Park of the Month:
Chippokes Planation State Park
The drive to ferry deck river breezes all pave the way to the park.
Chippokes Plantation State Park is renowned for its scenic views!
From the fossil layered river bed and the ante-bellum Jones-Stewart mansion to the renovated slave quarter/sharecropper cabins and the James River overlook, Chippokes Plantation State Park is truly a walk through cultural and natural history. Home to the Farm & Forestry Museum, the park brings to life the colonial and pioneer spirit that gave rise to American culture against the backdrop of the New World's wildlands.
Seashells and fossils abound along the river bed. Join a fossil walk!
In addition to exhibits, the Farm & Forestry Museum has live farm animals
Started in the late 1600s as a land-grant to colonist William Powell and named after the friendly Virginia Indian Chief Chippoke, the property changed hands in the 17th and 18th centuries until it was owned in the longer term by the Stewart family. Deeded to the state in the 1960s with the caveat that the property remain a working farm, the land was opened as Chippokes Plantation State Park and now features the best of recreation and conservation.
The ante-bellum Jones-Stewart Mansion is open for tours!
The Quarter Lane history tour will tell you all about the River House
With an Olympic-sized swimming pool, four rental cabins, a 50 site campground with 25 modern pull through sites, 3.5 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, historic walking tours, guided canoe/kayak trips, and so much more, the park is the perfect getaway for history and nature buffs alike. Campground, cabin, picnic shelter, and kayak/canoe trip reservations can be made by calling 1-800-933-PARK.
The larger RV sites in Campground B are very popular, but Campground A has smaller, more wooded sites for pop-up and tent campers.
A plunge in the Olympic-sized swimming pool is welcome relief on hot, humid days!
Mark your calendars:
The "Pork, Peanut & Pine" Festival being held on July 20-21, 2013. In its 38th year, the festival has an incredible line-up of live music, crafters, activities, and nature programs on the schedule.
Artisan crafters, great southern food, and live music acts take the stage at the Pork, Peanut & Pine Festival each year.
Other signature programs include the seasonal "Let's Go Fishing" children's fishing tournaments; fossil walks that will take you back to the days when whales and Megalodon sharks roamed the waters that covered the park eons ago; guided tours of the ante-bellum Jones-Stewart mansion featuring exhibits and antiques from colonial times, civil war, and the modern era; and historic wagon rides that will make children and adults alike think about a simpler life. A schedule of park events can be found by clicking here. he park's public information phone number is 757-294-3728.
My daughter (then a precocious 5-year-old; now a surly teen) and the first fish she caught at College Run Creek during a children's fishing tourney!
Wagon Rides are fun for everyone!
Chippokes Plantation is always full of surprises. It is full history, but also full of nature. Don't forget to pack your camera and extra batteries. You never know when wildlife will surprise you during your visit!
Keep your camera ready! Wildlife abounds at Chippokes Plantation State Park!
Location:
Chippokes Plantation State Park is located in Surry, Virginia and is accessible on Route 10 or by the Jamestown-Scotland ferry system that picks up at the Jamestown landing in Williamsburg, Virginia off Interstate 64.
Address of the Park: 695 Chippokes Park Road, Surry, Virginia 23882-9728