Events in Virginia State Parks

Learn the legend behind the naturally occurring stone cross formations and travel to the special location in the park to search for your own "fairy stone." After a short presentation on what you will be looking for, we will head to the site.

Visit a Ranger at Massie Gap and learn about bear safety: how to store food, what to do when you come across a bear hiking, camping in bear country, and more.

Does your pup have what it takes to be a B.A.R.K Ranger?  B.A.R.K.

How many fish can you catch?

Explore the Chesapeake Bay through the animals that live in it!

This historical building tour is designed to highlight the architecture of the time, designs, furnishings, special touches, ornate decor, and stories within the walls of the Jones-Stewart Mansion.

What's a benthic organism and how does it survive in the creek?

Interested in learning about archery in an adult setting?

Explore the evolution of the park with your B.A.R.K.

Westmoreland State Park is home to four different ambassador animals: Reba the corn snake, Stevie the king snake, and two red-eared sliders, Venus and Jennika.

The trash and litter we leave behind can hurt the environment.

Try your hand at panning for gold in the James River while discovering Virginia’s unique geology.

Step back in time and test your skills with an atlatl!  An atlatl (spear thrower) was a tool used by some Indigenous tribes during the Paleoindian culture and Archaic period.

Are you a crafty critter?

Beat the heat at our River Bend Discovery Center!

Join us to learn the history of this ancient form of dying cloth and create your own unique tie-dye shirt.

Join our rangers in discovering the secrets of the magnificent White-tailed Deer.

Stop by the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center and learn more about the people who lived on the Wilderness Road frontier.

Stop by and investigate the variety of flora and fauna found around Smith Mountain Lake.

Practice your casting skills without needing a boat or even real fish in this beach-based, hook-free fishing game. This program is perfect for those that are new to fishing but aren't sure where to start. Our rangers will show you how to cast, how to hook these plastic bass, and how to reel in the big one.

Join a park ranger for a 1.5 mile hike along Eagle's Rest Trail at Hayfields State Park.

Get to know our favorite ambassador animals: Snoopy, Junior, Hungars, and Kernel as a ranger feeds our critters.

Discover the timeless art of pine needle basket weaving and unlock your creativity with this hands-on workshop.

Did you know there was once a thriving "boom town" located where our lake is today?

Join us for "Turtle Time" at Holliday Lake State Park and meet our beloved turtle, Ranger Harrold Holliday!

Have you ever wondered what owls look like, what they eat, or where they live?

“What does the fox say?” Did you know that there are two different foxes found in Virginia, the red fox and the grey fox?

Discover wildflowers and their pollinators as we walk along Lakeshore Trail along Saunder's Creek.

Come enjoy an afternoon with guitar legend and world-famous builder Wayne C.

What creatures rule our beaches at night?

What's a camping trip without a campfire?

Start your Memorial Day off at the Twin Lakes State Park Welcome Campfire program, where you'll be invited to take part in classic campfire games, hear about the Memorial Day activities, and familiarize yourself with the park and its rangers.

Sit back  and enjoy the stars as we hear history and folklore about the moon and stars from around the world.

This program marks each hour with the spoken name of a person who died at Sailor’s Creek.

Do you know what's living in our lake?

Be on the lookout for our Roving Ranger as they roam the picnic area and beaches with interesting animals or historical artifacts from the park.

Join us on the park's first historical hike to the park's cabin ruins on Cabin Trail! Using new historical research, your park ranger guide will share the story of the park's land and how the historic stone and brick cabin foundation fits into its fascinating history.

Keep an eye out for the Roving Ranger who will be walking around the picnic area with either a game, furs, or one of our wildlife ambassadors.

The Chesapeake Bay is a master at hiding its secrets, only to reveal them with every ebbing tide.

Do you want to witness the art of Gyotaku fish printing, an ancient craft where you can create your own fish masterpiece!

For the month of May, homeschool students will learn about invasive species in our area, how to identify them, the damage they do to our native ecosystem, and how to properly remove them.  There are no homeschool programs on May 13th, 18th, or 20th.

Create a flowerpot you can plant directly in the soil from upcycled newspaper. You’ll get some native-to-Virginia wildflower seeds to take home and support your local pollinators in this paper folding craft.  .

Migrate to the beach to learn about the fascinating "Fish Hawk". Investigate interesting facts about our visiting ospreys: how do you tell the male from the female?

Visit a Ranger at Massie Gap to learn about the different creatures that live within the park.

Stop by the Wilderness Road Blockhouse and step back in time to experience aspects of life on the frontier.

Bring your lunch and dine al fresco with Larry, one of our educational ambassadors.

Dive into excitement with our "Critter Crawl" at Holliday Lake State Park.

Explore the Chesapeake Bay through the animals that live in it!

Been itching to go fishing?

What will we scoop up this time?

The trash and litter we leave behind can hurt the environment.

