Leaf Walk
2025-10-04 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-10-10 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-11 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Halifax) | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Celebrate Fall with a guided walk through the Botanical Garden to discover what leaves are changing & why.
All ages welcome
FREE | No registration required
Meet in the Nature Center
Weather dependent
Program funded by:

Highlands on the Half-Shell
2025-10-05 16:00 - 19:00 | The Meadow at Highlands Biological Foundation, 888 Horse Cove Rd, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join us Sunday, October 5 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM for an outdoor Cajun-inspired celebration in the heart of Highlands. Set in the cozy Valentine Meadow at the Highlands Biological Station, this festive evening features a feast of Southern coastal flavors served up with community spirit and mountain charm.
Highlands on the Half-Shell is one of Highlands Biological Foundation’s largest annual fundraisers. Proceeds support our mission to stimulate, promote, and fund biological research and education in the Southern Appalachians. Your ticket directly supports our work and helps protect the incredible biodiversity of our region.
This beloved event is made possible by generous volunteers and community members who lend their time, talent, and tastebuds to create something truly special.
Purchase tickets: https://highlandsbiological.org/foundation/events/highlands-on-the-half-shell/

Leaf Art (All Day Drop-In)
2025-10-11 10:00 - 16:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Stop in the Nature Center all day for a different way to make art with Fall leaves!
All ages welcome | FREE | Drop-in
Program funded by:

Black Bear Bonanza! (All Day Drop-In + Special Program @ 2pm)
2025-10-18 10:00 - 16:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Stop by the Nature Center all day for drop-in activities and learning all about black bears!
Then from 2:00–3:30 PM, join us for a special program co-led by Cynthia Strain, Chair of the Highlands B.E.A.R. Task Force. Together we’ll explore the world of black bears through engaging, hands-on activities and interactive learning.
Program funded by:

ecoEXPLORERS Club: Ecology
2025-10-18 11:00 - 12:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
The Nature Center is an ecoExplore Hot Spot! We’ll start a Challenge towards earning the advanced-level Ecology mission patch.
ecoexplore.net

Ages 10-13 and up & accompanying adult(s)
FREE | No registration required
Meet in the Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd
Weather dependent
Program funded by:

Nature Center Drawing Club
2025-10-23 15:30 - 16:30 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Do you enjoy drawing or find inspiration in nature? Join us for the Nature Center’s Drawing Club! We’ll start with a drawing prompt and then spend some time out on the garden trails. Supplies will be available, but feel free to bring your own sketchbook and materials.
All ages welcome
FREE | No registration required
Meet at the Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd
Program funded by:

Morning Bird Walk
2025-10-25 08:00 - 09:00 | 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
——-
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:
