Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, has begun work on a new facility for young explorers, making use of and renovating the former Fudge Shop space. The hands-on science and environmental education center, called Yonni’s Clubhouse, will be geared toward children ages 5 to 12 and is set to open next to the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery in the second half of 2025.
Interactive exhibits will focus on pollinators, climate, weather and ecosystems. Educational concepts highlighted in indoor exhibits will come to life outdoors through sensory and pollinator gardens, a nature trail, activities and interpretive signage.
The building’s name comes from the cartoon mascot for Grandfather Mountain’s Junior Naturalist Program: Yonni, the Yonahlossee salamander (a species first collected at a site on Grandfather Mountain in 1917). Found in a variety of upland wooded habitats, the salamander is known for its large size and a red or chestnut-colored stripe, extending from the neck to the base of the tail.
For over a decade, young adventurers have explored the park with Yonni as their guide. When planning for the new space, it made perfect sense to link this further opportunity for children’s discovery of the wonders of nature with the woodland creature.
“We aim to provide our visitors, and particularly young people, with deeper experiences and a fuller understanding of nature and the interconnectedness of all species and natural systems,” said Jesse Pope, president and executive director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. “Part of our mission is to help educate a new generation of dedicated environmental stewards and hopefully engender a lifelong interest in science among the children who visit Grandfather Mountain.”
Stewart and Martha Gray – Grandfather donors who have a passion for both the mountain and for exploring science museums with their grandchildren – provided a major gift to support the construction of the center, envisioning it as an immersive offering for kids to learn about conservation and the natural world around them. The couple retired to Western North Carolina after years of visiting the area, and Stewart also volunteers as a naturalist with the park’s education team. Along with Grandfather’s naturalists and educators, the Grays look forward to seeing children experience the space.
“We want to extend our gratitude to the Grays – not only for their generosity, but also for their vision in bringing Yonni’s Clubhouse to fruition,” said Pope. “We are eager to continue our expansion of the mountain’s Conservation Campus with this exciting and inspirational space, set to open later in 2025.”
The new facility is designed to combine learning and fun by integrating indoor and outdoor educational opportunities, demonstrating how concepts taught in a classroom can play out in nature.
The space will be 1,300 square feet and ADA-accessible, with restrooms. A covered porch to support programs for up to 30 people (seated) or up to 70 people (standing room) will wrap around the building. In addition, the clubhouse will hold around 10 interactive indoor exhibits, focusing on pollinators, climate, weather and ecosystems. Some highlights will be a seek-and-find forest mural, glass exhibit habitats for educational animals such as snakes and Cope’s gray treefrogs, a full-scale tree model, a drawing nook and a microscope station.
Outside there will be an ADA-accessible nature trail connecting the facility’s covered deck and new pollinator and sensory gardens with interactive exhibits and interpretive signage that reinforce and expand upon the indoor exhibits’ concepts.
The nature park and preserve is working with Yonni’s original creator, artist David Williams of Wingin’ It Works, on the exhibits and murals for the space. Coffey Architecture of Boone and Alex Johnson Construction Company of Newland are handling the design and construction aspects of the remodel.
In addition to the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery that opened in June 2022, Grandfather’s Conservation Campus currently includes the Mildred the Bear Environmental Habitats; the Cobey Botanical Garden, filled with native plantings; the Williams Outdoor Learning Space that features an amphitheater with terraced seating and a pavilion, built around the existing natural landscape adjacent to the Wilson Center; and the Ginny Burton Education and Animal Care Facility that houses the mountain’s growing education and habitat teams and is a stop on Behind-the-Scenes Tours (one of the park’s special add-on experiences) offered by keeper staff.
Though Yonni’s Clubhouse takes the location of the park’s former Fudge Shop, Grandfather Mountain staff still make this sweet treat by hand at Mildred’s Grill in the Wilson Center.
For more information about the Conservation Campus, click here. Find more details about Grandfather Mountain’s Junior Naturalist Program here.