The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park is now accepting entries for its “Stitch in Time” Quilt Show.

🌍Join Us in Keeping Holliday Lake Beautiful for Earth Day!🌍 Help us make a positive impact on our environment by participating in our Earth Day Cleanup Week at Holliday Lake!

Celebrate Earth Day 2024 at False Cape State Park all week long by supporting healthy and happy beaches.

Let’s show off how amazing our parks can be for wildlife this spring!

This Earth Week, come participate in the inaugural Southwest VA State Parks Nature Challenge!

This Earth Week, come participate in the inaugural Southwest VA State Parks Nature Challenge!

Contribute to citizen science and show pride in your park by documenting all the flora and fauna species from April 21st - 27th.

We need your help.

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

National Picnic Day encourages everyone to pack up their lunch and take it outdoors.

Help us get our pollinator garden ready for spring pollinators.

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

Gather around the campfire as sun sinks low.

Join the rangers of Occoneechee State Park this Earth Day as we work to enhance the habitat of our historic Terrace Gardens for our pollinator friends.

Designed to introduce young participants to the wonders of the natural world and foster an appreciation for the environment.

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

Meet with a ranger and go on a guided hike along the Oak Hickory Trail.

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

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

Why does Pocahontas have a pollinator hotel?

Often overlooked as just a simple plant, lichen (which isn't even a plant) is one of nature's best examples of different organisms coming together to form a mutualistic relationship.

Are all snakes venomous?

The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park is excited to announce the spring semester of the WiseJAMS Music Program.

Ride-the-Rails: Foster Falls to Ivanhoe (16 miles out and back, two-hour ride) This is an easy and fun ride for cyclists of all skill levels.

Hungry Mother is pleased to join with the Nature Conservancy of Southwest Virginia to encourage our guests to participate in the City Nature Challenge.

Virginia State Park license plate holders park for free on some of our national event days.  Parking fees will be waived on Earth Day (4/22), Arbor Day (4/26), National Kids to Parks Day (5/18), Virginia State Parks History and Culture Day (6/15), Veterans Day (11/11), and #OptOutside Day (11/29) for individuals with a Virginia State Park license plate.

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

This is prime time for bird watching since the trees haven't yet grown their new set of leaves; the birds are now more visible when perching on branches. Some winter migrants may still be visiting from far up north, while others are year-round residents.

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners of decades gone by.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Help us celebrate our planet with some special Earth Day programming: Friday, April 26: 1 p.m.   Tree Identification Hike @ the Howe House  Join us for a scenic hike around the historical Howe house and learn how to identify some of our native trees.  4 p.m.   Claytor Crafts - Tree Cookies @ the Interpretive Campfire Circle in Campground D  Create something special with natural materials found around the park.

How do you tell trees apart?

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

What do you think of when you hear term wildlife?

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

Bring home a piece of history from Westmoreland as you learn to create shark tooth necklaces.  All resources are provided, including shark teeth that you can choose from to create your super cool necklace that can be shown off to all your friends.

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?

What will we scoop up this time?

Celebrate Arbor Day with a fun tree craft.

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

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

What happens when animals conquer new lands?

Make a team or go solo and have a blast during our annual Spring Bloom Adventure Race - Presented by Dominion Energy in and around beautiful Leesylvania State Park.

Grab your binoculars and get outside.  Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy will lead these monthly hikes to discover and identify birds at Sweet Run State Park. We will explore parts of this beautiful 900 acre preserve and see what lives in and visits its diverse habitats.

Needing to get out with your furry friend this Spring?

In a partnership program with High Bridge Trail, the Margaret Watson Bird Club will have volunteers available to share their knowledge during this birding adventure.

Join park rangers and volunteers at Staunton River State Park as we host our annual Earth Day tree planting.

The Friends of Belle Isle presents the 2024 5K run/walk. The race will begin at 9am (check in at 8:30) over our certified course through some of the most beautiful countryside in Virginia’s Northern Neck.

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

In observance of Earth Day the Friends of the Southwest Virginia Museum will host their Annual Plant Sale Fundraiser event on Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Plant Sale Fundraiser will offer a variety of plants for purchase from $1 to $5, and all proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park.

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

Get your hands dirty this special volunteer day in our historic garden!

Join us for Mason Neck State Park's Earth Day Celebration, where community unity meets nature's beauty!

Would you like to explore our trails and meet new people?

Spring has sprung and there are flowers to see.

Did you know Twin Lakes State Park is in the Chesapeake Bay watershed?

What better way to end our Earth Day celebrations than learning about just that...the Earth!

The appearance of frogs and salamanders is a sure sign of spring.

Earth Day is a time of celebration and appreciation here at First Landing.

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

Curious about how the light green house looks from the inside and its restoration process?

Check out our Nature Journaling station to begin connecting with your surroundings in a mindful way.

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

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

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.

The arrival of spring is upon us.

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.

Overlooking the New River, the Shot Tower was built in the 1800s to make ammunition for the firearms of the early settlers.

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.

Upcycling Trash Art.

Put away your smartphone and plot a course for adventure with this introduction to the sport of orienteering.

Do you look at all the herb plants and wonder what can I do with these?

      Join us for an exciting program about vernal pools, the hidden gems of early spring!

What animal inspired a popular children's game?

Join Natural Tunnel State Park in the re-opening and planting of our community garden space, “Tunnel Gardens.” Learn how to best pick native plants for your area, garden layout and design, and how native plants benefit our local pollinators.

Have you ever built a lean to or an A-frame?

Join the Park Rangers of Clinch River State Park in enjoying a short float down the Clinch River. Accompany a park ranger on this kayak trip from Old Castlewood to St.

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

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.

Take care of your mother Earth by joining the more than one billion people worldwide who celebrate Earth Day annually.

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

The Friends of Chippokes are sponsoring a Garden Tea on the grounds of the Jones - Stewart Mansion.

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

"Ready, Get Set, Grow" is an interactive workshop (for 7-12 year olds and families) developed by one of our local community partners, Family Youth Initiative (FYI).

Douthat Lake is home to some big, beautiful trout.

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

Join an interpretive ranger on a hike to the Fairy Stone Dam and Spillway.

Take the fight to our invasive species!

Bats spend winter months in a state of hibernation but start to spring back into their active stages in April.

Put away your smartphone and plot a course for adventure with this introduction to the sport of orienteering.

Ever wonder what owls eat?

Become an owl pellet detective as we dissect the clues an owl leaves behind.

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.

Some of Virginia's coolest mammals are rarely seen by humans.