Programming
Glenstone offers a variety of year-round and seasonal programs for visitors.
Guided Talks and Walks
Daily Nature Walks
This guided walk meets at 1 p.m. daily at the Pavilions Overlook year-round.
A Guide and member of our Grounds maintenance team lead a guided Nature Walk through the landscape to discuss the grounds, flora and fauna, outdoor sculptures, and sustainability at Glenstone.
The walk is about one hour and includes about a half mile of walking in sunshine and light rain – in the event of more inclement weather or lightning the walk is cancelled. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
Water Court Talks
This talk meets on the Water Court platform at 2 p.m. on Thursdays year-round. In inclement weather, the talk will take place in the Pavilions passage.
These sessions will highlight the plants and wildlife that thrive around the 270,000-gallon pond centerpiece of the Pavilions, offering insights into Glenstone’s ecological considerations and aquatic residents.
Curatorial Talks
Through March, Glenstone's Curatorial team will offer talks at different locations at noon. Locations vary, please check with a Glenstone guide on Fridays to learn where that day's talk will be held.
Earth Day Celebration
In Collaboration with KID Museum and Springsong Museum, Glenstone will host activities for an Earth Day celebration on Saturday April 18 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Below is a list of activities taking place on Glenstone's campus at the Environmental Center.
11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.: Nature Walk with Glenstone's Landscape Superintendent Matt Partain and Springsong Museum’s Master Naturalist, Founder, and Executive Director Rebecca Henson.
KID Museum presents: Code the Landscape: Robotic Environmental Mapping. In this hands-on exploration, participants use robotics and mapping to investigate how landscapes change and how people care for the environment. Working with large, color-coded maps of Glenstone and SpringSong Museum grounds, visitors program a LEGO SPIKE Prime robot to travel across different areas of the landscape.
Springsong Museum: The museum will be sharing its "Museum in a Bag" and encourages all visitors to touch, look at, and explore each item. Visitors can check out early editions of Rachel Carson books and New Yorker magazines, which serialized Silent Spring before its publication. We also encourage visitors to examine ecological materials from the Northwest Branch (the future site of Springsong) like mica - the mineral that gives Silver Spring its name - 8-sided garnets, petrified wood, shells, and more!
Close up observation: Use microscopes to examine soil, natural minerals, and found materials, and take time to notice the small details of the world around you. *Visitors are invited to bring a small sample of soil from home to compare under the microscopes.
Accessibility notes: Open rain/shine, paved and gravel paths, cart available to facilitate travel