Spring has Sprung...Plan Ahead for Outdoor Fun! Once the mandated restrictions have been lifted, it will be the perfect time to embrace the great outdoors. Until then, use this opportunity to dream a little and plan out some outdoor adventure in Butler County. There’s plenty of things to fill up your calendar. Here’s a few suggestions:
All events are subject to change at any time.
Butler County Parks
Some parks are restricted at this time. Please be sure to continue practicing social distancing until further notice.
While you’re out exploring some of Butler County’s parks, see how many things you can find on our new scavenger hunt.
- Moraine State Park
- Jennings Environmental Education Center
- Succop Nature Park
- Alameda Park
- Todd Nature Reserve
- Glade Run Lake Conservancy, Inc
- Graham Park
- Cranberry Community Park
- North Boundary Park
- Zelienople Community Park (Playground closed until further notice)
- Slippery Rock Park
- Preston Park in Butler Twp
- ARMCO Park
- EDCO Park
- Spring Valley Park-Clinton Twp
“Connect”
Looking for ways to “connect” with local businesses and organizations? How about utilizing a Livestream? Access a variety of options like Facebook Live workouts, hockey training sessions, DIY projects, art classes, trivia games and more!
There are also several activities shared weekly on Facebook, where adults and children alike can participate in creative ways to explore the world around them.
When you’re looking for something new to watch, tune in to popular YouTube channels to learn more about all the wonderful things Butler County has to offer. From scenic trails and charming towns to adventures found all around; there’s something for everyone to enjoy!
Livestream
- YMCA - Butler YMCA & Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA
- Virtual workouts
- Facebook live workouts (Visit their Facebook page for updates on the latest Live workouts)
- Penguins
- CURIO
- Shubrew - Check ShuBrew’s Facebook page for Livestream events like trivia games, can releases and more!
Educational Facebook Posts
YouTube Channels
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Succop Nature Park - Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania
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Follow our new YouTube Channel
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Butler County Tourism Bureau Videos
- Butler County Overview
- Fan favorites (kids version)
- Towns of Butler County
- North Country Trail
- SurfSUP videos:
Spring is the a perfect time to delight in the freshness of the season and partake in some outdoor recreation. Try biking, hiking or wildlife watching. Want something new and different? Try your hand at disc golf or go geocaching. If you’d prefer, grab some loved ones and just enjoy a relaxing picnic. Spring is wonderful for snapping colorful pictures of nature.
While Mother Nature turns everything green, it’s a great time to pay a visit! We’ve got plenty of campgrounds for you to choose from. Whether you prefer roughing it, or you think a cabin with full amenities is rough, there is something here for you. Get the whole gang together and create a weekend full of family memories. Tell ghost stories, chow down on mountain pies and absorb some perfect weather.
Did you know George Washington traveled through this area? You can follow his path, now labeled as Washington’s Trail. Feel like a superhero by moving a one ton revolving stone gate in Harmony. Discover the German history of many of our small towns. There’s plenty of history to “dig up” in Butler County.
Major Festivals & Events
All events are subject to change at any time.
April 3-5: Butler County Home Show(Postponed)
April 16-May 2: Kaleidoscope Arts Festival (Cancelled)
May 16-17: Portersville Steam Show Spring Gas-up
May 22-25: Butler Rib & Music Festival
June 7: Wingfest 2020
June 12-14: Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival
June 27: Husks & Hops Hootenanny
More Spring Events
April 4: Zelienople Historical Society Spring Tea(Postponed)
April 25: Drive Electric Earth Day EV Car Show.
May. 1-3: The Strand Theater presents “The Sounds of Rodgers & Hammerstein.”
May 2: Zelienople Historical Society Garden Talk and Brunch.
May 16: Goat Yoga at Freedom Farms
May 16: Spring Garden Market and Home Show
May 16: Succop Theater presents “Pittsburgh Philharmonic - Symphonic Star-Crossed Lovers.”
May 16: Glacier Ridge Trail Ultra Marathons and Trail Race.
May 30: The Strand Theater presents “A Toast to the Rat Pack.”
June 6: Goat Yoga at Freedom Farms
June 7: The Strand Theater presents “The Seneca Valley Film Festival.”
June 13-14: Berry Days Festival and Craft Show
June 15-July 15: 7th annual Lake Arthur Striper Fishing Tournament
June 17: Preston Park Walking Tour
June 20: Butler Road Race
For Lovers of Flowers, and Gardeners – from Aspiring to Enthusiast
It’s pretty hard not to love flowers, right? The beautiful colors and scents… the endless varieties… the way they just seem to magically appear after a long winter. Here in western Pennsylvania, there are plentiful opportunities to admire wildflowers and even make your own home blossom. Several upcoming events will help you get in tune with your inner gardener, whether you’re an amateur or have a seasoned green thumb.
Gardening
May 16th is a Spring Garden Market and Home Show at Alameda Park in Butler. A showcase of exhibitors will help you to welcome spring with landscaping materials and live plants for sale. The event is family-friendly, also offering free childrens’ activities and live entertainment.
Open year-round, Quality Gardens, located on Route 228, includes 32,000 square feet of greenhouse space, 20,000 square feet of outdoor nursery space, a one-of-a-kind 5,000 square foot glass garden center, 2 ½ acres of chrysanthemum production, as well as farm market and landscape services divisions. Basically anything you need to care for your plants and yard can be found there!
Heasley’s Nurseries is a wholesale production nursery primarily serving landscape contractors, re-wholesalers, garden centers, municipalities, parks, and other growers. We also sell to individuals and have a Best "Bye" Wagon located at our entrance with daily specials! Local farmers’ markets are also an excellent source to find plants and starter vegetables/herbs. We’re lucky to have farmers who work hard all year round, not only as growers but as businessmen, allowing us to benefit from their local product.
Wildflowers
Perhaps some of the best plants are ones you don’t have to care for… the ones Mother Nature nurtures for us to simply enjoy. Spring wildflowers typically bloom mid-April through mid-to-late May, and right here in Butler County, we are graced with some amazing spots to relish their beauty.
Wolf Creek Narrows in Slippery Rock (located on West Water Street) is known for its spectacular display of white trillium, a three-petalled flower belonging to the lily family. This natural area has an active floodplain, a mature northern hardwood forest and picturesque cliffs. A 1.5-mile loop trail provides a scenic tour of the park. Other wildflowers you might encounter include violets, blue bells and the rare white fawn lily.
Another great spot for viewing spring wildflowers is Jennings Environmental Education Center. Two woodland trails are recommended. The Black Cherry Trail is a half-mile loop that follows Big Run, which is ironically a small stream. The Hepatica Trail is a quarter-mile trail which connects the Oakwoods Trail to Glacier Ridge Trail. Hepatica are often-purple flowers from the buttercup family. Trillium can be seen at Jennings as well.
Thus concludes my information on gardening and wildflowers, so get out your mudding shoes and take a hike or plant some greens!