Scientific outreach to the general public has long been something within which scientists and educators find value, but participation and effectiveness remains low. Some mediation to this problem comes through events like BioBlitzes, pilgrimages, and festivals. For example, the Whistler BioBlitz, Kentucky Wildflower Weekend and Crested Butte Wildflower Festival are all annual events that bring professionals and the general public together in educational events. The Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and Kentucky, celebrated its 73rd year in April 2023.  Started in 1951, the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage is the longest running event of its kind in the US and it is also among the largest with about 1000 members of the public signing up for and attending more than 200 different educational programs led by more than 100 expert leaders. What began as a tourism-driven event designed to help the Park Service kick off educational programs during the touring season, the first Pilgrimage had 11 programs and fewer than 50 participants. Today, it is a major expo attracting “pilgrims” from about 40 US states and several countries each year and it attracts non-scientists, students, enthusiasts, scientists, botanists, and nature lovers to learn about the biodiversity, ecology, management, and nature-themed art during the spring flush in the Smokies. Pilgrimage attendees can choose programs from a variety of activity levels including instructional workshops, short rambles, hikes, and more strenuous all-day excursions. Programs feature professionally-guided walks, exhibits, and other learning opportunities to explore the region's rich natural and cultural resources.  While wildflowers may a main attraction and theme, program topics are as diverse as the Smokies’ ecosystems— showcasing ferns, mosses, liverworts, fungi, lichens, birds, bats, owls, bears, elk, snakes, amphibians, and insects and delving into topics including plant ecology, fire ecology and recovery, and invasive species. Other areas of interest such as cultural and natural history, photography, sketching, and nature journaling invite pilgrims to appreciate many other aspects of this rich and preserved landscape. Additionally, citizen science initiatives—including using the iNaturalist app or biocollections digitization in the Park’s collections have allowed participants to contribute valuable and lasting data to assist scientists and resource managers.  In recognition of its long history of partner collaboration and public education, the Pilgrimage was awarded the Outstanding Public Engagement award by the Public Lands Alliance in 2019. During its more than seven decades, the Pilgrimage has offered the public the unique opportunity to enjoy nature up close and learn about the natural world with the guidance and expertise of some of the most qualified biologists, ecologists, Park scientists and land managers, and artists in the region.