Events in Virginia State Parks

This "crab" is actually more closely related to spiders and scorpions!

Have you ever wondered how snakes can swallow something as big as their own heads?

Are you ready to broaden your horizons beyond car camping to enjoy a more challenging and immersive camping experience?

Ever wonder what animals call Kiptopeke home, or what shells you can find on our beaches?

Join our park rangers for a fun and creative craft!

Create a hand-made, nature-inspired souvenir to take home.

Step back in time and test your skills with an atlatl!  An atlatl (spear thrower) was a tool used by some Indigenous tribes during the Paleoindian culture and Archaic period.

Echoes of the Past: Guardians of History is a park ranger-led program dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and celebration of history.

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

The natural world around us is like a game of Jenga, and when species are removed, the balance becomes increasingly unstable.

When it comes to carrying survival materials with you on the trail, every little bit of space counts, so hikers come up with creative ways to carry their gear.

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

Join our park ranger for this fascinating workshop on owls and what they eat.

Come say hello to Ranger Shelly, our red-eared slider and local shellebrity. Join us at the beach as she enjoys some sunshine and enrichment time.

Wanting to hone your outdoor skills?

Join a ranger to see what critters live amongst the oysters and learn how these important bi-valves help clean the waters in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Oysters not only filter water, but create habitat and provide food for both humans and other animals.

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

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

Travel through time on this scavenger hunt.

Let’s walk back in time through the exhibits here at Occoneechee State Park and learn about the history of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation.

Frogs, crawdads, and children, oh my!

Let your creativity flow like (Taylor) Swift Creek.

Have you ever wanted to pan for gold?

Did you know your shoes leave more than tracks behind?

Let’s head over to Edmunds Lake and try to wrangle in some big fish.

Join our friends from Whitetop Yoga to experience a more engaged form of yoga as you strike poses on our standup paddleboards out in the lake.

Who made those footprints?

Come chow down at the campfire and share some s’mores as we settle into the weekend and leave our marks on a fiery take-home souvenir!

Take your camping skills to the next level in this camping workshop!

Did you know that people have been using plants to dye fabric for centuries?

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

What do you know about our scaly friends?

Come rock and roll with local band "Candy Machine" live as they perform music from the 1950s through the 1980s on the water's edge at the beach amphitheater.

Take a wagon ride to the scenic Tye Overlook and enjoy the prettiest view for miles around.

What do you know about our scaly friends?

Paddle around the lake with us and discover the variety of habitats the lake provides.

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!

VIP Tickets  GA Tickets Step into the world of Kanin Wren’s Taylor Swift Experience, where you'll be treated to a night of unforgettable music and entertainment.

What are those glowing shiny orbs low in the grass?

What's a camping trip without a campfire?

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

Enjoy a movie under the stars.

What creatures rule our beaches at night?

Experience the park at night with a ranger guide pointing out stars and planets, nocturnal wildlife, and the joys of a natural night with low light pollution.

Have you ever seen or heard an actual owl call in the night?

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

What better way to enjoy the many sights and sounds of the park than by kayak?

Discover the fascinating natural history of Westmoreland State Park on this guided hike down to Fossil Beach.

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.

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

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners of decades gone by.

Visit a ranger and learn about bear safety, including how to store food, what to do when you come across a bear while hiking, camping in bear country, and more.

Ever wonder what animals call Kiptopeke home, or what shells you can find on our beaches?

Stop by this Chesapeake Bay display on your way to the beach to hear a short talk all about one of the nation’s most valuable waterways.

Echoes of the Past: Guardians of History is a park ranger-led program dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and celebration of history.

Over 200 years ago, early adventurers like Daniel Boone walked these same hills and valleys we see today.

This self-guided activity is suitable for all ages and can be done on your own, with a canine companion, or as a group.

Upon visiting Chippokes State Park you'll find many historic buildings that are direct links to the property's past as a former plantation and active farm site. Beyond these fields and buildings, there are important narratives of the men, women, and children who worked and lived on property over the years as Chippokes has continuously evolved.

Join us for "Tree Topia" as we uncover the magical realm of trees and their incredible role as habitats!

Immerse yourself in nature and experience the calming and health-promoting benefits of the forest.

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

Join our rangers in exploring the wildlife along our central trails.

The Bay View Trail is one of our most popular hiking options.

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.

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

Echoes of the Past: Guardians of History is a park ranger-led program dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and celebration of history.

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.

What is a seed bomb?

Been itching to go fishing?

Ever wanted to learn how to crab?

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

Be on the lookout for our Roving Ranger as they roam the picnic areas and beaches with interesting animals or historical artifacts from the park.

Discover what lives in the streams of Westmoreland State Park.

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

Stop by and investigate the variety of flora and fauna found around Smith Mountain Lake.

Spend your Sunday by the river!  A ranger will be stationed or roving in the picnic area with a fun activity for the whole family!  Activities may include a fur and skull table, meeting the wildlife ambassadors, dip netting, crafts, and more!

Practice your casting and reeling in the grass.

The Bay can hold many secrets.

Bird feeders are a great food source for Virginia’s birds and a wonderful way to bring nature into your own yard.

Trees have magical qualities which give us many important everyday items and the oxygen we breathe.

Echoes of the Past: Guardians of History is a park ranger-led program dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and celebration of history.

Stop by the Wilderness Road Blockhouse and step back in time to experience aspects of life on the frontier.

What bird lives most of its life on the ground, can fly as fast as a car, and was almost our national bird?

Come "shell-ebrate" some of the coolest animals around and meet Hungry Mother State Park's ambassador turtles.

What's that big net used for?

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

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.

What helps keep the Chesapeake Bay clean and safe for everyone to enjoy?

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

Are there beavers at Smith Mountain Lake?

Take a float as day turns into twilight, and the creatures of the night arise.

Calling all Junior Rangers!

Do you feel safer walking with a friend?

See First Landing in a whole new lens in this guided program through one of the most vital ecosystems around: the marsh!

Take a walk and discover life in four different aquatic ecosystems.  We will hike to a small woodland and marsh stream, freshwater pond, and brackish/saltwater river.  With nets, we will capture and identify different crustaceans, fish, and take note of plant life. .

Beat the heat at our new River Bend Discovery Center!

"Story Time with a Ranger" is a program that aims to introduce toddlers and early elementary learners to naturalism through nature-inspired stories and crafts.

Have you ever wondered what secrets the natural world holds? This drop-in program offers a unique opportunity to meet with Virginia Master Naturalists who will be available to answer all your nature-related questions.

Toads, Turtles, and Snakes- Oh my!

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.