2010 Calendar of Events at Chimney Rock : All events are subject to change. Please call 800-277-9611 or visit for updates.
JANUARY EVENTS
Event: Naturalist Series: Winter Plants and Trees
Date/Time: Saturday, January 16; 10am-3pm (lunch break at noon)
Cost: $35 for Adults, $30 for Annual Passholders, $25 for ages 6-15, $15 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (includes Park admission for the day).
Description: Winter survival strategies of plants include dormancy, seed cycles, anti-freeze and even physical movements. Join the morning program and afternoon hike to see these plant adaptations in Chimney Rock’s woodlands and fields.
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Event: Groundhog Day
Date/Time: Tuesday, February 2; 10am
Cost: No additional cost with Park admission.
Description: It’s everyone’s favorite holiday! Well, at least it’s the favorite of Chimney Rock Mascot Grady the Groundhog. Join Naturalist Carlton Burke and Grady to learn about the history of Groundhog Day and see Grady make his prediction for spring.
Event: Naturalist Series: Cold Weather Critters
Date/Time: Saturday, February 20; 10am-3pm (lunch break at noon)
Cost: $35 for Adults, $30 for Annual Passholders, $25 for ages 6-15, $15 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (includes Park admission for the day).
Description: Ever wonder where all the critters are hiding in these cold blustery times? Enjoy a morning program in the Classroom on the Meadows reviewing native animals and their winter habits then spend the afternoon looking for tracks and traces of critter activity.
MARCH EVENTS
Event: Naturalist Series: Survival Skills
Date/Time: Saturday, March 20; 10am-3pm (lunch break at noon)
Cost: $35 for Adults, $30 for Annual Passholders, $25 for ages 6-15, $15 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (includes Park admission for the day).
Description: What’s to eat out there away from the supermarket and corner mini-mart? In the morning session, find out what is edible or palatable in the environment of the southern mountains and how to recognize and prepare it. This is not a cooking event, so don’t come too hungry. Don’t get stranded out there! During the afternoon session, join a state park ranger to learn how to be prepared in the wild. This session will include shelter-building and fire-making.
Event: Simon Says Guided Bird Walk: Early Arrivals
Date/Time: Saturday, March 27; 9am-noon
Cost: $25 for Adults; $10 for Annual Passholders; $12 for ages 6-15; $5 for Grady’s Kids Club Members.
Description: Early spring in Chimney Rock can be exciting as recently arrived spring migrants like Black-throated Green and Black-and-white Warblers are singing. Blue-headed Vireos have been moving through for the past couple of weeks as well. Simon Thompson is your guide on this easy-to-moderate walk.
Event: Grand Opening of the Birdhouse Exhibit
Date/Time: Saturday, March 27; 12:30pm
Cost: No additional cost with Park admission.
Description: Join us as we celebrate the grand opening of our Birdhouse exhibit space. Here you’ll learn all about the variety of birds that are often sighted in the Park.
APRIL EVENTS
Event: 55th Annual Easter Sunrise Service
Date/Time: Sunday, April 4; Gates open at 5am and close at 6am for the 6:30am service.
Cost: No admission charged.
Description: Celebrate the glory of Easter as our guest at this inter-denominational community worship. This special service will be filled with song, scripture, special music and spectacular sunrise views over beautiful Lake Lure and Hickory Nut Gorge. John Mason, the Park’s featured hammered dulcimer player, will perform. Arrive early, dress warmly and bring a flashlight. Read more.
Event: Spring Homeschool Day
Date/Time: Wednesday, April 7; 10am-1:30pm
Cost: $12 per student; $11.50 for parents; Annual Passholders $7 per student and no cost for parents.
Description: Join our education team for fun and interactive programs in our 1000-acre classroom guaranteed to make learning come alive. Check website for detailed program descriptions.
Event: 40th Anniversary Celebration of Earth Day
Date/Time: Saturday, April 17; 11am-3pm
Cost: No additional cost with Park admission.
