FREE PUBLIC ACCESS!
PLENTY OF FREE PARKING!
NATURE EXPERIENCE FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY!
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FROM DAWN 'til DUSK!
HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE!
PET FRIENDLY!
There is Always Something to See at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum if you Look Closely. Frost Flowers from this Past November.
Thank You Allison Pearson for the Great Pics!
2022 Townsend River Walk & Arboretum Cedar Tree Holiday Decoration Winner - Christmas is for the Birds
Congratulations to the Tuckaleechee Garden Club "Christmas is for the Birds" Team. The team consisted of: Debbie Dickie, Allison Pearson, Diane Rohtert. What a great job on making an edible tree, but it was all for the birds. It was fun watching the titmouse and nuthatch having a great time feeding off the tree. The trees are still up so take a visit this week and thru the Christmas weekend. We do appreciate all those that voted for the their favorite tree and the other two teams that worked hard on putting up their beautiful trees, Team 1 "Elves Belles" and Team 2 "Silver & Gold".
One of the Three Cedar Trees Decorated by the Tuckaleechee Garden Club for Inaugural Holiday Cedar Tree Decorating at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum. Stop By and Vote Your Favorite.
To add a little spirit to the Christmas Season the Tuckaleechee Garden Club decorated three Cedar Trees at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum. The trees are located at each entrance to the TRWA. One at the top entrance and the other two at the bottom entrance. Each team decided on a theme and now it is your turn to vote for your favorite.
Voting is easy. Take a walk at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum and enjoy the decorated trees and other decorations. Scan the voting QR code with your mobile device which will take you to our voting form. Complete the form and your vote has been entered. Voting is thru Sunday, December 18 and the winner will be announced on Monday December 19.
Thanks to all the members of the Tuckaleechee Garden Club that contributed to this fun little contest.
Allison Pearson, of the Tuckaleechee Garden Club, has Created this Fall Display at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum at the Entrance to the Pollinator Garden.
As the leaves begin to fall to end the Summer of 2022, the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum (TRWA) has been prepared and ready for you to enjoy this Fall. A lot of work has been done this past Summer to prepare, with the installation of Bicycle Parking at each entrance of the Arboretum, the enhancements to the entry paths into the River Walk, a fence around the Iris Garden, a beautiful Fall display of native flowers throughout the TRWA and the display, pictured above, that is located at the Pollinator Garden entrance. Stop by and enjoy all the hard work work provided by our volunteers that take great pride in keeping the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum in such great shape for everyone to enjoy.
Keep the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum looking its best by providing a donation.
The volunteer labor is free, the materials to do the work are not.
All donations are used to by trees, plants, maintenance materials, signs and other materials to keep the TRWA in great shape!
South Entrance of the TRWA Bike Parking Completed.
Ask and when you have special people working with you, the results are sometimes too good to be true. Rodney and Allison Pearson proves this point with the creation of the new Bike Racks and Bicycle Parking Area at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum.
One of projects on the Master Plan for the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum (TRWA) was to install proper bicycle parking. As we were working on the upgrades to the entrances to the TRWA Rodney and Allison took on the task of creating bicycle parking that would fit in with the surrounding landscape and the look and fell of the River Walk. After seeing some examples of logs that were used for bike racks and making a couple of prototypes, the cartoon light bulb finally went off above Rodney's head and proceeded to create the final product that is a perfect fit for the TRWA.
The racks are made to accommodate several bike tire sizes and parking on both sides. A bumper is placed about 8 inches from the rack so that the tire has a place to rest securely. Bicyclists can also chain their bikes to the racks to secure them while walking the TRWA. They are made from 3 and 4 inch round fence posts, the same as the railing down the south side entry steps and the fence around the iris garden.
Allison then ordered "Bicycle Parking" signs that were placed on each of the racks. A 3" to 4"layer of fine compacting gravel was place on the bike parking area with a 1/2" - 1" layer of Tennessee brown crushed rock to finish.
If you are a bicyclist, stop by and give them a try. If you aren't stop by and admire the construction and placement of the parking area.
When you see Rodney and Allison, around Townsend, give them a big THANKS! Dedicated volunteers like these are hard to find and we are so glad to have them working with us.
The Townsend River Walk & Arboretum does not receive government funding and is completely managed and maintain by volunteers. All funding comes from donations, grants and the Tuckaleechee Garden Club Plant Sale. To continue our effort in upgrading the TRWA we need your donations. Material costs have risen significantly and there are several projects on the horizon.
A special thanks goes to Elaine Russell for donating money to purchase the materials used to build the Bike Racks!
Make a donation to the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum, TODAY!
The Latest Addition to theTRWA is the First of Two Bike Parking Racks. This one is located by the Iris Garden.
Thanks to Rodney Pearson for Designing, Creating and Installing.
