Parks and Recreation Events

Spend time outdoors this spring and summer at beautiful Detweiler Park and Lykens Glen Park enjoying "Doe's Dandelions" by Laura Renauld and illustrated by Jennie Poh. Dauphin County Parks and Recreation and Penn State Health are excited to provide a new interactive Storywalk® book selection for the spring and summer seasons.

Visit naturally inspired trailside creations along Wildwood Park’s wandering trails and wetlands. Using mostly natural materials, artists have constructed large and small installations. This year’s theme is “Pathways.” A map-brochure about the exhibit is available online, at the kiosks or inside the Nature Center. Art In the Wild is Presented by the Mooney family foundation.

Thank you for your interest! This program is full. Registration is still available for the Bird Walk at Detweiler Park on Saturday, May 10th. Meet Rick and Peggy Price at the Nature Center Parking Lot to search for spring migrants. This can be the best walk of the year when it comes to the variety of species seen. Warblers, phoebes, wrens, orioles, other songbirds and raptors are all a possibility. Spring migration will be in full swing! This program is part of the Park Rx series of programs sponsored by Highmark Blue Shield. Space is limited. Pre-registration required.

During our Homeschool Days, students will discover the rich history of Fort Hunter in a series of 40-minute programs about the people that once called this park home. Registration for Spring 2025 Homeschool Days will go live on Monday, March 3, 2025.

Enjoy a moderately paced walk around Wildwood Lake while enjoying the trees and animals at the park. This will be a walk on paved, gravel, and dirt surfaces. You can choose to walk only a portion, then turn around at any point if you would like to customize the length of your walk to your individual fitness goals.

Thank you for your interest, but this program has fille.d Create your own wind chime using a glass bottle and dozens of beads and embellishments along with clappers and sails to create your own beautiful and functional work of art! You’ll be able to enjoy the calming and gentle sounds of your windchime all summer long. The class will be held outdoors if weather permits. Pre-registration is required, and class size is limited. This is a Park Rx program sponsored by Highmark Blue Shield.

Join the Friends of Fort Hunter for an exciting Virtual Illustrated Lecture with Sam McKinney for a presentation on early distilling at Dills Tavern Site and Central Pennsylvania.

Join Brian Scott of Deep Hollow Forest Farms for an evening workshop. Brian will provide background on mushroom logs and the process of their creation. Participants will then use an oak long harvested from the Parks system to create their own take-home mushroom log. This program is for participants 18 years or older. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. For more information about the farm visit https://deep-hollow-forest-farm.square.site/

Join us at Garden Faire as we kick off the museum and festival season at Fort Hunter Mansion and Park. Families can participate in a variety of activities, view exhibits in the Centennial Barn, tour the Fort Hunter Mansion, enjoy lunch in the Tavern House, among many other fun activities. Admission to the festival is free and mansion tours are available at a reduced price during the event. Event sponsored by: Dig My Earth | Media Sponsor: Macaroni Kid Harrisburg & West Shore. Please visit our website www.forthunter.org to reserve your tour time.

Join Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Nicole Cassel, for a High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) program that has been scientifically proven to help increase endurance and performance for your aerobic (cardiovascular) and anaerobic (muscular) systems. Tabata is a highly efficient method to achieve maximum results by helping you burn fat and build muscles. Tabata training works in 20 second intervals of high intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, and repeated eight times for a total of four minutes. Are you looking for new and effective ways to switch up your workout routine? Tabata training might be exactly what you need! The workout will be solely bodyweight-focused, so you only need to bring a mat and water. A Park Rx wellness program sponsored by Highmark Blue Shield. Pre-registration is required for this program.