Come relax and recharge after the holiday season in the hills of Brown County by taking a hike, checking out birds on the Salt Creek Trail, learning how to quilt or doing some yoga during the annual Winter in the Woods celebration happening this month.
The activities are set to take place from Jan. 18 to 21 at various locations in the Brown County State Park and in Nashville.
Registration ahead of time is recommended for some activities. Links to all of the event pages can be found at winterinthewoods.com.
The weekend starts off with walking history tours on Friday that begin and end at the Brown County Visitor’s Center, according to the Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]The one-mile walking tour through Nashville includes rest stops and progresses from the oldest settlement to the new visitor’s center. Tours will also take place on Saturday and Monday. Participants are encouraged to wear walking shoes. It also features two videos that highlight humor and hardships of pioneers and artists.
Erica Weddle, owner of Simply Fitness, and Leah Craig, owner of Roots of Healing Acupuncture, will hold a yoga and acupuncture session at Simply Fitness in Nashville on Friday evening.
During the event, Craig will identify points of the body through needle placement. With needles still in, Weddle will guide participants through simple yoga poses, which aides in stress relief and softening body tissue.
From Friday night through Sunday, a Winter Bliss Wellness Retreat will take place at the Abe Martin Lodge in the state park. The retreat is “dedicated to renewal, restoration and new year’s dreaming,” according to the CVB.
There will be more than 12 offerings at all skill levels. Sessions include topics include “Cultivating Joy,” “Drumming as a Spiritual Practice,” “Spiral Flow Art” and “New Year’s Revolution.” Activities include intermediate yoga, mindfulness, sound healing, massage, creative arts and a gong bath.
Participants will also be able to sit by a fire, take woodland walks, participate in a “healing room” along with sessions with local artists and healers.
On Saturday morning, there will be a guided tour and winter hike to Deserter’s Cave that will take off from the Nature Center in the state park. Hikers will then go south along the park road for about a mile to a rugged, steep trail to the cave. The two-mile trip is estimated to last about an hour.
Sippin’ Trips by the CVB will also take place on Saturday and Sunday mornings. A shuttle from the visitors center will take guests for a guided tour with drink samples at four locations: Brown County Winery, Bear Wallow Distillery, Hard Truth Hills and Chateau Thomas Winery. The tour includes a packed lunch.
Later in the day on Saturday will be the Frosty Trails Race, a 5.2 mile scenic trail walk and run through the state park, beginning at 1 p.m. The 5K road run and walk is set to begin at 1:10 p.m.
This is the eighth year for the race. It is sponsored by the Brown County YMCA. The race will start and finish at the recreation building at the end of the Rally Campground parking lot. The routes will include trails 4, 7 and 8.
After the race, fires, warm soup from the Abe Martin Lodge, cookies and beverages will be available to participants. Extra food will be sold for family members. Awards will be given at 3 p.m.
Also on Saturday afternoon, Vicki Howarth, proprietor and artist of American Garden Barn Quilts, will talk at the visitors center about inspiring spaces such as home, barn, patio, cabin and other landscapes.
Howarth will give a visual presentation of the AGB quilt gallery and an overview of how a barn quilt is made. A question-and-answer period will be included during the free event.
Howarth has a degree in technical graphics and creates barn quilts at her workshop in Columbus. She and her family lived in Brown County for 12 years.
On Saturday night there will be a song serenades concert at the Abe Martin Lodge featuring acoustic music along with music of all genres and ballads. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. for the concert featuring vocalist Janiece Jaffe and guitarist and collaborator Curtis Cantwell Jackson.
A birding tour on Salt Creek Trail will round out Winter in the Woods Monday morning. David Rupp, owner of Indigo Birding Nature Tours, will lead the winter morning walking tour on Nashville’s Salt Creek Trail.
Participants will meet at the visitors center, where coffee and breakfast pastries will be available. Rupp will talk about birds and wildlife inhabiting the area. Binoculars are recommended.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
WINTER IN THE WOODS
What: Walking Village History Tour
When: 1:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18 and Monday, Jan 21; 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19
Where: Brown County Visitors Center, 211 S. Van Buren St.
Price: $10 per person, $8 per senior 65 and older, free for ages 12 and younger.
Reservations: brown county.com/store, walk-ins at Visitors Center welcome
More information: 812-988-7303
What: Yoga and acupuncture
When: 6 to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18
Where: Simply Fitness, 47 East Main St.
Price: $21.
More information and reservations: squareup.com/store/simply-fitness or call 812-343-3560
What: Winter Bliss Wellness Retreat
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18 to Sunday evening, Jan. 20
Where: Abe Martin Lodge, Brown County State Park
Price: $169 or $175.91 with service fee for full retreat with entire workshop curriculum; $119 ($124.16 with service fee) for half retreat (Friday night through Saturday or Saturday night through Sunday). Food and lodging not included.
Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3911889
What: Winter hike to Deserter’s Cave
When: 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 19
Where: Meet at state park Nature Center
Price: $7 park entrance fee applies
What: Sippin’ Trip
When: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19 or Sunday, Jan. 20
Where: Brown County Visitors Center, 211 S. Van Buren St.
Price: $55 includes shuttle, packed lunch, tours, tastings.
More information and reservations: browncounty.com or call 812-988-7303
What: Frosty Trails 5-mile and 5K runs
When: Packet pickup and late registration from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, races are 1 to 3 p.m. with 5K starting at 1:10 p.m.
Where: Recreation Building near Rally Campground parking lot (labeled F on park map “Shelters” legend).
Price: Race day registration $35. Prices include post-race food and drinks; $30 online registration until noon Friday, Jan. 18 by visiting browncounty.com/event/frosty-trails-5-mile and clicking on “Get your tickets here!”
More information: [email protected], browncountyymca.org or 812-988-9622.
What: Barn quilts presentation with Vicki Howarth of American Garden Barn Quilts
When: 1:20 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19
Where: Brown County Visitors Center, 211 S. Van Buren St.
Price: Free
More information: agbarnquilts.com or call 812-988-7303.
What: Song serenades concert with vocalist Janiece Jaffe and guitarist/collaborator Curtis Cantwell Jackson
When: Doors open at 8:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 19
Where: Melodeon Hall, Abe Martin Lodge, Brown County State Park
Price: $10 suggested donation.
More information: 812-988-4418.
What: Birding tour on Salt Creek Trail with David Rupp of Indigo Birding Nature Tours
When: 9 to 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 21
Where: Brown County Visitors Center, 211 S. Van Buren St.
Price: $5, all ages, includes coffee and breakfast pastries
Reservations: browncounty.com/ store or call 812-988-7303
[sc:pullout-text-end]