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Kick off the new school year with a refreshing and reinvigorating trip to the Smokies – designed with teachers in mind!

This weekend is an opportunity to meet other teachers, share ideas for engaging students, learn from Tremont’s vast experience leading outdoor exploration, and answer questions you may have before your school’s visit to Tremont (if applicable.) It is also a time to relax, enjoy the mountain scenery, and make new connections.

Our Teacher Escape Weekends train teachers for experiential learning and include transferable skills to take back to the classroom. Our time together will be productive and fun, with time for individual reflection, discussion of critical issues, and resources for use at Tremont and in the schoolyard.

Attendance in this program allows teachers to attend free of charge when their school participates in a three- or five-day Tremont school program. It also reduces the cost of the trip for each participant.

What to Expect:

  • Take-home educational strategies that are proven to improve student performance
  • Increased confidence in core routines of experiential learning
  • An opportunity to relax, learn and network with other educators across the region
  • Preparation for cooperative teaching with our on-site teaching faculty
  • Professional development hours for continuing teacher education
  • Meals, lodging, materials, and instruction, all with the beautiful backdrop of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Cost: With the generous support of the Arconic Foundation, we are able to offer this experience for the low cost of $80, which includes food and lodging for the weekend. We cover the majority of the cost for the Teacher Escape Weekends because we understand the importance and value of this experience for new and returning teachers. We hope that participants will learn more about this special place and the range of opportunities available here.

Attendance is required for all sessions during the weekend. For those teachers traveling long distances, the dorm will be available for lodging on Friday. When you register, please tell us if you are staying with us on Friday.

Register Online

Please review our latest COVID-19 precautions prior to your visit.

Parking Passes
Valid parking tags are required on any vehicles parking for longer than 15 minutes inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park as part of the Park it Forward program; this includes when parked at Tremont. Please purchase your parking tag in advance, not when you arrive. Click here to purchase your daily or weekly pass online.  All revenue will stay in the park to provide sustainable, year-round support focusing on improving the visitor experience, protecting resources, and maintaining trails, roads, historic structures, and facilities. Learn more about Park it Forward.

Cover photo by John DiDiego.

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