🧭 Hundred-Mile Happenings: Dutch Oven Cobbler at Cummins Falls, Basket Weaving at Cumberland Mountain, an Owl Pellet Dig at Edgar Evins, Quill Art at the Huntsville Library, Table Scaping in Cleveland, Planting for Pollinators at Booker T. Washington, Sunday Studio at the Hunter Museum and a Cardboard Turkey at the Huntsville Museum of Art

Or: Bake a Blackberry Cobbler Over Hot Coals, Weave a Basket With Your Own Two Hands, Find Out What an Owl Had for Supper, Make Quill Art for Native American Heritage Month, Dress Up the Holiday Table on a Budget, Plant Seeds for Next Year’s Bees, Make Art in a Museum on a Cliff and Build a Cardboard Turkey — Eight New Day Trips Within About 100 Miles of Dunlap

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Thursday, October 22, 2026

Good afternoon, neighbor. Pour the coffee and grab a pencil. Here’s batch number sixty-one of Hundred-Mile Happenings, our running list of unusual, family-friendly outings within about 100 miles of Dunlap. Same promise as always: when, where, how far, what it costs and who’ll love it, in plain words. And no repeats. Every one of these is new to the list.

This batch is all hands-on, and it reaches past the state parks into museums and libraries. On Saturday, Oct. 24, Cummins Falls State Park teaches Dutch oven cooking with a blackberry cobbler. On Sunday, Oct. 25, Cumberland Mountain State Park holds a basket-weaving class. Halloween morning, Edgar Evins State Park lets kids dissect an owl pellet. On Saturday, Nov. 7, the Downtown Huntsville Library hosts Quill Art, the Museum Center at 5ive Points in Cleveland teaches table scaping, and Booker T. Washington State Park starts four Saturdays of planting for pollinators. On Sunday, Nov. 8, the Hunter Museum opens its Sunday Studio, and on Saturday, Nov. 21, the Huntsville Museum of Art helps families build a cardboard turkey.

⏱️ Your 30-second trip list

• Sat., Oct. 24, 5–6 p.m. (Central — our time): Dutch Oven Cooking (blackberry cobbler), Cummins Falls State Park, near Cookeville. $5 adults, $2.50 kids; sign up by Friday.
• Sun., Oct. 25, 1–2:30 p.m. (Central — our time): Basket-Weaving Basics, Cumberland Mountain State Park, Crossville. $5; registration required.
• Sat., Oct. 31, 9–10 a.m. (Central — our time): Halloween at the Park: Dissect an Owl Pellet, Edgar Evins State Park, Silver Point. Free; registration required.
• Sat., Nov. 7, 2–3 p.m. (Central — our time): Quill Art, Downtown Huntsville Library, Huntsville, Ala. Ages 8+. Cost: check before you go.
• Sat., Nov. 7, 10:30 a.m.–noon Eastern (9:30–11 a.m. OUR time): Table Scaping with Cathy Boettner, Museum Center at 5ive Points, Cleveland. $15.
• Every Sat. in Nov. (7, 14, 21, 28), 3–3:45 p.m. Eastern (2–2:45 p.m. OUR time): Planting for Pollinators, Booker T. Washington State Park, Chattanooga. Free; register.
• Sun., Nov. 8, 2–4 p.m. Eastern (1–3 p.m. OUR time): Sunday Studio at the Hunter Museum, Chattanooga. Free with a Chattanooga Public Library card.
• Sat., Nov. 21, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. (Central — our time): Drop In & CREATE: Cardboard Turkey, Huntsville Museum of Art. Free for parents and guardians; child cost: check before you go.

🕰️ The one thing to remember: Chattanooga (Booker T. Washington and the Hunter Museum) and Cleveland are on EASTERN time. Cummins Falls, Cumberland Mountain, Edgar Evins and Huntsville are CENTRAL, same as us. For the Eastern ones, subtract an hour: the 10:30 a.m. table class is 9:30 a.m. our time, and the 3 p.m. seed planting is 2 p.m. our time. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1 — set the clocks back Saturday night after Halloween. The one-hour difference between Eastern and Central stays the same after the change.

🫐 Bake a Blackberry Cobbler Over Hot Coals at Cummins Falls

Cummins Falls is famous for its big swimming-hole waterfall, but on Saturday evening, Oct. 24, the action is around the coals. A ranger teaches Dutch Oven Cooking: how a heavy cast-iron pot and a pile of charcoal can bake a blackberry cobbler the way camp cooks and farm wives did it. Then you get to taste it.

Why it’s worth the drive:

• When: Sat., Oct. 24, 2026, 5–6 p.m. Central Time — our time.
• Where: Cummins Falls State Park, 390 Cummins Falls Lane, Cookeville, TN 38501. Host: Nicholas Kesterson, 931-268-7223.
• How far: About 73 miles, roughly 1 hour 50 minutes. Approximate; check your map app.
• Cost: $5 adults, $2.50 children.
• Who’ll love it: Campers, cast-iron collectors, grandpas who still cook on the grill in December, and kids who’ll do anything for dessert.
• Good to know: ⚠️ The park says the class needs at least one sign-up by the day before, so register by Friday, Oct. 23, or it may not happen. It ends near sundown; it’s a dark drive home.

👉 Read more (Tennessee State Parks — Dutch Oven Cooking)

🧺 Weave a Basket With Your Own Two Hands at Cumberland Mountain

Up on the Plateau at Crossville, Cumberland Mountain State Park grew out of the 1930s Cumberland Homesteads, where families made what they needed. On Sunday afternoon, Oct. 25, the park teaches Basket-Weaving Basics at the Homestead Tower. You learn the over-and-under and go home with a basket you made.

Why it’s worth the drive:

• When: Sun., Oct. 25, 2026, 1–2:30 p.m. Central Time — our time.
• Where: Homestead Tower, Cumberland Mountain State Park, Crossville. Park office: 24 Office Drive, Crossville, TN 38555. Host: Abby Harris, (931) 484-6138.
• How far: About 44 miles, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes up the mountain. Approximate; check your map app.
• Cost: $5. Registration required; supplies are limited.
• Who’ll love it: Crafters, quilters, homeschoolers and anybody who likes a useful thing made by hand.
• Good to know: Seated work at a table, so it’s easy on the knees. Sign up soon; when the supplies run out, so do the seats.

👉 Read more (Tennessee State Parks — Basket-Weaving Basics)

🦉 Find Out What an Owl Had for Supper at Edgar Evins

Owls swallow their dinner whole and cough up the bones and fur they can’t digest in a neat little bundle called a pellet. On Halloween morning, Saturday, Oct. 31, Edgar Evins State Park on Center Hill Lake hands kids a pellet and a pair of tweezers for Halloween at the Park: Dissect an Owl Pellet. Spooky? A little. Fascinating? Very.

Why it’s worth the drive:

• When: Sat., Oct. 31, 2026, 9–10 a.m. Central Time — our time.
• Where: Interpretive Center, Edgar Evins State Park, 1630 Edgar Evins State Park Road, Silver Point, TN 38582. Host: Joseph Gonzalez, 931-646-3080.
• How far: About 86 miles, roughly 2 hours 10 minutes. To be there by 9, leave Dunlap by about 6:45 a.m. Approximate; check your map app.
• Cost: Free. Registration required.
• Who’ll love it: Kids 12 and under (with an adult), future scientists and anybody who likes a good mystery.
• Good to know: An adult must stay with the child. You’ll be back in the Valley by early afternoon for trick-or-treating.

👉 Read more (Tennessee State Parks — Halloween at the Park: Dissect an Owl Pellet)

🪶 Make Quill Art for Native American Heritage Month at the Huntsville Library

Long before glass beads, many Native nations decorated clothing and bags with dyed porcupine quills. On Saturday afternoon, Nov. 7, the Downtown Huntsville Library celebrates Native American Heritage Month with Quill Art, a craft inspired by indigenous art. Kids use pipe cleaners in place of quills and take home their own design.

