Highlands Biological Station

Morning Bird Walk
2025-10-25 08:00 - 09:00 (America/Halifax) | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Eyes to the skies! Birders of all skill levels are welcome to join us as we take an easy walk around the garden to find our feathered friends.
Binoculars available to borrow.
All ages welcome
FREE | No registration required
Meet at 111 Lower Lake Rd
Weather dependent
Program funded by:

Black Bear Bonanza! (All Day Drop-In)
2025-10-25 10:00 - 16:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join us at the Nature Center for drop-in learning about black bears!
All ages welcome | FREE | No registration required!
Program funded by:

Enchanted Forest - Cancelled - But Stop By This Weekend!
2025-10-28 17:00 - 18:30 | Highlands Biological Station Amphitheater, 930 Horse Cove Road, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
🌧 UPDATE: Enchanted Forest Cancelled
Due to Monday’s rain, our forest trails are too soggy and slippery for tonight’s Enchanted Forest event — but the fun isn’t over! 🎃
Join us this Friday & Saturday (Oct 31–Nov 1) for a self-guided Halloween Scavenger Hunt through the Highlands Botanical Garden between 10 AM–4 PM.
Then, head inside the Highlands Nature Center for hands-on activities, trick-or-treating, and Halloween crafts! Make your own treat bag, grab some goodies, and show off your costume. 👻
📍 Highlands Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd
🎟️ FREE | No registration required
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The Highlands Biological Foundation invites you to The Enchanted Forest!
A family-friendly program Tuesday, October 28, 5:00-6:30 pm.
Come trick-or-treating along the forest trails of the Highlands Botanical Garden and learn more about some creatures that we associate with Halloween!
FREE | No registration necessary
Costumes encouraged!
Meet in the amphitheater behind Highlands Nature Center (930 Horse Cove Rd).
Weather dependent
Program funded by:

A Life Reimagined: The George Masa Story
2025-10-29 16:00 - 18:00 | Lewis Hall, 160 Frank Allen Road, Cashiers, NC, 28717, United States
A Life Reimagined: The George Masa Story
Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2025Time: 4:00 PMLocation: Lewis Hall, 160 Frank Allen Road, Cashiers, NCAdmission: Free and open to the public
In 1915, a young, charismatic Japanese man with a mysterious past entered the Appalachian culture of Asheville, North Carolina. Suspected of being a spy and targeted by the Ku Klux Klan, he persevered with a passion for photography and for the mountains he adopted—bringing to life the landscapes that would become the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail.
A Life Reimagined: The George Masa Story dives deep into the life of the man known as George Masa through groundbreaking genealogical and historical research. The film reveals how and why Masa left Japan, his stormy period in the Pacific Northwest, and his journey to the Southern Appalachian Mountains, where he reinvented himself as a talented and influential photographer, filmmaker, businessman, mapmaker, hiker, and friend to many.
Told through a cinema verité style and featuring passionate researchers, archivists, historians, and activists in both the United States and Japan, the film blends anime-style imagery with hundreds of Masa’s own photographs to illustrate his extraordinary story and the timeless beauty of the region.
Ultimately, A Life Reimagined: The George Masa Story celebrates how one inspired man from Japan overcame fear, intimidation, and loneliness to capture images of another culture and landscape that became personally redemptive and deeply influential in shaping the conservation legacy of the Southern Appalachians.
Hosted and sponsored by:Cashiers Historical SocietyAlbert Carlton–Cashiers Community LibraryHighlands Biological FoundationHighlands-Cashiers Land TrustHighlands Historical Society

Snake Feeding
2025-11-01 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-11-08 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-11-15 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-11-22 11:00 - 11:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Saturdays in November (through 11/22)
Watch our resident snakes enjoy their lunch while learning all about these fascinating reptiles!
Program provided by:

Morning Bird Walk
2025-11-15 08:00 - 09:00 | HBS North Campus, 111 Lower Lake Road, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States

Nature Center Wrap-Up (Drop-In)
2025-12-05 10:00 - 15:30, 2025-12-12 10:00 - 15:30, 2025-12-13 10:00 - 15:30, 2025-12-19 10:00 - 15:30, 2025-12-20 10:00 - 15:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join us at the Nature Center to get into the holiday spirit and create personalized gift wrap and handmade cards! Enjoy this fun and festive activity together as a family, or as a chance to wrap up the holiday magic. We will have plenty of supplies to go around for everyone to get creative. We look forward to seeing you!
December 5th | 12th & 13th | 19th & 20th
FREE | Drop-In, from 10 am – 3:30 pm
Program provided by:

Winter Break Closure
2025-12-24 - 2026-01-02 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
In accordance with Western Carolina University’s holiday schedule and protocol, the Highlands Biological Station will be closed to the public from Wednesday, December 24, 2025, through Friday, January 2, 2026.
Please note that while our Botanical Gardens will remain open daily from dawn to dusk, all public facilities, offices, and indoor spaces will be closed during this time. We encourage you to plan your visit accordingly.
We look forward to welcoming you back to the Station in the new year!

