Events in Virginia State Parks

Pay tribute and express appreciation to Veterans at Richmond Veterans Affairs Medical Center by donating goods or sending Valentine’s Day cards.

Play is important work for kids!  Getting outside to play allows kids to develop social-emotional, gross motor, creative thinking and other skills needed for life.  While you can come to our Nature Play Area anytime, during our Pop-In Playtime adventures, volunteers and park staff will be available and have a learning activity or craft that you can do.  All ages welcome, activities are geared for ages 3-5.  Each month will have a different theme.

Have fun at New River Trail State Park during the Fall and Winter!

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

Have fun at New River Trail State Park during the Fall and Winter!

Get ready to see nature like never before when you borrow an Adventure Backpack from the visitor center for free.  The visitor center allows guest to check out backpacks Thursday through Sunday so you can explore many different topics, like:          -Nature Discovery         -Birding         -Young Explorer         -Insects              -Nature Art         -Ponds and Streams         You can check out backpacks for two hour time slots.

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners of decades gone by.

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.  Don't be surprised if he has a photo or two to share with you.

Have fun at New River Trail State Park during the Fall and Winter!

Join us and Mount Rogers Community Services and immerse yourself in nature's grandeur while fueling your body, mind, and soul every Friday at noon.

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

Join a ranger-led hike to catch glimpses of the full moon.

Grab your binoculars and get outside.  Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy will lead these monthly hikes to discover and identify birds at Sweet Run State Park.

Join a park ranger on a hike to the waterfall and back.

The bald eagle, America's great comeback icon, soars wild and free over the Potomac River.

Would you like to have the chance to explore the trails in Powhatan State Park and meet new people?

Get a head start on Groundhog Day by playing the Groundhog Game with park staff.

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

This is your chance to learn the sport of archery under the watchful eye of a certified instructor.

What better way to start the day than with a hot cup of coffee.

Although most of Mason Neck’s critter friends are nocturnal, that doesn’t mean we can’t see evidence of them.

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

Groundhog Day is celebrated every February 2, and legend has it that if the curious critter sees its shadow, we'll have six more weeks of winter.

You can help restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia’s rivers by participating in Mason Neck's Grasses for the Masses program.

This special craft program involves making fun edible ornaments that will serve winter birds as a dependable food source during the cold winter months.  Participants will make a natural bird feeder using pine cones, peanut butter, string, and birdseed.  While creating your bird feeder, learn about some of our common Virginia backyard winter birds.

Calling all naturalists!

Join us for a free historical tour of the Cedar Crest Conference Center anytime between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The tour will cover the significance of the grounds to Prince Edward State Park from 1950 to 1964, and we'll learn about the people who fought to make the park possible.

If you have completed our Archery 101 program or have archery experience, you are invited to participate in our Archery 102 program.

Join an interpretive ranger on a hike to the Fairy Stone Dam and Spillway.

Have you ever thought about making maple syrup at home?

The winter is the best time to plan out your gardening dreams.

Need a break from your long trip and have a little fun? Do you like being creative? We have many things to see at our Visitor Center.

🌳🐍 WIDE WATER STATE PARK PRESENTS: "SNAKES ALIVE" 🐍🌳 Join us Saturday at 2:30 pm for an unforgettable experience at Wide Water State Park's "Snakes Alive" program!

Deer, raccoons, opossums, oh my!

Perched upon a small hill overlooking the old Norfolk & Western railway station sits the old Foster Falls Hotel.

Join a ranger to hike along a section of the Mountain View Trail and cut through the woods for a short distance, seeing the ruins of an old moonshine still along the way.

Every January, during National Hobby Month, folks all over the United States try new hobbies and celebrate their old ones, and Pocahontas State Park is the perfect place to do both.

Have the elegant Tundra Swans arrived along the shores and marshes of Mason Neck?

It's wintertime in the park, and many of the trees have already shed their leaves.

Come hunt for shark teeth on the shoreline of the Potomac!

The swamps at First Landing take on a magical property in winter, becoming engulfed in a rainbow effect!

Let’s see what Winter has in store along the trail.

Turn your found fossils into wearable art!

Join a park ranger to hike the Stuart's Knob Trail while discovering the history of Fayerdale and the importance Stuart's Knob played to in helping the residents earn money throughout its short tenure.

Ever wanted to know more about how our animal friends parent their young?

