Nature

Tarantula Fans to Scurry for a Long-Running Gold Country Fest

The nature-loving, fall-fun gathering honors the fascinating, not-so-creepy critters.

Jeffrey Coolidge

What to Know

  • Coarsegold Tarantula Awareness Festival in Coarsegold Historic Village
  • Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022
  • Tarantula poems, tarantula sightings, autumn treats, more

TARANTULAS? The charismatic, photogenic, and low-to-the-ground critters have a way of scurrying through our collective imagination as summer begins to wind down. After all, it's around the later part of August when guided evening walks, the educational strolls focused on the mating habits of these eight-legged superstars, start to pop up on the calendars of California state parks and nature destinations. Spots have already filled up for some of the oh-so-popular Save Mount Diablo outings, though waitlists are available. But tarantula-esque to-dos may still pop up in your area, if you reside in or near a woodsy region where the iconic arachnids are known to reside. There is, however, one place that is sure to feature cool cameos by the sizable spiders, as well as the people who are interested in some of nature's most notable crawlers.

IT'S HAPPENING IN GOLD COUNTRY, in Coarsegold, a charming village that's become synonymous with the spiders, at least when October arrives. That's when the Coarsegold Tarantula Awareness Festival traditionally takes place, giving people a closer look at the important roles that tarantulas play in our ecosystem. There's some pre-Halloween high jinks on the schedule, too, with a costume contest, as well as a spotlight on pumpkin cheesecake. And if you have a tarantula-inspired poem or two scribbled in your lucky blank notebook? This might be your moment to break those out and win accolades and admirers. The date is Saturday, Oct. 29, and more arachnid-y info will scurry through our social media feeds in the weeks to come.

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