Come visit the discovery table to behold some of nature's most amazing treasures!

Explore the mighty James River via canoe with your very own guide!

We all enjoy a yummy meal and that’s the same for our resident snake that lives here in our Visitor Center.

Are you looking to get better acquainted with the outdoors?

Beneath fallen tree branches and layers of fallen leaves exists an abundance of exciting mushrooms and other organisms!

Ever wonder what animals call Kiptopeke home or what those shells on the beach are called?

Read a tale as you walk the trail. Begin at the CCC Museum to find out which trail will have the story and then begin your exploration and storytime at your own pace.

Create your own Bear Creek Lake State Park souvenir while making memories.

The use of bows to shoot arrows has been a part of global history for thousands of years whether for defense, survival, or sport.

Get ready to catch gold fever and mosey on over to join our interpretive rangers on a quest for this elusive mineral.

Become a Junior Ranger today at Westmoreland State Park.

Learn about the reptiles that can be spotted in the park!

What does a mushroom sit on...a toadstool!

Join a ranger to learn how our beautiful lake came to be and the fascinating history of the lake's past inhabitants.

Turtle shells and feathers and fur oh my! You may have seen the turtles, foxes, deer, and other animals that live at the park, but have you ever felt their fur, or shells? Join a ranger to touch animal pelts, shells, feathers and learn about predator-prey relationships and the adaptations each species uses to survive.

Discover some of the beautiful fish that make their homes in the Potomac River with a Park Ranger using a seine net, one of humankind's oldest fishing tools. This is also a great chance to appreciate the important role that the Potomac River and its watershed has in our community.  Be prepared to have fun and get wet.  Be sure to bring water shoes and comfortable clothing.  For questions or inquiries, please call (703)583-6904 or send an e-mail to leesylvaniavc@dcr.virginia.gov.

Like them or loathe them, snakes are important to our ecosystems.

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

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 travel to the site.

Be on the lookout for a roaming ranger with a mini-program and learn something new.

Step inside to learn all about the magic of the Chesapeake Bay and its inhabitants.

Learn about the culinary history of Chippokes as costumed interpreters share stories from the Jones-Stewart Mansion's brick kitchen.

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.

Let’s go on a fun "History Hike" at Staunton River State Park.

Watch park staff feed "Ranger Shelly," our resident pet turtle, and learn fascinating facts about these shelled reptiles.

What is a seed bomb?

Sunday Funday anyone?  Swing by our interpretive table in the picnic area to add some fun to your Sunday picnic!

Can you hear the park talking?  There are many tales and tails throughout Sweet Run State Park.  Some are visual, some are tactile, most don’t use words, so how does the park share its stories?  Park Interpreters will help you discover the park through hands on activities, artifacts and even some stories.

Take a break from the heat and come cool off with the rangers.

Westmoreland State Park invites you to learn about the different fossil types that you can find here along the shoreline, and why, as you create your very own shark tooth necklace keepsake.

The Bear Creek Lake State Park Archery Club is open to beginner and intermediate level archers 18 years old and older.

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

Explore the mighty James River via canoe with your very own guide!

What's the difference between a frog and a toad and why do they look the way they do?

Tour a replica of the Anderson Blockhouse as rangers provide information about the history of the building and area.

Leesylvania State Park makes its own worm compost!  Join rangers as we take a closer look at worms and how they can benefit your kitchen and backyard.

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

The Bay can hold many secrets.

Murders over moonshine rocked the town of Fayerdale in the 1920s and 30s, leaving a dying town remembered for tragedy rather than the mining operations that once made it a boomtown. Moonshining (illegal whiskey making) was quite prevalent in and around the Fairy Stone State Park area in the early 1900s. Jealousy, greed, and competition often led to feuds, brawls, and even killings.

Meet at the Big Water Visitor Center and help our resident box turtle have some fun in the sun!  Learn about different turtles that call Kiptopeke home and why it's important to keep wildlife wild.

Explore fascinating natural treasures at the Park Office, where a park ranger will showcase intriguing items you can see, touch, and learn about.

Of all the mammals, opossums are the most misunderstood. They are fascinating creatures with very unique characteristics.

Ready, set, crawl, to join General Raphael, our non-releasable rescue eastern box turtle, as we explore more about her and the animal friends she shares her habitat with.

