Events in Virginia State Parks

What is paracord and what is it used for?

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

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.

Are you a crafty critter?

Have you ever wanted to pan for gold?

Frogs, crawdads, and children, oh my!

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

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

Join us for the 2025 season of Music by the River, one of the highlights of the summer on Virginia’s Northern Neck.

The Friends of Westmoreland State Park presents Music on the Cliffs, a free Summer concert series featuring local musicians...

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.

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?

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

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

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. The Interpretive Center will be open between 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. to enjoy moon and moth related activities and learn about the importance of dark skies.

Secrets and spiders and campfires?

Join us at the outdoor stage for an evening program about the soaring predators that hunt from the sky at night, including learning different owl calls, adaptations, and a chance to dissect an owl pellet.

What's a camping trip without a campfire?

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

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.

Join us for a sunset/moonlight bike ride on High Bridge Trail.

What are those glowing shiny orbs low in the grass?

Can you match the skull to its pelt?

Enjoy a movie under the stars.

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.

What creatures rule our beaches at night?

Ever wondered what it’s like to paddle under a sky full of stars?

Did you know that James River State Park is a member of the International Dark Sky Association?

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.

As summer winds to a close, discover the winged wonders of Sky Meadows State Park.

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

With springtime comes an amazing array of fungi!

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners of decades gone by.

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

Have you ever been walking along a trail and come across a pile of "meatballs"?

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.

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.

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

Join us for a guided hike through Goodwin Lake Trail as we explore the trees that make up our local ecosystem.

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

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

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

Uncover the mysteries of mycology on this interpreter-led hike and learn more about the fungi that grow along the park’s trails.

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!

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

"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.

Join us as we learn more about the prehistoric history of Chippokes State Park through fossils that can be found right on our beaches!

What is a seed bomb?

Been itching to go fishing?

Ever wanted to learn how to crab?

What do you think of when you hear term wildlife?

The trash and litter we leave behind can hurt the environment.

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.

Did you know that 11-3 million years ago Chippokes State Park, the James River, and most of the Tidewater area of Virginia was all under water and at the bottom of the Claremont Manor Sea? Join an interpretive ranger on an adventure through the Fossil Beds of Chippokes to see what we can find.

Discover what lives in the streams of Westmoreland State Park.

The Bay can hold many secrets.

Have you ever found yourself asking, “What is that plant, bug, or bird?”  There is an app for that, and you can participate in Citizen Science along the way by recording your observations so others can learn, too.   Join us for a guided hike with a ranger as we teach the basics of species identification using iNaturalist to explore Mason Neck's natural beauty and connect with the broader naturalist community.

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

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?

Dive into an ancient craft with a ranger, known as Gyotaku fish printing.

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

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

As the sun begins to set and the wildlife start to come out of their hiding places, join the interpretive rangers for a relaxing and fun evening canoe drift on the lake.

End the weekend with a scenic trip on the York River (or Taskinas Creek depending on water conditions) in the evening.  Discover the birds and creatures that are active in the gentle light of sunset.  Cost.

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!

"Ask a Ranger" is a program designed to provide more opportunities for the community to ask questions and have conversations with our park rangers.

By collecting monarch eggs and caterpillars to raise in captivity, we are improving their chances of surviving to the butterfly stage; aiding this endangered species.

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.

Beat the heat at our new River Bend Discovery Center!

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.

Hop onto the FLSP Express and take a guided tour of the park!

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.

Have you been fishing before?

Can you catch the biggest fish?  Discover native fish species in the Shenandoah River and responsible fishing practices by catching some “fish” that represent the different species!

Explore the life cycle of butterflies.

Seine netting is a skill that has allowed countless people over time to enjoy the bounty of the seas.

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.

Ride with a park guide as we experience the shores of Smith Mountain Lake State Park.

Paddle your way around the park’s unique ecosystem.

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

Have you ever bumped into one of our tall bark-covered residents and wondered who it is you've just run into?

Energy makes sense; it helps all living things grow but is not always the same.

Trees are some of the most crucial organisms on the planet.

Beat the heat at our new River Bend Discovery Center!

Explore one of our trails to find a small fallen branch to turn into a hiking stick!

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

Is the opossum misunderstood?