Description: Come Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day with North Carolina State Parks. What could provide more inspiration to care for our valuable natural resources than a fun-filled day in the beautiful setting of Hickory Nut Gorge? Gear up to “GREEN–up” by learning about sustainable practices and how to implement environmental stewardship into your daily routine through demonstrations and presentations. Read more.
Event: Simon Says Guided Bird Walk – Spring Birding
Date/Time: Sunday, April 18; 9am-noon
Cost: $25 for Adults; $10 for Annual Passholders; $12 for ages 6-15; $5 for Grady’s Kids Club Members.
Description: Many of our breeding birds are singing and the wildflowers are in bloom. American Redstarts and Hooded Warblers are easy to see along the Hickory Nut Falls trail where several pairs of Scarlet Tanagers and Wood Thrush also nest every year. This is the time of the year when learning the bird songs can really help you find the birds.
Event: 6th Annual Bark in the Park
Date/Time: Saturday, April 24; 11am-3pm
Cost: No additional cost with Park admission.
Description: Your pup (and you!) is in for a tail-wagging good time as our Meadows transforms into a doggie dream park. This day of canine adventure features agility demonstrations, contests, info booths and lots more. Don’t forget the leash.
MAY EVENTS
Event: Annual Passholder Dinner
Date/Time: Saturday, May 1; 7pm
Description: Because our Passholders are like family to us, we like to do special things for them. Join us for a tasty dinner on the Sky Lounge patio. You’ll hear updates from Chimney Rock as well as state parks, then head out for a night walk underneath the stars.
Event: Shutterbugs Nature Photography Workshop
Date/Time: Saturday, May 1; 8:30am-4:30pm and Sunday, May 2; 8:30am-3pm
Cost: $150; $125 for Annual Passholders (fees include all instruction, an Annual Pass and lunch for both days).
Description: The Park is the perfect backdrop for capturing amazing photographs. Take advantage of this information-packed 2-day clinic with noted WNC photographer Les Saucier. Workshop includes classroom time, field time and critique. Les has more than 25 years of experience in photography. For more information about him, visit his website at appalachianjourney.com.
Event: 3rd Annual Lure of the Dragons Festival at Lake Lure
Date/Time: Saturday, May 8; all day
Cost: No cost for spectators
Description: Dragons descend on Lake Lure! In the form of boats, that is. Watch as teams compete to raise money for area children’s charities. The festival has entertainment, food and kids’ activities, so it’s not just fun for the whole family, it’s fun for the whole day.
Event: Naturalist Series: Park-wide Wildflower Walk
Date/Time: Saturday, May 15; 10am-3pm (lunch break at noon)
Cost: $35 for Adults, $30 for Annual Passholders, $25 for ages 6-15, $15 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (includes Park admission for the day).
Description: In a quest to see the maximum diversity of Park wildflowers, this program will take place on several trails. Be prepared to walk about three miles with frequent stops to study in detail some of the 700+ species of plants known to occur here.
Event: Spring Boy Scout Day
Date/Time: Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16; programs 9:30am-12:30pm; overnight 7pm-8:30am
Cost: $14 per scout (adult chaperones required, one adult chaperone admitted free per 10 scouts); $11.50 per additional adult; additional $8 for overnight camping; $12 for overnight camping with dinner; $5 for additional children during programs.
Description: Join us for our annual Spring Boy Scout Day and help your troop experience the wonders at Chimney Rock. For more adventure, participate in our rock climbing and camp overnight under the stars and in the shadow of Chimney Rock Mountain.
Event: Spring Girl Scout Day/Overnight
Date/Time: Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23; programs 9:30am-12:30pm; overnight 7pm-8:30am
Cost: $14 per scout (adult chaperones required, one adult chaperone admitted free per 10 scouts); $11.50 per additional adult; additional $8 for overnight camping; $12 for overnight camping with dinner; $5 for additional children during programs.
