Families Learning Together - “FLT”

May 9 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

What is FLT?

“FLT” is our annual spring fundraiser to promote sustainable and natural living through the teaching of earth skills from a wide range of instructors.

It is a wonderful opportunity to return to nature and connect with skilled artisans and teachers who will be demonstrating primitive skills and crafts, while enjoying live mountain music, witnessing examples of historic building practices, and join in on demonstrations in food, blacksmithing, wood working, knives, survival, blade sharpening, plant foraging, and so much more.

Visitors will learn through experience with a hands-on approach to an alternative way of life. Demonstrations will be held throughout the day for all age groups. You can spend as much time as you like at a particular station, or spend the day exploring the many options. The event is hosted entirely outdoors on our beautiful wooded campus. A special area will focus on kids, with storytelling, flute music, drumming and puppets.

This outdoor, rain or shine fundraiser benefits upgrading our facilities, expanding our programs and camp scholarships for our summer camps. Our family-oriented event theme is: sustainable lifestyle practices with a focus on agriculture and forest education. You will get to see, hear, taste, touch and feel things here that you just won't get to experience anywhere else!

Watch this short video to learn more about Turtle Island and our mission.

If you are unable to attend but would like to support us in our mission, please consider a donation. Simply click on the blue button at the top of the page. No amount is to small to help us carry on. Many thanks.

Registration
Tickets

Only 300 tickets available do not delay!

DETAILS - FLT

Date/Time: Saturday,, May 9, 2026. Arrival time is 10:00 am and Departure is 4:00 pm, No one will be admitted until 9:30 AM. Also one will be admitted after 12:00 Noon, so please plan for this. When we receive your registration you will receive additional details concerning parking, etc. Please do not arrive early as it affect the traffic on Little Laurel Road.

Available Spaces:  Only 300 tickets will be sold.

Cost:  Early Bird Tickets available until February 27.  Adult tickets are $30.  A slight increase will occur on March 1.

Cancellations: Tickets  are non-refundable.

Lunch will be available…still working out the details but will post soon. You may also bring your lunch, but all trash must be taken out when you depart.

Daypacks with water bottles, blankets, chairs, rain gear are advisable.

This event will be held rain or shine

Beautiful handmade items will be available for purchase from some of the demonstrators as well as Turtle Island logo items…cash or check only. Please come prepared.

Group tickets available for scouts, homeschoolers, etc. Please contact us.

No smoking or alcoholic beverages on site.

Road Conditions: 1.5 miles off-road gravel - watch the video

Location: 8 miles east of Boone, NC - Base camp at Turtle Island Preserve is just 2 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway - Bamboo Gap Exit 

Questions: carolyn@turtleislandpreserve.com

An elderly man with long white hair and glasses, wearing a blue plaid shirt and jeans, is sitting outside on grass, carving a large wooden log using a chisel and hammer. He is focused on his woodworking project, with wooden pieces and tools around him.

Earth Skills

You will have the opportunity to participate in the following hands-on activities:

blacksmithing . Fire by Friction . Wood Carving . Cordage . Flintknapping . Basketry . Hide Tanning . Foraging . Plant Identification . Nature Crafts . Storytelling . Farm Tours . Shaving Horse Spoon Carving . Felting . Weaving . Soap Making . Botany . African drumming . flute music . Broom making . broccoli brothers circus . mountain music . Salt making . herbal medicine . quilting . Flintlock rifles .
And on and on and on….

Pre FLt

May 8

Knife Making with Robby Bowman

Robby Bowman, of Forged in Fire fame, will be leading a group of 6 adults in making a useful knife out of repurposed railroad spikes and horseshoes. For this day long class, students will have access to Turtle Island's outdoor blacksmith's classroom - all tools and materials are provided. 

May 8, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Bring a lunch & water bottle

$195 - nonrefundable - no exceptions

Registration
Payment

Personal Turtle Island tour with Eustace Conway

We are pleased to offer this special opportunity to tour Turtle Island Preserve with our founder and the “Mountain Man” himself, Eustace. This is a rare occasion indeed. Meet Eustace up close and personal as you walk the beautiful grounds of Turtle Island and learn the history of how it came to be, the design and inspiration for many of the hand hewn buildings and just soak up the wisdom from our wise and genuine leader.

May 8, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM 25 tickets available

Bring a water bottle. $125 nonrefundable

Registration
Payment

We are offering classes the day before our big event…on Friday May 8. Join us for more in depth instruction. You must register separately for these classes, they are not included in the admission prices for “Families Learning Together”, but are perfect for those folks who want to experience a bit more of what we have to offer and spend a little more time with us.

