Fall in the Smokies is a special time, full of brilliant colors, crisp mountain mornings, and fragrant breezes.  Join us for a weekend of natural history study in the midst of autumn splendor. Saturday and Sunday will be spent studying forests, trees, fall fruits, fungi, and more as we comb the mountains for their treasures.  We will come together in the evenings for educational presentations and entertainment. Your instructors will include Tremont staff, scientists, and other experts that look forward to sharing their special knowledge with you. This weekend is designed for anyone that wants to get close to nature through activities that are in keeping with the naturalist tradition of careful observation, study, and shared knowledge. Everyone will leave this weekend with a new wealth of knowledge and appreciation of nature.

Program lasts from Friday supper through Sunday lunch.

Cost: $220 (includes instruction, meals, and lodging). 

One hour of graduate credit is available for an additional fee.

Autumn Splendor Weekend
Tentative Schedule

Friday
3:00 – 5:00       Arrival and check-in

6:00                 Supper

7:00                 Welcome and Introductions

8:00                 Exploring the Night Sky
Enjoy a crisp autumn evening as we search the night sky for its treasures. We’ll learn the location and myths of constellations such as Orion, Pleiades, Taurus, Ursus Major, find stars such as Sirius the dog star, Betelgeuse, and the North Star, and explore the moon’s surface with our spotting scope. Bring your blanket and warm clothing for a relaxing evening under the stars.

9:00                 Refreshments

Saturday
8:00                 Breakfast

9:00 – 4:00 Walker Sisters Fall Color Hike
Join us for a lovely fall day on the trail. The hike to Walker Sisters Cabin and Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse is always a great way to spend a day, but combined with spectacular fall color from leaves and wildflowers, it becomes a joyful occasion. This easy to moderate hike covers 4.5 miles of trail and old farm road. After dropping a shuttle vehicle at Metcalf Bottoms, we will begin our hike at the Little Greenbrier Trailhead. From there we will hike 2 miles through pine-oak forests to the Little Briar Gap Trail on which we will descend to the Walker Sister’s Cabin. This remote mountain farm is well preserved, giving us a great chance to discover how people lived so long ago. Another mile on the trail will bring us to Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse, another lovely example of early architecture and a great place to hear the echo of times past. Our last mile will take us to Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area.  Throughout the day we will practice our naturalist skills while we learn about the trees, plants, birds, and other critters that inhabit these mountains. Expect an easy-going day of exploration.

9:00 - Noon

Fantastic Fall Fruits
Join us for a morning exploring the forests and fields for a fall harvest. Discover the great variety of fruits (nuts, berries, drupes, seeds, etc.) that are a plant’s hope for the future. We’ll explore the reasons behind shape and structure of each fruit, who eats it, how it is dispersed, all in order to better appreciate a fruit’s beauty and unique characteristics.

12:30                Lunch

1:30 – 4:30        Growing and Propagating Native Plants
Using native plants is a wonderful way to bring diversity and color to your home landscape. We will spend our afternoon learning the ethics of collection, how to collect and propagate for the home garden, and what natives work best in specific settings. We will also discuss many methods of collection and propagation then put them into practice on plants and seeds from Tremont’s campus gardens. You will take home plant divisions, and seeds for your home use. 

5:30                  Supper

6:30                  Cades Cove by Moonlight
Our exploration of the night continues as we walk the moonlit roads in Cades Cove. Night is an especially nice time to visit the Cove as it offers the opportunity to experience this glorious landscape without the disruption of car traffic. Listen to the coyote howl, owls hoot, and the last of the crickets sing an evening lullaby as we discuss nocturnal ecology and other night time “doings”.

9:00                  Refreshments

Sunday
8:00 am            Breakfast, pack a sack lunch

9:00 – 1:00ish Kudzu Wreaths and Baskets: Exploiting the Enemy
Did you know that kudzu, the bad-guy of the South, can actually be woven into attractive wreaths and free-form baskets? Help us do our native landscape a favor by spending the morning whacking and weaving. We’ll travel outside the national park to a “great” kidzu patch where we will select, cut, and weave our masterpieces on the spot. Don’t worry, it’s easy, quick, and a crowd pleaser! Please wear sturdy shoes and clothing that can handle rough work. A pair of work gloves are also a great idea. 

                        Morning Walk
Need to get on the road but want a quick, last walk in the Smokies? Then join us for a nice hour-long walk to say farewell to some of the new friends you have made on the trail and to prepare for the long car trip home. We’ll explore one of our Tremont trails will saying goodbye to the splendid Smoky Mountains.

Suggested Readings:
Trees of the Smokies by Steve Kemp

Fall Color and Woodland Harvests: A Guide to the More Colorful Fall Leaves and Fruits of the Eastern Forests by C. Ritchie Bell and Anne H. Lindsey

The Walker Sisters of Little Greenbrier by Rose Houk

Gardening with Native Plants of the South by Sally Wasowski Back to Top