Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Blue Ridge Parkway Host InstaMeet Opportunity

In honor of National Park Week and the National Park Service Centennial, we invite you to Find Your Park in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. On Sunday, April 19, 2015 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., join us for our first InstaMeet. An InstaMeet provides an opportunity for people to gather in a designated place at a specific time to take photos and short videos to post on their favorite social media sites.

Visitors at national parks across the country will be participating in this InstaMeet. Join the fun by grabbing your smartphone or camera, inviting your friends, and spending the day taking beautiful photos of spring in the mountains. Be sure to post your InstaMeet photos and videos on social media sites using the hashtags #FindYourParkInstaMeet, and #FindYourPark and tagging @GreatSmokyNPS, @NationalParkService, and @GoParks on Instagram.

If you can’t make it to the parks on Sunday, you can still participate by posting your favorite photos and videos of your vacation in the Smokies or Blue Ridge on social media site at any time on Sunday. Just be sure to use the hashtags #FindYourParkInstaMeet, and #FindYourPark or the tags @GreatSmokyNPS, @NationalParkService, and @GoParks on Instagram.

In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, two InstaMeets are planned. Join a ranger at the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee Visitor Center for a tour of the farm. Or stop at Sugarlands Visitor Center for a short walk to get some tips on how to take beautiful wildflower photos using a phone. On the Blue Ridge Parkway four Instameets will occur, with rangers on hand and photo props for taking pictures in the area. The locations are Craggy Gardens Picnic Area (MP 367.6), The Blue Ridge Music Center (MP 213), Mabry Mill (MP 176), and Abbott Point at Peaks of Otter (MP 86). You can find more information on the Blue Ridge Parkway’s facebook page and @blueridgenps on instagram.

Visit www.NationalParkWeek.org to learn more about how you can join parks, programs, and partners in celebrating National Park Week across the country.

Photo Credit: By Brian Stansberry (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons