GENERAL INFO: Chippokes Plantation State Park is one of the oldest working farms in the United States. Chippokes is a living historical exhibit located in a rural agricultural area along the James River in Surry County. In addition, the park has a wide variety of traditional park offerings, including a swimming complex, visitor center, picnic facilities, and hiking and biking trails. The plantation has kept its original boundaries since the 1600s and has a variety of cultivated gardens and native woodland. The formal gardens surrounding the Chippokes Mansion are accented by azaleas, crepe myrtle, boxwood and seasonal flowers. The plantation grounds are also home to the Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum.
Chippokes Plantation State Park is operated by the Department of Conservation and Recreation in cooperation with the Chippokes Plantation Farm Foundation. The Virginia General Assembly created the foundation in 1977 to establish, administer and maintain the model farm. Funding for the foundation comes from farmland rent payments, donations, admissions and gift shop sales.
AT-A-GLANCE: The pictographs directly below show park offerings. Click on those of interest or read below for more detail. Mouse-over the image for a short text description or click here to view a legend in which each pictograph's meaning is expressed.
LOCATION: Surry County. From I-95 and I-295, take Route 10 towards Hopewell. Follow Route 10 East for approximately 40 miles to Surry. Turn left at the intersection of routes 10 and 31 (this continues on Route 10). Turn right at the blinking light. Turn left at Route 634 (Alliance Road), and the park entrance is four miles on the left.
Drive Time : Northern Virginia: 2 - 3 hours; Richmond: 1.5 hours; Tidewater/Norfolk/Virginia Beach: 1.5 hours; Roanoke: 4 hours
Click here for a Google map.
PARK MAP: Click here to download a park map in PDF format. You'll need the free Adobe Acrobat reader (version 4.0 or better works best) to read or view the map.
OVERNIGHT FACILITIES: Cabins and camping. For information on availability of overnight accommodations, particular park amenities or to make a reservation, you can reserve online or call 1-800-933-PARK. Click here for park fees.
Chippokes Plantation State Park Cabins
Note: All cabin guests must have the reservation number or confirmation letter to enter their cabin. The last four digits of the reservation number and the # symbol must be entered on a keypad to unlock the cabin's entrance.
Weekly rentals during prime season begin on Saturdays.
Site Types:
One-bedroom cabin (Cabin 3, Osborne House). ADA accessible. Sleeps two, allows four. Double bed. Handicapped accessible. Built around 1930 as a tenant farmer’s house, this cabin has been designed to accommodate individuals with disabilities. This single-story one-bedroom cabin has an access ramp and deck.
Two-bedroom cabin (Cabin 1, Spratley House). Sleeps four; allows six. Double bed; sofa bed with a trundle. This house was built in 1947 as a reproduction colonial structure on the site of an earlier building. This two-story house has two upstairs bedrooms in what was once an open loft.
Three-bedroom cabin (Cabin 2, Brown House). Sleeps six; Allows eight. Double bed; two single beds; twin with a trundle. This is one of the oldest structures on the plantation and was built around 1850 as an overseer’s house. This two-story house has a master bedroom downstairs with a double bed, and two upstairs bedrooms - one with two twin beds, and one with a twin bed and a trundle. There's also a sofa bed in the living room.
Total cabins in park: Three
Chippokes Plantation State Park camping
The park has two campgrounds; the maximum occupancy per campsite is six.
Campground A:
One area has 30 wooded sites (Camp A EW30ft) with electric and water; they can accommodate tents, pop-ps and RVs up to 30 feet long. Most sites aren't level. There's one ADA-compliant site here near an ADA-compliant bathhouse with showers. The amphitheater, just-behind the bathhouse, is also by this loop. Sites accept 20 and 30-amp current. Tent campers prefer these sites because they're shadier than those in Campground B.
Also in Campground A is a group camping area with four tent sites (Camp A GrpStdTent). They're for tents only and have no electric/water hookups. Maximum occupancy is 24 (six per site). Group sites that accommodate more than six people have a higher cancellation fee than do regular campsites. The group sites are not near Campground B's group sites.
Campground B:
Campground B has 18 water and electric sites (Camp B EW50ft) that are up to 50 feet long and accept 30 and 50-am current. RV guests and those with longer rigs prefer these longer sites, which are less shady than those in Campground A. The sites are paved and level; some are pull-through, however such sites can't be guaranteed. The sites have a gravel “living space” area. Campground B has one ADA-compliant site near its ADA-accessible bathhouse, which has a laundry facility.
Also in Campground B is a group camping area with four tent sites (Camp B GrpStdTent). They're for tents only, and have no electric/water hookups. Maximum occupancy is 24 (six per site). Group sites that accommodate more than six people have a higher cancellation fee than do regular campsites. The group sites are not near Campground A's group sites.
Regarding Campgrounds A and B:
Total sites: Camp A EW30ft, 30; Camp B EW50ft, 18; Camp A GrpStdTent, 1; Camb B GrpStdTent, 1
CABINS / CAMPING: Click here for park fees. Rental rates for cabins and camping vary by season, offering and park. Rates are subject to verification by DCR's state parks reservations staff (1-800-933-PARK). First, determine the appropriate season, which can vary by park, then the relevant rate.
SWIMMING: Olympic size swimming pool and separate kiddie pool open Memorial Day to Labor Day, Monday through Thursday, noon to 6 p.m.; on Friday through Sunday and holidays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Click here for park fees.
In the summer, swimming is free for overnight guests in campsites, cabins and the lodge, however it cannot be guaranteed should circumstances beyond the park's control require that swimming be closed. We do not give refunds for swimming to overnight guests under any circumstances.
