Events in Virginia State Parks

On the night of April 21–22, 2026, the Lyrid meteor shower will peak, offering a prime stargazing opportunity to see roughly 10–20 meteors per hour.

Come out and enjoy a beautiful meteor shower.

Celebrate Earth Week 2026 at False Cape State Park all week long by supporting healthy and happy beaches.

Celebrate Earth Week by giving back to your park and making a positive impact on the environment!

Meet with a ranger and go on a guided hike along the Lakeshore Trail (0.81mi.).

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

National Picnic Day is the perfect excuse to take your lunch outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Water, no matter if it comes from oceans, rivers, or rain, tells us a story.

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.(The Roaming Ranger will be at Woodstock Pond).

New life is springing up all over the park.  Kick off an hour of sights and sounds at the Discovery Room and view nesting herons and osprey.  .

Children will explore the vast ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay and Cape Henry.

Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park is thrilled to announce the spring semester of the WiseJAMS Music Program!

Virginia State Park license plate owners will receive free parking on the following dates, as well as special discounts and offers provided throughout the year.

Our park is known for its biodiversity and is home to many species of birds.

Celebrate Earth Week 2026 at False Cape State Park all week long by supporting healthy and happy beaches.

Celebrate Earth Week by giving back to your park and making a positive impact on the environment!

This trail begins on Iron Mine Trail and features an iron mine once used by Fayerdale residents, as well as an overlook of Fairy Stone Lake.

Celebrate Earth Week and Arbor Day with staff from The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) in partnership with Sky Meadows State Park Rangers for an unforgettable hike to the Piedmont Memorial Overlook.

April 24, 2026: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Let's Go on an Archery Adventure @ Shelter 4: Robin Hood, Katniss Everdeen, Hawkeye, fictional archers with real world skills.

Stretch your wings on this hike all about the birds that call Chippokes State Park their nest!  Join a Ranger led excursion along College Run Trail to the shoreline of the James River.

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

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.

The Senior Ranger series is geared towards senior citizens who are interested in learning more about nature, outdoor skills, and history.

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

Let your creativity flow at our Creation Station, where you can create your favorite animal mask, opossum puppet, turkey, butterfly, or batteau craft.

With warmer wetter weather comes springtime fungi!

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 head to the site.

Meet Gertie and Birdie, our Educational Ambassadors, and interact with our knowledgeable rangers while they care for these beloved critters.

Trees have magical qualities that provide us with many important everyday items, as well as a large portion of the oxygen we breathe.

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

New life is springing up all over the park.  Kick off an hour of sights and sounds at the Discovery Room and view nesting herons and osprey.  .

Help us celebrate our planet with some special Earth Day programs: Friday, April 24: 3 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.

Come celebrate Arbor Day with us! Join our rangers for a scenic hike from the Howe House to the beach as we learn how to identify some of our common native trees using our handheld identification sheets.

Ever wondered how a beaver’s fur keeps it warm and dry, or how a white-tailed deer communicates within its herd?

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

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

Come join the party!

Meet a park ranger and volunteer team at the High Knob Destination Center in Norton, VA, and explore the natural history of the Appalachian Mountains.

Join a park ranger at the High Knob Destination Center in Norton, VA, for an immersive journey through the natural history of the Appalachian Mountains.

Start off your weekend off right with s’mores and more!

'Whooo' will hear 'whooo' first?

Whooooo’s calling in the night!?

Explore some of Machicomoco’s best views during golden hour while stopping in to talk with a Ranger about some of their favorite park topics.

Take a chance, step outside and discover your local "flew" crew.

Grab your binoculars and go birding.

Grab your binoculars and get outside.

History comes roaring to life as the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park kicks off a thrilling day-long expedition along the famed Wilderness Road.

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 us for the tenth annual running of the Osprey 10K Run/5K Run-Walk, which will highlight the wonderful attributes of the area as participants make their way along the beautiful roadways in Smith Mountain Lake State Park.

On this special edition of "Ranger-led Hikes", we will celebrate Earth Week as we hike through areas of the park that show signs of human impact.

Celebrate Earth Week 2026 at False Cape State Park all week long by supporting healthy and happy beaches.

Celebrate Earth Week by giving back to your park and making a positive impact on the environment!

Come out to Kid's Fishing Day at Natural Tunnel!

Still on the fence about volunteering?

