Check out the Fresh Air Family event calendar this week:
Details at
Please call hike leaders as we don't always know about changes!
Daily -- Pan for Gemstones, Arrowheads and Fossils at Cheaha State Park. $6 to $20.
Every Tuesday, 3:30-4:30 pm Discovery Hike, Forest Ecology Preserve, Auburn Parents and kids join us for a hike and discovery time. Great way for children to enjoy the outdoors while learning more about the natural world. Guided hikes are free and offered for children ages 5-12. Groups meet at the pavilion located at the Forest Ecology Preserve on 2222 North College Street, Auburn. Cancelled in the event of rain.
Every Thursday, 8:30 AM — Nature Walk, Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve, Auburn AL. Observe the seasons unfolding at the Preserve. Guided hikes offer an excellent opportunity to meet other nature-lovers while you learn more about the plants and wildlife found in our area. Groups meet at the pavilion. Canceled in the event of rain. Free.
Every Saturday through Dec. 14, 9 AM — Guided Nature Hike, Lake Guntersville State Park. The hikes are slow paced so we can enjoy and share the natural beauty of the park. Bird watching, hiking safety, plant identification and edible/medicinal properties of some plants are discussed. Free.
Friday, Dec. 6, 10 AM -- Huntsville Botanical Gardens, Gingerbread Men
Meet other parents while nature comes alive for you and your little one, ages 2-5, . Enjoy stories, lessons, hands-on activities and guided tours. Pilgrims, Anderson Education Center Classroom, $8 for first child, $5 for each sibling. Parents free. More at 256-837-4104 or mhertzig@hsvbg.org.
Saturday, Dec. 7, 9:30 am -- Turkeyfoot Falls, Bankhead National Forest
This Sipsey Wilderness hike begins at the Sipsey Recreation Area on Cranal Road and proceeds upstream on Turkeyfoot Creek. The narrow trail is not maintained and is fairly rough - rocky, rooty, uneven - underfoot. There is very little elevation change. The hike includes Turkeyfoot Falls and Mize Mill Falls, mature cove hardwood and Eastern hemlock forest, rock shelters and a very old automobile that tumbled over the bluff sometime around 1942. Free. Janice@WildSouth.org to register.
Saturday, Dec. 7, 10 am --Storytime at the Canyon Center, Fort Payne
Canyon Center staff and volunteers will read aloud unique children’s literature in the Canyon Center Gift Shop every first Saturday of the month. Free http://www.jsu.edu/epic/blocks/JSUFS_2013_updated_12102012rsm.pdf
Sunday, Dec. 8, 1 pm --Southeastern Outings Dayhike, Oak Mountain State Park Enjoy a moderate 4 mile walk in the woodlands near Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon. Parts of this hike will be off the color-coded trails. There will be some ups and downs. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age eight and up able to walk the distance of about 4 miles and complete the hike are welcome. Share an adventure! Bring a friend. Depart 1:00 p.m. from the Oak Mountain Park office parking lot.Free after park admission.
Tuesday, Dec. 10, 10 am -- 5 RIvers Storytime, Spanish Fort
Every Tuesday is StoryTime at 5 Rivers. Children under the age of 6 are welcome to stop by for a free reading of a nature based story followed by arts and crafts. To find out what we are reading, visit us online at www.Alabama5Rivers.com,or give us a call at 251-625-0814. Free