Deer, raccoons, opossums, oh my!

Let your creative side out while out in nature!

Have fun at New River Trail State Park during the Fall and Winter!

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 fun at New River Trail State Park during the Fall and Winter!

Contribute to citizen science by helping us create a time lapse of this mysterious site.

Have fun at New River Trail State Park during the Fall and Winter!

Have you been wanting to attend one of our ranger programs, but the program wasn't scheduled during your stay or rain kept it from happening?

Registration for 2024 Junior Rangers at Mason Neck will open on February 1.

From the Colonial Era thru today, black watermen have been a part of the Chesapeake Bay seafood industry in all levels.  Discover the communities built on harvesting fish and shellfish giving African Americans financial freedom even in the Jim Crow years.  Find out how this heritage is still being kept alive and well in our special African American History Month display.

Trek around the park while collecting hearts with your significant other or family.

Join rangers at the park for a fun nature reading session.

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

Have fun at New River Trail State Park during the Fall and Winter!

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners of decades gone by.

Have fun at New River Trail State Park during the Fall and Winter!

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.  Don't be surprised if he has a photo or two to share with you.

Join us and Mount Rogers Community Services and immerse yourself in nature's grandeur while fueling your body, mind, and soul every Friday at noon.

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.

Wetlands are areas that are saturated or flooded with water either permanently or seasonally.

Bring home a piece of history from Westmoreland as you learn to create shark tooth necklaces.  All resources are provided, including shark teeth that you can choose from to create your super cool necklace that can be shown off to all your friends.

For those who just want something short and sweet, the ADA Fishing Trail is the place for you.

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

This program gives families and small groups a chance to engage in activities not otherwise scheduled during their visit to the park.

This Fall and Winter Leesylvania State Park is bringing a free lecture series to Northern Virginia about various  topics about the park,  and surrounding areas.

The bald eagle, America's great comeback icon, soars wild and free over the Potomac River.

Join our Nature Journaling program to begin connecting with your surroundings in a mindful way.

Long before there was a York River State Park, or even a York River, 6,000 plus years ago, marine creatures swam here in a shallow sea.

Have you ever wondered why this park has two lakes?

After the iron industry moved away from the area, residents of Fayerdale went from mining to 'shining.

Explore the Panhandle Multi-use Trail on this longer hike.

Join a ranger and learn about the natural history of Westmoreland State Park and about the particular fossils you can find here.

The month of February is nationally recognized as an annual observance and celebration of African American History and excellence.  Upon visiting the park you'll find many historic buildings and structures that are direct links to the time period of enslavement, vast agricultural fields, and plentiful cultural, natural, and historical resources.

Have fun at New River Trail State Park during the Fall and Winter!

Have the elegant Tundra Swans arrived along the shores and marshes of Mason Neck?

How many animal inhabitants of First Landing can you identify?

Wetlands are areas that are saturated or flooded with water either permanently or seasonally.

Watch and learn about our ambassador animal, Reba the Corn Snake or Stevie the King Snake, as they feed on a frozen mouse! .

Is love for life, within the animal kingdom?

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.

Uncover the park's history by using your detective skills to place the historical artifacts in the correct order.

Learn about the species that live in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed by exploring our interactive Chesapeake Bay Science Lab!

Meet with a ranger and go on a guided hike along the Oak Hickory Trail.

Eeeeeek, it's a snake! Like them or not, snakes are a part of our natural world and we must learn to live with them.

🌳🐍 WIDE WATER STATE PARK PRESENTS: "SNAKES ALIVE" 🐍🌳 Join us Saturday at 2:30 pm for an unforgettable experience at Wide Water State Park's "Snakes Alive" program!

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

Discover our International Dark-Sky Park!

Join us at Belle Isle for the first Dark Sky themed talk of 2024 about star systems and galaxies with retired NASA engineer and astronomer Brad Perry.

This program gives families and small groups a chance to engage in activities not otherwise scheduled during their visit to the park.

Walk in the footsteps of moonshiners of decades gone by.

Let's go geocaching!

Interested in the history of Westmoreland State Park?  Join a ranger to learn about the creation of Westmoreland State Park, and the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

The bald eagle, America's great comeback icon, soars wild and free over the Potomac River.

Do your part to help wildlife weather the winter by feeding our feathery friends - join a Ranger to learn how to make simple backyard bird feeders, then make your own to take home!

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.