Events

Get Wild! Find your next adventure with TLC. View and register for upcoming events, or search by category for different types of events.

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Mar
20
Wed
Spring Equinox Sunset Hike @ Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve
Mar 20 @ 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

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Join TLC to welcome Spring at our Swift Creek Bluffs!

Let’s celebrate the transition from darkness into days of ever-more light with this 1.5 mile sunset hike. Like seeds germinating, this is a fantastic time to get intentional about the dreams you want to plant in your life, while shedding winter’s layers that no longer serve you. Due to the size of the parking lot, we will keep the hiking group very small, and ask that you register by vehicle rather than individual. So bonus points if you can carpool with a friend! This is a free event, but preregistration is required.

 

 

Current Mask Policy: TLC seeks to build a supportive, mask-friendly environment in all collaborations with staff and the public. Please wear a mask if you are not vaccinated, or if that makes you feel most comfortable. We will have masks available if you would like to wear one during an event. We also encourage those eligible to be vaccinated to get their Covid-19 vaccine and booster shot. If you are experiencing any Covid-related symptoms, please stay home and attend a program another day. Our top priority is to create a safe environment for our community. Thank you for your understanding.

If the event is full, please add your party’s info to our waitlist form here.

Mar
23
Sat
Ecological Exploration @ White Pines Nature Preserve (First Lot)
Mar 23 @ 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Join this ecological exploration of White Pines!

This beautiful hike will meander through our beautiful and diverse White Pines Nature Preserve. Because of it’s incredible ecosystem, surrounded by the White Pine and cooled by the confluence of the Rocky and Deep Rivers, it can be up to 10 degrees cooler than the neighboring city of Pittsboro! So it is an excellent location to escape our North Carolina heat.

This will be a moderate 3-mile hike over 3 hours. There will be multiple stops along the way to learn about the ecology and the history of the preserve. Please make sure to wear good walking shoes and bring a full water bottle along with bug spray and sunscreen if you would like it! This is a free event, but preregistration is required. Make sure to save your spot here!

 

 

Current Mask Policy: TLC seeks to build a supportive, mask-friendly environment in all collaborations with staff and the public. Please wear a mask if you are not vaccinated, or if that makes you feel most comfortable. We also encourage those eligible to be vaccinated to get their Covid-19 vaccine and booster shot. If you are experiencing any Covid-related symptoms, please stay home and attend a program another day. Our top priority is to create a safe environment for our community. Thank you for your understanding.

 

Mar
26
Tue
Explore Today @ Horton Grove Nature Preserve
Mar 26 @ 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Join TLC for this exploration hike at Horton Grove!

This hike will be a great intro hike for anyone new to the preserve, or someone that just wants to learn more about identifying the things you come across on your hikes. We will take many stops to examine the flora and the fauna of the preserve, and discuss why nature preserves like these are important. This will be an easier hike around only a mile of distance and minimal topographical change. This is a free event, but preregistration is required.

 

 

Current Mask Policy: TLC seeks to build a supportive, mask-friendly environment in all collaborations with staff and the public. Please wear a mask if you are not vaccinated, or if that makes you feel most comfortable. We will have masks available if you would like to wear one during an event. We also encourage those eligible to be vaccinated to get their Covid-19 vaccine and booster shot. If you are experiencing any Covid-related symptoms, please stay home and attend a program another day. Our top priority is to create a safe environment for our community. Thank you for your understanding.

Mar
30
Sat
Bluestem Partner Walk @ Bluestem Conservation Cemetery
Mar 30 @ 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Come join us for an exploration of Bluestem, a newly created non-profit 87 acre nature preserve including a conservation cemetery!

TLC and Eno River Association are Bluestem’s conservation partners helping to protect it with an upcoming conservation easement. As a nature preserve, Bluestem is restoring 30 acres of former farm fields into prairie grasslands. It is open to all, with a growing trail network built by volunteers. We’ll be hiking Bluestem’s 2 miles of trails, through lovely fields, forests, streams, and by a pond. These trails are accessible to the public 365 days a year.

Bluestem is also a conservation cemetery with 50 acres set aside for natural burial. “Natural burial at Bluestem is simple, natural and personal. It occurs without embalming, without metal or steel caskets, and without concrete vaults.”

 

 

Come explore this lovely land with us. The trails are flat, though some may be muddy after a rain. Kids are welcome and while Bluestem does love dogs, this is an event only for their owners. This is a free event, but preregistration is required.