Fancy a spot of volunteering this Spring?    Saturday, April 25th : Waterway Cleanups Spring Cleanup on the Aquia Creek  Join this Stafford-based non-profit as they help keep Aquia Creek clean of trash and debris via kayaks in their Spring cleanup at the park.

Give back to our beautiful planet and create art at Caledon State Park as part of our annual Earth Week celebration.

Celebrate Earth Day with the naturalist of Wilderness Road State Park and create a personalized micro environment.

Have you ever walked by the Timberneck house and wondered what it looks like from the inside and its restoration process?

Join us for a Ranger-led Nature Search to celebrate Earth Week!

Celebrate Earth Day by giving back to beautiful Sky Meadows State Park!

The Dogwood Garden Club of Big Stone Gap, Va., will host “Bee” Power for Our Planet Exhibit in observance for Earth Week.

Blink and you might miss them—spring’s wildflowers don’t stick around for long!

Have you ever wondered what lies under your feet?

Long before there was a York River State Park, or even a York River, 6,000 plus years ago, marine creatures swam here in a shallow sea.

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

Celebrate Earth Day in a big way at James River State Park!

Discover the hidden world of James River State Park’s grasslands, and the beauty of its riverfront, on a special Earth Day guided hike.

There are many stories to tell about Sweet Run State Park.

Join costumed interpreters for a demonstration of historical cooking methods in the Jones-Stewart Mansion's original brick kitchen. .

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners from decades gone by.

Leaf your worries behind and tree-t yourself to a ranger-led hike that shows how trees are everything but still!   We will be hiking ~0.5 miles down an accessible paved trail to Rock Spring Pond.

Join a ranger led tour to reveal what the landscape of Cedar Creek is trying to tell you.

Calling all hikers, bikers, equestrians, and trail enthusiasts! Celebrate Earth Week at Lake Anna State Park by joining our Trail Survey Team. Volunteer Trail Surveyors will mark damaged signs, fallen trees, and other potential hazards on the Avenza free navigation app to help guide our maintenance projects for the upcoming season.   Volunteers will check in at the Visitor Center by 10:30AM.

Have some old hiking, camping, fishing, or any other kinds of outdoorsy gear that you no longer need?

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

International Astronomy Day is an annual event created to celebrate the importance of astronomy, a long-standing science throughout the world.

Meet Maverick, our corn snake animal ambassador, as he helps teach us all about our scaly friends and the good that they do for our environment.

Join us in celebrating Earth Day with a special outdoor story time featuring the beloved book The Lorax by Dr.

River Otters are one of many incredible animals that reside here at Staunton River Battlefield State Park.

Celebrate Earth Week by learning the 7 principles of Leave No Trace.

Meet two of our wildlife ambassadors, Henry and Sam, during Turtle Time!

Celebrate Earth Day by discovering the magic of vernal pools!

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

Join us in an Earth Week discussion while making earth crafts. We will gather at the Campfire Circle to express our creativity and our care for the earth. We would love to have you join us, even if you don't want to make a craft.

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.

Join us for an engaging lecture that explores the history of Point Lookout, the largest Union prison camp of the American Civil War.

Step into the shoes of a 19th-century farmer and help care for our heritage breed chickens and goats!

Join our rangers as we complete the new 2026 Junior Ranger Activity Booklet to earn a badge and become a certified Junior Ranger!

Celebrate Earth Day by diving into the fascinating world of native fish.

Come and explore a dynamic ecosystem that prevents erosion and brings life to the river.  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.

Come join the fun.

We only have one planet, and it is up to all of us to help care for it, for ourselves as well as future generations.

Observe and capture the natural world of Chippokes State Park with writing and drawing in this introductory session.

Slime is survival.

Join a park ranger and your fellow earth-lovers in removing Japanese honeysuckle vine which will be used for future basket-weaving programs!

Step into the past on a guided hike through the park.

Westmoreland State Park is home to four different ambassador animals: Reba the corn snake, Stevie the king snake, and two red-eared sliders, Venus and Jennika.

Discover the hidden world of James River State Park’s grasslands, and the beauty of its riverfront, on a special Earth Day guided hike.

The Friends of Chippokes are sponsoring a Garden Tea at the Chippokes Conference Shelter.  Park visitors can enjoy savory and sweet treats, along with several types of tea.

Kayak season is here!