Description: Chimney Rock’s Spring Girl Scout Day is open to Girl Scouts of all ages. Girls will enjoy hands-on programs that encourage safe interaction with nature. Participants will receive their very own Chimney Rock badge and troops have the option to spend the night beneath the towering Chimney and twinkling stars.
Event: Simon Says Guided Bird Walk: Breeding Birds
Date/Time: Sunday, May 23; 9am-noon
Cost: $25 for Adults; $10 for Annual Passholders; $12 for ages 6-15; $5 for Grady’s Kids Club Members.
Description: It's a time of frenzied activity for many resident birds. Park Ornithologist Simon Thompson will point out several of our local woodpeckers including Downy, Hairy and Pileated. Some will already be nesting and may be feeding their young. The songs of Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos are heard throughout the woods and we may be lucky enough to find one of their camouflaged hanging nests along the trails.
JUNE EVENTS
Event: National Trails & Land Trust Day
Date/Time: Saturday, June 5; 11am-3pm
Cost: No additional cost with Park admission.
Description: We can’t think of a better reason to celebrate! Join us for guided hikes with Park specialists every hour from 11am to 3pm.
Event: Summer Homeschool Day
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 9; 10am-1:30pm
Cost: $12 per student; $11.50 for parents; Annual Passholders $7 per student and no cost for parents.
Description: Join our education team for fun and interactive programs in our 1000-acre classroom guaranteed to make learning come alive. Check website for detailed program descriptions.
Event: Simon Says Guided Bird Walk: Summer Birding
Date/Time: Sunday, June 20; 9am-noon
Cost: $25 for Adults; $10 for Annual Passholders; $12 for ages 6-15; $5 for Grady’s Kids Club Members.
Description: During the summer, dozens of species of warblers breed in the Park. Join Simon Thompson to see or hear these species, including Worm-eating, Swainson's, Black-and-white, Hooded and Yellow-throated Warblers. Both the summer-resident Scarlet Tanagers and Wood Thrushes should be singing and establishing their territories.
Event: Naturalist Series: Nature at Night (Campout)
Date/Time: Saturday, June 26; 8pm
Cost: $35 for Adults, $30 for Annual Passholders, $25 for ages 6-15, $15 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (includes Park admission for Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27).
Description: This month’s program coincides with the Great American Backyard Campout. It’s not often, we’re able to open the Park up to camping, but this sure seems like the perfect opportunity. We’ll offer a night walk with our Park naturalist to see what goes bump, or howl, or screech in the night. A partial lunar eclipse will occur this evening as well.
JULY EVENTS
Event: Naturalist Series: Rocky Broad River Ecology
Date/Time: Saturday, July 17; 10am-3pm (lunch break at noon)
Cost: $35 for Adults, $30 for Annual Passholders, $25 for ages 6-15, $15 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (includes Park admission for the day).
Description: Learn what lives in and near the Rocky Broad through a morning classroom setting. Then, join a “wet walk” along the boulders of the river’s shore for a first-hand encounter of aquatic and riparian life zones.
AUGUST EVENTS
Event: Combo Mountain & Hammered Dulcimer Workshops
Date/Time: Saturday, August 14; Morning Session 10am-noon; Afternoon Session 1-3pm.
Cost: $50; $42 for Annual Passholders; $40 for ages 6-15; $35 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (fees include all instruction and Park admission for the day).
Description: Make beautiful music all day with these back-to-back dulcimer workshops with Ken Schoewe teaching mountain dulcimer during the morning session and John Mason teaching hammered dulcimer in the afternoon. Includes a one-hour lunch break between sessions. Workshops also available individually (see below).
Event: Mountain Dulcimer Workshop
Date/Time: Saturday, August 14; 10am-noon
Cost: $32; $25 for Annual Passholders; $22 for ages 6-15; $18 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (fees include all instruction and Park admission for the day).
