Adult Classes and Workshops
Deepen connection to self, others, and Nature.
For adults of all skill levels, unless noted otherwise.
ABOUT ADULT CLASSES:
Please add nashvillenatureexplorers@gmail.com to your address book to be sure class information does not end up in your spam folders!!
Location details are emailed a few days before the class.
Children 14+ may register for a class/workshop with an adult present, also registered
Most classes happen outdoors, unless noted. Prepare for all weather including meeting in rain and cold (for severe weather, classes may be rescheduled).
Some walking/hiking may be required, so if you need a class to be accessible or have questions please reach out and we will work to make the class accessible.
Some of our program locations have no restrooms, or no full restrooms (port-a-potties only).
At this time, no refunds are possible for these courses. We rely on each registration to hold a class. In the rare case we cancel a class, full refunds are given. If you cannot make a class, please let us know and we will offer the spot to someone who otherwise would not be able to attend.
Some classes offer eating or drinking wild foods, and you are responsible for knowing about any allergies you may have to wild foods.
15% of ticket sales go to Metro Parks, for all classes on Metro property. This is part of our licensing agreement with them, as well as a great way to support our local parks! *Note: there is a no foraging/harvesting rule in the Metro Parks.
Friday Feb 6, 6-8pm
Private home in East Nashville
Fire has always gathered people — for warmth, cooking, ceremony, and connection. This workshop teaches how to build a fire, and keep it going.
We’ll practice identifying good tinder and kindling, and explore different ways to stack the wood for success. This is a great introduction to fire building, or a solid refresher!
Friday February 6, 6-8pm
Private home in East Nashville
Connect with the timeless skill of making fire from the land. Robert will help you learn how to gather materials, make a bow drill set, and use steady pressure and rhythm to bring an ember to life. This is a slow, mindful practice that teaches patience, focus, and respect for the elements. All materials provided, and beginners are warmly welcomed. Celebrate that first wisp of smoke!
Family Foraging
This class is designed to nurture outdoor confidence and give families the tools to forage responsibly and joyfully. This is a hands-on, family-friendly, beginners introduction to finding wild edible plants.
We will explore a local trail or meadow, learning to identify a handful of safe, easy-to-recognize edibles and how to distinguish them from look-alikes. Along the way, we’ll share fun plant stories, ecological facts, and simple recipes kids can help make. Families can practice plant identification through a scavenger hunt and taste-testing (when appropriate). This class will touch on ethical harvesting, seasonal patterns, and safety tips. Everyone leaves with a small field guide and a list of “starter plants” for future adventures.
Ticket price is for 1 adult and 1 child, additional family members can be added for $20 apiece.
Extra participant: https://www.nashvillenatureexplorers.com/payments/family-class-extra-participant
Private Home in East Nashville
Learn to weave a simple, beautiful basket while sipping on delicious herbal High Garden tea. Apply the new skill for future basket weaving on your own!
Cordage Workshop
Friday March 6, 6-8pm
Private Home in East Nashville
Cordage: a durable and powerful twine or rope made by twisting or braiding fibers
Learn one of humanity’s oldest and most versatile skills — making cordage from natural fibers! In this hands-on workshop, you’ll practice traditional, simple, and effective twisting techniques to build strong, beautiful cordage. While you work with the the local plant materials, you’ll also learn how to identify, harvest, and process the plants for your future projects. Leave with your own length of cordage and the know-how to keep practicing at home.
Friday April 17, 6-8pm
Private home in East Nashville
Step back in time and learn the ancient art of flint knapping — the craft of shaping stone into tools, blades, and arrowheads.
You’ll learn how to strike flakes predictably, shape a core, and begin crafting your own small project to take home.
No experience needed, all tools and materials provided.
Expect sparks, satisfying “pings,” and a deep connection to one of humanity’s oldest skills.
Come connect with others and learn a timeless skill.
Learn the basics of plant foraging! Get familiar with, and confident in, identifying some local plants, as well as how to incorporate them into something you already cook. We will also sip on one of High Garden’s incredible teas, with ingredients we likely find during class.
Valid for any Plant Foraging 101 Class in 2026
Learn the basics of mushroom foraging! Get familiar with identifying some local edible mushrooms, as well as how to incorporate them into something you already cook. We will also sip on one of High Garden’s incredible teas WITH mushrooms!
