Events in Virginia State Parks

Join us as we open the doors to the old Norfolk and Western caboose 518517.

Stop by from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. to explore the amazing variety of Virginia's POLLINATORS with hands-on activities.

After April showers Mason neck is sure to be blooming with May flowers!

Join a park ranger for this competitive adventure on the one-mile loop Goodwin Lake Trail.

Our friends Hisstopher and Harrold planned a lunch date, and they want you to join.

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

Native plants can't survive without birds, and birds can't survive without native plants.

What animal inspired a popular children's game?

Join our staff for a guided tour of Mulberry Hill, the plantation home of Judge Paul Carrington, Virginian and Founding Father. Mulberry Hill was a working tobacco farm owned by the McPhails during the American Civil War and was used by Union General Wilson as his headquarters during the 1864 cavalry raid into Southside Virginia.

Nature journaling is the intersection of art, science, and curiosity.

Join us for a special guided tour uncovering the untold histories of High Bridge Trail State Park, conducted aboard a stretch golf cart.

This ranger-led hike, designed for friends, families, and well-behaved pets on leashes, will bring you on all or portions of Co-op and Forest Exploration Trails.

Be on the lookout for our Roving Ranger as they roam the trail around High Bridge with interesting historical items from the park.

Is the Chesapeake Bay healthy?

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.

Go back in time in the historic village of Foster Falls.

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

From antlions to zebra swallowtails, amazing insects are everywhere!

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.

Douthat Lake is home to some big, beautiful trout.

Did you know Eastern Box Turtles can live to be 100 years old?

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

Help us tend a whole new type of garden - an oyster garden. Discover this easy past time, learn about the history of oysters in our region and how this humble bivalve takes care of our tidal waters.

Holliday Lake State Park is buzzing with life this time of year.

Edge habitat is some of the best bird habitat.

Learn how Mother Nature can both inspire and help you create your next masterpiece.

Do you love animal skins and skeletons? Join us in looking at springtime skeletons.

Stop by our table at the turtle pond where a ranger will be stationed to provide information about Virginia’s native turtle species.

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

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.

Enjoy a scenic guided walk along the New River Trail. This easy one-mile round trip tour will take visitors outside one of the oldest mining operations in North America, the Austinville lead mines.

Just because we don’t always spot them, we know the animals are around by the tracks and traces they leave behind.

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

Murders over moonshine rocked the town of Fayerdale in the 1920s and 30s, leaving a dying town remembered for tragedy rather than the mining operations that once made it a boomtown. Moonshining (illegal whiskey making) was quite prevalent in and around the Fairy Stone State Park area in the early 1900s. Jealousy, greed, and competition often led to feuds, brawls, and even killings.

Discover the art of journaling in the wild with a ranger.

Did you know you can access six trails from the park picnic area?

The birding community would like the outdoors to be safe and inclusive to all.

Discover how fire was used by Virginia’s First Peoples to fell trees and build canoes, followed by a tasty treat *Pre-registration recommended.

Frogs, crawdads, and children, oh my!

Hop on over for a hands-on adventure into the world of frogs. Join park staff as we search for some of Virginia’s native frog species and their tadpoles.

As the sun dips low and the night draws near, we humans usually turn in for the night...but this is show time for bats!

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

Discover new birds at the Salt Fields during our Saltville field trip for the Life's Extras Birding Celebration.

Looking for a fun way to explore the park at your own pace?

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

Join a ranger, enjoy Big Meadow Trail, and learn about the natural history of Westmoreland State Park.

On the first Sunday of every month, our Self-care Sunday Series invites you to join in on various activities specially created to help us engage with the beautiful surroundings of Powhatan State Park.

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

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

Have you ever wondered about the birds in your area?

Are you participating in No Meat May?

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners of decades gone by.

Master the art of fire making using a flint and steel in this fired up workshop!

Mason Neck is home to many Ospreys during the spring and summer months.

Chippokes State Park welcomes visitors to accompany an interpretive guide on a very unique historical building tour experience to explore one of the oldest dwellings on property.

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.

Explore the Chesapeake Bay through the animals that live in it!

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.

Yes, this is an honest-to-goodness game show with buzzers, lights, excitement, and prizes (without the TV cameras). We will put your knowledge to the test about everything from history, animals, plants, and more.

Pollinators are important and must “bee” protected!

Westmoreland State Park invites you to learn about the different fossil types that you can find here along the shoreline, and why, as you create your very own shark tooth necklace keepsake.

Stop by Mason Neck’s visitor center and meet our friendly animal ambassadors!

Come meet and greet Ranger Myrtle (our Red-Eared Slider turtle), Ranger Scout (our Western Hognose snake), and Ranger Brutus (our Copperhead snake) to discover what makes these rangers so special to Twin Lakes State Park.  Parks are for everyone.

Did you know Eastern Box Turtles can live to be 100 years old?

Join a ranger in learning the key differences between our native and non-native pollinators and what they do to help the environment.

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.

Want to know a secret?

April showers have brought May flowers to Sweet Run State Park!

The mission of the Friends of Fairy Stone State Parks is to act as a Citizen Support Organization to assist in conserving, enhancing, and interpreting the cultural, natural, and historic resources of Fairy Stone State Park; to assist in providing a variety of recreational and educational opportunities; and to assist in promoting environmental stewardship of the largest of the original six Virginia State Parks.

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

The Bay can hold many secrets.

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

Invaders are taking over Fairy Stone State Park and your own backyard.

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

Frogs, crawdads, and children, oh my!

Every Monday evening from May to the first week of September you can find local fresh produce, baked goods, honey, jams and jellies, soap, and local artisan crafters, as well as food vendors, here at Fairy Stone State Park.

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

Join us for our fourth annual Women In Nature (WIN) program, the Backcountry Series!

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

Are you age 55+ with an interest in spending time in nature?

Meet at the Big Water Visitor Center and help our resident box turtle have some fun in the sun.

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.

Come along on a hike through Kiptopeke's trails to learn about the nature in our park.

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

Come over to Picnic Shelter #2 and get inspired by the great outdoors.

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

Using our senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing, we can come to appreciate unique qualities of plants and trees that have made them partners in our survival.

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

The peepers are peepin', and Spring has sprung; come enjoy the park while the season is young!

Are all snakes venomous?

Meet a ranger for a leisurely paced afternoon walk in Galax.

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

This is a fantastic time of year to take-in the beautiful scenery of Southwest Virginia along Chestnut Creek.  Gravel tires work best on New River Trail crushed stone trail surface.

Come explore the historic town of Fries.

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

In the spring of 1775, men, women, and children head west, deep into the untamed wilderness.

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

Meet at the Big Water Visitor Center and help our resident box turtle have some fun in the sun.

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

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.