This year’s Earth Day is Sunday, and serves as the 42nd anniversary of this worldwide day of recognition. Earth Day is a wonderful time to reacquaint yourself with the beauty of nature and Tennessee's 53 great state parks and 82 natural areas. There are plenty of family-oriented activities to entertain and to educate people about our state’s natural resources this weekend.
Tennessee State Parks will host a variety of festivals, hikes, volunteer work projects, tree plantings and more. Visit Tennessee State Park's April Event Calendar to find an activity in your area. Highlighted below are several Earth Day events planned across the state:
East Tennessee
Warriors' Path State Park will host a Spring Nature Festival on Friday through Sunday. Experience the delights of spring nature discovery in the great Tennessee outdoors. Participate in seminars taught by professionals and hikes guided by trained naturalists. Topics to include spring wildflowers, tracking, astronomy, stream life, local geology, spring trees and more! This event is free. Contact the park office at 423 239-8531 or email Marty.Silver@tn.gov for a complete schedule of the weekend's events.
Middle Tennessee
The Tennessee Natural Areas Program will be represented at the Nashville Earth Day Festival on Saturday. Come see their booth in the non-profit area where Natural Areas staff will be giving away commemorative posters and sharing some great information. The annual festival will be held in Centennial Park from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit www.nashvilleearthday.org/ for more information about this great event!
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park will host an Earth Day Celebration on Sunday. Join the park for a fun afternoon of Earth Day activities! At 1 p.m. CT, Ranger Cara will lead an “Urban Birdin’ ” walk through the park -- great for beginning birders and kids! At 2:30 p.m., Ranger Jennifer will introduce Archie the Corn Snake for a live snake show! Stick around until 3:30 p.m., and you can leave a lasting legacy for the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park by helping them plant a tree in honor of Earth Day! All programs will meet at the History Wall across the street from the Farmers’ Market Food Court. For more information, please contact Cara Alexander at cara.alexander@tn.gov or call 615 741-5771.
West Tennessee
Fort Pillow State Park will host a Civil War Reenactment on Saturday and Sunday. Park staff will offer programs from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. both days. The programs will include hikes, museum tours, a battle between the North and South, encampments, rifle and cannon demonstrations, wood fire cooking demonstrations, etc. The events are open to all ages. Food and vendors also will be on site both days. For more information contact Robby Tidwell at 731 738-5581.
The Tennessee Natural Areas Program will participate in the Down to Earth Festival at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This all-day festival will feature live music, family fun, an action-packed kids zone, eco-art and vendors, and much more. Celebrate connecting kids and families to nature! To learn more about this event, please visit http://www.shelbyfarmspark.org/.