• Alphabet Challenge – Find plants, wildlife and more for each letter of the alphabet.
• Color Challenge – Find plants, wildlife and more for each color.
• Garey Park Bingo (easy + answers)
• Garey Park Bingo (hard + answers)
• Play Ranch Bingo
• Garey Park Wildflower Bingo – Did you know there are 24 varieties of wildflowers at Garey Park?
• Nature Scavenger Hunt – How many can you find?
• 10 Things to Do at Garey Park while practicing physical distancing.
• BioBlitz – Help us chronicle the biodiversity of the park by using your smartphone!

Stay tuned for scavenger hunt events coming soon!

All ages
$15 Resident/$20 Nonresident
Saturday, April 15
Saturday, May 20
8-10 a.m.

Join us for a morning of fishing fun at the Garey Park ponds. We will provide fishing equipment, instruction, and bait. Children under the age of 12 must have an enrolled parent to participate in the program.

Ages 14+
$40 Resident/$50 Nonresident
Saturday, April 29
8-11 a.m.

With the hustle and bustle of a busy life…it’s important to find your patch of green space to connect with nature and step away from the noise of  the daily grind.  Garey Park has 525 acres and a variety of trails for hiking, viewing wildlife, and opportunities for you to enjoy the great outdoors while providing a perfect backdrop for enjoying nature photography. In this photography class,  we’ll explore at a comfortable pace and look for a variety of subjects that pique your interest. But more importantly tell a story.  We’ll cover basic photography tips like composition, light, and creativity to make images that are interesting and captivating.

This class is designed for anyone who enjoys time in nature and the variety of subjects it has to offer.  All levels of photographers are welcome, just wear comfortable shoes and bring an extra camera battery!

Linda Nickell is a Texas-based nature photographer and the host of a weekly photography webinar series, the “Happiness Hour.” Linda’s work has been recognized by texashighways.com as one of the “Top 25 Travel Photographers to Follow on Instagram.”  She is the co-author of “Composition:  15 Photography Tips to Creating Captivating Images,” and as an active user of Instagram, she curates multiple feature accounts to inspire and promote the work of other photographers.  Many of  Linda’s images have been published and licensed for commercial use.

Happy New Year! Start the year off right with a guided hike at Garey Park on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023.

9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
This longer hike (two hours) will cover about 5.7 miles, and will include most of our trails. The hike will start at the Meadow/Garey House parking lot.

9:30 a.m.
This mid-length hike is about 2.85 miles and includes the Saddle Loop, Highlands Loop & Spur and Side Oats Trail. This one-hour hike will start at the Play Ranch parking Lot.

Advanced registration required. Please arrive at Garey Park 15 minutes prior to the start time of the hike.

$2 resident/$4 nonresident
Free for Garey Park passholders

All ages
$10 resident/$15 nonresident
Saturday, March 11
Saturday, April 15
Saturday, May 20
10-11 a.m.

Curious to learn a little something about nature at Garey Park? Come join us for a guided Interpretive Hike! The hike will cover approximately 1 to 3 miles. We recommend participants wear comfortable walking shoes, bring a water bottle, use bug spray, and dress appropriately for the weather and for light to moderate hiking.

Appropriate for all ages. Pre-registration required. Participants 12 years old or under must be accompanied by a registered adult participant. Registration includes park entry for the day.

Please check in at the Gatehouse when you arrive at the park. The staff member there will direct you to the meeting point within the park where the hike will start.

Ages 14+
$15 resident/$20 nonresident
Wednesday, April 12-8:30-11:30 a.m. (classroom)
Thursday, April 13-8-11 a.m. (bird walk)

Are you interested in learning about birding? Taught by Texas Master Naturalist Jim Hailey, the classroom portion of this course will cover the basics of birding – what to look for, tips for choosing and using binoculars, and helpful information about books and guides. The field portion of this course will be a birding adventure at Garey Park utilizing the wildlife viewing blind and the park’s trail system.

Ages 6-12
$15 resident/$20 nonresident
Saturday, March 25 – 9-10 a.m.
Sunday, April 2 – 1-2 p.m.

Everything is bigger in Texas, including our biodiversity! Texas is home to 651 species of birds, 180 species of mammals, and 210 species of reptiles and amphibians. If your child loves to play outside, they just might meet some of these cool critters! We will provide a fun, educational presentation which includes opportunities for participants to interact with animal pelts, skull replicas and other interesting items. Registration includes park entry for the day.

All ages
Garey Park entry fees; no pre-registration required
Saturday, March 4
Tuesday, March 14
Saturday, April 1
Tuesday, April 11
Saturday, May 6
Tuesday, May 16
10-11 a.m.

“The Theory of Loose Parts” proposes that items which can be moved around, built, tinkered with, and arranged in a variety of ways foster creative thinking and engagement in people better than other learning methods. LPNP takes that same theory and applies it to nature-based learning! Staff will provide baskets full of items pulled from nature (think leaves, pinecones, sticks, bamboo, tree cookies, etc.) and let kids imaginations run wild! This is supervised, but unguided, free play time.

Help us chronicle pollinator species at Garey Park!

From experts to novices, all curious naturalists are welcome. The goal of this BioBlitz is to document as many different pollinators as possible in Garey Park.

Participation is as easy as taking a photo and recording a date, time and location (your phone does this automatically via geotagging) and uploading to iNaturalist.org via the phone app or website. You can explore and make observations on your own time and pace, and as often as you’d like!

What is a pollinator?

A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from a male plant to a female plant. This allows the plant to grow and produce. Examples include: bees, flies, wasps, ants, butterflies, moths, sawflies, bats, hummingbirds, dragonflies and damselflies.

What is a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz is an event where participants take/upload photo of wildlife to learn about the pollinators in our area. Participation is of the utmost importance! The more observations made, the greater the positive impact had on the scientific community. You might find something nobody has ever documented at Garey Park before!

How do I participate?

1. Download the iNaturalist app on your smartphone.
2. Create an account and familiarize yourself with the program. Practice looking at the Explore, Activity, and Observe tabs on the app.
3. While in the app, join the project page, when available.
4. Visit Garey Park and make an observation – or make many! You can submit findings in real time using the iNaturalist app on your smartphone or save the photos and upload them later.

Why should I participate?

• Parks are essential to the health of pollinators and help make a difference in saving these critical species. Parks help pollinators in several ways – including documenting the species present within their boundaries.
• Pollinators are a vital component of our ecosystem, and an essential link to the world’s food supply.
• The United States has seen a steady decline of pollinators – a rate of about a 30% decrease annually. These projects help scientist (and citizen scientists, like you!) better understand where there is a greater need for preservation efforts. 

Questions?

Give us a call at 512-930-6800 or email gareypark@georgetown.org. Or, stop by the gatehouse on your way in for a quick tutorial.

All ages (3 and under are free)
$2 Resident/$4 Nonresident
Wednesday, Jan. 25 – 7-9 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 22 – 7-9 p.m.
Wednesday, March 15 – 8-10 p.m.
Wednesday, April 26 – 8-10 p.m.

Come enjoy an evening under the stars at Garey Park! Talented volunteers from the Williamson County Astronomy Club will be on hand with telescopes and/or cameras to help visitors view various celestial objects. Participants are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets as well. Registration is limited and pre-registration is required. Walk-ins will not be accepted at the gate.