Registration
You must preregister for all UT Gardens education programs unless stated otherwise. Contact Whitney at whitneyhale@tennessee.edu if you have any questions.
Field Trips
We develop programs that engage students with the world around them by practicing the skills of observation and communication, attitudes of curiosity and responsibility, and knowledge of plant-people-ecosystem relationships.
These are typically 2-hour programs in which the group tours the Gardens and participates in a lesson for their age/grade. Most programs include students taking home a plant to grow either from seed sowing or transplanting.
Flexible timing and adaptable lessons | $10 per participant (scholarships available – reach out for more details) | Adults are free
Must schedule at least one month in advance.
With advance notice, we can typically accommodate up to 200 students in a program. We suggest you bring no more than one parent chaperone per ten students, and parent chaperones must ride with your group on the school bus.
Topics for field trips include but are not limited to the following:
- Plant Science
- Food webs and food systems
- Plants as Food
- Seasonal changes and weather (phenology)
- Plant-animal interactions and ecosystems
- Energy and nutrient cycles
- Data collection, interpretation, and communication
- Careers in the green industry
- Art
- Geography
Sample Schedule:
9:45-10:00 AM — Arrival at UT Gardens
10:00 AM-noon — Guided field trip (walk through the gardens, hands-on activity, planting, etc.)
Noon-12:45 — Lunch at UT Gardens, time to play in the Children’s Garden, and departure from UT Gardens
Please fill out the form at the bottom of this page if you’re interested in a UT Gardens Field Trip!
Scout Programs
These are typically 1-2-hour programs in which the group tours the Gardens and/or participates in an activity or project related to gardening, the ecosystem, and/or the environment.
Flexible timing and adaptable projects | $10 per participant
UT Gardens is a great option for several Girl Scout Badges and Scouting America Merit Badges/Elective Adventures. If your group is interested in something not listed here, reach out anyway!
Girl Scouts:
- Daisy: Use resources wisely; make the world a better place; create and innovate; eco learner; outdoor art maker; animal observer; art and design; math in nature: shapes in nature; math in nature: numbers in nature; math in nature: design in nature
- Brownie: art and design; bugs; eco friend (no fires at UTG); outdoor adventure; outdoor art creator; senses; math in nature: shapes in nature; math in nature: numbers in nature; math in nature: design in nature
- Junior: animal habitats; flowers; gardener; outdoor art explorer; math in nature: shapes in nature; math in nature: numbers in nature; math in nature: design in nature
- Cadette: outdoor art experience; trees
- Senior: outdoor art expert; collage artist
- Ambassador: outdoor art master
Scouting America:
- Merit Badges: gardening; forestry; insect study; nature; plant science
- Elective Adventures
- Lion: mountain lion – outdoors; ready, set, grow; champions for nature
- Tiger: tigers in the wild; champions for nature
- Wolf: paws on the path; champions for nature
- Bear, Webelos, and Arrows of Light: champions for nature
Please fill out the form at the bottom of this page if you’re interested in a UT Gardens Scout Program!
School Visits
The UT Gardens Education Team would love to visit your classroom in the 2026-2027 School Year!
Topics for classroom visits include but are not limited to the following:
- Plant Science
- Food webs and food systems
- Plants as Food
- Seasonal changes and weather (phenology)
- Plant-animal interactions and ecosystems
- Energy and nutrient cycles
- Careers in the green industry
- Art
Please fill out the form at the bottom of this page if you’re interested in UT Gardens visiting your school!
Homeschool Programs
We are happy to offer a program for your home school co-op or even just other home school families! Our homeschool programs are very similar to field trips. We offer a wide variety of topics and activities and we can accomodate groups with differing ages/grade levels.
These are typically 2-hour programs in which the group tours the Gardens and participates in a lesson for their age/grade. Most programs include students taking home a plant to grow either from seed sowing or transplanting.
Flexible timing and adaptable lessons | $10 per participant
Must schedule at least one month in advance.
Please fille out the form at the bottom of this page if you’re interested in a UT Gardens homeschool program!
Summer Camp
The UT Gardens, Knoxville, hosts annual summer camps for learners in various age groups. See camp details for more information. Registration for Summer Camp 2026 is open now!
Click here for more information about UT Gardens Summer Camp!
Sow 2 Grow
Sow 2 Grow is a career-skill building summer program for teens (ages 13 to seniors in high school) with disabilities. This program is operated by the UT Gardens Therapeutic Horticulture Program at UT Gardens, Knoxville.
Have you ever wondered what we all do at UT Gardens? Or what jobs are available for people who like plants? We created a video series to help answer those questions! Click on each tab to learn more.
This video is about Holly Jones, a horticulturalist at UT Gardens, Knoxville.
This video is about Natalie Bumgarner, an extension specialist at University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.
This video is about Amanda Spangler, a lecturer at the University of Tennessee.
A great resource to learn more about green industry careers is Seed Your Future. On their website, you can take a quiz to find out which careers may be a good fit for you. It’s also a great place to learn about college programs like the Department of Plant Sciences here at the University of Tennessee!
Are you interested in a UT Gardens field trip, scout program, or other youth program? If so, please complete the form below. A staff member will reach out shortly for more information. For outreach programs, please fill out the form on our Outreach Programs page.
If you get an error message, please try to click on the submit button a second time. You can also email whitneyhale@tennessee.edu with questions.
Cancellation Policy
University of Tennessee Gardens, Knoxville Cancellation & Refund Policy:
Classes may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. A full refund will be made in the event the UT Gardens cancels a class.
Individual Cancellations:
If you find you cannot attend the class or lecture you’ve registered for, please email Whitney at whitneyhale@tennessee.edu and let us know. A full refund of the registration will be issued for cancellations made at least 30 days prior to the event. A 50% refund will be issued 15 days prior to the event. No refunds will be made for cancellations made fewer than 7 days before the event.
If you are unable to attend a program due to an unforeseen issue, you may transfer the class fee to another class. This class transfer must be redeemed within 6 months of your original class registration. If the class you transfer your fee to is greater than your original registration fee, you will need to pay the difference. If the class you wish to transfer the fee to is less than your original fee you will not be reimbursed the difference. In order to transfer the registration fee, you must email whitneyhale@tennessee.edu within 24 hours of the class starting time.
