When you take time to review your visit at a park, it not only helps us, it helps other Park'rs know what to expect when they visit, from your first-hand experience.

There are so many different sites asking for reviews these days from Facebook, Trip Advisor to Google. Who can you trust? 

Stunning sunset over the Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke (is this real or *photoshopped?)

Image credit: Kevin Divins

After looking at a park's webpage on the Virginia State Parks website, you decide this place might be worthy of a camping trip, or kayaking adventure. But if you're like me, you want to know more, so where do you go for more information and photos of the park, like the image above of Kiptopeke State Park on Virginia's Eastern Shore? And when you see this, how do you even know if it's a real undoctored image, or photoshopped?

So, I decided to do some research and found some really insightful feedback online, from you. Yes, hundreds upon hundreds of Google reviews and a mishmash of great photos soon told me the truth.

GOOGLE REVIEWS

One of the many reviews on Google for Kiptopeke State Park, Virginia's Eastern Shore

When I read the review, I thought I could actually feel the salt air blowing through my hair. Nice job Timothy C!

Remember, if 50-75% of the reviews are saying the same thing, you can probably trust the opinions of those reviewers, especially when they share nice photos along with their comments, the more the merrier.

Also take note if they have posted more than one review online, that speaks "volumes," as a single review could be a red flag for a fake review.

I also saw hundreds of great images on the Google review site for Kiptopeke

I could dig camping at this park

TRIP ADVISOR

See plenty of reviews and images posted by park visitors on Trip Advisor

Guests are able to review each state park on a Trip Advisor specific page. We ask that you contact us if there were any pitfalls during your stay, giving us the opportunity to address and rectify them. But by all means share your experience on Trip Advisor, as that is the most widely known online travel review site.

Here are a handful of reviews from Trip Advisor:

“One of the best Virginia State Parks!”

My husband and I along with my daughter and granddaughter stayed in Cabin #20. This was the first time visiting this park and it was very enjoyable. Our son and his family camped. The swimming lake is awesome - has paddle boats, kayaks and 4 life guards. There is a 5 mile easy walking trail around the lake - we did part of it. Also there are more adventurous trails. I recommend this park for your next family vacation!

-Happy Senior01 about Hungry Mother State Park

“Love it but no tv.???”

We love staying in these quaint cabins. Family be warned there is no TV. They need to wake up and give this service to young family's. Director step up and bring this facility into the 20th century. Even 21st.

-Zxba wrote about Hungry Mother State Park

"Hidden Gem - getaway off the grid"

We were introduced to this park by some local friends for a picnic and day-trip but decided to come back and spend a week in this beautiful park. We brought our dogs which was an additional expense but we all enjoyed hiking the numerous trails in the park. We look forward to our next visit.

-James N wrote about Hungry Mother State Park

YOUR OPINION COUNTS

After you stay in a park cabin or campground, you'll receive an email thanking you for patronage and support of Virginia State Parks, and find a link to a short online survey. In order to save paper, this survey is available online.

Your opinions really do count, each form is read and these surveys are then handed off to the appropriate person in Central Office and at the park level should there be a need to address. We ask for this directly to assess your stay and improve what we do, but feel free to review us on the other sites as well. 

RECOGNIZE A RANGER

If park staff or volunteers exceeded your expectations, we'd love to know about it!

We've be thrilled to have you help us identify our employees and volunteers who go out of their way to support your enjoyment of our parks through our Recognize a Ranger Program. You have no idea what a lift this is to park morale when they receive a compliment for something they did. 

We love to hear you report examples of our staff displaying outstanding customer service using this online tool. You can help us identify our employees and volunteers who go out of their way to support your enjoyment of our parks through our Recognize a Ranger Program. You might want to recognize:

• The reservation counselor at the Customer Service Center who spends extra time with you to make sure you get just the right cabin for your visit.
• The ranger in the park office who gives you advice on which hike to take to see the best views.
• The maintenance ranger who fixes the dripping faucet after hours.
• The ranger who helped you open the door when Junior locked the keys in the car (again).
• The park interpreter who engaged the entire family with the campfire program.
• The camp host who helped you back into your campsite and made sure you were settled into your site before dark.

FACEBOOK

We have posts, photos and comments to our Virginia State Parks Facebook page that we take seriously. When you ask we do our best to find the accurate information.

We also might ask you for specific feedback from time to time to help make improvements from social media to the boots on the ground in the parks.

When you provide answers to some of our questions, it's not just the marketing team that reads them, the parks read them, even the Director of Virginia State Parks takes notice.

EMAIL AND PHONE

Something hard to believe in this day and age, Nancy Heltman the Director of Visitor Services shares her personal email and phone number with you, she's exceptional and always ready to lend an ear to a problem, or hear a praise.

Nancy is also one of your dedicated admins for the Virginia State Parks Facebook pages.

(804) 786-5057

Nancy Heltman

Visitor Services Director

"We're here for you!"

Your family and friends at Virginia State Parks

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*The exciting news is that unlike another Bay Watch, this is not an enhanced or photoshopped image of the Chesapeake Bay. In fact it was a winter sunset taken on a Samsung cell phone by Kevin Divins in January 2018. See more stunning photos from Bob and Kevin here.