After the iron industry moved away from the area, residents of Fayerdale went from mining to 'shining.

Come learn about the life of hunters and what goes into protecting our ecosystems!

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.

Take a Walk on the Wild Side with this monthly series of true nature walks!

Just as caterpillars grow and change, our Caterpillar Club programs are designed to help your little one grow and change.

Through history, people have utilized plants to survive out of which can come special relationships.          On this walk we will use our senses to relate to and appreciate the textures and aromas of three forest species native to this part of Virginia - Sassafras, Sourwood, and Spice Bush - and their impact on human culture.

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.

Are all snakes venomous?

While we sleep a whole new set of nocturnal animals come out to begin their "daily" activities.

The 250-acre Hoover Mountain Bike Area is located on a reclaimed 20th century mine site.

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

Join the Bay Experience Team for a whimsical water adventure.

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners of decades gone by.

Find time to head down to the Tunnel Platform where you’ll find amazing views of the 300-foot-tall amphitheater walls of the Natural Tunnel, rock pigeons, and if you’re lucky, a train.

You can learn a lot about the health of a stream by seeing what lives beneath its surface.

Douthat is home to many mammals including black bears.

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.

Join us and Mount Rogers Community Services and immerse yourself in nature's grandeur while fueling your body, mind, and soul every Friday at noon.

Find time to head down to the Tunnel Platform where you’ll find amazing views of the 300-foot-tall amphitheater walls of the Natural Tunnel, rock pigeons, and if you’re lucky, a train.

As animals explore their surroundings they leave us lots of clues.

What can bones tell us about animal characteristics?  Different animals have unique skeletons that are specialized to their way of life.

For those who just want something short and sweet, the ADA Fishing Trail is the place for you.

Join the Bay Experience Team for a whimsical water adventure.

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

Geocaching combines Global Positioning System (GPS) technology with nature to provide adventure for treasure hunters all over the world.

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

Did you know "creepy crawlies" are some of the world's most important recyclers?

Join us to hear about the impacts of fire; from the habitats it touches to how humans have learned to use it to our advantage throughout the ages.

Chippokes State Park is proud to partner with the Back Bay Amateur Astronomers Club to introduce a special dark night sky and stargazing opportunity for all to enjoy. Club members will use their telescopes to share the night time sky with park visitors.  Visitors will be free to ask questions, observe, and look through telescopes during this public viewing outreach event.

Evening is the perfect time to search for salamanders.

Join us for a sunset/moonlight bike ride on High Bridge Trail.

Join a Westmoreland interpretive ranger and your fellow campers as you enjoy a relaxing evening next to our fire.

Join us by the campfire to relax and learn about reptiles commonly found in our park.

Join us at the outdoor stage for an evening program about the soaring predators that hunt from the sky at night, including learning different owl calls, adaptations, and a chance to dissect an owl pellet.

If you love birds, people who love birds, and moms, this is the event for you!

Nature is all around us and one of the best ways to learn about it is by using all your senses.

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

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

Give Mom a real treat this Mother's Day. Ride with a ranger on our 30-foot pontoon boat and learn the history of how the lake was created and the origin of the state park. Keep a lookout for an abundance of wildlife which makes Smith Mountain Lake its home. Watch to see the ospreys that have returned to the lake from their winter home in the Caribbean.

Join a ranger and learn about the natural history of Westmoreland State Park and about the particular fossils you can find here.

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

Join us for a full day of live animal shows, hands on educational opportunities, and outdoor recreation clinics that all aim to highlight the rich natural history of Northern Virginia and foster stewardship of our environment.

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

Visit a ranger and learn about bear safety.

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

Join us every second Saturday at the Mayo River Trails to explore the future Mayo River State Park. You will also discover some interesting facts about local wildlife, the history of the Native Americans who inhabited the area, and about the exploration of the area by William Byrd.

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

Everyone has a different type of bond with their mother, and so do the mothers and children of the animal world.

It’s Mothers Day, and our trails are full of mother animals taking care of young.

The Children's Garden Workshops are a great way to get your little one up, moving, creating and learning.

Shhhh!

Explore the park's expansive wetlands with us as we search for and identify the plants and animals that call this unique habitat their home.

Embark on an exhilarating journey into the world of birds with our Citizen Science Series, "Birdwatching Adventures." We invite nature enthusiasts of all levels to discover the wonders of avian life while contributing to scientific research through the renowned eBird platform.

Feel the joy of bluebird conservation as you learn about the Eastern Bluebird.

What animal inspired a popular children's game?

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.

Who says you have to get up at the crack of dawn to go bird watching?

Do you know why turtles have shells?

Bring Mom out for a Wildflower Walk to uncover some of Virginia's prettiest, yet often overlooked, treasures.

Come on and take a free ride...

Join a park ranger on a hike to the waterfall and back.

Douthat Lake is home to some big, beautiful trout.

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.

The survival bracelet is the superhero utility belt of the outdoors.

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

We would like to introduce you to “Boxer” the box turtle.

Bear Creek Lake is a modest 40 aces in size yet has a many-faceted story to tell.

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

Join us as we build a beaver to find out if the beaver's teeth, and other body parts, are useful, or just a cruel joke played by Mother Nature.

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

With over two thousand acres, the park has a wide variety of life in the wetlands and woods.  Meet with our on-the-go naturalist/ranger who will help you discover the aquatic, insect, mammal, and plant life in the park’s ecosystems.  Don't be surprised if he has a photo or two to share with you.

Step back in time to 1939, when Pocahontas State Park was known as the Swift Creek Recreational Demonstration Area and learn more about the history of the park.

For decades, citizen science has helped increase bluebird populations.

Have you ever seen a tree grow out of a rock?

🌳🐍 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!

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.

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

Create a hand-made, nature-inspired souvenir to take home.

Did you know mommy opossums carry their young on their backs for three to five months?

Just because we don’t always spot them, we know the animals are around by the tracks and traces they leave behind.

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

Frogs, crawdads, and children, oh my!

Join us at the Wetlands Estonoa Center for a fun educational activity all about environments and how they work.

You never know what critters you will see around Belle Isle, there's dozens to pick from. Join a ranger to learn about the insects we see and don't see and make a craft to take home and share with friends and family.

Hop on over to learn the calls and search for some of Virginia's native frog species.

Star gaze with us and become a "Night Sky Explorer" Junior Ranger!

Join us for an evening presentation at 7:30 in the interpretive center.  Dr.

Discover our International Dark-Sky Park!

5/4 RESCHEDULED TO 5/11 DUE TO WEATHER Join astronomers from the Richmond Astronomical Society for Saturday Under the Stars.

Did you know that opossums roamed the earth with the dinosaurs and that  raccoons have “hands” like ours? Wonder what other secrets these critters hold? Join us to discover little known facts about these amazing animals and how they benefit humans.

Take a stroll along our lake shore as you visit several mesmerizing lights that have been placed in or along the lake.

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

Prepare to be mesmerized by the mysterious world of snakes at Holliday Lake State Park's "Sssensational Snakes" program!

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

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

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

Celebrate Mother's Day with a peaceful paddle to Caledon Marsh.

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners of decades gone by.

It’s Mothers Day, and our trails are full of mother animals taking care of young.

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