Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, has announced the initial details related to this year’s Grandfather Glows firefly viewing events.
Research on Grandfather Mountain has confirmed the presence of 10 species of fireflies or illumining insects, including synchronous fireflies (Photinus carolinus), blue ghost fireflies (Phausis reticulata) and glowworms (Orfelia fultoni). Synchronous fireflies are habitat specialists and thrive in northern hardwood forests, such as those found at Grandfather Mountain.
These glowing wonders only appear for a few weeks each year. The Linville, N.C., nature park and preserve hosts annual Grandfather Glows events, opening a portion of the mountain for three nights during mid-June to mid-July, the forecasted peak times, for special bioluminescent evenings, weather and conditions permitting.
“We are looking forward to another year of Grandfather Glows and being able to share this natural phenomenon with eventgoers,” said John Caveny, director of conservation and education for the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. “This event is one of my favorites. There’s something special about being on the mountain as the sun sets and watching the forest come alive with the call-and-response flashes from the male and female fireflies.”
Each year, three events are offered, each with the same schedule, lasting approximately four hours (7 – 11 p.m.). Grandfather Glows begins in MacRae Meadows with educational programs led by the park’s naturalists and then transitions up to the viewing area in the park before dark.
Food and drinks are permitted, though alcohol is prohibited. Pets are not allowed, and flash photography is prohibited. Attendees will be provided with a more detailed set of rules and firefly viewing etiquette prior to their event. The event is accessible for those with limited mobility or in a wheelchair.
Grandfather Mountain’s announcement includes details related to the event’s lottery system, including the timeframe the lottery will be open, as well as when the park will be announcing event dates.
The event dates are announced mid-May so the organization’s natural resource management team can make a more accurate prediction of when the peak mating time of the synchronous fireflies will be. For the last few months, staff have been monitoring weather conditions (past and present), the long-range forecast, wind forecasts, moon phases and more in an attempt to pick the dates that will provide the best experience for participants.
Important Info for 2025
Grandfather Glows has received a lot of attention since the event began in 2022. Once again, Grandfather Mountain will be instituting a lottery system for tickets, similar to what is done at national parks for this natural phenomenon. Unlike other parks, though, tickets will be sold to lottery winners at a per-person rate rather than per vehicle. Lottery “winners” will be able to purchase a maximum of six tickets.
May 16: The three 2025 Grandfather Glows event dates (with their corresponding rain dates) are announced. (Tip: The three events will fall sometime between mid-June and mid-July.)
May 19 – May 25: The 2025 Grandfather Glows lottery is open.
- The lottery will be open from 12 a.m. Monday, May 19 to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, Eastern Time.
- Entries are per person and will be $5, plus tax.
- You do not need to worry about selecting your preferred event date during the initial lottery process.
- Only one entry per email address is allowed. The lottery system will not allow you to enter the same email address more than once.
The first round of “winners” will be notified Tuesday, May 27 and will be given a link to purchase tickets. The second round will be notified Tuesday, June 3.
Please note: There will be no waiting list for this event. Once the lottery is over and the above steps have concluded, there will be no remaining tickets. People should not purchase tickets from a source other than Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation as the organization cannot verify the validity of those tickets.
Pricing for 2025
For those selected from the lottery to purchase tickets, the pricing will be as follows:
Adult: $50
Child: $40
Bridge Club Adult: $25
Bridge Club Child: $20
Children under 4 are free and do not require a ticket.
*The prices above are subject to tax.
*Lottery winners will receive a one-time $5 coupon to use toward their ticket purchase, as a credit for their initial lottery entry.
What’s the Bridge Club?The Bridge Club is Grandfather Mountain’s annual pass/membership program. In addition to providing members with unlimited regular admission to the park for a year, it also offers a number of other benefits, such as discounts on certain special event tickets, including Grandfather Glows.
To purchase Grandfather Glows tickets with a Bridge Club discount, you MUST have an active membership at the time of event ticket purchase.
“We encourage anyone interested in these events to visit our site and mark their calendars for our upcoming event date announcement and for the lottery,” said Caveny. “Our goal is for participants to have a magical evening on Grandfather Mountain while picking up new knowledge about these special insects and an expanded appreciation of the natural world.”
Many more details related to Grandfather Glows and the 2025 ticket lottery can be found at www.grandfather.com/fireflies. Individuals interested in these firefly viewing events are strongly encouraged to visit this page for more information.
The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation strives to inspire conservation of the natural world through education, exploration and example. For more information, visit www.grandfather.com.
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