Learn the legend behind the naturally occurring stone cross formations and travel to the special location in the park to search for your own "fairy stone." After a short presentation on what you will be looking for, we will head to the site.

Long ago, giant beasts roamed these lands...put yourself into the shoes of an Ice Age hunter in this spear-throwing workshop using an ancient spear-throwing device: the atlatl! The atlatl was used on the North American continent and all over the world, enabling women as well as men to efficiently hunt megafauna such as woolly mammoths and giant ground sloths.

As you soak up the sun on Memorial Day, it is important to stay cool.

Are you a crafty critter?

Come find us at the Splash Park as we get hands on with skulls and furs from Virginia’s native animals.

Explore the life cycle of butterflies. Learn what is special about the monarch butterfly. What do they like to eat?

Paracord is said to have a thousand uses, and one of them is fashion.

This land-based, hook-free fishing game is a fun and safe way to learn how to cast, but even those who are fishing fanatics will enjoy trying to beat out the competition in this game of limited resources.

Take some time to get out of the hot sun and join our park nature interpreter under the tent for some fun crafts. Memorial Day is a time to give thanks to all the brave men and women who fought to give us our freedom.

Every Monday evening from May to September you can find local fresh produce, baked goods, honey, jams and jellies, soap, and local artisan crafters, as well as food vendors, here at Fairy Stone State Park.

Look for the park interpreter on the sidewalk between the pavilion and sand at the swimming beach to have some fun making bubbles.

Come learn what makes cave ecosystems so delicate and special.

Stop by and investigate the variety of flora and fauna found around Smith Mountain Lake.

Is the opossum misunderstood?

Animals may be shy, but they leave plenty of clues behind.

Ever wondered how you stack up against some of the largest birds in the sky?

Need a hiking stick or just want to embellish your own?

Did you know that people have been using plants to dye fabric for centuries?

Who-who's there?

The Friends of York River State Park is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to support the mission of the park: We champion the unique natural, historical, and cultural resources of York River State Park's estuarine environment.

Come explore Hayfields forests and fields as we look and listen for our feathered friends!

Paddle your way around the park’s unique ecosystem.

Young Naturalists are invited to explore how water helped families and communities long ago — and how we care for it today.

Are you trying to secure the tarp over your tent, or interested in how to keep your boat or canoe tied up so that it won't float away?

What animal inspired a popular children's game?

For the month of May, homeschool students will learn about invasive species in our area, how to identify them, the damage they do to our native ecosystem, and how to properly remove them.  There are no homeschool programs on May 13th, 18th, or 20th.

Douthat Lake is home to some big, beautiful trout.

Get creative and be inspired by the beautiful scenery of Smith Mountain Lake State Park.

Whether you're fascinated or a little rattled, snakes are a vital part of healthy ecosystems, and they’re not as scary as they seem.

Can you recall taking a break on a hot summer day and sitting under the shade of a maple tree, or swinging on a tire swing hung from a giant oak? Trees provide many benefits including food, shelter, and oxygen, to both humans and wildlife.

Everyone loves a relaxing evening especially out on Hungry Mother Lake.

Join us for a special night hike through False Cape State Park.

Hop on over for a hands-on adventure into the world of frogs. Join park staff as we search for some of Virginia’s native frog species and their tadpoles.

Calling all Junior Rangers!

Step back in time as you explore the brand‑new interpretive trail at Green Pastures Recreation Area.

The Visitor Center at Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historical State Park offers a museum filled with treasured artifacts discovered over the years where the last major fight of the American Civil War in Virginia occurred on April 6, 1865.

Tours of the Hillsman House, a National Historic Landmark, are available to the public by request.

A Self-Guided Driving Tour of Sailor's Creek Battlefield is available to visitors year-round from sunrise to sunset.

Sailor's Creek Battlefield offers six, self-guided Hiking Trails with historic markers for the public to explore year round during daylight hours (sunrise to sunset).

Join us on a real or virtual hike through Claytor Lake State Park as we take a closer look at some of the beautiful native trees.

Did you know that Haven Howe was an early advocate for environmental reform in Virginia? Participate in person or virtually as we examine the fine craftsmanship of the Howe House and learn of its builder, inhabitants, and history.

Stop by the fishing area behind Howe House to check out our EnChroma color blind scenic viewer.

Contribute to citizen science by helping us create a time lapse of this mysterious site.

Go on a hiking adventure with Track Trails!

Take a hike back in time by visiting our tour points located at the same location as our collection of photos and videos from past years at Claytor Lake State Park and Claytor Lake.

Groups or individuals can adopt a section of a trail or a trail within our 7-mile park trail system.

Request a ranger to give your family or group a chance to get a more personalized experience at Claytor Lake State Park.

Earn your junior ranger patch through a variety of programs and fun family activities.  Visit the park office (the Howe House), gift shop, or contact station for a copy of our junior ranger booklet, or you can download it from the link below.

Nothing beats a ranger-led program in one of our parks.