Snow is already falling in places in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the lights are going up in Visalia, and Exeter is getting ready for Santa. On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "California’s Sequoia Country" Podcast with the Sequoia Tourism Council, producer Lisa D. Smith talks with Holly Streit of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Suzanne Bianco of Visit Visalia, and Shannon Schroth of Experience Exeter.

You’ll hear about: - Winter in the parks: layers, road conditions, tire chains and ranger-led snowshoe programs in Grant Grove and at the Giant Forest Museum - The Pear Lake Winter Hut with Sequoia Parks Conservancy, with reservations expected to open November 12 - Visalia’s 80th Candy Cane Lane Parade on November 30 and the holiday market at Kaweah Oaks Preserve, December 4-6 - Exeter’s Christmas Thursdays (December 3, 10 and 17), Santa at the farmers market November 18, and chamber gift certificates - The North Pole Market at the International Agri-Center in Tulare on December 12 - Sequoia Parks Conservancy’s 25% off shop sale through December 31, the Christmas Bird Count on December 19, and the Trek to the Nation’s Christmas Tree on December 13 - Cozy holiday weekends: cocoa, cookies, soup, gingerbread houses and a good book

LINKS & TRAVEL RESOURCES: - Explore the region: https://www.discoverthesequoias.com - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks: https://www.nps.gov/seki - Visit Visalia: https://www.visitvisalia.com - Visalia Holiday Guide: https://www.visitvisalia.com/articles/visalia-holiday-guide - Visalia Winter Weekend Getaway: https://www.visitvisalia.com/articles/visalia-winter-weekend-getaway - Experience Exeter, Exeter Chamber of Commerce: https://exeterchamber.com - Sequoia Parks Conservancy (shop sale 25% off through Dec 31): https://www.sequoiaparksconservancy.org

It's October in California's Sequoia Country, and there's a lot going on. On this month's "California Sequoia Country" episode with the Sequoia Tourism Council, Big Blend Radio host Lisa D. Smith is joined by Holly Streit of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Suzanne Bianco of Visit Visalia to kick off fall.

The episode starts with an anniversary: on October 1st, 1890, General Grant National Park was established to protect the General Grant Tree, the second largest tree in the world and the nation's only dedicated living shrine to service members. Holly explains how that four-acre park became part of Kings Canyon, what's closing for the season at Cedar Grove and Mineral King, and how the park's December wreath ceremony at the nation's Christmas tree works. It's also bear season, so Holly shares what to do if you see one, including keeping 50 yards back and storing food and scented items properly, and why fallen sequoias and dead trees matter to the forest. Plus, October 27th is a fee-free day for Teddy Roosevelt's birthday.

Then Suzanne walks through October in Visalia and Tulare County: the Tulare Crush Party on October 9th, the Exeter Fall Festival on October 10th and the downtown Scarecrow Contest, Visalia Pride, Books & Brews and the Taste The Arts street festival on the weekend of October 17th, and the Sequoia Symphony playing Pirates of the Caribbean at the Fox Theater. You'll also hear about Cosmic Creeps at the Planetarium on October 23rd, the city's Halloween house map, mini pumpkindishes at the Vintage Press, a few ghost stories, and a visit to the Tulare County Museum for Global Diversity Awareness Month.

Plan your visit and get more information: - Discover the Sequoias: https://www.discoverthesequoias.com - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks: https://www.nps.gov/seki - Visit Visalia: https://www.visitvisalia.com - New Sequoia Tourism Council episodes air every first Thursday: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/california-s-sequoia-country-podcast

Fall is teasing us across the country, and California's Sequoia Country — home to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Sequoia National Forest, the Giant Sequoia National Monument, and the welcoming communities of Tulare County — is right on the edge of the season's first cool breeze.

In this episode of Big Blend Radio's "California Sequoia Country" Podcast, Sequoia Tourism Council members Suzanne Bianco (Visit Visalia) and Holly Streit (Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks), talk pumpkins, changing leaves, dark skies, and the harvest season events that make fall one of the best times to visit.

Suzanne shares the local countdown to fall starting with Vintage Press's stuffed pumpkin dish in Visalia, and points listeners to cooler-weather hikes at Kaweah Oaks Preserve, Mooney Grove Park, and the Woodlake Botanical Garden loop around Bravo Lake and more.

Holly talks changing colors in the giant forest, the importance of dark skies for migrating birds and bats, and previews the Sequoia Parks Conservancy's Dark Sky Festival (September 11–13) which will features a keynote from the scientist behind Wowsabout, the Jim Henson Company's preschool special exploring Sequoia National Park and the science of awe.

The conversation covers shuttle schedules (Memorial Day–Labor Day), the foothill hikes at Potwisha and Paradise Creek, and giant forest trails including Congress Trail and the North Grove Loop. Then it's on to fall festivities: the Tulare County Fair, Visalia's Taste of Downtown (October 7) and Taste the Arts Festival, First Friday art walks, mixed-media artist Toni Best's gourd art, and early holiday-shopping tips through the Sequoia Parks Conservancy.

🌲 Plan Your Visit: https://www.discoverthesequoias.com/ 🌲 Visit Visalia: https://www.visitvisalia.com/ 🌲 NPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon: https://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm 🌲 Sequoia Parks Conservancy: https://www.sequoiaparksconservancy.org/ New episodes of California Sequoia Country air every first Thursday on Big Blend Radio. 🎧 Follow the Show: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/california-s-sequoia-country-podcast 📖 Explore Big Blend Radio's "California's Sequoia Country" Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/california-s-sequoia-country-magazine