The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park is now accepting entries for the “Stitch in Time” Quilt Show.

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

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?

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

Master plans are updated every 10 years and help guide park development and conservation.

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.

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

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!

Did you know that 11 to 3 million years ago Chippokes, 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 interpreter on an adventure through the Fossil Beds of Chippokes to see what we can find...

The peepers are peepin', and Spring has sprung; come enjoy the park while the season is young!

Are all snakes venomous?

Have you ever wanted to enjoy the wonders of fossil beach after dark?

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

We can tell a great deal about an animal’s adaptations by looking at their skins and skulls.

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

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.

Ready to learn the ins and outs of canoeing?

Help park rangers get the Hollingsworth access ready for the upcoming summer season!

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

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

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

Meet Gertie and Birdie, our Educational Ambassadors, and interact with our knowledgeable rangers while they care for these beloved critters.

Frogs, crawdads, and children, oh my!

The Bay can hold many secrets.

Make the outdoors your classroom!  Schedule a field trip at Shenandoah River State Park!

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.

Slither and splash into the world of reptiles.

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

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

Join a ranger to learn about the wild animals found at Belle Isle State Park that delight your senses.

What does fire mean to you?

Slip on your closed-toe shoes and get ready to explore the creek.

Ever wonder what a ranger does from day to day?

Hoot have thought reconstructing skeletons could be so cool? Learn about some of our native owl species while you dissect a Great Horned Owl pellet.

Pollinator populations everywhere are in a steady decline, but why all the buzz about it?

Join us for a night of 'bat-tastic' fun at Twin Lakes State Park!

Humans have lived with fire for a very long time.

Kick off your stay at our ranger-led campfire.

Welcome to the park, kick off your stay with an evening by the fire at water's edge.

Kids to Parks Day is a national day of outdoor play celebrated annually on the third Saturday of May.

Start your day with a peaceful and invigorating ranger-led hike at High Bridge Trail State Park.

Do you want your kids to learn how to kayak?

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

Ready to learn the ins and outs of kayaking?

Get knee-deep in the Shenandoah during Fly Fishing 101!  During this program, our fly-fishing instructor will go over all the basics to get you catching your first fish on a fly!

Celebrate National Kids to Parks Day by discovering more about Pocahontas State Park.

Nature journaling is the intersection of art, science, and curiosity.

Come and join us for our volunteer-based beach clean up.

Join us for our nature photography series!  April 19 - Wildflowers and Wildlife  May 17 - Bird ID and Photography  June 21 - Wildlife Photography and Scavenger Hunt  On May 17, we will meet at the visitor center to review bird identification and tips for photographing birds.  After the meeting at the visitor center, we will explore habitats that birds frequent to observe them and photograph these flying wonders.

Kids to Parks Day is a nationwide celebration connecting families with the beauty and wonder of our public lands.

On February 19, 2019, one of our beloved rangers, Anna, left us too soon.

Bring your family and join us for National Kids to Parks Day!

Join a ranger, enjoy Big Meadow Trail, and learn about the natural history of Westmoreland State Park.

What can we hear, see, smell, and touch?

What better way to celebrate National Kids to Parks Day than an all-day fair!

Celebrate National Kids to Parks Day with a fun-filled day in nature!

Join us for National Kids to Parks Day!  Celebrate the importance of pollinators with a fun, hands-on craft designed for kids of all ages.  Learn about bees, butterflies, and other pollinators while creating your own nature-inspired craft to take home.  Crafts will be set up at the Big Water Visitor Center from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Kids, put down your devices and explore the wonders of the great outdoors.  Begin the day with the popular Fossil Frenzy Hike at 10:00 am (please call for reservations).  In the afternoon, check out the creatures of the estuary in our aquarium display.  You can even throw a line and catch a big one in our Backyard Bassin' game.  Self guided adventurers are more than welcome.

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.

Kids to Parks Day at First Landing is a time for fun and exploration in your local slice of nature.

This is your chance to become an official junior ranger at Natural Bridge State Park!

Hey, kids: turn off the television, put away the video games, and head over to the park for some real fun in the great outdoors. Come participate in exciting programs that connect kids with the outdoors.

Have you ever thought about what an animal eats?

Join Machicomoco and the Fairfield Foundation as we team up to offer prospective Junior Rangers hands-on archaeological dig opportunities at the Timberneck House in order to earn a Junior Ranger patch.

Adventure into the outdoors and discover wildlife along the Trail with a ranger. All tiny participants will be given helpful hands-on bug finding tools for investigating nature signs.   Let's try to use all of our senses to see, smell, touch, track and observe.

Can you spot a bald eagle?

Embark on a day of aquatic adventure "going up the food chain" through educational explorations and outdoor games.

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

Belle Isle's shoreline along Deep Creek was eroding at a rate of 2 to 7 feet per year.

Owls, bats and bugs oh my!

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

Join the Occoneechee State Park rangers and partner agencies in showcasing outdoor skills and jobs.

Explore Virginia’s frontier through the eyes of a child.

Connect your family to nature with our special programming for Kids to Parks Day.

What will we scoop up this time?

Join a ranger to create something special from natural elements found around the park.

Celebrate Nationals Kids to Parks Day with us as we Launch into Summer!

Learn how Mother Nature can both inspire and help you create your next masterpiece.

Join the Ranger on the Fishing Pavilion at the Old Pond to learn to fish!

Stop by from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. to explore the amazing variety of Virginia's RAPTORS with hands-on activities and touchable models.

Connect with others as we officially open our Nature Play area.

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

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

Celebrate National Kids to Parks Day with us and experience the wonders of Douthat State Park from a whole new perspective: through the eyes of a child.

Join us for an afternoon of fun, crafts, and nature exploration for kids and families.

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.

Meet local 'shellebrity' Ranger Myrtle, the Red-eared Slider turtle, as she suns herself in her enclosure behind the concession building.

Embrace your wild side and come play a game of chase that predator and prey have to "play" to survive every day.

Families can join rangers for fun nature activities on Kids to Park Day!

Have you ever wondered what sort of fish and other creatures live in the York River's brackish waters?  Visit the friendly neighborhood park ranger who has examples of fish and shellfish families.  An aquarium & terrariums will be available to discover these live creatures.  As a bonus, try your hand at casting for some plastic fish in an imaginary estuary and catch something unique.

How would you stand in competition with the wildlife of Virginia?

Celebrate National Kids to Parks Day our little park that's close to home.

It's National Kids to Parks Day!

Join a ranger on this guided hike and learn about the fascinating world of fungi.