What's happening this month in Virginia State Parks
May
May brings a bouquet of fun activities to our parks along with blooms and leafy trails! Burn some socks to start boating season, bring mom on a Mother’s Day walk and get the youngsters out to Kids to Parks Day on May 17. You’ll surely find something for everyone over Memorial Day weekend. And be sure to mark your calendars with the start of our music series and festivals that enliven many parks all summer!
Events sampler:
May 1, 2025.
Hungry Mother State Park
Live birds in the historical Lincoln Theater! Join Hungry Mother State Park as they invite Wings to Soar back with some more of their amazing ambassador birds in a larger venue. This time we will see Birds of Prey and learn about how each one is created to do a specific job and see how perfectly each bird is adapted to do their job.
May 3, 2025. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
York River State Park
Begin your canoe and kayak adventure with a rite of Spring on the Chesapeake Bay. Burning socks is a tradition among sailors near Annapolis. We will not need them with our water shoes. Please bring a pair of natural fiber socks for the ritual fire. Then, join us for the first paddle of the season.
May 9-11, 2025.
Fairy Stone State Park
Participate in various events for our Spring BioBlitz. Learn about fungus and trees, find crawdads and frogs, search for salamanders and join our live critter presentation. Click the link above to learn dates and times for each event.
May 9-11, 2025. 10 a.m.
Wilderness Road State Park
In the spring of 1775, men, women, and children head west, deep into the untamed wilderness. The trace they follow leads to a life of freedom. However, the journey is shrouded by the onset of a great revolution. Immerse yourself in a story 250 years in the making. Join us in celebrating Virginia: America’s First Frontier.
May 10, 2025. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Mason Neck State Park
Join us for a full day of live animal shows, hands on educational opportunities and outdoor recreation clinics. See live reptiles, hawks and owls up close and learn about our resident bald eagles and see them fly overhead.
May 10, 2025. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Kiptopeke State Park
Discover the rich history of Virginia's Eastern Shore and Kiptopeke State Park. This engaging event will bring the past to life through guest speakers, fun activities and historical exhibits. Enjoy hands-on history with crafts and activities for all ages, including guided history hikes through the park and demonstrations.
May 10, 2025. 6:30-10 p.m.
Pocahontas State Park
What better way to open our 2025 season than with an American Idol night? You get two Season 20 Golden Ticket winners for the price of one! Local Golden Ticket winner Carrie Brockwell, from Chesterfield, Virginia, will be performing practically in her own backyard. Opening for Carrie is another American Idol Golden Ticket winner, Hazi, from Knoxville, Tennessee, who has many different varieties of music. Get tickets here.
May 16, 2025. 7-10 p.m.
Pocahontas State Park
How about an 80s night? Step back in time with The Deloreans, an electrifying 80s tribute band that will transport you to the era of neon lights, big hair, and iconic music. Get ready for a night of great 80s music at our Heritage Amphitheater. Gates open one hour before show time. Admission is $20 per person, and children ages 5 and under are free. Get tickets here.
May 17, 2025. 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Shenandoah River State Park
Join us for our nature photography series! 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.
May 18, 2025. 11-11:30 a.m.
Westmoreland State Park
Westmoreland State Park invites you to learn about the different fossil types that you can find here along the shoreline, and why, as you create your very own shark tooth necklace keepsake. All resources are provided for this program including shark teeth.
May 18, 2025. 1-3 p.m.
Hungry Mother State Park
Ready to learn the ins and outs of stand up paddleboarding? We're teaching a course on boating safety. Enjoy a fun afternoon with an interpreter as we paddle around the lake and learn valuable paddling skills that can make your time in nature much more thrilling.
Join us for a full weekend of fun events we have planned. Learn about the animals that inhabit the park, look at skulls, go fishing and learn some survival skills.
Come see the stars and explore our night sky with our park rangers at this International Dark Sky Park. Pick out constellations, observe planets and nebulae through a telescope, and take in the silhouette of the star-lit Blue Ridge Mountains.
May 24, 2025. 1-4 p.m.
Twin Lakes State Park
The Friends of Twin Lakes State Park is hosting its third annual 'shellebration' of World Turtle Day® with the following activities: turtle-themed games and face painting, a 'shellfie' station (with wearable turtle shells!), a turtle-themed craft, and visits from turtle experts with live turtles, as well as the beloved local 'shellebrity' Ranger Myrtle the turtle.
May 24, 2025. 12-9 p.m.
Southwest Virginia Museum
Celebrate Southwest Virginia's rich tradition of old-time, bluegrass, blues, and Americana music with performances by regionally and nationally renowned musicians, including a star-studded main stage lineup! The much-celebrated Country Music duo, The Bellamy Brothers are coming to this year’s Gathering in the Gap!
May 25, 2025. 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
New River Trail State Park
Come learn what makes cave ecosystems so delicate and special. In this adventure, you will have the opportunity to see unique formations and animals that only exist in caves.
View the "starlight room" and what makes it sparkle, stalagmites and stalactites, rimstones and flowstones, as well as other unique cave formations. This is not a walking cave tour. Participants must be able to bend, stoop, duck, crawl, scoot, crouch, and balance on uneven terrain without handrails.
May 31, 2025. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Clinch River State Park
Come join us for the Clinch River Days Festival. The festival will be held in downtown St. Paul, Virginia. St. Paul puts on this festival every year! Come enjoy the music and food, come visit our booth where we will be set up with merchandise and a program. We hope to see you there!
Mother's Day events
-
May 10, 2025. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. and May 11, 2025. 1-5 p.m.Southwest Virginia Museum
-
May 11, 2025. 8-10 a.m.New River Trail State Park
More Mother's Day Events
