GREENSBORO — Learn about North Carolina's colonial history in the morning. Have a picnic with the family in a city park. Then catch a OmniSphere movie in the afternoon.

And do it all by hopping on a free shuttle to all three destinations.

That's the concept that leaders with the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, the Natural Science Center and the Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department are promoting — a trolley loop to connect neighboring educational and recreational centers that they hope will make the area a tourist destination.

"It's all there: history, science, animals," said Glen Dobrogosz, director of the Natural Science Center. "To me, it has a tourism component built into it that Greensboro has never seen."

Now, organizers say there might be federal money or tourism grants to make that happen.

Nearly 500 acres of park facilities are connected in an area between Battleground Avenue and Lawndale Drive. They include the federally operated Guilford Courthouse National Military Park and the city-controlled Tannenbaum Historic Park and Country Park, which is home to the nonprofit Natural Science Center.

The neighboring facilities already work together and share some visitors.

The federal parks service has agreed to take control of Tannenbaum's colonial heritage center, a request that was approved Wednesday night by the parks and recreation commission.

The park transfer must still be approved by the Greensboro City Council.

Charles Cranfield, military park superintendent, envisions the shuttle loop as a way to make it easier for visitors to get around his park and to the nearby science center or the recreational offerings at the city park.

"There is no easy way to circulate between them," Cranfield said.

Now, the 400,000 annual visitors who come for the military park aren't always willing to venture far from their planned destination, especially if they are from out of town, Cranfield said. Cranfield proposes building the trolley or shuttle route on mostly existing roads or trails.

The idea of a loop between the attractions — and potential joint marketing of the destinations — appeals to Dobrogosz and to city parks and recreation officials, who see the benefits of visitors spending more time and money in Greensboro.

"The federal government has a lot more funding than we do," said John Beaman, a member of the parks and recreation commission. "The ability to go from A to B to C is going to be incredible."

Dobrogosz, who has overseen a recent transformation at the science center that has already drawn thousands of new visitors, wrote an application asking for a $50,000 grant from the Greensboro Area Convention and Visitors Bureau to create a master plan for the joint venture. They expect to learn this summer whether they will receive the money.

This idea for the joint relationship is gaining traction as federal money becomes available to upgrade parks nationwide in time for the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.

The park service plans to spend up to $100 million a year in matching grant money for park improvement projects. Cranfield said the efforts in Greensboro would be a good candidate for the grants.

Leaders from the Guilford Battleground Company, a group that has helped preserve and expand the historic site, have pledged to help raise money locally.

"This is an absolute victory for the people of Greensboro," said Jim Kirkpatrick, a Guilford Battleground Company board member.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com