ambassador” and enjoy his tracking lesson.(In case of rain, meet at the main bath house.)
FRIDAY, MAY 29
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!)
10:00 AM LEAF PRINTS - “Ordinary” leaves come in such extraordinary shapes and textures. We can capture these patterns with ink and paper. Come make a leaf souvenir at the main bath house.
11:00 AM SPOTLIGHT STROLL - Let’s shine our light on some bright natural discoveries. Meet at the camp store for a short, sunlit hike.
1:00 PM LIVING DOWNSTREAM - We are all downstream of the earth’s resources. Let’s “build” a small community along a “river” and find out how we impact the world downstream of us. Wander on down to the main bath house, and bring along your ideas for your dream house or business.
2:00 PM INVASIVE PLANTS BOOKMARKS - Mark your place in your favorite summer reading while helping tame some invasive plants. Meet at the Open Air Chapel, or main bath house if it is raining.
3:00 PM TEN ESSENTIALS - Don’t hit the trail without them! Meet at the Open Air Chapel to find out what’s REALLY important for safe and fun nature exploration. In case of rain, meet at the main bath house.
4:00 PM BUTTERFLY WATCHING - Summer days are bright with these fantastic flyers! Come share exciting discoveries as we watch these lovely bugs. Meet at the camp store.
6:00 PM ID THE TREE - “Wood” you like to know what tree you are camping under? You don’t want to “leaf” the park without finding out! Meet at the main bath house, and we’ll learn some local trees together.
7:00 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.
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 main bath house.
SATURDAY, MAY 30
9:30 AM RIDGELINE HIKE - Come hike the high ridges to get a new view of our park. Enjoy the ancient forests, the excitement of wildlife activity, and the peace of the deep green woods. Meet at the camp store, and we’ll carpool.
1:00 PM JUNIOR RANGERS: TRAIL CLEANUP - Make our park a cleaner, healthier environment! You’ll make a big difference for our earth, and begin to earn your Junior Ranger badge. Meet at the main bath house. Be prepared to get dirty!
2:00 PM PAW PRINT NOTE CARDS - Create your own personalized note cards, using local animal’s tracks! Your unique design is only a “footstep” away. Meet at the main bath house.
3:00 PM HOPPER ROUNDUP - It’s time to “round up” some discovery about the park’s amazing hopping insects. Meet at the Open Air Chapel for a hopping good time! In case of rain, meet at the main bath house.
4:30 PM DIY BIRDFEEDER - Want to help your bird neighbors get their snacks? Come build a peanut butter and pinecone bird feeder with park staff. Meet at the Open Air Chapel (main bath house if it’s raining).
7:00 PM OWL PELLETS - What could be more gross, but also more exciting, than checking out some owl vomit! Don’t worry, these pellets are all germ free. But they sure are full of bones. Use your detective skills to find out what the owls had for supper! Meet at the Open Air Chapel (main bath house if it is raining.)
SUNDAY, MAY 31
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.
Program Host: Marty Silver
Contact Email: marty.silver@tn.gov
Contact Phone: 423-239-6786