This past Spring we put together a Master Plan for the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum. One of the items was to install two Bike Parking Racks at the top and bottom entrances to the TRWA. Rodney Pearson took on this challenge and after a false start or two he came up with the bike rack pictured above. It will handle 8+ bikes of all wheel widths including the, now popular, electric bike. Bicyclists also can chain their bikes to the support poles. The rack fits in perfectly with the already installed Iris Garden fence and with our future plans. A second Bike Parking Rack will be installed in the area at the top of the entrance steps on the South side of the TRWA.
Rodney with the help of his wife Allison assembled and installed the rack and is now ready for use. We appreciate all the time and effort that Rodney put into this project and to Allison for her creative eye, keeping Rodney's design in line with the look we are trying to create at the TRWA. Townsend is very lucky to have these two residents who have contributed so much to several volunteer projects around town and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I know that the transformation of TRWA would not be as far along as it is without their help. Grazie mille!
Stop by and check out the new Bike Parking Racks and explore the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum. There is something for all ages!
Rodney Pearson Digging Holes for the New Bike Rack Installation
Completed Bike Parking Rack!
Rodney Pearson (left) and Mark Seder Installing the First Section of Border Fencing
along the Iris Garden at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum.
There is always something new and interesting to see at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum (TRWA), even for those of us that maintain it.
This past Friday, we installed a border fence at the Iris Garden to provide some definition to the the lower TRWA trail where you come out of the tunnel. Rodney Pearson and myself installed the fence while Allison Pearson did some major maintenance on the grounds around the Iris Garden. The Iris Garden was installed to honor Tennessee's State Flower, the Cultivated Iris. (Do you know what the Tennessee State Wildflower is? (Answer below) Behind the irises we planted there are several Baptisia and behind that three Persimmon trees. This will be quite a showy area in the next couple of years as it matures. Stop by for a look.
While working we were greeted by the Blount County Sheriff officers patrolling on horseback. First time we have seen them at the the TRWA. Had a nice talk with them and pointed them down the TRWA to the path to the Little River for the horses to get a drink and cool off in the river. Hoping to see them around more often.
Several plants are blooming during this time of the year including the Bottlebrush Buckeye, Zinnia's, Purple Coneflower, Monarda (including white monarda), Phlox and more. Before your visit you can check out our What's Blooming section of the website.
Take an hour or so and enjoy a walk along the tree lined Townsend River Walk & Arboretum, it is a sure way to beat a least a bit of the Summer's heat.
ANSWER
If you didn't know or haven't found the answer, the Passion Flower is the Tennessee State Wildflower. We have some planted in the Pollinator and Memorial Garden, but the are not in bloom at this time.
Cultivated Iris
Passion Flower
Blount County Sheriff Mounted Patrol Pay a Visit to the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum
Bottle Brush Buckeye Now Blooming at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum
Mark And Rodney Ensuring that the New Iris Garden Fence is Up to Standards.
Rodney digs while Mark prays that the fence work will turn out as planned.
The Townsend River Walk & Arboretum Iris Garden Fence is Now Completed!
Mark Getting the Scoop Right From the Horses Mouth!
Mark Seder and Martha Frink Displaying the Dee Lidvall Sustainable Stewardship Award as Part of the 2022 Foothills Beautification Awards Ceremony.
The Dee Lidvall Sustainable Stewardship Award to Townsend River Walk and Arboretum (TRWA) at the 2022 Foothills Beautification Awards help by Keep Blount Beautiful (KBB) at Bella Restaurant on June 29, 2022. This award given and signifies an organization that incorporates sustainable practices or policies; renewable, sustainable, or energy-efficient spaces; and/or best stormwater management practices. Britney Whipple, KBB Executive director presented the award to Martha Frink (Tuckaleechee Garden Club) and Mark Seder (Tuckaleechee Garden Club, Blount County Master Gardeners).
This honor is so well deserved for this ongoing project benefiting the community and visitors to the City Townsend. Started 18 years ago and funded by monetary and labor donations as well as an occasional grant it has been managed by the Tuckaleechee Garden Club with contributions by The City of Townsend, Blount County Master Gardeners and Tennessee Dept. of Transportation. Community Partners, Keep Blount Beautiful & The Little River Watershed Assoc as well as residents of Blount County have played a major role in maintaining the TRWA.
We welcome everyone to stop by and enjoy the wildflowers, trees, decorations and solitude that this gem of Townsend offers and to watch us continue to grow.
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The Daily Times
Foothills Beautification Award Sign Displayed at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum
Mark Seder (left) and Martha Frink (right) Receive the Dee Lidvall Sustainable Stewardship Award from Brittney Whipple, KBB Executive Director, (center) at the 2022 Keep Blount Beautiful Foothill Beautification Awards.
