Event Dates: January 14, 2012 - January 15, 2012

The Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival is a celebration of the thousands of Sandhill Cranes that migrate through or spend the winter at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers from November to February each year. While public viewing of the cranes is always available at the TN Wildlife Resources Agency Hiwassee Refuge, the festival offers activities for the entire family. There will be speakers, films, and children’s activities centered on the cranes, Tennessee’s other wildlife, and the rich Native American history of the area.  

Festival activities will be held at the Birchwood Elementary School, the Hiwassee Refuge, the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park, and the Rhea County Welcome Center. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is the primary sponsor of this event.

“Our objective is to share the spectacle of these majestic birds and provide a potentially life-changing wildlife experience for visitors. We also want to build awareness for the need to provide adequate habitat and management for the thousands of Sandhill Cranes that winter and migrate through Tennessee, as well as for the Endangered Whooping Cranes that regularly accompany them,” Melinda Welton Festival Co-chair.

Admission Fee (if any): Free

Ages Festival is Appropriate For: All ages

Birchwood School, 5623 Hwy 60, Birchwood, TN.

Hiwassee Refuge, Priddy Road, Birchwood, TN.
From  I-75, take exit number 25 in Cleveland, Tennessee. Travel north on Highway 60 through the town of Birchwood. Approximately 1.7 miles north of Birchwood, turn right on Shadden Road. Go one mile and turn right on Blythe Ferry Road. Take the next left on Priddy Lane and follow signs.