Why it’s worth the drive:

• When: Sat., Nov. 7, 2026, 2–3 p.m. Central Time — our time.
• Where: Downtown Huntsville Library, 915 Monroe St. SW, Huntsville, AL 35801. Phone: 256-532-5940.
• How far: About 104 miles, roughly 2 hours 15 minutes, just past our usual 100-mile line. Approximate; check your map app.
• Cost: ⚠️ Check before you go. The library doesn’t post a price, but supplies are provided.
• Who’ll love it: Crafty kids ages 8 and up, homeschool families and history-minded grandparents.
• Good to know: The downtown library is a big one, so plan on browsing. Pair it with a walk downtown or the Huntsville Museum of Art a few blocks away.

👉 Read more (Huntsville-Madison County Public Library — Quill Art)

🍂 Dress Up the Holiday Table on a Budget at Cleveland’s 5ive Points Museum

Thanksgiving is coming, and somebody always asks, “How’d you make the table look so pretty?” On Saturday morning, Nov. 7, the Museum & Cultural Center at 5ive Points in downtown Cleveland hosts Table Scaping with Cathy Boettner. She shows how to use repurposed, unexpected and everyday items to make a beautiful table on any budget.

Why it’s worth the drive:

• When: Sat., Nov. 7, 2026, 10:30 a.m.–noon EASTERN (9:30–11 a.m. our time).
• Where: Museum Center at 5ive Points, 200 Inman St. E., Cleveland, TN 37311. Phone: 423-339-5745.
• How far: About 61 miles, roughly 1 hour 30 minutes. Approximate; check your map app.
• Cost: $15 per person.
• Who’ll love it: Holiday hosts, church supper decorators, thrift-store treasure hunters and anybody who likes a pretty table.
• Good to know: Indoors and seated. Bring a notepad or snap photos for ideas. Call ahead to ask about reserving a seat.

👉 Read more (Visit Cleveland TN — Table Scaping with Cathy Boettner)

🐝 Plant Seeds for Next Spring’s Bees at Booker T. Washington

Here’s a secret gardeners know: late fall and winter are a great time to plant native wildflower seeds. The cold helps them sprout in spring. Every Saturday in November, a ranger at Booker T. Washington State Park leads Planting for Pollinators. You learn why bees and butterflies matter, make seed bombs and seed shakers, and help plant the park’s pollinator field.

Why it’s worth the drive:

• When: Saturdays, Nov. 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2026, 3–3:45 p.m. EASTERN (2–2:45 p.m. our time).
• Where: Recreation Area 1, lower parking lot by the orange kiosk and pollinator field, Booker T. Washington State Park, 5801 Champion Road, Chattanooga, TN 37416. Host: Maxene Van Damme, nicole.m.vandamme@tn.gov.
• How far: About 41 miles, roughly 1 hour 5 minutes. Approximate; check your map app.
• Cost: Free. It’s listed as a volunteer program; register on the listing.
• Who’ll love it: All ages: gardeners, scouts, kids who like to get dirty and anybody who wants to give a little back.
• Good to know: Wear closed-toed shoes and clothes that can get dirty. No experience needed. Pick whichever Saturday suits you.

👉 Read more (Tennessee State Parks — Planting for Pollinators)
👉 Read more (Tennessee State Parks — Planting for Pollinators, Nov. 14)

🎨 Make Art in a Museum on the Bluff at the Hunter’s Sunday Studio

The Hunter Museum of American Art sits high on the bluff over the Tennessee River in Chattanooga. On the second Sunday of each month, it hosts Sunday Studio, a family fun day of drop-in art, and the Chattanooga Public Library joins in with its own programs. The next one is Sunday, Nov. 8.

