at Trail of Tears State Park
Trail of Tears State Park schedules interpretive programs for the public during the summer, Memorial Day through Labor Day. Check bulletin boards or call the visitor center for details on weekly programs. Be sure to keep an eye out for the most popular programs offered regularly through the summer. Programs like “Slithering Snakes” held most Sundays is all about the lives of snakes, and the “Moccasin Springs Stroll” is a short hike down the road where thousands of Cherokees passed after crossing an icy Mississippi River in the winter of 1838-1839.
Also keep an eye out for naturalist stations. These are spots where staff has staged games, demonstrations, nature crafts and activities within popular areas of the park. You can catch fishing demonstrations at the boat ramp to the Mississippi River, grab a net full of aquatic bugs at the lake, do some bottomland bird watching at the overlook or see how American Indians made dugout canoes outside the visitor center. Topics can be variable, the locations could be anywhere and there is no absolute beginning, middle or end. Just swing by when you see one and see what’s going on.