Ahh summer… The kids have been released from school to spend afternoons hopping through sprinklers in the backyard. The sun refuses to set until 9 pm. Lakeside retreats beckon and lazy days rule the season.
But some Minnesotans hear the call of adventure during the summer months. After all, we spend much of the year hibernating in the great indoors, where we daydream about epic road trips, climbing and canoeing expeditions, maybe an international getaway to faraway mountain ranges.
If you’re craving a dash of armchair travel and adventure this summer, then we have you covered. Starting on Tuesday, June 20, we’ll be airing a string of PBS science, nature, culture and history programs dubbed “The Summer of Adventure.”
Sound like your kind of excitement? Here’s what you can watch and stream until the dog days of summer give way to fall.
The Story of China
The almighty “Summer of Adventure” kicks off with The Story of China, a three-part tour through China’s multi-faceted modern moment and its ancient past. Host Michael Wood participates in a festival devoted to ancient gods, explores the story of China’s bloodthirsty first emperor, and learns about the lasting achievements of two of China’s most brilliant dynasties.
Big Pacific
Covering almost one-third of the Earth’s surface, the Pacific Ocean is bigger than all of the world’s land masses combined – and its depths are home to some of the most mysterious creatures, as well as ones we haven’t even discovered yet. While we’ve explored land, the ocean’s surface and the solar system, so much of the Pacific’s depths have not revealed their secrets. Plus, you’ll get to meet forest penguins, sea turtles and great white sharks, among other critters, on this five-part series.
Great Yellowstone Thaw
If you loved NOVA’s Making North America series, then you’ll get to follow along once again with Dr. Kirk Johnson, the Sant Director of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, as he explores the madcap seasonal change as winter gives way to spring in Yellowstone National Park. Wolves, grizzlies, beavers and Great Gray owls endure one of the most extreme seasonal shifts on the planet, where temperatures can swing some 140 degrees. The three-part Great Yellowstone Thaw gives you a front-row seat to this epic annual event of survival.
Nature’s Great Race
Follow three iconic animals – zebras, caribou and elephants – on three of the world’s most breath-taking wildlife adventures. Across hundreds of miles of Canadian arctic wilderness and African bush, the three-part Nature’s Great Race lets us follow every life-and-death decision these herds make as they overcome immense obstacles and face fearless predators in a race to reach their destination.
RARE – CREATURES OF THE PHOTO ARK
In a quest to save the world’s growing list of endangered creatures, photographer Joel Sartore has developed a Photo Ark, in which he captures and collects photos of at-risk and rare species in the wild, in zoos and in nature preserves. His aim? To show the world exactly why these species’ survival impacts us all.
WEEKEND IN HAVANA
Join Geoffrey Baer on a trip to Havana, where a young local architect, dancer and musician share with him the vibrant color, culture and history of a beautiful and sensuous city only recently re-opened – and now closed again – to Americans. While we’re now banned from venturing to Cuba to explore Havana’s magic, you’ll get an inside look at the city and its rich traditions. Armchair travel at its finest.
WILD ALASKA LIVE
Over the course of three nights, Emmy Award-winning zoologists, adventurers and brothers Chris Kratt and Martin Kratt host an epic excursion into the heart of Alaska’s summer wilderness, as animals take part in a great seasonal feast. Wild Alaska Live will visit several locations, including points near Juneau and the Tongass National Forest, where the team will look for black bears and bald eagles; the vast Kenai Fjords National Park, in search of orcas and humpback whales; and the wilderness of Katami National Park, where brown bears and elusive wolves live and hunt.
IRELAND’S WILD COAST
As one of the few European spots untouched by the Romans’ pursuit of world domination, Ireland has always been a place apart, the edge of the known world for millennia. Emmy Award-winning wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson takes you on an odyssey along Ireland’s rugged Atlantic coast to explore the wildlife and the wild places that make the country unlike any other place on earth. Salmon, Golden Eagles and Humpback whales all make appearances in this two-hour film.
© Twin Cities Public Television - 2017. All rights reserved.
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