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Blue Ridge Parkway Welcomes 2015 Season on June 6 With Weekly Programs

A Blue Ridge Parkway ranger guides a hike.
A Blue Ridge Parkway ranger guides a hike.

By Josiah Clark

The Blue Ridge Parkway is starting off the 2015 season with special programming beginning Saturday, June 6. Free and open to the public, rangers are planning to offer family friendly programming every weekend for the duration of the season.

Park ranger Jonathan Bennet described the programming as “fun for the whole family,” and said families will be able to choose which programs they want to attend based on what interests them.

According to Bennet, all of the park rangers have worked very hard, but are excited to bring these programs to the public.

“These programs are designed to be enjoyed by everyone, but we also hope to help the public gain a richer understanding of the environment and the area we live in,” he said.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

7 p.m. – “Dinosaurs and the Blue Ridge Mountains,” will be presented at the Linville Falls Campground Amphitheater. This ranger led program will be about dinosaurs, paleontology, and the geology of the mountains of Western North Carolina. Families will also have the opportunity to examine fossils and models of dinosaurs.

7 p.m. – “Wilderness Skills: Get Lost in the Woods” will be presented at the Crabtree Falls Campground Amphitheater. Rangers will demonstrate many of the fun activities that can get you “lost in the woods.” Don’t worry though, because families will be taught the basic skills to stay safe and find their way home if they should ever become lost.

7 p.m. – “The Misunderstood Marsupial” will be presented at the Julian Price Campground Amphitheater. Join rangers to learn about a special animal that is “as old as a dinosaur, as small as a cat, and calls the Blue Ridge Parkway home.”

10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. – “Upstairs Tours at Cone Manor.” Join the ranger led tours of the second floor of the former home of Moses and Bertha Cone. The tour lasts approximately 45 minutes, and reservations are required. To reserve a tour, call 828-295-3782 or sign up at the NPS information desk at the Manor House. Reservations are accepted beginning Friday at 10:00 a.m. for the upcoming weekend only.

 

Sunday, June 7, 2015

10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. – “Upstairs Tours at Cone Manor.” Join the ranger led tours of the second floor of the former home of Moses and Bertha Cone. The tour lasts approximately 45 minutes, and reservations are required. To reserve a tour, call 828-295-3782 or sign up at the NPS information desk at the Manor House. Reservations are accepted beginning Friday at 10:00 a.m. for the upcoming weekend only.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – “Wednesday Open House at Cone Manor.” The second floor of Cone Manor will be open to the public. Rangers will be available to answer questions during the open house.

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Call the park information line at 828-298-0398 for the most up to date information on Blue Ridge Parkway facilities and activities.

Call 828-765-6082 for more information about the Linville Falls Campground, located at milepost 316.4 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Call 828-675-4236 for more information about the Crabtree Falls Campground, located at milepost 339.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Call 828-963-5911 for more information about the Julian Price Campground, located at milepost 297 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Call 828-295-7930 for more information about the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, located at milepost 294 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.