FAMILY OUTING:
FLY, HUNT, TUNNEL
(As referenced from 2006 Almanac)



Grandfather Mountain. It rises 5,964 feet in
the Pisgah National Forest near Linville, N.C.
PHOTO BY LINDA D. GEATON

A family visit to the Cradle of Forestry in the Pisgah National Forest can be more than a day of fun – it can be a day of learning. The Forest Discovery Center is a hands-on exhibit of the forest, its inhabitants and forest ranger duties. Children enjoy a scavenger hunt through the exhibit before “taking flight.”
Another popular kids’ exhibit is an underground tunnel, where children crawl underneath to view animals that live under the forest floor.

“We can hardly get the kids out sometimes,” Tammy Hopkins, special events coordinator, says. Two park trails lead to popular destinations: old forestry cabins with a toymaker in residence on weekends and a rare logging locomotive.

Open spring to autumn when the Blue Ridge Parkway is open; call first. Location: U.S. 276, Pisgah National Forest; 828/877-3130, www.cradleofforestry.com.


—Gail Fleenor