| Event Name: |
60th Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage |
| Date(s): |
April 21 - 25 |
| Season: |
Spring |
| Category: |
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| Description: |
As winter fades and the colors of spring begin to sparkle throughout the Smokies, Gatlinburg blossoms into the center of all things botanical during the Great Smoky Mountain Association’s 60th annual Wildflower Pilgrimage and National Park Experience. From April 21 to 25, everyone from the serious botanist to the weekend gardener can experience unprecedented access to some of the nation’s leading botanical experts as well as Appalachian wildlife authorities.
Registration information for the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage will be available in early 2010.
“It is a rare opportunity for those with a personal love of flowers to have the same access to leaders in the field as researchers,” said Ken McFarland, a botanist and professor at the University of Tennessee. “Through seminars and intimate guided tours, each participant will expand his or her skills and knowledge of the unmatched flora and fauna of the Smokies.”
The Wildflower Pilgrimage, which dates to 1951, offers over 150 programs including an array of instructional walks and guided hiking tours tailored to meet individual walking skill ability, along with demonstrations and guest lecturers. These tours showcase the abundant varieties of wildflowers, plants, ferns, mosses, trees and shrubs, as well as birds, reptiles and amphibians, all native to the Great Smoky Mountains.
While most classes take placed in the Smokies, a number of educational classroom sessions take place in the W.L. Mills Conference Center in downtown Gatlinburg.
“The Wildflower Pilgrimage is always an exciting time in our town,” said Dave Perella, executive director of the Gatlinburg Department of Tourism. “The Convention Center is transformed into a hub of learning and celebration of the Great Smoky Mountain’s natural botanical beauty. We look forward to the Pilgrimage each year.”
Educational programs and entertainment in the evenings will round out the week’s events in Gatlinburg and the Smokies, which are sponsored by Great Smoky Mountains National Park and GSMA, the City of Gatlinburg, the University of Tennessee Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Friends of the Smokies, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society and the Gatlinburg Garden Club.
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| Website/Link: |
http://www.springwildflowerpilgrimage.org/ |
| Contact Info: |
865-436-7318
Toll-Free: 800-568-4178 |
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