Join us to learn about insects and the different jobs they do here at Fairy Stone State Park and in your own backyard. Our adventure will continue as we search the area to find examples of these important members of our neighborhood.

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

Invaders are taking over Fairy Stone State Park and your own backyard.

Did you think their stink was all you needed to know about skunks?

Take a short walk with a ranger and explore the history of Douthat State Park.

Join Park Staff for a majestic kayak paddle along the waters of Back Bay by the light of the moon.

Enjoy a cool fall evening with a short, moderate hike to the highest point in the park, Little Pinnacle, to witness one of the most stunning sunsets in Virginia.

Everyone has heard of dancing in the moonlight, but what about kayaking?

Do you love to interact with nature and learn about conservation and preservation?

Take a 4-hour guided tour through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park!

This summer, the Junior Ranger program is exploring a different life group every week, and Week 5 is Aquatic Ecosystems! Programs run Monday - Wednesday from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Outdoor and weather appropriate clothing must be worn as we will be exploring the park; getting dirty and/or wet are both strong possibilities! Closed-toed shoes are required every day. Please don't forget to bring a snack and a reusable water bottle, as well as apply sunscreen and bugspray before the program begins.

Come walk the park's bluebird trail with a Virginia Master Naturalist as she checks the nest boxes and records data for the Virginia Bluebird Society.

What is wet, muddy, has lots of plants and animals, and kind of stinks?

Step inside to learn all about the magic of the Chesapeake Bay and its inhabitants.

Toads, Turtles and Snakes- Oh my!

Join us at the Discovery Center as we create unique nature-based bird feeders that you may take home with you and hang up for the backyard birds near you.

Owls, bats and bugs oh my!

Perched upon a small hill overlooking the old Norfolk & Western railway station sits the old Foster Falls Hotel.

Come be a scientist for the day with our park rangers!

Ever wonder what the fish are doing when they dive deep under water?

Douthat State Park is home to many mammals including black bears.

Virginia is home to a healthy population of black bears; do you know what to do if you encounter one?

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 travel to the site.

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.

Let’s go on a fun "History Hike" at Staunton River State Park.

Do you love art and nature?

Do you enjoy listening to the birds chirp outside and hearing the trees in the wind?

Did you know that water in our beautiful Shenandoah River eventually flows into the ocean?

Fire safety is one of our park’s top priorities.

Fly on over and learn how to make a bird feeder from natural materials which you can keep.

This "crab" is actually more closely related to spiders and scorpions.

Perched upon a small hill overlooking the old Norfolk & Western railway station sits the old Foster Falls Hotel.

Have you met the animals living at Hungry Mother State Park's Discovery Center?

Take a half of a hike with a park ranger.

Who made those footprints?

Have you ever fished the Chesapeake?

Every Monday 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.

How I wonder what you are...

Do you love to interact with nature and learn about conservation and preservation?

Spend the cooler morning in the shade of the Lake Trail, as you follow the interpreter for a six-mile round trip on half the Lake Loop Trail.

Learn about the history of Westmoreland State Park and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as you walk to Rock Springs Pond accompanied by a ranger.

Ride with a park guide as we experience the shores of Smith Mountain Lake State Park.

Have you ever bumped into one of our tall bark-covered residents and wondered who it is you've just run into?

Have you ever wanted to try camping, but didn't because it all seems so confusing and expensive?

The Fairfield Foundation opens the Timberneck house for free walk-in tours every Tuesday.

We need your help.

Sometimes the best way to make new discoveries in nature is to play a game. I spy something round on the ground. I spy something blue up high. Can you guess what “I Spy” as we hike the River Bank Trail?  Come find out and play along.

Join us for Toddler Adventure Time at Holliday Lake State Park!

Join the Rangers on a guided hike through our most popular trail!

For ages 10+.

From the ashes of the old Fossil Beach has arisen a new, dynamic ecosystem.  The living shoreline between the rip-rap and water’s edge is attracting interesting estuarine and marine creatures and plants.  Discover them and how living shorelines enhance and protect our waterfronts.

While most of the adventure on the New River takes place above the water, there is no shortage of things to see below the water!

Are all snakes venomous?

Let's go on a scavenger hunt to learn about the geology of the park.

Wonder and walk with us as we take you on a journey through our senses.

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

A face only a mother could love?