 

Current Mask Policy: TLC seeks to build a supportive, mask-friendly environment in all collaborations with staff and the public. Please wear a mask if you are not vaccinated, or if that makes you feel most comfortable. We will have masks available if you would like to wear one during an event. We also encourage those eligible to be vaccinated to get their Covid-19 vaccine and booster shot. If you are experiencing any Covid-related symptoms, please stay home and attend a program another day. Our top priority is to create a safe environment for our community. Thank you for your understanding.

 

Speed Hike @ Johnston Mill Main Entrance
Mar 30 @ 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Come join TLC for an invigorating speed hike to wake up your Saturday morning!

This hike is led by one of our wonderful Trail Guides and will have a goal pace of 20 minutes per mile for about 3 miles. Explore Johnston Mill and see what all you can find while keeping your heart healthy, and socializing on trail. Make sure to park at the main entrance and be aware that the parking lots at our preserves are kept small to try and limit wear and tear on trails and habitat, so extra points if you can carpool! This is a free event but preregistration is required.

Current Mask Policy: TLC seeks to build a supportive, mask-friendly environment in all collaborations with staff and the public. Please wear a mask if you are not vaccinated, or if that makes you feel most comfortable. We will have masks available if you would like to wear one during an event. We also encourage those eligible to be vaccinated to get their Covid-19 vaccine and booster shot. If you are experiencing any Covid-related symptoms, please stay home and attend a program another day. Our top priority is to create a safe environment for our community. Thank you for your understanding.

Apr
3
Wed
Evening Hike @ Horton Grove Nature Preserve
Apr 3 @ 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Join TLC Trail Guides on a wonderful social hike series at Horton Grove! There will be a hike on the first Wednesday of each month to explore Horton Grove trails, socialize, and learn something along the way. During our hike, we will tackle 1-2 miles of trails, depending on the group. The hike will extend past dusk, so feel free to bring a flashlight or headlamp. This is a special opportunity, as our trails close to the public after dusk, so come out and see the preserve in a different light! This is a free event but preregistration is required.

 

 

Current Mask Policy: TLC seeks to build a supportive, mask-friendly environment in all collaborations with staff and the public. Please wear a mask if you are not vaccinated, or if that makes you feel most comfortable. We will have masks available if you would like to wear one during an event. We also encourage those eligible to be vaccinated to get their Covid-19 vaccine and booster shot. If you are experiencing any Covid-related symptoms, please stay home and attend a program another day. Our top priority is to create a safe environment for our community. Thank you for your understanding.

Apr
5
Fri
Statewide Star Party @ Three Bears (Private Preserve)
Apr 5 @ 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Come explore the cosmos with us at TLC’s Three Bears Nature Preserve in Creedmoor!

This year we are combining our Operation Earth Day Carnival with the NC Science Festival’s Statewide Star Party! Learn all about the Sun and the Moon from community organizations and explore the night sky with fun astronomy activities. Start your journey from the parking lot by walking through a scaled version of our very own solar system and then take a pit stop at each of our activity tables to learn all about the stars, the moon, and some of the telescopes that we will be using to view the night sky.

When the sun has set, we will take an optional night hike and end the night with guided demonstrations from Raleigh Astronomy Club to share constellation stories and opportunities to look through real telescopes! This is a free event but pre-registration is required.

 

Event Schedule:

6:00-8:00pm Sun & Moon Carnival

  • Learn about the moon with Oreo Moon Phases, rockets by building and testing your own paper version, constellations by hearing stories and creating your own designs, and so much more
  • Visit every table and solve our riddle to enter to win a prize!
  • Food vendor TBD

8:00-8:30pm Sunset Activities

  • Optional Night Hike and Activities in Forest (~0.25 mile)
  • Or stay for story time of one of our wonderful Astronomy Tales

8:30-10:00pm Night Sky Tour

  • Guided tour from Raleigh Astronomy Club volunteers and their telescopes, stay for a little or stay all the way to 11pm! It is up to you!

 

Event Location Information:

This site is equipped with restrooms with accessible stalls. The main parking area is about a 0.15 mile walk from the main event area, however, there will be closer parking available for those who need it. This is a completely outdoor event and we suggest you bring chairs and blankets, extra layers to keep warm, and a few snacks and a water bottle. We can’t wait to see you among the stars at our Three Bears Nature Preserve! If you need extra assistance or would like to request accessibility accommodations that are not listed above, please email Kayla Ebert at [email protected]

 

Partners:

NC Science Festival

Raleigh Astronomy Club

Kidzu Children’s Museum

Schoolhouse of Wonder

+ More to come!

