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Outdoor Learning With Great Smoky Mountains National Park as Your Classroom

Every year over 4,000 students and their teachers from 13 states experience the Great Smoky Mountains through Tremont’s school programs. We offer an outdoor classroom within the unique diversity of the Smokies, talented staff and innovative programs. We also work to make this trip a reality for you by offering financial aid opportunities. In 2010, we designated over $50,000 for bringing students like yours to Tremont. These elements, combined with dedicated teachers and excited students, create a dynamic educational opportunity.

Lessons are not only correlated with the science and social studies curricula of surrounding states for grades 5-8, we also work with you to tailor the program to your group's needs.

Learn more about... Our Classroom Features Our Teacher/Naturalists Teacher Workshops Tremont Video Map of Schools Visiting Tremont Special Offers for School Groups Contact Us

More from the teachers - David Dobbs has been bringing students to Tremont for the past 5 years. Watch this video to learn how his Tremont experience has affected his teaching style.

Our Classroom

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is located within the watershed of the Middle Prong of the Little River, which encompasses 20,000 acres. Within this area, 20 or more miles of trails intersect diverse forest types, streams and geologic formations. Aquatic ecology studies in the Middle Prong, learning about geology and the Greenbriar Fault along the Falls Trail, searching for bear sign on Lumber Ridge, and all the other unique activities in our lessons allow the students to use the outdoors as a classroom and laboratory.

You'll plan your programs by choosing from a curriculum of natural and cultural history topics

Lessons emphasize hands-on exploration of the national park (lessons are generally three hours or longer)

A Tremont Teacher/Naturalist will teach cooperatively with your school's staff as well as assist teachers with materials, trails, and questions

Features

A comfortable dormitory housing groups of up to 135 people, well-suited for supervising students

Family style meals in our dining hall

A variety of indoor and outdoor meeting spaces, all located within the 522,000 acres of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Our Teacher/Naturalists

Are experienced, educated professionals

Have diverse backgrounds in environmental education and recreational leadership

Are patient, understanding and optimistic about the potential of every child

Learn more about our staff

Tremont Video: Connecting People and Nature (large file)

Produced by Alcoa Tennessee Operations, this video invites personal testimony as to who we are, what we do, and where we are.

Please choose your format:
View on YouTube
Download for Mac
Download for Windows

Our special thanks to the Communications Group at Alcoa Tennessee Operations for producing this video for Tremont.

Special Offers for School Groups

Teacher Escape Weekend is a wonderful way to familiarize yourself with the Tremont philosophy, our campus, and our staff. By attending Teacher Escape Weekend you will qualify to be free when you bring your school group, and all of your students will get $8 off their price. Click here for Teacher Escape Weekend Information.

Other Teacher Training Opportunities are offered throughout the year. After attending one of these programs, when you bring your school group you will qualify to come free and your students will get $8 off the price of a three day or longer experience. Click here for a list of teacher opportunities in 2011.

Bring a Teacher from Another School to Tremont with your school group as a teacher/chaperone, and they will be free with your group. To qualify them as a free teacher/chaperone, it needs to be their first visit to Tremont and we will need to know their name, school and school’s address.

Call (865)448-6709 or e-mail mail@gsmit.org to learn more and plan your school's trip today!