Join us after dark to observe moths and other insects of the night. Entomologists Dr.

Save the date for the annual Claytor Lake Festival.

Are you ready to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city?

Paddle through the Catlett Islands on a Ranger led kayak tour which explores the diverse wildlife, ecosystems, and history of the park.

Explore the Crooked Run Valley and Sky Meadows State Park with Bishop's Events 5K and 10K races.

The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park will offer a monthly "Birding in the Gap" series on the second Saturday of each month.

As spring fades and summer comes closer, the candy-colored visitors from the tropics are filling up on juicy insects and seeds and raising their young.

Practice your fishing line casting skills with this fun land-based activity.

Explore Vernal Wonders: Amphibians of Widewater 🐸 Dive into the world of native amphibians with an exclusive guided tour to a vernal pool in Widewater State Park.

From woodlands to wetlands, fields and pastures, let's investigate the plants, animals and history of farming at Sky Meadows State Park.

Will you take up the bow and try your hand at the sport of archery?

Join Master Naturalist Kim Manion for a short walk to discover the basics of tree identification.

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.

'Family Learning Adventures,' formally known as 'Arks for Parks,' is back this year at Twin Lakes State Park.

Visit a ranger and learn about bear safety.

Meet Natural Tunnel's wildlife ambassador, Popcorn the corn snake.

Can you shout out BINGO first?  Join us for birding bingo, a guided birding hike along the Bluebell Trail.

Become a prospector as we follow in the footsteps of "Stampmill Sam".

Find out what lurks below the surface of the swamp in the fun dip-netting adventure!

Help us make this world a little greener and help our pollinator pals.

Join us for an exciting journey into the world of butterflies with our Citizen Science Series, "Exploring Nature with eButterfly." We will explore how to utilize eButterfly, a cutting-edge citizen science platform, to identify, document, and contribute to butterfly research. Discover the rich diversity of butterflies in their local ecosystems and gain valuable skills in butterfly identification, observation, and data collection.

 Join park staff, volunteers and  community partners for a series of events celebrating African-American culture, resilience, and joy.

Do you know why turtles have shells?

Turtle shells, 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.

Flutter on over to meet with Master Naturalist Kim Manion to discuss all things butterflies.

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.

Natural Tunnel is unique for many reasons and one of them is our fossil record.

Watch and learn about our ambassador animals, Reba the Corn Snake or Stevie the King Snake, as they feed on a frozen mouse! .

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

The Friends of Occoneechee State Park are sponsoring an exciting program featuring animal rehabilitation.

Will you take up the bow and try your hand at the sport of archery?

The are many different wildlife that call Leesylvania State Park their home.

Come hunt for shark teeth on the shoreline of the Potomac!

Come out of your shell and spend some time getting to know the Eastern Box Turtle.

What will we scoop up this time?

Do you want to help out our pollinator friends the bee and butterfly, as well as birds who disperse seeds?

With over two thousand acres, the park has a wide variety of life in the wetlands and woods.  Meet with our naturalist/ranger who will help you discover the aquatic, insect, mammal, and plant life in the park’s ecosystems.

Learn some of the trade secrets of what it takes to create the perfect "Fairy Stone" that everyone is looking for.

Bats have evolved an amazing skill involving sound and their ears, echolocation.

Have you ever wondered how snakes can swallow something as big as their own heads?

Have you ever thought about what an animal eats?

Slither on down and join the Park Ranger for an in depth look into the fascinating lives of some local reptiles.

June 7-9 is free fishing weekend in Virginia, meaning no fishing is license necessary!

🌳🐍 WIDE WATER STATE PARK PRESENTS: "SNAKES ALIVE" 🐍🌳 Join us Saturday at 2:30 pm for an unforgettable experience at Wide Water State Park's "Snakes Alive" program!

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

Archery programs are some of the best recreational activities that State Parks have to offer.

Get creative when you build your very own bug at this ranger-led program.

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

Ever wanted to touch the fur of a skunk or an opossum?

How many animal inhabitants of First Landing can you identify?

Trees have magical qualities which give us many important everyday items and the oxygen we breathe.

Experience Occoneechee State Park from a different perspective, as you paddle around the shoreline of Buggs Island Lake.

Join a ranger to learn about the wild animals found at Belle Isle State Park that delight your senses.

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.

What's under that rock?

Take a look at the fascinating lives of insects and let your creative juices flow.

From eagles to owls, raptors are everywhere at Mason Neck State Park!

Frogs, 'crawdads', and children, oh my!

Come out to Chestnut Creek, get your feet wet, and explore life underwater.

Find the "roving ranger" as they travel around the waterfront to learn how YOU can save a skunk and the other wildlife that call the park home.

Are there beavers at Smith Mountain Lake?

Explore the marshes of Back Bay by kayak while observing birds and other wildlife.

Get down and dirty with this two-hour wild cave tour.

Test your survival skills by learning to build a fire without a match or lighter!

Join Yoga Instructor Kelly Blevins to experience a more engaged form of yoga as you strike poses on our stand-up paddle boards out in the lake.

Pollinator populations everywhere are in a steady decline, but why all the buzz about it?

Practice your netting skills to find out what lives in the Bay using techniques dating back to ancient times!

Throughout the summer we offer multiple opportunities for you to take a tour of our beautiful park by wagon ride.

Nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sky Meadows' campground provides you with a fantastic place to enjoy peaceful rejuvenation, but how much do you know about this wonderful park?

Drop by the campfire to relax, meet your camping neighbors, enjoy time sharing stories, and learn about critters that call New River Trail home.

What's a camping trip without a campfire?

Take a wagon ride to the scenic Tye Overlook and enjoy the prettiest view for miles around.

What's a camping trip without a campfire?

Discover our International Dark-Sky Park!

Does seeing a bat make you shiver or smile?

Learn about Douthat State Park's forest nightlife as we immerse ourselves in the night time world of nature.

Each night when the sun goes down, the owls of First Landing come out to hunt!

Come join the storytellers from CHAOS (Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society) on the Observation Field to share the stories of the stars.

When the moon is totally hidden, we have the darkest nights and some of the best stargazing!

Once the sun has slipped out of sight let the moon be your guide as we travel the trails looking and listening for the wildlife that can be found in our park.

Have you ever seen or heard an actual owl call in the night?

Enjoy a peaceful morning canoe adventure at Leesylvania State Park on Powell's Creek!  Take in the tranquility of this tributary, watch majestic bald eagles and ospreys soar above, a heron hunting along the shore, turtles basking in the morning sunshine, or a river otter retiring for the day to its den.

Join us for an exciting and empowering camp at the Shenandoah River State Park in Bentonville, VA, USA.

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

Find your muse at Caledon as you draw, paint, or photograph the world around you. Join the Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts at Caledon State Park for a truly unique artistic experience. A wagon ride will transport you to various scenic woods and beach locations throughout the park as you breathe art into the forest.

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

What better way to enjoy the many sights and sounds of the park than by kayak?

Try out freshwater fishing from the lake shoreline using our tackle.

From woodlands to wetlands, fields and pastures, let's investigate the plants, animals and history of farming at Sky Meadows State Park.

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners of decades gone by.

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

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

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

Will you take up the bow and try your hand at the sport of archery?

Come on out to Pasture Pals and get your very own, special serving of quality time with our ambassador farm animals.

Stop by the Visitor Center and have the opportunity to view the sun through a telescope.

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.

Discover the wonders beneath the waves while keeping your feet dry.

Get a bird's eye view of some of nature's most fascinating and elusive predators in this one-hour program featuring live birds of prey.

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