The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is an above average meteor shower with about 30 meteors per hour at its peak in the Northern Hemisphere.

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

Leesylvania State Park needs your help to get the playground reopened before summer.

Support and elevate the women of Afghanistan and Pakistan with a beautiful hike hosted by Ascend.

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

The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park will offer a monthly "Birding in the Gap" program on the second Saturday of each month (with the exception of October and December).

Give Mom a real treat this Mother's Day. Ride with a ranger on our 30-foot pontoon boat and learn the history of how the lake was created and the origin of the state park. Keep a lookout for an abundance of wildlife which makes Smith Mountain Lake its home. Watch to see the ospreys that have returned to the lake from their winter home in the Caribbean.

Join us every second Saturday at the Mayo River Trails to explore the future Mayo River State Park. You will also discover some interesting facts about local wildlife, and about the exploration of the area by William Byrd.

Spring is in the air; this is prime time for bird watching!

Join us for a full day of live animal shows, hands on educational opportunities, and outdoor recreation clinics that all aim to highlight the rich natural history of Northern Virginia and foster stewardship of our environment.

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

Hear the tale of star-crossed lovers that the trail is named after and view the tunnel from above.

Come walk the park's bluebird trail with a Virginia Master Naturalist as she checks the nestboxes and records data for the Virginia Bluebird Society.

Step back in time and discover the rich history of Virginia's Eastern Shore and Kiptopeke State Park.

Experience the anticipation of seeing what lies around each "bend" of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River from a kayaker's point of view.

Have you heard of Geocaching?  It’s using satellites to find Tupperware in the woods. It’s a great way to get outdoors and find new trails and parks.

Get your feet wet and explore life in the creek.

Grow some good and lend a hand.

Owls, bats and bugs oh my!

It's feeding time for our ambassador reptiles.  How do we feed our animals?

Enjoy a naturalist-led hike learning all about what's blooming and growing around you.  This easy hike will take visitors through our park's deciduous woodlands along the river granting an opportunity to see some of the New River’s native wildflowers and trees in one of the most biodiverse places on the planet! Please wear comfortable walking shoes, dress for the weather, and bring plenty of water and snacks.

Flowers are a traditional Mother’s Day gift, but they only last so long! Why not join us in making some flowers that are a bit more permanent?

"Love is like wildflowers; it's often found in the most unlikely places." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson Just as there are thousands of flowers in the world, there are as many ways to be shown love by a mother, grandmother, stepparent, and other caregivers. This Mother's Day weekend, come on a hike to discover the variety of wildflowers that can be found around Widewater State Park.

Bear Creek Lake is modest in size yet has a many-faceted story to tell.

The guided hikes will take you down Beaver Trail where large amounts of Mountain Laurel are present.

What animal inspired a popular children's game?

Join us as we build a beaver to find out if their teeth, and other body parts, are useful, or just a cruel joke played by Mother Nature.

Frogs, crawdads, and children, oh my!

Step back in time to 1939, when Pocahontas State Park was known as the Swift Creek Recreational Demonstration Area and learn more about the history of the park.

In recognition of Nurses Week and Mother's Day, Sailor's Creek Battlefield will host a program that highlights the invaluable contributions and sacrifices women have made to achieve their current positions in medicine.

Want to learn how to go geocaching? Join one of our rangers on a guided program on how to start your geocache adventure. Geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure.

Reconnect with nature and your innate creativity with monthly Nature Journaling workshops led by Mary Larson, Virginia Master Naturalist.

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

Bring Mom out for a Wildflower Walk to uncover some of Virginia's prettiest, yet often overlooked, treasures.

Join us at our new location above the Interpretive Center for a traditional campfire program with songs and stories.

What do you think of when you hear term wildlife?

A paracord key chain has endless uses and designs, and is a must have on any adventure.

Douthat Lake is home to some big, beautiful trout.

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

Did you know mommy opossums carry their young on their backs for three to five months?

The guided hikes will take you down Beaver Trail where large amounts of Mountain Laurel are present.

Where do toads live?

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

Experience the anticipation of seeing what lies around each "bend" of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River from a kayaker's point of view.

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

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

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.

Did you know owls get 'hairballs?' About once a day, an owl spits up a ball of hair and bones called an owl pellet which is actually the 'leftovers' from their most recent meals.

Spring is here and we want to help our pollinator friends like bees, birds and butterflies.

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

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

Come be inspired by the natural beauty of Machicomoco as one of our Rangers leads you through the creation of your own masterpiece (Pre-registration and additional fees required).

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

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.

Join us for a special night hike through False Cape State Park.

Experience the beauty of High Bridge Trail under the enchanting light of the setting sun and the rising moon.

Come take a walk with us under the glow of the moon to search for some of the park's most elusive night-time predators: owls! As we walk along under the quiet cover of darkness, we'll listen for their haunting voices as they cry out across the landscape.

Join a ranger on a spring birding hike at beautiful New River Trail State Park. Peak songbird migration along the New River is mid-April to mid-May.

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!

10 and 2, 10 and 2, get into the rhythm of fly fishing.

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.

Join a ranger at the Discovery Center and ask any questions you may have about Westmoreland State Park.  Feel free to drop in and check out the items on display.  Do you have a fossil you need help to identify?

Are you participating in No Meat May?

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

Stop by the Visitor Center and have the opportunity to view the sun through a telescope.

Flowers always make a great gift, so come make your own bouquet of flowers with us!

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.

Flowers are a traditional Mother’s Day gift, but they only last so long! Why not join us in making some flowers that are a bit more permanent?

"Love is like wildflowers; it's often found in the most unlikely places." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson Just as there are thousands of flowers in the world, there are as many ways to be shown love by a mother, grandmother, stepparent, and other caregivers. This Mother's Day weekend, come on a hike to discover the variety of wildflowers that can be found around Widewater State Park.

Spring has sprung and planting season has arrived at Sky Meadows.

There are many stories to tell about Sweet Run State Park.  Some are visual, some will be tactile, and most do not use words.

Interested in learning more about archery while having fun?

Interested in learning more about archery while having fun?

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.

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

Join us at the Visitor Center as the Virginia Museum of Natural History's scientists will be presenting a selection of live reptiles from their collection. This program complies with Virginia law, with park and museum staff properly trained to responsibly handle and collect wildlife.

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

Team up with a Virginia Museum of Natural History expert as we explore Hale Creek in search of amphibians. Find out more about our area's native wildlife and threats to their habitat.

The visitor center is one of the best spots to search for bald eagles hunting fish and soaring through the sky, so stop by and search for eagles along with our park rangers.

Did you know mommy opossums carry their young on their backs for three to five months?

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.

10 and 2, 10 and 2, get into the rhythm of fly fishing.

Want to know a secret?

The Bay can hold many secrets.

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

Team up with a Virginia Museum of Natural History expert as we hike the Oak Hickory Trail and find out more about the park's native amphibians.

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.

Join a ranger for a guided hike along one of the fingers of Fairy Stone Lake that leads to an abandoned iron mine.

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

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

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

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

This is a fantastic time of year to take-in the beautiful scenery of Southwest Virginia.

Want to experience the New River Trail State Park in a way few people get a chance to?

The Senior Ranger Series is geared towards citizens 55 and older who are interested in learning more about nature. Join us to learn all about trees at Leesylvania State Park.

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

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.

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