Description: Learn to play the “only American instrument” using traditional strumming and flat-picking techniques. No previous musical experience is necessary. Led by Ken Schoewe of the Mountain Music School in Hendersonville, NC. Instruments are provided.
Event: Hammered Dulcimer Workshop
Date/Time: Saturday, August 14; 1-3pm
Cost: $32; $25 for Annual Passholders; $22 for ages 6-15; $18 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (fees include all instruction and Park admission for the day).
Description: John Mason, acclaimed hammered dulcimer artist and the Park’s featured musician, will teach participants all about this traditional folk instrument. This is a great family-friendly activity for beginners and intermediates. Limited number of instruments available.
Event: Naturalist Series: Invasive Plants and Pests
Date/Time: Saturday, August 21; 10am-3pm (lunch break at noon)
Cost: $35 for Adults, $30 for Annual Passholders, $25 for ages 6-15, $15 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (includes Park admission for the day).
Description: Not all things living in the outdoors would be welcomed by the original inhabitants. Many introduced plants and pests are now considered invasive in our natural ecosystems. Learn what these plants and pests are, the problems they create and why it is important to combat them. Indoor and outdoor sessions.
Event: 6th Annual Hickory Nut Gorge Olympiad
Date/Time: Thursday, August 26-Sunday, August 29; event times vary
Description: This four-day sport and community festival features dozens of events and activities. For the hardcore athlete, there’s the triathlon, Race to the Rock (see below) or five-mile run. More of a weekend warrior? Try the 3x3 basketball, golf or the pontoon boat challenge. There’s plenty for non-athletes and kids, too! Visit hickorynutolympiad.com for more information.
Event: 4th Annual Race to the Rock (5K run or 7K cycling sprint)
Date/Time: Sunday, August 29; Registration at 6:30am, Cyclists at 7:30am, Runners at 8am
Cost: $35 if pre-registered; $40 day-of registration.
Description: Take the challenge! The Park’s winding entrance road averages an uphill climb of 7%, but the views from the finish line are well worth the effort. Part of the 6 th Annual Hickory Nut Gorge Olympiad, medals are awarded in age groups.
SEPTEMBER EVENTS
Event: Fall Homeschool Day
Date/Time: Wednesday, September 8; 10am-1:30pm
Cost: $12 per student; $11.50 for parents; Annual Passholders $7 per student and no cost for parents.
Description: Join our education team for fun and interactive programs in our 1000-acre classroom guaranteed to make learning come alive. Check website for detailed program descriptions.
Event: Annual Passholder Sunrise Breakfast
Date/Time: Saturday, September 18; 7am, Gates open at 6:30am
Description: There’s really nothing like watching the sun rise over Lake Lure and Hickory Nut Gorge, so we’re opening up early just for our Annual Passholders. We’ll also serve up a yummy breakfast and hot coffee, then head out on a guided bird walk.
Event: Naturalist Series: Birding
Day/Time: Saturday, September 25
Cost: No additional cost with Park admission.
Description: For this month’s Naturalist Series, we’re piggybacking with Flock to the Rock (see below). Naturalists will have the opportunity to learn all about birds from how to spot and identify them to how to provide the right food and shelter.
Event: Flock to the Rock
Date/Time: Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26; check web for program times
Cost: No additional cost with Park admission.
Description: Birds flock to Chimney Rock! And we’re offering all kinds of programs to get you going bonkers over birds, too. We’ll have guided walks with area ornithologists, opportunities to “get up close and personal” with rehabilitating birds, a backyard birding program and all kinds of fun activities. This weekend also marks the annual hawk migration over our area when dozens, sometimes hundreds, of hawks can be seen heading to southern wintering grounds.
OCTOBER EVENTS
Event: Guided Bird Walk – Southbound Migration
Date/Time: Sunday, October 10; 9am-noon
Cost: $25 for Adults; $10 for Annual Passholders; $12 for ages 6-15; $5 for Grady’s Kids Club Members.
