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Grandfather Mountain Announces Grandparents’ Day as New Event

Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, has a new event on the calendar this spring that is sure to inspire multigenerational learning and wonder. Grandparents’ Day, scheduled for Sunday, April 23, will be a day of fun and interactive programs meant to be attended by the whole family. Bring your grandchildren — or grandparents — and explore nature together! The event, which plays off the mountain’s name, will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is included in park admission. (Photo Courtesy of Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)

LINVILLE, N.C. – Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, has a new event on the calendar this spring that is sure to inspire multigenerational learning and wonder. Grandparents’ Day, scheduled for Sunday, April 23, will be a day of fun and interactive programs meant to be attended by the whole family. Bring your grandchildren — or grandparents — and explore nature together!

The event, which plays off the mountain’s name, will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is included in park admission.

“This event will be a great way for grandparents and grandchildren to explore and connect with the nature here on the mountain together,” said John Caveny, director of conservation and education for the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. “Grandparents can help teach their grandchildren from all of their learned experiences throughout their lives, but grandparents can also learn new things by exploring nature through the eyes of their grandchildren. The goal is for Grandparents’ Day to lead to a lot of co-learning and co-teaching within the family.”

The schedule of activities for the day is below.

Grandparents’ Day Schedule:
10 – 11 a.m.: Nature Scavenger Hunt at Woods Walk Picnic Area – Find the different textures, smells and beauty of nature while exploring Woods Walk Picnic Area with your grandparent.
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Nature Craft at the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery
12 – 1 p.m.: Break / Photo Station With Teaching Props (Like Skull Models and Antlers!) at the Wilson Center
1 – 2 p.m.: Animal CSI at the Pollinator Garden – Junior Naturalist Activity – Grandparents and grandchildren work together to try and discover the mystery of the forest.
2 – 3 p.m.: Creepy Critters in the Classroom in the Clouds

Grandparents’ Day would also be a great opportunity to take in the Wilson Center’s family-friendly museum exhibits, featuring a 3D interactive map of the mountain that showcases Grandfather’s ecology and history; flora and fauna walls; and other exhibits focusing on the mountain’s natural history, weather and geology.

The new facility, which opened at the end of June 2022, nearly doubles the size of Grandfather Mountain’s former Nature Museum with 10,000 square feet of education space, including the state-of-the-art museum exhibits, three classrooms, an ADA-accessible theater and expanded capacity for hosting conferences and community events.

Spring operating hours at Grandfather Mountain are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with ticket sales ending at 4:30 p.m. and trails closing at 5 p.m.

For more on the upcoming Grandparents’ Day event, visit www.grandfather.com/event/grandparents-day.

The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation strives to inspire conservation of the natural world by helping guests explore, understand and value the wonders of Grandfather Mountain. For more information, visit www.grandfather.com.

Courtesy of Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.