StarWatch
StarWatch is held each Saturday night of October and November, starting at dusk at the observatories. If poor weather, an alternate live presentation will occur in the planetarium theater.
If good weather, visitors will be able to see celestial objects like the Moon, planets, star clusters, galaxies and more through large telescopes!
NATURE PROGRAMS
Wolf Keeper Talk
Come meet our animal care staff and learn a little bit about our resident wolves.
PLANETARIUM FEATURE
“Phantom of the Universe – The Hunt for Dark Matter”
From the journey of protons racing through the world’s largest particle collider in Europe to up-close views of the Big Bang and emergent cosmos, Phantom of the Universe is designed to immerse audiences in the search for dark matter. A collaboration of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, University of Texas at Arlington, Michigan State University, IFIC at University of Valencia, as well as other institutions. It is narrated by Oscar-winning actress, Tilda Swinton. The program will be followed by a brief tour of our current evening sky using our optical star projector.
HIKING & BIKING
Explore the Park
Bays Mountain Park features roughly 44 miles of beautiful hiking trails that cover most of the 3,750 acres of the park, with over 32 miles of trails approved for mountain biking.
PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Bays Mountain Park has daily events and programs including nature programs, planetarium programs and special events. Check out our calendars to find your adventure!
SCHOOL GROUPS
Bays Mountain Park staff and volunteers offer programs for school groups from kindergarten through high school level. These programs are offered Tuesday through Friday, September through May.
PARK MAPS
Need help navigating through the Park? Download the park map and the Nature Center Grounds map. You will also receive a copy of both of these maps at the park gatehouse.
BIKING
Bays Mountain Park has 32 miles of trails approved for mountain biking. Download the park map and enjoy the ride!
Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium reopened today
Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium reopened today (Wednesday, October 9) at normal hours. The park has been closed for…
Bays Mountain Park temporarily closed due to storm damage
Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium will be temporarily closed this week due to damage from Hurricane Helene. Our target date…
Bays Mountain Park announces annual StarWatch program
Bays Mountain Park’s night sky observing sessions – StarWatch – has returned for the fall season.
StarWatch sessions…
Bays Mountain Park debuts new planetarium program on dark matter
Bays Mountain Park is pleased to announce a new program is now being shown in the planetarium throughout the remainder of…
Support Bays Mountain Park with a custom license plate
The City of Kingsport is excited to announce more than 600 Bays Mountain Park license plates have been pre-ordered! Now,…
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