Have Your Camera Ready For The Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage 2013
The Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage is a wonderful five day event held annually in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This is an excellent opportunity to explore the fauna and wildflowers found in this area during the springtime. Visitors can enjoy motorcade tours, historical walks, indoor seminars, and art classes. Held from April 23rd to the 27th, it is mostly outdoors, but some activities are inside the Gatlinburg area venues as well.
To participate in the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage one can register ahead online or you can register onsite beginning Tuesday April 23rd at 5:00pm, Wednesday through Friday 7:00am to 1:00pm and 5:00pm to 7:00pm, or Saturday from 7:00am to 1:00pm at the Mills Conference center in Gatlinburg. Adult tickets are $50 per day or $75 for two or more days. Students can enjoy the reduced rate of $15. Children who are twelve years old or younger are free, making this an excellent family event.
When coming to the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage you will want to remember your camera. The pilgrimage is full of amazing photo opportunities, and you can enter your favorite shots in the photography contest. All are welcome to join. Two entries per category are allowed for each individual. Adults can enter up to six photos, while youth are allowed eight. It’s as much fun to take the pictures as it is to see what everyone else has managed to capture. People and animals can also be in the pictures, but they shouldn’t be the focal point. Any taken in or around the Great Smoky National Park are acceptable. Categories that will be judged are Flora, Fauna, Landscape, and Youth Produced.
Photography entries can be turned in at the Gatlinburg Special Events Office Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm before April 19. They can also be mailed to 811 East Parkway, Gatlinburg TN 37738. Entries turned in on the last day should be dropped off at the W.H. Mills Conference Center located on the Historical Nature Center Trail.
Submissions need to be eight by ten inches, but no bigger than eleven by seventeen. Each photo can be mounted on Foam Core or a photo board. Place Velcro on the back for hanging, along with your name and information. All photos are judged by Pilgrim’s Choice. Ribbons are awarded on April 26, just be sure to pick up your pictures by the 27th.
