Springville, Tenn.–The Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge is announcing expanded days of operation for their Visitor Center. They are back to Monday – Saturday 8 a.m. – 4 pm. The visitor center is located at 1371 Wildlife Drive in Springville, TN.
“The many voices that have expressed interest in our Visitor Center being open on Saturdays have been heard” according to refuge manager Barron Crawford. “We are thrilled to announce that the Visitor center will be open next Saturday, August 12th, for the hummingbird banding festivities and will remain open on Saturdays going forward.”
The refuge’s 7,000 square foot visitor center was constructed in 2014 to inform the public about the abundance of natural resources that compose their wildlife refuge and as a means to get people connected back to nature again. “The refuge uses its state of the art exhibits, a large auditorium , a wildlife chocked classroom, a demonstration pollinator garden, trails, fields, forests and shoreline to accomplish that task” explains refuge ranger Joan Howe. “Entrance to the visitor center is always free. However, if you plan to bring a large group or a field trip out to the visitor center, we ask that you contact us two weeks prior to your visit at 731-642-2091 to help with our planning.
The visitor center is home to the Blue Heron Bookstore, a complete nature store that is operated by the Friends of Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge. Proceeds from this store go towards the refuge, especially for its field trips, events and other visitor center programs.
Adjacent to the center are two trails: the 2.5 mile Britton-Ford trail and the ½ mile Nature Discovery Trail that includes kid-friendly Animal Olympic stations where kids are encourage to learn about wildlife and exercise like them. Just outside the visitor center’s back door, a large patio overlooks a gorgeous bay of Kentucky Lake and awaits visitors with rocking chairs and interpretive signs.
Located about 20 minutes North of the town of Paris, the refuge visitor center is easily accessible. Turn onto Oak Grove Road South from highway 79 North of Paris and follow the large brown directional signs.
The 51,000 acre Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge is a large wildlife conservation area that is home to 316 species of birds, 54 mammals, 89 reptiles and amphibians and 144 species of fish. It is a great place for wildlife observers, bird watchers and photographers alike because there is always something to see! The refuge offers two observation decks equipped with spotting scopes, a birding blind, and a wildlife observation drive. The refuge is also a great place for fishing, hunting, boating as well as canoeing and kayaking and provides 32 boat ramp access points to both Kentucky Lake and interior refuge impoundments.