Why it’s worth the drive:

• When: Sun., Nov. 8, 2026, 2–4 p.m. EASTERN (1–3 p.m. our time).
• Where: Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View, Chattanooga, TN 37403.
• How far: About 30 miles, roughly 50 minutes, the closest of the bunch. Approximate; check your map app.
• Cost: The library says it’s “FREE with your library card” (Chattanooga Public Library). ⚠️ Without a card, check museum admission before you go.
• Who’ll love it: Families with kids from kindergarten through high school, and grandparents who like a slow walk past fine paintings.
• Good to know: It’s drop-in, so come and go. The Walnut Street pedestrian bridge and Bluff View Art District are right there for a stroll after.

👉 Read more (Chattanooga Public Library — Sunday Studios at the Hunter Museum)

🦃 Build a Cardboard Turkey for the Thanksgiving Table at the Huntsville Museum of Art

The Huntsville Museum of Art owns a fancy silver turkey statue in its Buccellati Silver Collection. On Saturday, Nov. 21, its monthly Drop In & CREATE takes that bird as inspiration: families make and dress up a cardboard turkey for the Thanksgiving table.

Why it’s worth the drive:

• When: Sat., Nov. 21, 2026, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Central Time — our time.
• Where: ART LAB, Stender Family Interactive Education Galleries, Huntsville Museum of Art, 300 Church St. S., Huntsville, AL 35801. Phone: 256-535-4350.
• How far: About 104 miles, roughly 2 hours 15 minutes, just past our usual line. Approximate; check your map app.
• Cost: Free admission for parents and guardians. ⚠️ The price for children wasn’t fully shown; check before you go.
• Who’ll love it: The whole family, the museum says, and especially the kid who sets the Thanksgiving table.
• Good to know: Drop in anytime in the two-hour window. The museum sits by Big Spring Park, a pretty spot for a picnic if the day is mild.

👉 Read more (Huntsville Museum of Art — Drop In & CREATE)

✅ Remember These Dates

• Fri., Oct. 23: Sign up for the Cummins Falls Dutch oven class today so it isn’t canceled.
• Sat., Oct. 24, 5–6 p.m. (Central — our time): Dutch Oven Cooking, Cummins Falls. $5 adults, $2.50 kids.
• Sun., Oct. 25, 1–2:30 p.m. (Central — our time): Basket-Weaving Basics, Cumberland Mountain, Crossville. $5; register.
• Sat., Oct. 31, 9–10 a.m. (Central — our time): Dissect an Owl Pellet, Edgar Evins, Silver Point. Free; register; kids 12 and under with an adult.
• Sat. night, Oct. 31: Set the clocks back one hour. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1.
• Sat., Nov. 7, 9:30–11 a.m. OUR time (10:30–noon Eastern): Table Scaping, Museum Center at 5ive Points, Cleveland. $15.
• Sat., Nov. 7, 2–3 p.m. (Central — our time): Quill Art, Downtown Huntsville Library. Ages 8+.
• Saturdays Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28, 2–2:45 p.m. OUR time (3–3:45 Eastern): Planting for Pollinators, Booker T. Washington, Chattanooga. Free.
• Sun., Nov. 8, 1–3 p.m. OUR time (2–4 Eastern): Sunday Studio, Hunter Museum, Chattanooga. Free with a library card.
• Sat., Nov. 21, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. (Central — our time): Drop In & CREATE: Cardboard Turkey, Huntsville Museum of Art.

✅ Trip-planning checklist

• ✅ Write the time zone on the fridge note: Chattanooga and Cleveland are Eastern — subtract an hour. Cummins Falls, Cumberland Mountain, Edgar Evins and Huntsville are Central — our time.
• ✅ Register for the Dutch oven class (by Friday), basket weaving, the owl pellet dig and pollinator planting.
• ✅ Call ahead on details that weren’t posted: the Quill Art price, the child price at the Huntsville Museum of Art, and Hunter Museum admission if you don’t have a Chattanooga library card.
• ✅ Huntsville and Edgar Evins are long drives, and the Dutch oven class ends near dark. Bring a co-pilot and a flashlight.
• ✅ Pack water and a jacket. For pollinator planting, wear closed-toed shoes and old clothes.
• ✅ Outdoor programs can be canceled for weather. Check the event page the morning you go.
• ✅ Fill up and grab a biscuit before you leave the Valley. Find local stops on Dunlap.Directory.

