Tennessee State Parks Junior Rangers Make Holiday Visit to the Tennessee Residence

Event invites Junior Rangers to the Tennessee Residence for educational program and decoration viewing

NASHVILLE –Tennessee State Parks Junior Rangers from across the state today visited Tennessee’s Home for the Holidays open house at the Tennessee Residence to participate in a special holiday event. More than 30 Junior Rangers and their families were in attendance. They toured the residence decorated for the holidays and enjoyed games, a puppet show, and State Parks’ birds of prey and snake programs.

This year, the Tennessee’s Home for the Holidays decoration theme is “Tennessee Landscapes,” and Tennessee State Parks were a partner to create decorations highlighting beautiful natural scenery in east, middle, and west Tennessee. Children participating in the State Parks’ Junior Rangers Program, for ages 6-14 to learn about and enjoy their natural environment, created ornaments to decorate Conservation Hall. Over the past year, Junior Rangers have worked on projects to create natural ornaments representing the 6 pillars of the program: Safety, History, Stewardship, Astronomy, Wildlife, and Water.

“Tennessee State Parks Junior Rangers have worked very hard to create beautiful and unique ornaments for our holiday open house event, and I love that they used natural items found at each park,” First Lady Haslam said. “I am excited to have the Junior Rangers visit the residence and enjoy their hard work on this project.

Tennessee’s Home for the Holidays is open to the public through Wednesday, December 17, with free tours offered Monday – Saturday,  and guests may reserve a time to visit on the First Lady’s website, www.tn.gov/firstlady.

 “We are honored that First Lady Haslam chose to feature State Parks at the Tennessee Residence this holiday season,” TDEC Deputy Commissioner Brock Hill said. “It was a special treat for our Junior Rangers to visit the residence to see the ornaments they created for visitors to enjoy during their visit to the open house.”

Tennessee’s 56 state parks offer diverse natural, recreational and cultural experiences for individuals, families, or business and professional groups. State park features range from pristine natural areas to 18-hole championship golf courses. There is a state park within an hour’s drive of almost anywhere in the state, offering a variety of recreational, lodging and dining choices. For more information about Tennessee State Parks, visit http://tnstateparks.com or connect via Facebook or Twitter.

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