Nature Center Nights 2022
Join the Highlands Nature Center for our Nature Center Night programs this summer! These programs will be held each Tuesday night between May 31st and July 26th. Each week, we will focus on a nature-related topic. See our program offerings, dates, and times below.
Please bring a flashlight with you for these adventures and note that these programs are weather-dependent.
These programs have limited capacity, so registration is required. To register, please see registration links below for each program.
PLEASE NOTE: Registration for each program will open 1 week prior to the program date.
When you register, you will be given more program details including where to park/ meet to participate.
Highlands Nature Center is a multi-center campus of HBS.
2022 Programs
Salamander Meander
Dates: May 31st (Register HERE) & June 28th (Register HERE)
Time: 9pm-10pm Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: FREE
Search for salamanders in the Botanical Garden! Discover strange and fascinating facts about our slimy amphibian friends, then join naturalists on a walk through the gardens to find local species. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.
Going Batty
Dates: June 14th (Register HERE) & July 12th (Register HERE)
Time: 9pm-10pm Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: FREE
Discover the nocturnal mammals who take to the skies! Learn about the fascinating world of bats, then join naturalists in the Botanical Garden to seek them out. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.
A Buggy Evening
Dates: July 5th (Register HERE)
Time: 9pm-10pm Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: FREE
Experience the world of our smallest nocturnal creatures—insects! Learn to identify unique and beautiful insects then join naturalists to look for fireflies and nocturnal creepy crawlies in the Botanical Garden. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.
Amazing Moths
Dates: July 26th (Register HERE)
Time: 9pm-10pm Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: FREE
Celebrate National Moth Week with us! Learn about the many kinds of moths that call our area home, then join naturalists to see which ones we can find in the Botanical Garden. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.
Owl Prowl
Dates: June 7th (Register HERE)
Time: 7pm – 8:30pm Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: FREE
Who-oo goes there? Join Balsam Mountain Trust for a special meeting with their live owl ambassadors and learn more about these amazing nocturnal raptors. Then head out on a walk with the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society and the Highlands Nature Center to listen for our local owls. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.
Solar Time
Dates: June 21st (Register HERE)
Time: 8pm-9pm Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: FREE
Celebrate the longest day of the year (summer solstice) by exploring how to tell time using the Sun as a guide! Join the Smoky Mountain STEM Collaborative to make a sundial and learn how the Earth’s elliptical orbit around the Sun creates challenges for timekeeping. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.
Starlight Stroll
Dates: July 19th (Register HERE)
Time: 9pm-10pm Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: FREE
Unlock the history and mystery of the night sky as we study the night sky! Hear stories of the stars from different cultures and learn to identify summer constellations. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.