TRAILS: The park has 3.5 miles of hiking and bicycling trails, a half-mile of which is accessible to people with physical disabilities, through the historic area, as well as an auto farm tour road. The park also has an equestrian area with about 10 miles of riding fun available around farm fields as well as two long, multiple-use trails.
FISHING, BOATING: Freshwater fishing is available with a valid Virginia fishing license.
Boating: No boat rentals. No boat launching at this park.
HUNTING: Click here to learn about this park's hunting opportunities.
PARKS CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Click here to view park events, festivals, workshops and interpretive programs.
VISITOR CENTER, GIFT SHOP: The park's visitor center features exhibits on the history of the plantation, the James River and agricultural methods.
NATURE, HISTORY PROGRAMS: Mansion and Farm and Forestry Museum tours, canoe programs, Junior Rangers, plantation and crop field tours, beach walks, seasonal programs
Chippokes Mansion Tours: Tours of the 19th century Chippokes Mansion are available weekends April through October and other times by reservation for groups of 10 or more. In the spring, special tours of the mansion and gardens are offered in conjunction with Garden Week. During the Christmas season, the mansion is decked in Victorian period decorations and open for tours.
Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum Tours: Opened in June 1990, the Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum uses more than 600 antiques to interpret rural early American farm life. The seven building complex is open for self-guided tours. Contact the park for museum hours.
Combination Pass: You can tour both the mansion and the museum on one pass. Click here for park fees.
Click here to view park events, festivals, workshops and interpretive programs.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER: None.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS: Busch Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown. Also check out Surry County's site, www.toursurryva.com.
PICNIC SHELTERS: Picnic areas include drinking water, grills and restroom facilities. Picnic shelters are also available on a reservation basis by calling the Reservation Center 1-800-933-7275.
Chippokes Plantation State Park Picnic Shelters
Two shelters are available for rent. They can be rented from 8 a.m. to dusk (all day). Click here for park fees.
Reservations for shelter are recommended and can be made by calling the Reservation Center at 1-800-933-PARK. All shelter guests must pay applicable parking and swimming fees. Parking, swim fees and other concessions are not included in the shelter rental.
Amenities: All shelters have grills, picnic tables and access to restroom. They are all located in the vicinity of the Visitor Center with a view of the James River.
Cancellation policy: No refund within 14 days before reserved date. Before then, there's a cancellation fee.
Shelter #1: Small shelter. Can accommodate 30-35 people. No electricity.
Shelter #2: Large shelter. Can accommodate 60-65 people. Has electrical outlet.
Other facilities: A conference shelter with a kitchen is available for a fee to use for wedding receptions, meetings, or special events. It's available on a reservation basis only by calling the park.
Rental periods: Available daily from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Historic area grounds: Available daily 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Mansion Conference Room: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. or 4 p.m.-10 p.m.
Pool complex: This facility may be reserved before or after normal pool hours by calling the park, (757) 294-3625. Memorial Day-Labor Day: Mon-Thursday, 9 a.m. - noon or 6 p.m. - 9 p.m..
SPECIAL FEATURES: Click here to view the Friends of Chippokes Plantation State Park webcam.
WEATHER: Chippokes Plantation State Park has on-site equipment that provides up-to-the-minute weather information. Click here for current conditions using WeatherUnderground.com, or click here to for the data on wviewweather.com. Click here to visit the Weather Channel's site for the zip code.
CONCESSIONS: Operate from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and include a snack bar and a swimming pool.
LAUNDRY: There's a laundry facility near the bathhouse in Campground B.
RESTAURANT: None in park; available in nearby Surry.
HISTORY: Captain William Powell, a prominent colonial gentleman, received a grant for 550 acres of river frontage on Chippokes Creek in 1619. This is the first record of ownership for this land. The plantation and the bordering creek were named for an Indian chief who befriended the early English settlers. Under the ownership of Colonel Henry Bishop in 1646, the plantation was expanded to its present boundaries encompassing 1,403 acres.
In 1854, Albert Carroll Jones built the present Chippokes Mansion, which overlooks the historic James River. This Italianate structure was built of brick, stuccoed and painted on its river facade. Chippokes was once the site of one of the few legal distilleries in the Commonwealth. Local legend has it that the mansion survived the Civil War because Albert Jones sold his brandies to both sides during the war. The plantation changed owners many times before it was bought by Thornton Jeffress of Rochester, New York and V.W. Stewart of Wilson, North Carolina in 1918. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart moved to Chippokes and put much effort into restoring the property and compiling a detailed history of the plantation. Upon her husband's death, Mrs. Stewart, in order to preserve the plantation in its entirety, donated Chippokes Plantation to the Commonwealth as a memorial to her husband in 1967. Mrs. Stewart hoped that the plantation would be made into a park and preserved as a working farm to interpret day-to-day farm life through the centuries.
Chippokes Plantation State Park is operated by the Department of Conservation and Recreation with cooperation from the Chippokes Plantation Farm Foundation. The Virginia General Assembly created the foundation in 1977 to establish, administer and maintain the model farm.
Funding for foundation efforts are from the General Assembly with matching private donations.
FRIENDS GROUP: The Friends of Chippokes (FOC), a 501c(3) organization, volunteers at the park and helps raise funds. It runs a seasonal gift shop, seeks donations, and helps with events and the maintenance of trails and the grounds. Click here to view the group's webcam. FOC depends on volunteers willing to work on improving the park. The group meets on the second Saturday of each month. Membership is $15 per person, $25 per family. Call (757) 294-3625 to learn more.
