As a recent transplant to a new state, touring the local sites can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. But I quickly learned an easy way to get out…go on the school field trip!

This latest one took us to the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education right outside of Brevard, North Carolina. The center offers classes for groups of 10 or more focusing on things like fishing, stream investigation, mountain habitats and tracking forest creatures. Our classes participated in the Raising Trout program. The kids (and parents, too!) learned about the trout hatching operations, the life cycle of a trout and even got to feed the fish.

After the program, our guide led us on a hike through the beautiful Pisgah Forest to a waterfall. Students, who had created their own field guides, identified plants along the way.

It was a fun day and a great way to explore a little bit of the mountains!

Studying trout eggs in a test tube

Playing a game to learn about the life of trout

Waiting in line for fish food

Sunscreen and sunglasses for the hike

Using field guides made in class to identify native plants researched by the students

Last stop on the hike at a waterfall to rest before the walk down