Upcoming Special Events: 2012

Alternative directions to the Falls while Sherman Minton Bridge is closed!

Cabin Fever Festival – New for 2012!    

February 18, from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

A great way to beat the mid-winter blues, Cabin Fever Festival has activities for the whole family.  Some activities will take place inside the cozy Interpretive Center and others will be outside for the winter enthusiasts to enjoy!

Activities to be offered include the following:

Nature in Winter

• Make and Take Craft activities including Build a Bird Nesting Bag, an ingenious way to

           help the birds prepare for spring nesting season

• Make your own Pet Rock Animal
• Naturalist led Nature Hikes
• Outdoor Winter Scavenger Hunt
• Naturalist at Heart Birders will be giving tips on backyard bird habitats and identifying winter resident birds

Special Guests include:

• Emily Goldstein “Arctic Ambassador, Louisville Zoo” - Polar Bear Talk
• Meteorologist Mike Callahan from the National Weather Service will display a Tornado Machine!
• Quest Outdoors will be on hand to discuss proper dress for winter activities as well as winter sports.

Raptor Day at Charlestown State Park

April 14, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Learn about birds of prey and bird watching. Hardy Lake Raptor Rehab Center will bring several of their birds for visitors to see up-close. Telescopes will be set up to observe birds in their native habitat. Non-live raptor programs guided by Naturalist at Heart Volunteers from the Falls of the Ohio.

10:00 AM Bird watching at the head of Trail 5

11:00 AM Live Raptor Program (Hardy Lake Raptor Rehab Center) - Clark Shelter near Trail 2

12:00 PM "River" Program at Observation Platform by Ohio River and adjacent areas

1:00 PM Bird watching at the head of Trail 5

2:00 PM Live Raptor Program (Hardy Lake Raptor Rehab Center) - Clark Shelter near Trail 2

3:00 PM"River" Program at Observation Platform by Ohio River and adjacent areas

On-going activities for kids of all ages at Clark Shelter:

Dissect an owl pellet

Learn how to use scopes and binoculars for bird watching

Vulture coloring activities

Bird habitat crafts and more!

Bring a picnic lunch!

Enjoy spring wildflowers along any of the parks trails!

At Charlestown State Park*

Where is Charlestown State Park?

It is 1 mile east of the intersection with Hwy 3 (Charlestown) on Hwy 62. Turn right. Gate fees apply - $5 per vehicle, Indiana residents, $7 per vehicle, non-residents. Programs are free with admission.

For more information about this park: Click here. Click for a park map (PDF).

*Staff at the Falls of the Ohio and Charlestown State Park have merged. As a result, programs and events at Charlestown will be coordinated by the same people.

Earth Day                                               
May 12, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

FREE ADMISSION!!!

The Falls of the Ohio State Park will buzz with activity. Environmentally minded businesses and organizations from all over the region gather to share information, show off their accomplishments and provide fun for the whole family. Special programs include live animals.  Sponsored by Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Kentuckiana Air Education, The Trash Force, and The Falls of the Ohio Foundation.

Free Fishing Weekend                                    
June 2, 2012 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Free outdoor activities, open to all ages:

1:00 Fly Fishing Fundamentals

2:00 Casting contest, with rods & reels as prizes

2:00 - 3:00 Fly Tying Demonstration

1:00 - 3:00 Fish Art Prints

George Rogers Clark Days - New for 2012!June 16, from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., June 17, from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Celebrate the founder of Clarksville and Louisville, the revolutionary war hero George Rogers Clark. This weekend event features reenactors, guest speakers, guided cabin tours, pioneer activities, and more!

Ohio River Sweep                                    
July 21, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. (Weather & river levels permitting)

We help coordinate the Clark County effort as part of a multi-state program, which provides free tee shirts for all participants. Join us - and bring along some friends! We welcome scouts, schools and civic organizations to volunteer and help us clean up the riverbank at four different sites.

Family Fun Fair                                   
August 4, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Need a diversion before school starts? This event will keep the kid’s (age 3 – 14) active and learning for hours! Join us inside the air conditioned Interpretive Center for a sampling of activities from all of our annual events. Meet Seaman the Newfoundland and get his 'pawtograph,' dissect and owl pellet, examine fossils, 

                                          make and take your own sculpture from driftwood, do an 'Earth Day' scavenger

                                          hunt and more! Free with regular admission. Sponsored by the Naturalist at

                                           Heart volunteer program.

