Event Types: Nature & Outdoors

Join Steep Rock Executive Director Brian Hagenbuch and retired Flanders Nature Center Executive Director, Arthur Milnor, for an easy to moderate casual walk in Steep Rock Preserve. A great opportunity to get outside, observe what’s happening in the natural world, learn something new and maybe even meet new friends. These hikes are not just for seniors. All are welcome!

Join HORSE of CT on Saturday, December 10 from 10:00am – 3:00pm to celebrate Christmas with the horses! Boutique sale, tack sale, bake sale, silent auction and hourly tours.

Rain date: Sunday, December 11th.

Your eyes, ears, and enthusiasm are needed to collect data for the nation’s longest-running community science bird project, Audubon’s 123rd Christmas Bird Count. Everyone from seasoned ornithologists to first-time birders, individuals to families with children are welcome to participate in this special holiday activity. Join Steep Rock Association on a 1 ½-mile winter birding excursion through the diverse habitats of Macricostas Preserve.

Register here

Join us as we celebrate by the firepit behind Steep Rock House!

The winter solstice is the moment in the year when Earth is tilted as far away from the sun as it will be all year. This is the day with the shortest daylight all year. Join us to bid farewell to shorter days and welcome increasing daylight. We will gather and celebrate with refreshments and friends around the fire!

Thursday, December 29 and Friday, December 30 from 1:00 – 3:00pm each day

Looking for something fun and educational to do with your family during the holiday week? Listen to stories, play games and create crafts inspired by the lifeways and lessons of local Native Americans! Each day, the IAIS Education Department will feature traditional Native American Storytelling, as well as games and crafts. Play games such as snow snake, snow boat, and hoop and pole. Create keepsakes you can take home, such as corn husk dolls, buzzers, or beadwork. This family-friendly event is open to learners of all ages. An adult must remain on premises while children are participating in the activities.

Space is limited, so pre-registration is encouraged. Please visit our website to register via Eventbrite. Questions? Please call (860) 868-0518 or email [email protected] Price of Participation: $10 for IAIS Members, $15 for Non-Members.

In an immersive forest setting with no locks, keys or clocks, Wigwam Escape’s thematic puzzles challenge game players to hunt, find water and prepare food similar to how Native people did for thousands of years prior to European contact. The Institute for American Indian Studies, proudly presents a new way to interact with history, a themed escape room, Wigwam Escape.

Our museum’s mission is to “preserve and educate through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality and knowledge of Native American cultures”. We chose an escape room setting as an interactive and captivating way to educate the public about how pre-contact Native peoples lived within their environment over 500 years ago. This hand-on experience of history is demonstrated through a series of custom puzzles and hand crafted set, complete with a full sized traditionally sourced wigwam.

The full experience is 90 minutes in the museum’s Research Center. This includes a pre-game orientation, the one hour escape room centerpiece, and post-game popcorn snack and discussion when your team returns to the 21st Century. The game is set for 3 to 7 players and the cost is $25 per person, or $20 for our museum members or students.

More than just a game, Wigwam Escape is built to teach through experience and foster dialogue in a game that’s dynamic, challenging and entertaining. Visit Wigwam Escape for this must-do team building experience for friends, families and co-workers.

For more information or to book your escape room, go to: wigwamescape.org.