Valid for any Mushroom Foraging 101 Class in 2026
Toast hickory bark over a campfire, and turn it into a delicious syrup! Learn to identify hickory trees, harvest bark appropriately without harming the tree, and make a decoction with the fire-roasted bark. Sampling is part of the class, and all participants go home with a jar of the sweet-smoky-umami syrup!
Valid for any Hickory Bark Syrup Workshop in 2026
Learn to weave a simple, beautiful basket while sipping on delicious herbal High Garden tea.
Valid for any Basket Weaving workshop in 2026
This class is designed to nurture outdoor confidence and give families the tools to forage responsibly and joyfully. This is a hands-on, family-friendly, beginners introduction to finding wild edible plants.
We will explore a local trail or meadow, learning to identify a handful of safe, easy-to-recognize edibles and how to distinguish them from look-alikes. Along the way, we’ll share fun plant stories, ecological facts, and simple recipes kids can help make. Families can practice plant identification through a scavenger hunt and taste-testing (when appropriate). This class will touch on ethical harvesting, seasonal patterns, and safety tips. Everyone leaves with a list of “starter plants” for future adventures.
Gift Card is for 1 adult and 1 child, additional family members can be added for $20 apiece.
Valid for any Family Foraging class in 2026
2026 Classes:
Plant Foraging101
Mushroom Foraging 101
Hickory Bark Syrup Workshop
Beeswax Candle Dipping
Family Foraging
Basket Weaving
Wild Fermented Root Beer
Fire Building 101
Bow Drill Fire Workshops
Natural Cordage Workshops
Beginner Flint Knapping
Turkey Tail Medicine
PAST PROGRAMS
Have a TOPIC REQUEST? WOULD LIKE TO SEE US REPEAT A PAST PROGRAM? LET US KNOW! We also offer private Classes for groups.
Foraging 101
Join us for an introduction to foraging. We will learn about the principles of foraging, the life cycles of plants and when to harvest, and how to identify the edible and medicinal plants growing this particular time of year.
Forage and Feast
Greet the land, meet the plants, sustainably harvest, and cook a delicious, satisfying meal to share.
Urban Foraging
There is so much growing right in the city! We will walk around a city neighborhood and learn how to locate, identify, safely harvest, and prepare wild foods while still being near the city center.
Wild Food: Acorn Flour Making
Learn which oak trees produce the best acorns for making flour, how to gather and process acorns to make acorn flour. This class includes sampling acorn flour pancakes.
Mushroom Foraging
Master forager Alan Powell and naturalist Judy Scoville teach an unmatched introduction to safely foraging for wild mushrooms.
Cordage Making
Join us for a class on how to make cordage with plant fibers. Identify various plants, and learn how to process them to create rope.
Natural Dyeing
Learn the process of using local plants, mushrooms, and lichen to make natural dye, and dye a silk scarf and Patagonia t-shirt/bring light-colored/white natural-fiber items of your own such as yarn, clothing, tea towel, etc. We have used garden marigolds, black walnut hulls, elderberries, chicken of the wood mushrooms, and lichens!
Wild Root Beer Making
Learn to identify and harvest sassafras root, and process and ferment it to make a wild crafted root beer! Participants will go home with a few bottle of root beer, and a “ginger bug” to make more.
Candle Dipping
Learn a bit about the history of light, lamps, candles, and bees while dipping sweet-smelling beeswax candles for yourself, or as a special gift.
Bow Drill Making and Usage
Learn how to make a bow drill (the type of wood matters!), and use it to start a primitive fire.
Plant Walk
Join a master forager for a plant walk to practice your edible plant identification skills. This is not an instructional class, but for folks who have a base knowledge in foraging to practice plant identification get confirmation from an expert.
Hickory Bark Syrup Workshop
Learn to identify hickory trees, harvest bark appropriately without harming the tree, and turn it into a delicious syrup! Syrup sampling will be part of the class, and all participants go home with a jar of the sweet and umami syrup!
Botany Basics
Join us for an introduction to botany. Learn the basic identifying factors of 6 plant families, and the basic anatomy of a plant.
Basket Weaving
Learn to make a simple basket of local woven vines from harvest to finished product. Sip on delicious High Garden tea while weaving.
Wild Grape Jelly
Wild grapes have a deep, complex, delicious flavor. Learn to locate and identify wild grapes, turn them into syrup, and the syrup into jelly. Go home with two pints to enjoy!
Sourdough Basics
Receive sourdough starter, learn the basics of caring for your starter, and using it to bake the most delicious artisanal bread!
Sourdough Discard
Learn how to use your discard to make delicious new recipes.