Rock the Rocks             
Tentative: September 29, 2012; held from 6-10 p.m.

2011 Description:

The 7th Annual Rock the Rocks is Saturday, August 20, from 6-10 p.m. As part of our Crossroads Campaign for new exhibits, this year’s theme is A Mammoth Event in celebration of the mammoth’s moving to its new location in front of the auditorium and the installation of a hanging blown glass sculpture in the Interpretive Center rotunda.

        Festivities that evening will include dinner by Terri Lynn’s Catering, bourbon tasting by Jim Beam Brands Company, handcrafted beers from the New Albanian Brewing Company, live music by Persuasion, a silent auction, fossil bed hike, viewing of the center's film, original exhibits, and new exhibit plans. Tickets are $75 each or $600 for a reserved table of eight, and the dress is casual. Proceeds will benefit The Falls of the Ohio Foundation’s Crossroads Campaign for New Exhibits.  

Be sure to call 812-283-4999 for Rock the Rocks tickets and join us at Falls of the Ohio - the crossroads of water, land, time, and life!

2011 Sponsors included American Water, Duke Energy, The Estopinal Group, Horseshoe Foundation, Jim Beams Brands Company, Mac Construction & Excavating, The New Albanian, Town of Clarksville, and Your Community Bank.

2011 Invitation Poster

Archaeology Day                       
September 8, 2012 from 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Sponsored by the Falls of the Ohio Archaeology Society. Enjoy educational displays with hands-on activities for the kids including: atlatl throwing, three sisters bracelets, corn grinding, mock dig, pottery making, using stone tools, and more! Adults - archaeologists are available to date your artifacts and  

                                           explain how they were used.

At Charlestown State Park

Charlestown Under the Stars

September 22, 2011 from 7:00 to 10:30 p.m.

Co-sponsored by the Louisville Astronomical Society, this event will focus on stargazing. What is out under the night sky tonight? Learn about telescopes, how to find Polaris, discover the summer and fall constellations, bring your telescope that you haven't figured out how to use and we will show you. If weather is overcast, we will hold the event in the park office with an astronomy slide show and telescopes for examination.

*Staff at the Falls of the Ohio and Charlestown State Park have merged. As a result, programs and events at Charlestown will be coordinated by the same people. Coordinated by Alan Goldstein (agoldstein@dnr.in.gov).

Photos from our first event in 2011!

            Observing the moon                         Crescent Moon                     Anticipating the night

Where is Charlestown State Park?

It is 1 mile east of the intersection with Hwy 3 (Charlestown) on Hwy 62. Turn right. Gate fees apply - $5 per vehicle, Indiana residents, $7 per vehicle, non-residents. Programs are free with admission.

For more information about this park: Click here. Click for a park map (PDF).

Earth Discovery Day
October 13, 2012   9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

This new event will focus on the world beneath your feet. It coincides with Earth Science Awareness Week, with events across the nation. We are planning a variety of interactive activities for adults and children.

Inside our museum will be children’s rock-craft activities. We will have more fascinating geoscience speakers, discover geology through a microscope with microfossils and microminerals. Learn how to photograph specimens (helpful if you want to get something identified by e-mail) and how to display them in your home or office. Free brochures from almost every fossil park in North America will be available for the taking. Teachers can sign up and win a 50, 75 or 100 piece geology collection. Free rock and fossil identification -- bring in your unknowns!

Outside we will have our fossil and mineral dig piles, guided outer and Indiana shore fossil bed hikes. A surprise interactive exhibit is planned. Stay tuned for news in early 2012.

Participating Organizations: Falls of the Ohio Foundation, Kentucky Paleontological Society, Indiana Society for Paleontology, Mineral And Fossil Interest Club (MAFIC), Indiana Geological Survey, Kentucky Geological Survey, KYANA Geological Society.

2011 Schedule  (2012 Schedule to be developed)              

National Fossil Day (link away from our site)

Photo Album See what our previous geology events were like!

Updated February 2, 2012