Pickwick Landing For Educators
Notification Alert
Dog Park Closed Due to Storm Damage
Due to damage from Winter Storm Fern, the dog park at Pickwick Landing will be closed until further notice.
We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work to make the necessary repairs. If you have any questions, please contact the park office.
Pickwick Landing Educator Programs
Want a fun way to get your students excited about learning? Why not learn with a Park Ranger?
Tennessee State Parks offer accessible, discovery-based educational experiences aligned with Tennessee’s academic standards. Choose a program for your class, plan your day at a park, and request an experience today.
Our Programs
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Field Trips
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School Outreach
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Self-guided/Teacher-led
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Virtual Connections
Pickwick Landing Programs
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Meet a Ranger
Who are Rangers? What do they do? Find out! It takes skill, knowledge, experience, and education to be a Park Ranger. Join us today to explore a day in the life of a Tennessee State Park Ranger!
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 30 minutes
Capacity: 150 students
Cost: $0/student -
Animal Adaptations
Explore various pelts and skulls from native species and learn how each has adaptations that help them survive different habitats and temperatures!
Meets: 2.LS1.2, 2.LS2.2
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 60 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
Snakes of Pickwick Landing
Come meet a few awesome snakes that are native to the area and learn how important they are to the ecosystem! Your students will learn all about these beauties' role in the food web and what would happen if they were removed from the ecosystem.
Meets: 4, LSE.3, 6.LS2.2
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 30 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
Owl Pellet Dissection
Students will sort through owl pellets and use guides to verify what they consumed! This program focuses on the food web and how energy moves between trophic levels.
Meets: 4.LS2.3, 6.LS2.3
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 60 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $5/student -
Secret Indicators of Stream Health
Come learn how scientists use tiny organisms to verify the health of a stream! Students will use field guides to identify organisms and use their data to determine the health of a stream.
Meets: 6.LS4.1, BIO.LS4.3
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 60 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
A Labor of Pride: History of the Civilian Conservation Corp
In this program, students will learn about the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) and its central role in the creation of Tennessee State Parks. Your students will learn about the national impact of the CCC and so much more!
Meets: 5.16, 5.48, AAH.34, TN.51
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 60 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
Discovering Our Watershed
Learn about watersheds and how pollution and human impact can alter their health. Use a watershed model to visualize negative impacts on a watershed. Students will then brainstorm solutions to protect and preserve the watershed and test their theory.
Meets: EVSC.ESS3.13, GEO.ESS2.12
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 60 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
Aviary Tour
View our eight birds of prey and learn things about each species and each bird. We'll discuss how each bird was impacted by humans and how they came to live permanently at the park. Depending on grade level, we can focus more on ecological roles, adaptations, and biological diversity.
Meets: 2.LS2.2, 3.LS4.1, 4.LS2.2, 5.LS4.2, 6.LS4
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 45 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student -
Island Loop Hike
Take a walk along the Island Loop Trail and discover the flora, fauna, and history of Pickwick Landing State Park! Your Ranger guide will tailor your hike to meet the educational goals of your group. We can discuss ecosystems, biodiversity, plants, animals, history, watersheds, invasive species, and more!
Meets: K.ESS3.3, 2.LS2.2, 6.LS2.5
Distance: 2.5 Miles
Terrain: Uneven, mostly flat, packed soil terrain
Location: Park or school
Grade Level: All grade levels
Length: 90 minutes
Capacity: 30 students
Cost: $0/student
How to Request a Program
Program requests use the same form whether you are requesting funding support or not. Once you have submitted the form, allow 10 days for processing. Request educational program experiences at least four to six weeks in advance of the desired time frame for the program.
To complete the form:
Funding Assistance
Field trip funding may be available to remove barriers to participation.
The Tennessee State Parks Conservancy (501-C3) assists schools in covering the costs of scheduled programs at a Tennessee State Park. Funds can cover bus transportation costs, park program fees, and park shelter rentals. Partial funds may be awarded. Awards are given after the field trip is completed.
When applying for a program, select “yes” on the application form if you are interested in receiving funding support.
What’s Next?
Submitting the form begins the scheduling and funding process.
The request will be in Pending status until confirmed. Allow 10 days for processing. A park staff member will email confirmation of the program and notify you of any park-related fees.
If you requested funding, the Tennessee State Parks Conservancy Director will email the decision to award or deny funding. Funding is processed after the program as a reimbursement. Partial funds may be awarded. In this case, the school will be responsible for any costs above the amount written in the award email.
Submitting for Funding Reimbursement
To receive reimbursement, you must provide the following documentation:
- Bus invoice
- Park invoice
- Photos
- Number of students new to any Tennessee State Park
- Student and teacher feedback