America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston

Venture off the beaten path to discover what drives our passion for the outdoors

• Christina Zeiders
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Christina Zeiders is the Communications Specialist at WITF. She helps get the word out about all of WITF's programs, events and community conversations.

America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston is a new six-part travel and adventure series hosted by New York Times bestselling author, podcaster and outdoor enthusiast Baratunde Thurston. The series follows him as he explores diverse landscapes across the U.S. and how these regions shape the way Americans work, play and interact with the outdoors.

Watch America Outdoors through the PBS Video app or on WITF TV Tuesdays at 9pm, July 5 through August 9. Episodes can be streamed on-demand for free through the PBS Video app and online for four weeks after their broadcast premiere.

From finding life in Death Valley and beekeeping in Appalachia to wild horses in North Carolina and Black surfers in Los Angeles, Baratunde introduces us to people across the nation whose lives are shaped by where they live.

As a warming climate changes where outdoor enthusiasts can safely go and Americans debate how wild spaces can be made more accessible to all, America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston reveals a deeper understanding of our passionate and complicated relationship with the natural world.

“We think viewers will be transported by this journey to discover our outdoor lives and culture,” said Michael Rosenfeld, Vice President, National Production at Twin Cities PBS and Executive Producer of the series. “As we traveled the country, we discovered a wide range of attitudes towards the outdoors, but we also found some consistent themes—most importantly, a deeply held belief that being outside is essential to our wellbeing, and access to outdoor spaces is worth fighting for.”

“This show was so much more than I expected,” Baratunde Thurston said. “I got a chance to reconnect with the beautifully diverse people of this country on the common ground we all share. From Indigenous nations who were here before we became a nation, to multi-generation ranchers and watermen, to newly arrived refugees, this isn’t just a show about the outdoors. It’s a show about America. Oh, and the cinematography is just epic. Best selfies of my life for sure.”

Watch America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston Tuesdays at 9pm starting July 5 on WITF TV or the PBS Video app. Episodes can be streamed for free, on-demand through the PBS Video app for four weeks after their broadcast premiere.