Events
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Teacher Escape Weekend III – Full
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesOur Teacher Escape Weekends train teachers for experiential learning and include transferable skills to take back to the schoolyard. Our time together will be productive and fun, with time for individual reflection, discussion of critical issues, and resources for use at Tremont and beyond.
$99 -
Outdoor Club Leaders’ Retreat
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesJoin us in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on September 18-20 for a weekend of learning alongside other schools, sharing ideas, and leaving with a stronger vision and a clear plan for the year ahead.
$195 -
Plein Air Smokies
Join us for a week of creativity and color as 20 nationally acclaimed plein air artists paint the Great Smoky Mountains and the surrounding region.
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Seasons of Connection: Seasonal Rhythms
Tremont's Second Campus Townsend, TN, United StatesSlow down and spend a restorative day immersed in the rhythms of the season with Tremont's education director, John DiDiego.
$90 -
“Hey Townsend” Paintout with Featured Artists
Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center 123 Cromwell Drive, Townsend, TNExperience the charm of Townsend like never before during the “Hey Townsend” Paintout – an afternoon of live outdoor painting with all of the Plein Air Smokies Featured Artists gathered in one extraordinary location.
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Plein Air Painting Demonstrations in the Smokies
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesGet inspired by the natural beauty of the Smokies while watching talented artists bring landscapes to life, brushstroke by brushstroke. As part of Plein Air Smokies, all Featured Artists will be demonstrating their craft outdoors.
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Southern Appalachian Ecology – Full
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesWhat makes the Southern Appalachians one of the most biodiverse regions in the world? This foundational course takes you into the forests, ridges, and coves of the Smokies to uncover the geological, climatic, and ecological forces that shaped this extraordinary landscape.
$555 -
Naturalist Skills – Full
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesThe natural world is full of mystery, beauty, and wonder — often revealed only in fleeting glimpses. This immersive weekend course is designed to sharpen your skills as an observer, interpreter, and storyteller of the natural world, giving you the tools to carry your curiosity into any landscape.
$555 -
Plein Air Smokies Collectors Celebration & Gallery Sale
The District Gallery & Framery 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TNJoin us for an exclusive evening celebrating the art and artists of Plein Air Smokies at the Collector’s Celebration – the first opportunity to view and purchase the stunning original works created throughout the week.
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Plein Air Smokies Quick Draw Competition
Sequoyah Hills Park 1214 Cherokee Blvd., Knoxville, TN, United StatesIn this fun, fast-paced challenge, artists of all levels create paintings on the spot, capturing the light, color, and spirit of the day. Whether you’re a seasoned plein air painter or just curious to try, the Quick Draw Competition Open Division is your invitation to dive in, trust your eye, and let the moment guide your art.
$35 -
Behind the Awards: Judge’s Talk with Lori Putnam
The District Gallery & Framery 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TNWhat makes a plein air painting stand out from the field? Join Plein Air Smokies judge Lori Putnam for a closer look at the award-winning works from this year’s event.
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Women’s Fall Backpack – Full
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesSpend a weekend recharging in the Smokies on a three-day, two-night backpacking trip designed for adventurous women. This program is beginner-friendly yet still offers a rewarding challenge — with mountain climbs, stream crossings, and nights under the stars, all supported by Tremont’s expert naturalists.
$648 -
Schoolyard Network Virtual Call: Energy Flows
Energy flows describe how energy moves, changes form, and is conserved within systems, ranging from physical machinery to living ecosystems. Join Tremont staff and other educators to explore how energy shows up through the levels of decomposition in a leaf.
Free -
Autumn Glory in the Smokies with the Sierra Club
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesHike the Great Smoky Mountains with fellow outdoor enthusiasts with the Sierra Club National Outings Program.
