The American Horticultural Society brings its annual National Children & Youth Garden Symposium to Austin, Texas, from July 9-11. This is “the only national event of its kind where you can network with like-minded teachers… and others involved with connecting kids to the natural world.” Visit AHS’s website to register and watch video highlights from last year’s symposium. Also, from August 14-16, AHS hosts its renowned In the Garden with the Experts Weekend Symposium at the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia. This wonderful weekend offers the opportunity to learn time-honored gardening tips from top professionals and a chance to tour the historic Homestead Gardens. And your registration includes a complimentary AHS membership! For more information or to register, visit AHS’s website.

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History just unveiled its long-awaited Innovation Wing—45,000 square feet of fascinating exhibitions that explore the history of American business and invention. In classic Smithsonian interactive and informative style, the brand-new wing highlights innovations from how to create chocolate from a lowly bean, to “the dramatic arc of labor, power, wealth, success, and failure” that go along free enterprise. Visit the Museum’s website for more information. And if you’re a member of the prestigious James Smithson Society, don’t miss the Food for Thought: Culture in Crisis luncheon at the Smithsonian Castle on July 21 at noon. Visit the Smithsonian’s website to reserve your seat.

Calling all photographers! Galapagos Conservancy is looking for spectacular nature photos from the Galapagos for its 2016 calendar, with a July 24 deadline. For rules and eligibility, visit the Conservancy’s website. Even if you’re not entering the contest, we recommend checking out the site to see last year’s winning photos featuring amazing Galapagos creatures like sea turtles and red-footed boobies.

Farm Sanctuary holds its annual New York Hoe Down the weekend of August 15-16 at its Watkins Glen, New York, sanctuary. According to Farm Sanctuary’s website, the Hoe Down “is an animal lover’s dream come true. Spend time hanging out in the pastures with the cows, pigs, chickens, and other rescued animals…with our expert staff on hand to share stories and answer questions… Learn from inspiring expert speakers covering topics from animal advocacy to healthy vegan living” This event is sure to be sold out, so register early by visiting Farm Sanctuary’s website.

Avalonians Jamie Natelson, Dara Igersheim, and Melia Lamb were thrilled to attend the opening reception June 25 of the National Museum of the American Indian’s stunning new exhibition, The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire. According to NMAI’s website, the exhibition “explores the foundations of the Inka Road in earlier Andean cultures, technologies that made building the road possible, the cosmology and political organization of the Inka world, and the legacy of the Inka Empire during the colonial period and in the present day.” This exhibition runs until June 1, 2018, so check NMAI’s website to plan your visit or get more information.