Events in Virginia State Parks

Join Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District (LFSWCD) for an exciting and engaging program about soils!

Bring your camera along and celebrate Earth Day with a Park Ranger on a Nature Photography Hike down the Edgewood Trail just behind the Visitor Center here at Staunton River Battlefield State Park. The Edgewood Trail can be a great place to look for various wildlife, as this trail runs alongside various wetlands, by the river and forests that could be inhabited by turkeys, otters, ducks, and the occasional Bald Eagle!

Want an easy way to disperse plants in your yard?

It's Earth Day Week!

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

Who can pick up the most litter?

Pick up a BINGO card at the Visitor Center, then take it out around the park and see if you can use your senses to get BINGO!

Join us in discovering the hidden wonders of these temporary seasonal ponds.

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

Join the Bay Experience Team for a whimsical water adventure.

Discover the wonders of Phenology, the study of the seasonal and cyclical changes in nature, and create your own work of art.

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

Join certified Forest Therapy volunteer, Tina Hayes, for a relaxing program made to calm the mind.

Join us for "Turtle Time" at Holliday Lake State Park and meet our beloved turtle, Harrold Holliday!

It's feeding time for our ambassador reptiles.  How do we feed our animals?

Enjoy a naturalist-led hike learning all about what's blooming and growing around you.

Without pollinators, people and all of Earth's terrestrial ecosystems would not survive.

Meet at the Visitor Center to start learning about our native birds.

Join us in celebrating Earth Day at Pocahontas State Park.

Bring your canine companion and join the B.A.R.K.

Stop by from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. to explore the fascinating world of Virginia's aquatic insects, crustaceans, and amphibians with hands-on activities.

Join us for an immersive adventure!

Join us in a fun Earth Day craft to give nature a helping hand and have fun at the same time.

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'.

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.

Can you dig it?  This special program is designed to introduce participants to the wonderful world of fossil finding at Westmoreland State Park.

Celebrate Earth Day with us as we welcome the arrival of Spring by learning about our native wildflowers.

With warmer wetter weather comes springtime fungi!

Douthat Lake is home to some big, beautiful trout.

Live the 2025 Earth Day theme: Our Power, Our Planet.

Spring has sprung, and there is no better place to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather than at Smith Mountain Lake State Park.

Join a ranger on a guided hike for Earth Day!

Did you know the park's lakes were built by humans?

Come celebrate Easter at Occoneechee State Park.

The second book in the Adventures of Syd Series, The Forgotten Town of Wash Woods, will be launched in celebration of Earth Day! Meet the author, Danielle Simone, the famous blue heeler Goose, and learn about this kayaking excursion through the Back Bay of Virginia to False Cape State Park.

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

Eggs come in a range of colors and sizes and not just during Easter.

Ever wanted to learn how to crab?

Join the Bay Experience Team for a whimsical water adventure.

There’s nothing quite like enjoying the great outdoors with a roaring fire, gooey s’mores, and a night sky full of stars, but that wonderful campfire is also a big responsibility.

As spring unfolds at Natural Tunnel State Park, the forest floor begins to come to life with the vibrant colors that Mother Nature offers.

Slither on down and join the Park Ranger for an in depth look into the fascinating lives of some local reptiles.

The Friends of Chippokes, park staff, and volunteers welcome one and all to our annual Easter Egg Hunt.

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

Celebrate Earth Day by uncovering the secrets of Virginia’s trees.

How much do you know about Douthat State Park's past?

Practice your detective skills by uncovering snakes hidden in images of their habitat, and discover how best to avoid those with venom.

Have you ever wondered what type of trees you might find here at Belle Isle?

Experience the magic of an unforgettable evening celebrating Earth Day at our Stars & Guitars special event.

Experience the sights and sounds of the park at sunset with a leisurely guided hike, starting from the main parking lot at 7:30 p.m. Drop by the Interpretive Center between 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. to enjoy family-friendly, astronomy-themed activities and learn about the importance of dark skies and impacts of artificial light.

Join astronomers from the Richmond Astronomical Society for a night of awe and wonder.

Join astronomy volunteers as they share the stories written in the night sky.

Have you ever wanted to enjoy the wonders of fossil beach after dark?

Join the Virginia Peninsula Stargazers as they point out the different items of our solar system in the night sky. They will have the equipment.  Just bring your curiosity.  This program is dependent on the clarity of the viewing sky on the night it occurs.

The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is an above average meteor shower with about 30 meteors per hour at its peak in the Northern Hemisphere.

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

This special introductory program is designed to provide an in depth look at the fossils that have been found along the Potomac River.  We will explore the world of fossils and the ones that occur here.

Spring is in the air; this is prime time for bird watching!

Bows and arrows have been a part of human society for thousands of years and used for both survival and sport.

Looking for that perfect selfie spot?

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

Become a Junior Ranger today at Westmoreland State Park.

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

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners of decades gone by.

A scavenger hunt is the perfect way to explore Mason Neck's many trails.

Grab your journal and come on down to the park and try your hand at a new skill - Nature Journaling!

Spring has sprung and the wildlife at the park has begun to wake up from its winter slumber.

Welcome springtime back by making a bird feeder using leftover Easter eggs as molds.

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'.

Learn about the culinary history of Chippokes as costumed interpreters share stories from the Jones-Stewart Mansion's brick kitchen.

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.

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

Live the 2025 Earth Day theme: Our Power, Our Planet.

Of all the mammals, opossums are the most misunderstood. They are fascinating creatures with very unique characteristics.

What are invasive species and why should we care?

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

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

Join a ranger for a fun Earth Day craft! We are going to use pinecones, wooden beads, moss, and leaves to make beautiful woodland fairies that you can take home for your garden.

Ready, set, crawl, to join General Raphael, our non-releasable rescue eastern box turtle, as we explore more about her and the animal friends she shares her habitat with.

Did you know there was once a thriving Boom Town located where our lake is today?

When a tree falls in the forest, what happens next?

We can tell a great deal about an animal’s adaptations by looking at their skins and skulls.

Calling all homeschoolers to join the rangers at Pocahontas State Park for monthly programs on the third Monday of the month.

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.

Join rangers at the Prince William Public Libraries this Spring for a fun nature reading session.

Calling all homeschoolers to join the rangers at Pocahontas State Park for monthly programs on the third Monday of the month.

Got a little explorer who’s beyond crawling, but isn’t ready to hike with the Kindergarten siblings?  The Tyke Hike is the perfect fit for little legs.  The hikes are less than a mile and mostly stroller friendly.  The ranger will help your little one discover neat things in nature in this one hour adventure.

Join us for our annual Earth Day Bird Count on the newly developed Ivanhoe Birding Trail.

Join us this Earth Day at Douthat State Park to make a lasting impact on our natural landscapes, volunteers will help remove invasive plant species that threaten the park’s native ecosystems.

Earth Day is the perfect time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors.

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

Let's get crafty!

For Earth Day, come to Widewater State Park and learn about the Potomac River Basin in the Chesapeake Bay watershed!

Are all snakes venomous?

"Take only memories, leave only footprints." - Chief Seattle, Duwamish tribe Have you ever wondered what it means to Leave No Trace?

Bring your competitive spirit to our version of bingo with a recycling spin to it.

Join Park Rangers and Lynnhaven River NOW for an afternoon of conservation themed crafting.

For Earth Day, learn how to Leave No Trace with 'Bigfoot'.

This is one small step for you, and one giant step for planet Earth!

Bring your current project, plans, or patterns, and work with others doing the same. If you do not have a project but would like to contribute, we are looking for some clothing items that we can either wear or display at the park for special events.