Who’s Out There? (Drop-in Station)
2026-01-16 10:00 - 15:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join us at the Nature Center to learn about the winter wildlife found across the Highlands Plateau. Our Education Specialists will be ready to welcome folks back with engaging conversations, interesting facts about our local flora and fauna, and a self-guided “specimen search” through our botanical gardens.
January 16th & 17th | 30th & 31st
FREE | Drop-In, from 10 am – 3:30 pm
Program provided by:

The Skin You're In (Drop-In Station)
2026-01-16 10:00 - 15:30, 2026-01-17 10:00 - 15:30, 2026-01-30 10:00 - 15:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Do you think you can identify an animal by its fur? Drop in for a few minutes, or stay and pair the ‘Who’s Out There?’ activities with this hands-on opportunity to see and feel a variety of animal skins!
January 16th & 17th | 30th & 31st
FREE | Drop-In, from 10 am – 3:30 pm
Program provided by:

Who's Out There? (Drop-In Station)
2026-01-17 10:00 - 15:30, 2026-01-30 10:00 - 15:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States

CANCELED Who's Out There? (Drop-In Station)
2026-01-31 10:00 - 15:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
⚠️ ❄️ The Nature center will be closed January 31st due to winter storm warnings. Stay safe everyone!
Join us at the Nature Center to learn about the winter wildlife found across the Highlands Plateau. Our Education Specialists will be ready to welcome folks back with engaging conversations, interesting facts about our local flora and fauna, and a self-guided “specimen search” through our botanical gardens.
January 16th & 17th | 30th & 31st
FREE | Drop-In, from 10 am – 3:30 pm
Program provided by:

CANCELED The Skin You're In (Drop-In Station)
2026-01-31 10:00 - 15:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
⚠️ ❄️ The Nature center will be closed January 31st due to winter storm warnings. Stay safe everyone!
Do you think you can identify an animal by its fur? Drop in for a few minutes, or stay and pair the ‘Who’s Out There?’ activities with this hands-on opportunity to see and feel a variety of animal skins!
January 16th & 17th | 30th & 31st
FREE | Drop-In, from 10 am – 3:30 pm
Program provided by:

Bee-My-Valentine (Drop-In Station)
2026-02-13 10:00 - 15:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join us at the Nature Center to celebrate your love for the outdoors! We will be crafting nature-themed Valentines to share and spend some time getting to know others within our community. Supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring materials you would like to share.
February 13th & 14th
FREE | Drop-In, from 10 am – 3:30 pm
Program provided by:

Bee-My-Valentine (Drop-In Station)
2026-02-14 10:00 - 15:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join us at the Nature Center to celebrate your love for the outdoors! We will be crafting nature-themed Valentines to share and spend some time getting to know others within our community. Supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring materials you would like to share.
February 13th & 14th
FREE | Drop-in from 10 am – 3:30 pm
Program provided by:

Nature Center ROCKS! (Drop-In Station)
2026-02-27 10:00 - 15:30, 2026-02-28 10:00 - 15:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Have you ever heard of The Kindness Rocks Project? This weekend at the Nature Center, we will gather to create a garden of kindness through art and community. Supplies will be provided.
“Take one when you need one, share one with a friend who needs some inspiration, or leave one for another. One message at the just right moment can change your whole day, outlook, or life.”
February 27th & 28th
FREE | Drop-in from 10 am – 3:30 pm
Program provided by:

Protecting Our Hemlocks: Public Workshop at Highlands Biological Station
2026-03-11 10:00 - 16:00 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join us on March 11 for a special outdoor workshop focused on the conservation and treatment of eastern hemlocks. Led by licensed professionals, this hands-on program will introduce participants to hemlock health assessment, treatment decision-making, and application methods used to combat hemlock woolly adelgid.
The morning session features a live, demonstrative lecture, followed by guided treatment activities in the afternoon. This workshop is open to the public and designed for land stewards, natural resource professionals, and anyone interested in forest conservation.
Workshop flyer
Space is limited. Advance registration is required.

ecoEXPLORE Plant Scavenger Hunt (Drop-In Station)
2026-03-13 10:00 - 15:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Spring is right around the corner, and we’re already seeing some fresh pops of green! We will kick off the ecoEXPLORE Botany Field Season with a plant scavenger hunt along the Botanical Garden trails and the Boardwalk. Participants will work to complete a plant identification challenge while gaining a deeper understanding of the natural world around them.
ecoEXPLORE is a community science program created by the North Carolina Arboretum, where children of all ages can learn to identify wildlife around them, help scientists track wildlife activity, and earn fun badges and prizes all at once! To learn more, please visit https://www.ecoexplore.net/.
March 13-14 & 27-28
FREE | Drop-in from 10 am – 3:30 pm
Program provided by:

Tree Texture Investigation (Drop-In Station)
2026-03-13 10:00 - 15:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join us at the Nature Center to make your very own Bark Book! Enjoy a stroll through the forest to create unique texture impressions of different tree bark patterns, and learn some tips and tricks to help you identify your findings. Making your own Bark Book is a great way to explore nature, learn about trees, and create art!
March 13-14 & 27-28
FREE | Drop-in from 10 am – 3:30 pm
Program provided by:
