Goose Creek State Park rangers will lead hikers on a walk through history Saturday.

The park will host a history walk at 2 p.m. on its live oak trail. The event is an opportunity to get some exercise after calorie-overloaded Thanksgiving dinners with family, as well as a way to learn about early history of the area, said Joe Martin, park ranger at Goose Creek.

“(The hike) has had a moderate turnout in the past,” Martin said. “(The history) is something to talk about while on the trail and it’s post-Thanksgiving and everyone will want to go out after all the turkey and food.”

The walk will include historical information related to Bath being the first town established in North Carolina, pre-colonial times and the ecosystems found by settlers, Native American tribes that were home to the area and the interactions between them and settlers, including the Tuscarora War. The tour will also highlight major area players like Edward “Blackbeard” Teach and explorer John Lawson and their roles in shaping the area; how commerce that helped shape the area, most notably the peak of Bath’s influence in the North Carolina colony; and how, after Blackbeard was apprehended, commerce and major legislative processes started heading inland toward Raleigh, according to Martin.

“It just brings awareness that even some local folks may not know about,” Martin said. “Bath has its historic site, but this broadens the spectrum, so to speak. We’ll also talk about the tar kiln industry. That seems to be an overlooked topic for this area.”

Martin said hikers should bring sturdy footwear and bug spray and meet at the very last parking lot at the end of the road running through Goose Creek State Park. The program is free and open to the public.

Goose Creek State Park is located at 2190 Camp Leach Road in Washington. For more information, call 252-923-2191.