 

About the NC Science Festival:

Founded in 2010, the North Carolina Science Festival is the first statewide science festival in the United States. Through a series of community-based events each April (hosted by schools, colleges, libraries, museums, parks, businesses, and other local organizations), the Festival celebrates the economic, educational, and cultural impacts of science in North Carolina. It is an initiative of Morehead Planetarium & Science Center at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For more information, please visit ncscifest.org. NCSciFest’s annual Statewide Star Party is made possible through the generous support of the NC Space Grant.

Apr
6
Sat
First Saturday Birding @ Brumley North Parking Lot
Apr 6 @ 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM

 

Come join us for our First Saturday birding hike at our Brumley North Nature Preserve!

Did you know that Brumley North is the #2 Hotspot for birding in the state? Our Brumley Birding hike will be led by co-members of both TLC and the New Hope Audubon Society. We will meander on an easy 1.5 mile hike over about 2 hours with many stops along the way. Please wear good walking shoes and layers, bring a water bottle, and binoculars if you have them. We suggest that you leave your furry friends at home for this hike as they may scare away wildlife viewing opportunities. This is a free event, but preregistration is required.

 

 

Current Mask Policy: TLC seeks to build a supportive, mask-friendly environment in all collaborations with staff and the public. Please wear a mask if you are not vaccinated, or if that makes you feel most comfortable. We also encourage those eligible to be vaccinated to get their Covid-19 vaccine and booster shot. If you are experiencing any Covid-related symptoms, please stay home and attend a program another day. Our top priority is to create a safe environment for our community. Thank you for your understanding.

 

If this event is full, please fill out the form at this link to be added to the waitlist.

Pines of the Piedmont @ White Pines Nature Preserve
Apr 6 @ 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Come join us for an exploration of the pines of the piedmont!

Join TLC on this gorgeous morning hike to explore our White Pines Nature Preserve. Along the way we will meander through this unique ecosystem and learn about the 5 pines that you can find at the preserve. This preserve contains species not typically found in the North Carolina Piedmont, but still remain here from the last ice age due to the rivers surrounding the area creating a microclimate.

This will be a moderate 3-mile hike over 2 hours. There will be multiple stops along the way to learn about the ecology and the history of the preserve. Please make sure to wear good walking shoes and bring a full water bottle along with bug spray and sunscreen if you would like it! This is a free event, but preregistration is required.

 

 

 

Current Mask Policy: TLC seeks to build a supportive, mask-friendly environment in all collaborations with staff and the public. Please wear a mask if you are not vaccinated, or if that makes you feel most comfortable. We also encourage those eligible to be vaccinated to get their Covid-19 vaccine and booster shot. If you are experiencing any Covid-related symptoms, please stay home and attend a program another day. Our top priority is to create a safe environment for our community. Thank you for your understanding.

 

If the event is full, please fill out the form at this link to be added to the waitlist.

Apr
12
Fri
Birding with Wake Audubon @ Williamson Farm and Nature Preserve
Apr 12 @ 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM

Join TLC and Wake Audubon for this wonderful birding walk!

Our wonderful partners at Wake Audubon have joined TLC to lead a hike on the second Friday of each month at our Williamson Nature Preserve. Join this wonderful morning stroll and see what birds you can find. This hike will be just under 2 miles around the Two Pond Loop at the preserve. Please wear good walking shoes and layers, bring a water bottle, and binoculars if you have them. We suggest that you leave your furry friends at home for this hike as they may scare away wildlife viewing opportunities. This is a free event, but preregistration is required.

 

 

Current Mask Policy: TLC seeks to build a supportive, mask-friendly environment in all collaborations with staff and the public. Please wear a mask if you are not vaccinated, or if that makes you feel most comfortable. We also encourage those eligible to be vaccinated to get their Covid-19 vaccine and booster shot. If you are experiencing any Covid-related symptoms, please stay home and attend a program another day. Our top priority is to create a safe environment for our community. Thank you for your understanding.

Inclement Weather Policy: In the event of inclement weather, you will be contacted by email for a call on cancellation or postponement. At our Williamson and Brumley South Nature Preserves, due to the multi-use trail systems, we close the trails to the public if there has been rain to try and prevent erosion and detrimental impact. Please note that this event falls under this category and will be cancelled if the trails are closed.

Find a TLC Nature Preserve Near You