Sourdough Bread Making

Have you been interested in beginning your sourdough journey? Or did you try it and become overwhelmed, discouraged, or mystified? Look no further, Lauren & Geoffrey of Wild Herbs and Co. will be leading a workshop in our beautiful outdoor kitchen. You will learn the basics of beginning your sourdough journey.

Grab a friend and join us as we cover the basics of creating and maintaining your very own sourdough starter, the ancient art and science of wild yeast fermentation, the many delicious ways to use your discard, and the method of making classic sourdough bread.

This class will prepare you for baking your own sourdough bread by first establishing and simplifying the often over complicated processes you may have read about online!

Participants will receive a jar of our Wild Herbs and Co. sourdough starter, recipes, pointers, and yummy baked snacks to enjoy during class, as well as an e-book covering the main points of the workshop & our recipe for classic sourdough bread.

We will demonstrate methods like feeding your starter, stretch & fold, shaping, etc. so that  you can go home and make your own sourdough bread with confidence and ease!

May 8, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM 25 tickets available

Suitable for young adults 15+ accompanied with a parent

$85. non refundable Bring a water bottle

Registration
Payment

Details - PRE FLT

Date/Time: Friday, May 8, 2026. Arrival time is 10:00 am and Departure is 3:30 pm, depending on the class you registered for. When we receive your registration you will receive additional details concerning parking, etc.

Available Spaces: Knife Making - 6       Sourdough - 25      Tour with Eustace - 25

Cost: Varies depending on class.  Lunch is not included. Knife Making should bring their own

Cancellations: Registration for PRE FLT classes  is non-refundable.

Road Conditions: 1.5 miles off-road gravel - watch the video

Location: 8 miles east of Boone, NC - Base camp at Turtle Island Preserve is just 2 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway - Bamboo Gap Exit 

Questions: carolyn@turtleislandpreserve.com

A man demonstrating woodworking to a group of four people under a wooden shelter in a park, with trees and a group of people in the background.
A man and a young boy standing at an outdoor blacksmithing station in a wooded area. The boy is holding a small metal cross and wearing sunglasses and a cap. The man is wearing a black cowboy hat and glasses. There are various tools and equipment aro
An elderly man with a long white beard wearing a red plaid shirt, blue denim overalls, and a cap that says "FBI Believers in Jesus," holding a wicker basket and sitting outdoors in a wooded area. Another man with a beard wearing camouflage jacket and
Two adults and four children at a playground in a wooded area, with two swings hanging from a wooden frame, some trees, and a small wooden playhouse in the background.
Person holding a string of cheese over an open can with a wooded table and children in the background
An elderly man demonstrating wood carving to a group of children and women in a forest during daytime. The man is holding a chisel and working on a wooden log, while the children and women watch attentively.
A man with a beard and long-sleeve shirt holding a wooden stick at a table, smiling man in plaid shirt and black beanie behind him, and a woman with glasses and dark jacket facing them in an indoor rustic wooden setting.
A person in a baseball cap and work gloves is adjusting the hoof of a large tan and white horse inside a wooden barn. A young girl in a purple shirt is holding the horse's harness. Two other people are observing nearby, one in a maroon jacket and the
Three women sitting at a rustic wooden table outdoors, weaving straw or grass. One woman with sunglasses and dark clothing is smiling, another woman with glasses is also smiling, and a third woman with a headscarf is standing and holding some woven i

Attention All Camp Visitors - Please Note:

WARNING: Under North Carolina Law, There Is No Liability For An Injury To Or Death Of A Participant In An Agritourism Activity Conducted At This Agritourism Location If Such Injury Or Death Results From The Inherent Risks Of The Agritourism Activity. Inherent Risks Of Agritourism Activities Include, Among Others, Risks Of Injury Inherent To Land, Equipment, And Animals, As Well As The Potential For You To Act In A Negligent Manner That May Contribute To Your Injury Or Death. You Are Assuming The Risk Of Participating In This Agritourism Activity.

WARNING: Under North Carolina Law, A Farm Animal Activity Sponsor Or Farm Animal Professional Is Not Liable For An Injury To Or The Death Of A Participant In Farm Animal Activities Resulting Exclusively From The Inherent Risks Of Farm Animal Activities. Chapter 99E Of The North Carolina General Statutes.