$1765 -
Tremont Writers Conference
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesJoin acclaimed author Ron Rash, a team of renowned writers, and professional park educators for a five-day retreat rooted in inspiration and authentic connection in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
$1,811 -
An Evening with Ron Rash and Friends
Blount County Public Library 508 N Cusick St, Maryville, TN, United StatesYou’re invited to “An Evening with Ron Rash and Friends,” featuring author Ron Rash, novelist Kelli Jo Ford, poet Linda Parsons, and memoirist Crystal Wilkinson.
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Tremont School Programs: Virtual Info Session
Curious about bringing your students to Tremont? Join us for a virtual information session to learn more about our immersive, overnight programs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Autumn Brilliance Photography Workshop
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesWhen fall color peaks in the Smokies, the mountains come alive with gold, crimson, and flame-orange. This weekend workshop is your chance to capture the brilliance of autumn in one of the most photographed parks in the country.
$1,025 -
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Geology – Full
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesThroughout the weekend workshop, we will engage other branches of natural and cultural history, focusing on geology's influence on the region's biodiversity. Hands-on explorations will include a two-mile roundtrip hike to a waterfall and several short, rugged, off-trail hikes involving rocky, uneven terrain.
$555 -
Mammals of the Smokies – Full
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesFrom elusive black bears to darting bats and tiny shrews, the Smokies are home to an incredible variety of mammals — some iconic, some hidden, and all essential to the ecosystem. This weekend course invites you to look beyond fleeting sightings to understand how mammals live, move, and interact with their environment.
$555 -
Schoolyard Network Virtual Call: System Modeling
System modeling combines a Science and Engineering Practice (SEP) and a Crosscutting Concept (CCC), helping students define system boundaries, map internal components, and track energy and matter flows to explain scientific phenomena.
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Schoolyard Network Virtual Call: Cause and Effect
Join Tremont staff and other educators to explore the relationship between two mutually influential things – it could be a river and a rock, a root and the soil, or something else entirely. You will first have the opportunity to participate as a learner and then debrief on ways you might bring the activity to life in your own grade level and content area.
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Wilderness Emergency Medical Responder
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesThe Wilderness Emergency Medical Responder (also referred to as Wilderness First Responder) course is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts, scout leaders, camp counselors, and any other youth or outdoor professional. It not only offers hands-on training for dealing with bites, burns, and other injuries, but also teaches participants how to manage conditions brought about by extreme temperatures and other environmental hazards.
$1170 -
Schoolyard Network Virtual Call: Sense of Wonder
Take a break from the crosscutting concepts and ground yourself back in a place of wonder and curiosity. Join Tremont staff and other educators to explore the nature journaling strategy Question Blitz and see just how curious you can become about a single phenomenon.
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Wilderness Emergency Medical Responder Refresher
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN, United StatesIf you have taken Wilderness Emergency Medical Responder (also called Wilderness First Responder) in the past and are due for a renewal, this refresher course is for you! This program provides a comprehensive review of wilderness medical information and skills while satisfying the requirements to renew certification in Emergency Medical Responder on the National Registry.
$675 -
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Schoolyard Network Virtual Call: Stability and Change
Join Tremont staff and other educators to explore parts of our lives and the world that are predictable year over year, as well as the parts that change. You will first have the opportunity to participate as a learner and then debrief on ways you might bring the activity to life in your own grade level and content area.
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Schoolyard Network Virtual Call: Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
Scale, proportion, and quantity involve recognizing relative sizes, time spans, and energy levels; using standard units of measurement; and analyzing proportional relationships to understand how natural and designed systems work. Join Tremont staff and fellow educators as we investigate a phenomenon of your choice, exploring how the relationships among its components reveal how individual parts contribute to the whole system.
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Schoolyard Network Virtual Call: Structure and Function
Join Tremont staff and other educators to explore Adaptation T-charts – first exploring the adaptations essential to the survival of an insect and then applying them to our own strategies as educators. We’ll consider how the moves and decisions we make as educators affect the impact we have in our classrooms and schoolyards.
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