Remember: check the clock, check the weather, and pick the outing that fits your crew. A good day trip gets you home tired and happy, not worn out.

— Dunlap.Today

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Are these events already on earlier Hundred-Mile Happenings lists?

No. We keep a covered-events list and skip anything we’ve already featured. All of these outings are new for article #61. We’ve featured other programs at some of the same places, like Cumberland Mountain’s Birds of Prey, the Huntsville Museum of Art’s Valor exhibition and Booker T. Washington’s Spooky Crafts, but these are separate events.

Which ones are free?

The owl pellet dig and Planting for Pollinators are free. Sunday Studio is free with a Chattanooga Public Library card, and Drop In & CREATE is free for parents and guardians. Dutch Oven Cooking is $5 for adults and $2.50 for children, Basket-Weaving Basics is $5, and Table Scaping is $15. Quill Art doesn’t post a price, so check before you go.

Which ones are best for young kids?

The owl pellet dig is made for kids 12 and under. Planting for Pollinators welcomes all ages. Sunday Studio and the cardboard turkey are drop-in family art. Quill Art is for ages 8 and up.

Which ones are easiest if I don’t walk far?

Basket weaving, table scaping, Quill Art and the owl pellet dig are seated, indoor-style programs. Sunday Studio and Drop In & CREATE are inside museums. The Dutch oven class is outdoors but stays in one spot. Pollinator planting means some bending and walking in a field.

Eastern or Central: which clock do I set?

Dunlap and Sequatchie County are on Central. So are Cummins Falls (near Cookeville), Cumberland Mountain (Crossville), Edgar Evins (Silver Point) and Huntsville, Ala. Chattanooga (Booker T. Washington and the Hunter Museum) and Cleveland are on Eastern time, one hour ahead.

How do you pick these events?

We look for one-of-a-kind, family-friendly outings within about 100 miles of Dunlap, and we check each one against the organizer’s own page whenever we can. When a detail isn’t posted, we say so. We keep a list so we never repeat an event. If you know a hidden gem, tell us at Dunlap.Today.

🔗 Other Resources

• Tennessee State Parks — Dutch Oven Cooking, Cummins Falls
• Tennessee State Parks — Basket-Weaving Basics, Cumberland Mountain
• Tennessee State Parks — Halloween at the Park: Dissect an Owl Pellet, Edgar Evins
• Huntsville-Madison County Public Library — Quill Art
• Visit Cleveland TN — Table Scaping with Cathy Boettner
• Tennessee State Parks — Planting for Pollinators, Booker T. Washington
• Chattanooga Public Library — Sunday Studios at the Hunter Museum
• Hunter Museum of American Art — Kids, Teens and Families
• Huntsville Museum of Art — Drop In & CREATE
• Tennessee State Parks — Park Happenings calendar
• National Weather Service Morristown: Valley forecast
• Dunlap.Directory: Local businesses for gas, food and supplies

🌅 Slow Down and Go See Something

You don’t need a big trip to make a good memory. A warm cobbler out of an iron pot, a basket you wove yourself, a tiny skull found in an owl pellet, a handful of seeds tossed for next spring’s bees and a cardboard turkey on the Thanksgiving table are all within a drive of the Valley. Grab a buddy, check the clock and the weather, and go.

Keep exploring, keep it easy and keep reading. Read Dunlap.Today for more Hundred-Mile Happenings, and find the Valley businesses that’ll fuel your trip on Dunlap.Directory.