Pigeon Forge offers special children’s activities January 9-16, 2010
PIGEON FORGE, Tenn.—Wilderness Wildlife Week in the Great Smoky Mountains may sound like it’s an activity for gung-ho outdoorsmen, but the truth is that the eight-day January event in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., is for the entire family, including children.
Almost 20 of the more than 230 programs are specifically for kids, and many programs that might seem geared to adults can thoroughly captivate the younger set.
Consider these “children’s menu” choices:
• Animal Olympics—An interactive program that compares human senses and abilities to those of wild animals
• Oh! Possum—A chance to meet a marsupial
• Those Ain’t Teddy Bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park—A session about the icons of the Smokies
• Kiddin’ Around—A hands-on introduction to mountain music and instruments for kids
• Wings of America—A live bird show from the American Eagle Foundation
Wilderness Wildlife Week, Jan. 9-16, 2010, is Pigeon Forge’s annual salute to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and to Mother Nature in general. This is the event’s 20th year, and all activities are free.
About 150 experts—rangers from the National Park Service, biologists, botanists, nature photographers, animal rehabilitators and Smoky Mountains residents—donate their time to present a week of lectures, classes, photography shows, musical performances and demonstrations.
Topics on the “regular menu” include elk, osprey, whooping cranes, butterflies, hummingbirds, mountain folk medicines, leave-no-trace camping techniques, hypothermia and tales about searching for lost hikers as told by a retired backcountry ranger. There’s even one called “Whose Scat Is That?”
Most activities are indoors at the Music Road Hotel’s convention facilities, and there are about a dozen hikes every day in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (almost 5,000 miles were hiked in 2009), and there are several owl prowls during the week for people who want to give a hoot.
Wilderness Wildlife Week is part of Pigeon Forge Winterfest, a four-month event stretching from November through February every winter. Wilderness Wildlife Week details, including program and hike descriptions and presenters’ credentials, are online at www.MyPigeonForge.com/wildlife or by calling toll-free to 1-800-251-9100.
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