Welcome

The purpose of Friends of Long Hunter State Park is to help protect and improve the park environment for those who use it; and to support the park staff in its preservation and educational efforts.

We encourage you to join us in our efforts to assist Long Hunter State Park by becoming a member of our organization.

The support given through Yearly Membership Dues, Sponsors, and donations assist in many worthy causes. Your contributions are an investment in the future of Long Hunter State Park.

News

 

 

This free event, sponsored by the Friends of Long Hunter State Park, features a variety of educational programs and hikes for the whole family.

 

FREE NATURE EVENT

Saturday, April 6th, 2024

8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

 

Event Schedule and Program Description

All scheduled programs will meet at the park office located at 2910 Hobson Pike in Hermitage or Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural Area parking lot. We look forward to seeing you!

 

Early Morning Bird Walk
8:30am - 9:30am - Starts at Park Office
Join John Froeschauer, retired State Regional Interpretive Specialist, for an early morning bird walk. John has been a favorite at Long Hunter for many years and will bring his expertise to us once again. John will help us see and hear the many birds that are up and tweeting during the morning hours. We will be identifying both local and migratory species by sight and sound. Bring binoculars if you have them for the best chance to see everything. What a wonderful way to start a day!


The Great Scavenger Hunt
9:00am - 12:00pm - Starts at Park Office
Come out for this fun and unique event as we search for clues throughout the main park. This event is open to all ages and there is no time limit. Some clues may require hunters to drive or hike a distance to find clues. Come by the Friends of Long Hunter tent (outside the park office) anytime between 9 a.m. and noon for the list of clues to search for.


Wild Tea
10:00am - 11:30am - Starts at the Park Office
Join Ranger Interpretative Leslie Ann Rawlings for a spot of tea! Bring your favorite teacup for sampling some herbal teas in the meeting room at the park office then join us for an easy one-mile hike around the Deer Trail to learn about some medicinal and edible plants.


Honey Bees and the TSP Honey Project
12:30pm – 1:30pm - Park Office
Learn about general beekeeping and - more specifically - about the Tennessee State Parks Honey Project from Chris Warren, Deputy Director of TDEC's Office of Talent Management and a veteran beekeeper. The Honey Project is an exciting undertaking in several Tennessee state parks. The project promotes the survival of honey bees while also improving the pollination of native plants.


Cedar Glade Hike
5:30pm - 7:30 pm - Starts at Cedar Glade Parking Lot on South Mt. Juliet Road
Join Jason Allen, writer, editor, filmmaker, naturalist, and independent wilderness guide for the past 20 years to hike and explore the 1.0 mile Cedar Glade Trail. This trail circles Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural area, home to many rare, threatened and endangered plant species. Also known as the Tyler Sykes Trail, this path leads visitors to desert-like areas known as cedar glades. The thin, gravelly soil found here is home to such treasured wildflower species as leafy prairie clover, Tennessee coneflower, limestone fame flower, nodding wild onion, glade phacelia and Gattinger's lobelia. This area also features a wide variety of milkweed and sumac plants. Please note, this hike has limited space. You must sign up to reserve your spot on the LHSP website.

Tennessee Naturalist Program
Long Hunter Chapter

(formerly Cedars of Lebanon Chapter)

 

The Tennessee Naturalist Program (TNP) is an education training course designed to introduce the natural history of Tennessee to interested adults. The Long Hunter Chapter of TNP offers 10 classes for 40 hours of instruction — half in the classroom and half in the field. Instructors are experts in their disciplines.

This chapter was formerly known as and located at Cedars of Lebanon State Park from 2015 through 2022. All Cedars' students are now represented in the Long Hunter chapter.


For more information about the program please visit our chapter page:

TN Naturalist Progam / Long Hunter Chapter

Upcoming Events

We offer many events throughout the year. We also have a Full Event Calendar. The following is a short list of upcoming events:

Early Morning Bird Walk

Saturday, April 6 at 8:30am

Join John Froeschauer, retired State Regional Interpretive Specialist, for an early morning bird walk. John has been a favorite at Long Hunter for many years and will bring his expertise to us once again. John will help us see and hear the many birds that are up and tweeting during the morning hours. We will be identifying both local and migratory species by sight and sound. Bring binoculars if you have them for the best chance to see everything. What a wonderful way to start a day!

Location: Long Hunter State Park, 2910 Hobson Pike, Hermitage, TN 37076, USA

Spring Thing 2024

Saturday, April 6 at 8:30am

The Friends of Long Hunter State Park are excited to invite you to celebrate spring with us at our annual Spring Thing event, on April 6th 2024. This year in addition to the presentations, we have included a sunset hike, in case you are busy during the earlier part of the day. As always, we are looking forward to seeing you at the event. It’s FREE!
 
Please see the rest of the calendar for specific events.

Location: Long Hunter State Park, 2910 Hobson Pike, Hermitage, TN 37076, USA

The Great Scavenger Hunt

Saturday, April 6 at 9:00am

Come out for this fun and unique event as we search for clues throughout the main park. This event is open to all ages and there is no time limit. Some clues may require hunters to drive or hike a distance to find clues. Come by the Friends of Long Hunter tent (outside the park office) anytime between 9 a.m. and noon for the list of clues to search for.

Location: Long Hunter State Park, 2910 Hobson Pike, Hermitage, TN 37076, USA

Sponsors

A lot of support we receive comes from not only members within the Friends group, but also sponsors of local businesses throughout the community who have a love for Long Hunter State Park. If you are interested in sponsoring us, please visit our sponsor page.

The following companies have sponsored the Friends of Long Hunter State Park:

Gemini Production Group, Inc.

Gemini Production Group, Inc.

Gemini Production Group, Inc. is an award-winning Nashville video production company. They craft impactful videos for large and small businesses, agencies and brands for over 20 years.

On Guard Security, Inc.

On Guard Security, Inc.

On Guard Security, Inc. provides top-quality contract security guard services at competitive rates in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Mailing List

* indicates required
Activity Interest

Donate

Help the Friends of Long Hunter stay active!

$ .00

 

Amazon Smile Logo
Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the park. Use this AmazonSmile link when ordering.

Facebook

Designed By: Gemini Production Group