Upcoming Events & Programs
Stay updated on programs, events, and special offerings!
Nature Center Nights
Salamander Meander (Members Only)
Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Highlands Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd.
All ages welcome | Members Only
Free | Registration Required
(Weather dependent)
Kick off Highlands Nature Center’s summer season with a nighttime search for our secretive salamander friends!
Highlands Nature Center
Daily Programs
Date: Daily, Starting June 2nd (Closed Sundays)
Times: Vary
Location: Highlands Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd.
Free | No registration required
Storytime with Ms. KK on select Tuesdays:
June 3, June 10, June 24, July 1, July 8, July 15, and July 29
All other Tuesday Storytime programs will be lead by our Naturalists.
Wednesday Garden Tours are geared toward adults, but all other daily programs are family-friendly!
Nature Center Nights
Owls: Masters of the Night
Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Time: 6:30-7:30 pm
Location: Highlands Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd.
All ages welcome
FREE | Registration required
(Weather dependent)
These mysterious birds of prey are seldom seen due to their elusive and nocturnal lifestyle. Meet some live owls and learn about their fascinating lives and unique adaptations.
This program features Carlton Burke of Carolina Mountain Naturalists.
Nature Center Nights
Salamander Meander
Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Time: 8:00-9:00 pm
Location: Highlands Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd.
All ages welcome
FREE | Registration required
(Weather dependent)
Join our Naturalists on a nighttime search for our secretive salamander friends.
Zahner Conservation Lecture Series
Healthy Land, Healthy People: Centering Indigenous Voices in Conservation
Date: Thursday, June 12th
Time: 6:00-7:00 pm
Location: Highlands Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd.
FREE | No registration required
Featured Speaker: Bonnie Claxton (Chickasaw) Deputy Director, The Center for Native Health
Nature Center Nights
What Bat is That?
Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Time: Sunset
Location: Highlands Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd.
All ages welcome
FREE | Registration required
(Weather dependent)
Stretch your wings and tune into the sounds of the many special bats of the Highlands area! Join our Naturalists on a walk through the Botanical Garden to watch them in flight.
Nature Center Drawing Club
Date: Wednesday, June 18 2025
Time: 3 – 4 pm
Location: Meet at the Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd.
All ages welcome
Free | Open to the public
Do you like to draw or are you inspired by what you see in nature? If so please come the Nature Center’s Drawing Club! Supplies will be available, but feel free to bring your own sketchbook and materials. Some time will be spent walking around the garden trails, followed by an optional drawing prompt and time to draw, as well as time to share our drawings.
Zahner Conservation Lecture Series
Are You BearWise?
Date: Thursday, June 19th
Time: 6:00-7:00 pm
Location: Highlands Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd.
FREE | No registration required
Featured Speaker: Tanya Poole, Conservation Initiatives Engagement Coordinator
Nature Center Nights
Glowing Wonders
Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Time: 8:30-9:30 pm
Location: Highlands Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd.
All ages welcome
FREE | Registration required
(Weather dependent)
Experience bugs + insects in a whole new light – moonlight! Learn about the unique and beautiful world of nocturnal insects and then search for fireflies, moths, and more in the Botanical Garden.
Zahner Conservation Lecture Series
Bats in Your Backyard
Date: Thursday, June 26th
Time: 6:00-7:00 pm
Location: Highlands Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd.
FREE | No registration required
Featured Speaker: Rada Petric, Assistant Research Professor and Director of the UNC IE Highlands Field Site, UNC Institute for the Environment