Description: Many southbound migrant birds pass along the ridges and valleys of Hickory Nut Gorge. Mixed flocks of tanagers, warblers and vireos move through the woods on their journey to warmer climates in Central and South America. We will search the forests looking and listening for these often fast moving flocks and identifying all of the birds may be a real challenge.
Event: Naturalist Series: Color Me Curious
Date/Time: Saturday, October 16; 10am-3pm (lunch break at noon)
Cost: $35 for Adults, $30 for Annual Passholders, $25 for ages 6-15, $15 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (includes Park admission for the day).
Description: What exactly is behind the fall color change in leaves? Learn how the process occurs and spend time outdoors amid the glory of autumn looking at leaves up close and afar. There is no better time for learning tree identification.
Event: Shutterbugs Nature Photography Workshop
Date/Time: Saturday, October 23; 8:30am-4:30pm and Sunday, October 24; 8:30am-3pm
Cost: $150; $125 for Annual Passholders (fees include all instruction, an Annual Pass and lunch for both days).
Description: The Park is the perfect backdrop for capturing amazing photographs. Take advantage of this information-packed 2-day clinic with noted WNC photographer Jeff Miller. Jeff’s photography has been featured in many regional, state and national publications. Visit mountainlens.com for more information on Jeff.
NOVEMBER EVENTS
Event: Fall Girl Scout Day
Date/Time: Saturday, November 6; 9:30am-12:30pm
Cost: $14 per scout (adult chaperones required, one adult chaperone admitted free per 10 scouts); $11.50 per additional adult; $5 for additional children during programs.
Description: Bring your troop and join Chimney Rock staff to celebrate the transformation of seasons. Participate in programs developed by Park specialists as you enjoy this colorful time of year! Check website for detailed program descriptions.
Event: Naturalist Series: Backyard Habitats
Date/Time: Saturday, November 20; 10am-3pm (lunch break at noon)
Cost: $35 for Adults, $30 for Annual Passholders, $25 for ages 6-15, $15 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (includes Park admission for the day).
Description: How can backyards be made more wildlife-friendly? This workshop will show you how plants and landscape treatments can be used to attract, feed and shelter wildlife - all geared to a southern Appalachian theme. The morning session will focus on pollinators (butterflies and bees) and the afternoon will focus on our feathered and furry friends.
DECEMBER EVENTS
Event: Santa on the Chimney
Date/Time: Saturday, December 4; 11am-2pm
Cost: No additional cost with Park admission.
Description: Have you ever wondered how Santa can climb down millions of chimneys all around the world in just one night? He practices on 315-ft. Chimney Rock! USA Today named Chimney Rock one of the top 10 places to catch up with Santa. Come and see why!
Event: Winter Homeschool Program
Date/Time: Wednesday, December 8; 10am-1:30pm
Cost: $12 per student; $11.50 for parents; Annual Passholders $7 per student and no cost for parents.
Description: Join our education team for fun and interactive programs in our 1000-acre classroom guaranteed to make learning come alive. Check website for detailed program descriptions.
Event: Santa on the Chimney
Date/Time: Saturday, December 11; 11am-2pm
Cost: No additional cost with Park admission.
Description: Have you ever wondered how Santa can climb down millions of chimneys all around the world in just one night? He practices on 315-ft. Chimney Rock! USA Today named Chimney Rock one of the top 10 places to catch up with Santa. Come and see why!
Event: Naturalist Series: Handmade Holidays
Date/Time: Saturday, December 18; 10am-3pm (lunch break at noon)
Cost: $35 for Adults, $30 for Annual Passholders, $25 for ages 6-15, $15 for Grady’s Kids Club Members (includes Park admission for the day).
Description: Taking our cues from the natural world, participants will make a beautiful handmade craft just in time for the holiday season.
For more about the Park, see our Chimney Rock Park Guide. |
