Wild Bird Eggstravaganza at the UT Gardens

Bamboo can provide good cover for nesting birds. Come learn more at the UT Gardens Eggstravaganza, a family-friendly event intended for children 12 years old and younger. Pre-registration is required. Visit the UT Gardens website: utgardens.tennessee.edu​. Photo by R. Lester, courtesy USDA ARS.

Anticipate the coming of spring with a fun family educational event at the University of Tennessee Gardens on Saturday, March 19, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This year, the Gardens is putting an interesting twist on the traditional egg hunt. Wild birds are beginning to nest for the season. Come learn about their eggs and how to protect and support our feathered friends.

Families will learn how to attract birds to their home garden and create natural, spring-inspired crafts. All kids will leave with a bird house, a bird feeder, a bird nest model and an egg model. Kids will have an opportunity to hunt for 3,000 eggs in the Gardens, some of which have prize tickets.

Come dressed in your best and get your picture taken with the Easter Bunny. In partnership with the Food Allergy Community of East Tennessee (FACET), Allergy & Asthma Affiliates, and the Allergy, Asthma and Sinus Center, our annual Eggstravaganza is food-free.

The Eggstravaganza is a family-friendly event and intended for children ages 12 and under.  Bring your Easter basket and a camera!

The cost for Eggstravaganza is $6 per child ages 12 and under. Due to limited capacity and to ensure that everyone has an opportunity for an enjoyable visit, advanced registration is required.

Please reserve your child’s space by visiting https://tiny.utk.edu/eggstravaganza by 5 p.m., Thursday, March 17.

The UT Gardens feature more than 1,000 woody plants under long-term observation and 2,000 varieties of herbaceous plants evaluated annually. The Gardens function as an outdoor laboratory, teaching and research facility and public gardens, sharing their beauty with over 50,000 visitors yearly. Established in 1983 by the UT Institute of Agriculture Department of Plant Sciences, the Gardens are recognized as one of only 34 official All American Selections (AAS) test sites in the United States. Both the UT Gardens in Knoxville and Jackson are Tennessee certified Arboreta and American Conifer Society Reference Gardens.

You can find the UT Gardens in Knoxville just off Neyland Drive behind the UT Veterinary Medical Center on the Institute of Agriculture campus. From I-40 take Exit 386B onto Highway 129 (Alcoa Highway south toward the airport). From Highway 129 take the exit for Highway 158 (Neyland Drive). Turn left onto Neyland Drive at end of exit ramp. Turn left onto Joe Johnson Drive and right at the next light onto Chapman Drive. Free visitor parking is available directly across from the entrance to the UT Gardens.