Events in Virginia State Parks

Join us for a guided tour of the Visitor Center at High Bridge Trail State Park, where history and nature come together!

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

How do forests change over time?

Explore the park’s expansive wetlands with us as we search for and identify the plants and animals that call this unique habitat home.

Become an owl pellet detective as we dissect the clues an owl leaves behind.

Tai chi is a gentle exercise that can help maintain strength, balance, and flexibility.  We will have an experienced tai chi instructor to guide you through learning the steps.  Come join us on our beautiful sand beach for a session of "meditation in motion."  All ages and experience levels are welcome.

Join the Smith Mountain Lake community in the effort to eliminate poverty in the region.

We are hosting Central Virginia's favorite fruit focused event, the 3nd Annual Pawpaw Festival.

Come join a ranger and learn all about the mussels that live in the Clinch River!

Plants are far more than just part of the park's scenery; many plants have a wide variety of uses for humans.

This place, this land, is as old as time itself.

Love them or hate them, snakes are a crucial part of a balanced ecosystem.

Coastal Viriginia Wildlife Observation (CVWO) will be counting migrating raptors from September 1-November 30.

Black bears are one of the many incredible mammals that dwell in Douthat State Park.

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.

Hike with a ranger to learn more about the Co-op Trail.

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

Find time to head down to the Tunnel Platform, where you’ll enjoy amazing views of the 300-foot-tall amphitheater walls of the Natural Tunnel, spot rock pigeons, and, if you’re lucky, see a passing train.

Turn your found fossils into wearable art!

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.

The Southwest Virginia Museum presents a historic cemetery preservation workshop focusing on intermediate conservation skills.

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

Ever wondered what a skunk’s fur feels like, or how big a bobcat’s skull really is?

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 boom town. 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.

This historic cemetery preservation program will be taught by park staff and volunteers at Big Stone Gap’s Glencoe Cemetery from 1-4 p.m. September 20.

Help our resident box turtle have some fun in the sun!

Paracord is said to have a thousand uses, and one of them is fashion.

Join a ranger on for some fishing fun, on dry land!

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

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

On this last weekend of Summer, we are looking forward to the cooler weather and colors of Autumn at Belle Isle.

Did you know that every year monarchs from the entire eastern half of the United States make a 2,000-mile migration to Mexico to over-winter?

Join our park rangers for a fun and creative craft!

Explore the museum as your learn about the history of Pocahontas State Park and the Civilian Conservation Corps.

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

Slither on over to the Visitors Center for an in-depth look into the fascinating lives of local reptiles.

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

Westmoreland State Park is home to four different ambassador animals: Reba the corn snake, Stevie the eastern king snake, and our two red-eared sliders, Venus and Jennika.

Join a ranger in making a fun paper plate bear!

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

Douthat Lake is home to some big, beautiful trout.

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

Wanting to hone your outdoor skills?

Let nature spark your creativity!

Get to know our favorite ambassador animals: Snoopy, Junior, Hungars, and Kernel as an interpreter feeds our critters.

Geocaching combines Global Positioning System (GPS) technology with nature to provide adventure for treasure hunters all over the world.

Are you an expert angler or looking to pick up a couple fishing tips?

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

Join the rangers for a fun tree craft!

Twilight Paddle Adventures are a great way to spend an evening away from the hustle and bustle of work, traffic and the cares of life.

Step into the serenity of twilight at Sweet Run State Park for an immersive evening of Forest Therapy and a Sound Bath under the stars.

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

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

Get up close and personal with the fall foliage while learning tips and tricks on a stand-up paddleboard.

The Rappahannock Astronomy Club presents an evening of deep space viewing.

Come on out to Sky Meadows for "Dark Skies at Home: What You Can Do to Help", a practical, community-focused talk aimed at homeowners, landowners and local leaders interested in reducing light pollution, protecting nocturnal wildlife and preserving the region’s rural nightscapes.  Following the presentation, visitors are invited to stay for Astronomy for Everyone from 7:30-10:30 p.m., one of the park’s most popular programs.

Ever wonder what kind of animals are out and about during the night? Our wetlands serve multiple purposes, but they are excellent hunting grounds for many of our nocturnal animals. We will show you how they use these skills with some hands-on activities. Wear some comfortable closed-toe shoes for this evening tour through our wetlands.

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

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

Discover our International Dark-Sky Park!

“Whooo” will hear “whooo” first?

Come join the storytellers from CHAOS (Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society) on the Observation Field to share the stories of the stars.

Come see the stars and explore our night sky with our park rangers at this International Dark Sky Park.

James River State Park is a designated International Dark Sky park.

Step into the quiet, mysterious woods of Douthat State Park after dark for an unforgettable experience.

Sit back  and enjoy the stars as we hear history and folklore about the Moon from around the world.

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

Come along on a one-mile hike through our trails with a knowledgeable ranger to learn about the plants and animals who live in Kiptopeke State Park. .

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

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners from decades gone by.

Virginia is home to a very smart, and often mischievous animal, Ursus americanus, or the American Black Bear.

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

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

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

Make your own pig and meet our ambassador animal: Tazewell the potbellied pig!

As summer comes to a close, celebrate the last day of the season here at Mason Neck!

North America has one native tropical-tasting fruit - the pawpaw!

Coastal Viriginia Wildlife Observation (CVWO) will be counting migrating raptors from September 1-November 30.

Have you ever wondered how water can be stored underground?

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

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

Did you know Natural Tunnel State Park is the home of one of the oldest structures in Scott County?

It's feeding time in our Chesapeake Bay Lab!

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.

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.

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

Step into the buzzing, fluttering world of our planets tiniest heroes-pollinators!

Join a ranger on for some fishing fun, on dry land!

Build your very own bug hotel to help provide a habitat for beneficial insects. Your creation will offer pollinators a special space where they can breed and grow!

Can you shout BINGO first?  Join us for a birding bingo wagon tour throughout the park.

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

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

Do you want to learn the history of the land where Kiptopeke State Park is today?

Trees have magical qualities that provide us with many important everyday items, as well as a large portion of the oxygen we breathe.

Ready, set, crawl on down to the Visitors Center to meet our woodland box turtle, General Raphael!

Practice your casting and reeling in the grass.

How can we be more sustainable when practicing our favorite hobbies?

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

The Appalachian Mountains are home to many unique salamander species.

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