Virginia State Parks

You may remember First Landing State Park and Chippokes Plantation State Park from my free tours that go along with Chapter 1 in the Guide. (Here's the link if you haven't seen it: My Favorite Places in Historic Tidewater Virginia.)

Here are a few events that will be happening in the coming month at these locations:

2008 Fall Festival at First Landing, Oct 18, 2008, 3:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Celebrate fall with programs covering harvesting, Native American ways of life, pirate history, games, hikes and hayrides. Take a night hike in search of the elusive screech owls that live in First Landing. Location - Picnic Area & Trail Center Phone - (757) 412-2300

Jones-Stewart Mansion Tours at Chippokes Plantation , Oct 10, 2008 - Sep 04, 2009 , 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Experience the comforts of an antebellum mansion and get to know the folks that called Chippokes home! Tours are family friendly and there is no fee to tour the Mansion. Open Saturdays and Sundays. While you are here, please visit the Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum. Location - Jones-Stewart Mansion Phone - (757) 294-3625

Fossil Walk at Chippokes Plantation, Oct 11, 2008, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Oct 18, 2008, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Participants will hike through a journey millions of years in the making! The walk will be about 1.5 miles. Geology and natural history of the park will be discussed as well as fossil identification and methods to finding fossils. Location - Meet at River House parking lot Phone - (757) 294-3625

If you want to be kept informed of what's going on in your state parks, go to the Park Events page, and sign up for the electronic newsletter.

Corn Mazes in Virginia

Mazes used to be very popular among the 18th and 19th century folks, and they seem to be making a comeback. Typically, a farmer will create a maze in a cornfield to make some extra cash from the crop.

One nearby corn maze is at Hess Greenhouse in Harrisonburg, VA, about an hour west of Charlottesville. Field trips to the maze can be scheduled anytime from August 10th through November 4th, 2007, and on most fall weekends, Hess is having a variety of harvest festivals. Check out the Calendar of Events to see what's happening.

Other Virginia mazes include the Corn Maze in the Plains, in Northern Virginia; the Corn Maze at Bridgemont Farm, in the northern Shenandoah Valley; and the Virginia is for Lovers Corn Maze in Midlands, VA.