Special Events
Plan to enjoy one of our special or daily events during your visit to Grandfather Mountain! The vast majority of our events are included with your park admission fee, but some events which require a small fee to participate to ensure you receive expert guidance from specially trained individuals. Check the cost section of each Event Listing to confirm whether any additional fees apply.
In addition to the extra special events in the calendar below, check out our daily and weekend programs:
- Interpretive Talks: Join a naturalist by the Mile High Swinging Bridge daily at 1 & 3 p.m, April-October.
- Animal Encounters: Offered many times daily April-October, learn about our animal residents in the wildlife habitats.
- Junior Ranger: Children learn about animals through fun activities weekends April-October.
- Behind-the-Scenes Animal Habitat Tours: Offered on weekends April-October. Additional fee.
- Meet the Bears: Go behind the scenes to learn all about our bears. Weekends April-October. Additional fee.
Events Search and Views Navigation
September 2021
HawkWatch
All throughout September, guests are invited to join the mountain’s naturalists as they count and celebrate the annual spectacle of the fall raptor migration. Participants can meet daily across the Mile High Swinging Bridge on Linville Peak, weather permitting.
Find out more »51st Annual Girl Scout Day
Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors and… Bears? For more than half a century, Grandfather Mountain has celebrated the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, and the tradition continues Saturday, Sept. 18, as the Linville, N.C., nature park hosts the 51st annual Girl Scout Day. On Girl Scout Day, all Girl Scouts in uniform and their troop leaders are admitted to Grandfather Mountain for free, while discounted admission is available for family members joining them. The tradition started in 1971,…
Find out more »October 2021
The Fall Color Ramble
From Oct. 2-10, guests can enjoy 20-minute guided walks that highlight Grandfather Mountain’s fall colors.
Find out more »Creatures of the Night & Bonfire Delight
People are familiar with Grandfather Mountain’s resident animals, including black bears, bald eagles, cougars, river otters and elk. But what do they do after dark? Guests can find out Saturday, Oct. 2, at Grandfather Mountain’s annual Creatures of the Night & Bonfire Delight, a nighttime event that features fun and spooky stories told by firelight, along with exclusive after-dark tours. From 7 to 9 p.m., guests young and old can enjoy hot chocolate and warm apple cider by the glow…
Find out more »Growing Up WILD
Growing Up WILD is an early childhood program that builds on children’s sense of wonder about nature and invites them to explore wildlife and their habitats. While the workshop is primarily oriented toward educators that work with children ages 3-7, many of the activities in the guide can be adapted to a wider age range. All participants will receive the Growing Up WILD activity guide and earn six hours of Criteria I credit toward their N.C. Environmental Education Certification (or 0.6…
Find out more »Late Summer Sketching
The naturalist’s sketchbook is full of drawings and observations of the outdoors that bring moments in nature to life! The way you arrange these drawings on a page, as well as the notes you take, can boost the storytelling quality of your sketches. Participants will learn how to tell a story through the arrangement of objects in a sketchbook, as well as basic observation and drawing techniques with pen, pencil, and colored pencils. Though designed for beginners, students with more…
Find out more »Grandfather’s Starry Skies
October is one of the best times of year to be stargazing at Grandfather Mountain. The air is cool and clear, and the summer constellations are still very prominent, with some early winter sights making their appearance later in the evening. Our class is also during the time of the Orionid meteor shower, so hopefully some of these celestial fireworks will grace our skies during our nighttime observing. Our goal for this class is to create a familiarity with the…
Find out more »January 2022
New Year’s Day Sunrise 2022 – SOLD OUT
There are sunrises, and then there are Grandfather Mountain sunrises. And then there are Grandfather Mountain New Year’s Day sunrises. Ring in an epic New Year on Saturday, Jan. 1, for the first sunrise of 2022 — atop Grandfather Mountain. This special event will allow guests the rare opportunity to visit Grandfather Mountain outside of regular operating hours and on a holiday. Sunrise is at 7:38 a.m. Jan. 1, 2022, and Grandfather’s gates will open at 6:30 a.m. Due to…
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