Families looking for one last outdoor adventure before Hillsborough County schools reopen Monday, Aug. 10, can spend a free morning collecting school supplies, digging for fossils, and exploring 200 acres of nature preserve in Ruskin.

Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center holds its 18th Annual Back to School – Back to Nature event Saturday, Aug. 1, from 9 a.m. to noon at 4140 24th St. SE. No reservations are needed. Admission and parking are free.

"We host Back to School – Back to Nature as a fun way for children to develop an appreciation for nature and actually experience it," Dolly Cummings, Camp Bayou Learning Center director, told the Observer News. "It's an opportunity for families to enjoy being outdoors together and see all Camp Bayou has to offer before they start the new school year."

Eight organizations will staff exhibitor tables with interactive nature activities. Kids visit each station, ask questions, and walk away with free school supplies. The lineup includes the Manatee Viewing Center, the Florida Aquarium, the Paleo Preserve Fossil Museum, SouthShore Regional Library, Little Manatee River State Park, Sam's Honeybees LLC, Hillsborough County Conservation & Environmental Lands Management, and the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County.

Every child receives a free raffle ticket at sign-in. Drawings for backpacks, lunch bags, journals, and other prizes happen every 30 minutes. Winners must be present.

The Paleo Preserve Fossil Museum, a nonprofit on the Camp Bayou grounds founded by paleontologist Frank Garcia, will open its doors and its fossil pit. Kids can learn about saber-tooth cats, mastodons, and giant sloths that roamed the Ruskin area 1 million to 1.5 million years ago. Museum admission is free. For $5, children can dig in the stocked pit and take home whatever fossils they find.

Free cart tours of the preserve will run throughout the morning. Camp Bayou's four walking trails, Native American village, Eagle Audubon butterfly habitat, and Nature Center will also be open.

Board member and longtime volunteer Noelle Licor said visitors discover something new each trip to Camp Bayou.

Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit operated as a public-private partnership between Hillsborough County and Bayou Outdoor Learning and Discovery Inc. The center sits on the Little Manatee River, about 3 miles south of SR-674 off I-75 exit 240B.

Upcoming at Camp Bayou

  • Paddle trips: First and third Saturdays of each month, 9 a.m. Cost is $25 to rent a canoe or kayak, $5 if you bring your own. Registration required: 813-641-8545 or [email protected].
  • Observe the Moon Night Paddle: Saturday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m. Registration required.
  • Fall Fright Fest: Saturday, Oct. 3, 5–9 p.m. A 6 p.m. walk for younger children focuses on native nocturnal wildlife; 7 p.m. and later walks feature campfire stories and s'mores. A $5 donation per person is requested. Registration opens in September.

Camp Bayou is also seeking volunteers, especially those willing to help teach school groups in grades K-6. Contact Becki Stafford at 813-641-8545 or visit campbayou.org.