Winter Programs
Locust Grove offers quality programs featuring the natural and cultural history of Montgomery County and the surrounding region. Come visit our forest exhibit and hike one or all of our many trails.
NOTE: During inclement weather, Nature Centers follow Montgomery County Public School closures, delayed openings and early releases. If school is closed due to inclement weather, all children's programs are cancelled. Cancellation of Adult programs is determined on a case-by-case basis. Please call the nature facility to check on adult program status.
To make registration easier
Make note of the course # and register at ParkPASS or click the links below.
NOTE: ANY program attendee who falls in the age range of the program needs to register; this includes adults who fall within the listed ages!! Also, all children must be accompanied by an adult, unless noted otherwise. Questions? Please call 301-765-8660.
Locust Grove Programs
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February Programs
First Flower
Though lowly, drab and odd looking, the skunk cabbage flower gains eminence as the first flower to bloom in the new year. Now is the time to search for it in wet meadows and along riverbanks. We'll meet at the entrance to the Cabin John Campground area to welcome the first flower of spring.
Register 95149 5yrs&up $0 Thurs 2/4 4:15pm- 5:15pm
Maple Sugaring Time
Learn the history of maple sugaring and the hows and whys of sap, then follow the sap from tree to table in our maple sugaring demo. Can you tell the difference between real maple syrup and artificial? Take our syrupy taste test to find out!
Register 94751 1yrs&up $2 Tues 2/4 1:00pm- 2:00pm
Register 94752 1yrs&up $2 Tues 2/9 10:00am-11:00am
Register 94753 1yrs&up $2 Wed 2/24 11:00am-12:00pm
Wild Love
Come on out for a hot Valentine's date, or not, at the nature center. We'll enjoy a presentation on nature's unusual ways of expressing affection and finding lifelong love, or something else! Adults only, please. Light refreshments will be served.
Register 96667 18yrs&up $5 Fri 2/12 7:30pm- 9:00pm
Foolish February Hike
Are you as keen an observer as a naturalist? Can you walk through the oak forest and find the orange hanging from the tree or the poison dart frog hiding just beneath the leaves? By looking for the outrageous you may be surprised to discover the marvelous. Come find out on this silly scavenger hunt.
Register 95150 6yrs-10Y $4 Sat 2/13 1:00pm- 2:00pm
Valentine's Day Hike for Couples
Forget the roses and chocolates. Treat yourself and your significant other to a vigorous winter hike around Sugarloaf Mountain. We'll see how nature acknowledges this day of love and create warm memories while doing so. Snacks provided. Meet at Sugarloaf Mountain entrance and prepare to walk 3 - 4 miles on rocky terrain.
Register 95101 18yrs&up $10 Sun 2/14 1:30pm- 3:30pm
A Crystal Ball
Glittering, sparkling crystals - our world would be so dull without them. But what are crystals, and how are they formed? Discover their magic as we make some of to take home, and explore their amazing intricacy. No younger siblings please.
Register 95151 6yrs-12Y $7 Thurs 2/18 4:15pm- 5:15pm
Fireside Lunch Club
Yes, it's cold outside and that means that the 'food on a stick' that we prepare over the fire will taste all the more scrumptious. All children must be accompanied by an adult, and all attendees must register and pay. Please see the detail section for specific menu items.
Register 94755 1yrs&up $6 Fri 2/19 10:30am-12:00pm
Tot Time: Sounds
Did you hear that? Sounds can be subtle. Sounds can be alarming. Sounds can be music to our ears. And, if there's anything a toddler is expert in, it's in making lots of sounds! We'll encourage noise making and listening as we explore the nature of sound.
Register 95100 1yrs-3Y $4 Tues 2/23 11:15am-12:00pm
Out of School Winter Fun
Did you ever try blowing bubbles on the coldest day of the year? Well this may be your opportunity! Come for an afternoon of wintry fun tracking animals, making ice sculptures and enjoying hot chocolate around a toasty campfire.
Register 94902 6yrs-10Y $25 Fri 2/26 1:00pm- 4:30pm
Early Spring Hike
Yes, Spring really is starting. We'll look to the wetlands to find signs of the new season. Meet at Camp Tuckerman entrance (Off Tuckerman Lane)
Register 96668 5yrs&up $2 Sat 2/27 1:00pm- 2:30pm
Montgomery County Department of Parks