List of nature centers in Virginia

This is a list of nature centers and environmental education centers in the state of Virginia.

To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Name	Location	County/City	Region	Summary
Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve	Leesburg	Loudoun	Northern	website, 725 acres of successional fields, hardwood forests, wetlands, and riverine habitat; nature center; and over 20 miles of trails; operated by the County, with support from Friends of Banshee Reeks and from Banshee Reeks Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists
Blacksburg Price House Nature Center	Blacksburg	Montgomery		website
Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship	Purcellville	Loudoun	Northern	website, 900 acres, trails, education center
Boxerwood Gardens	Lexington	Lexington	Southwest Virginia	15-acre arboretum, nature center and woodland garden
Broadlands Nature Center	Broadlands	Loudoun	Northern	website, information, operated by the Audubon Naturalist Society and the Broadlands Homeowners Association, local animals, nature programs and events
Claytor Nature Study Center of Lynchburg College	Bedford	Bedford	Central Virginia	website, 470 acre nature center owned and operated by Lynchburg College, Education and Research Facility, Cloverlea Farm and Memorial Gardens, environmental programs, nature trails, campground, Belk Astronomical Observatory, and horticultural research area
First Landing State Park	Virginia Beach	Virginia Beach	Hampton Roads	2,888 acres, Chesapeake Bay Center, environmental programs
Claytor Lake State Park Discovery Center	Dublin	Pulaski	Southwest Virginia	472 acres, visitor center exhibits about lake ecology, fish life
Ellanor C. Lawrence Park	Chantilly	Fairfax	Northern	website, 650 acres, operated by the County, Walney Visitors Center features educational exhibits, programs and information, live animals
False Cape State Park	Virginia Beach	Virginia Beach	Hampton Roads	4,321 acres, Wash Woods Environmental Center for ecological studies, park also offers nature programs
Gulf Branch Nature Center	Arlington	Arlington	Northern	website, 37 acres, operated by the City in Gulf Branch Park and Natural Area
Hidden Oaks Nature Center	Annandale	Fairfax	Northern	website, operated by the County in the 52-acre Annandale District Park
Hidden Pond Nature Center	Springfield	Fairfax	Northern	website, 25 acres, operated by the County, adjacent to 700-acre Pohick Stream Valley Park
Norma Hoffman Visitors Center at Huntley Meadows	Hybla Valley	Fairfax	Northern	over 1,500 acres, operated by the County, visitor center includes an auditorium and museum space with exhibits, nature and history programs
James River State Park	Gladstone	Buckingham	Central	1,500 acres, visitor center features an aquarium, replica bateau, history exhibits, seasonal nature programs
Jerome "Buddie" Ford Nature Center	Alexandria	Alexandria	Northern	website, operated by the City in 50-acre Dora Kelley Nature Park
Long Branch Park and Nature Center	Arlington	Arlington	Northern	website, 17 acres, operated by the City
Maymont Park	Richmond	Richmond	Greater Richmond Region	100 acre Victorian estate, park features a nature center dedicated to native Virginia wildlife, a historic house museum, arboretum, formal gardens, carriage collection and petting zoo
Mill Mountain Discovery Center	Roanoke	Roanoke	Southwest Virginia	website, operated by the City in the 611-acre Mill Mountain Park
Motts Run Nature Center	Fredericksburg	Fredericksburg	Northern Virginia	website, owned by the City and operated seasonally by volunteers in the 860-acre Motts Run Reservoir Recreation Area
Potomac Overlook Regional Park and Nature Center	Arlington	Arlington	Northern	website, 70 acres, operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, energy and natural history exhibits, live animals
Riverbend Park (Virginia)	Great Falls	Fairfax	Northern	website, over 400 acres, operated by the County, visitor center self-guided activities for children, live animal displays and natural and cultural exhibits
Rockwood Nature Center	Richmond	Chesterfield	Greater Richmond Region	website, 160 acres, operated by the County in Rockwood Park
Rust Sanctuary	Leesburg	Loudoun	Northern	website, 68 acres, operated by the Audubon Naturalist Society
Sandy Bottom Nature Park	Hampton	Hampton	Hampton Roads	website, 456-acre environmental education and wildlife management facility, operated by the City,
Three Lakes Nature Center	Richmond	Henrico	Greater Richmond Region	website, operated by the County in Three Lakes Park
Virginia Living Museum	Newport News	Newport News	Hampton Roads	Natural history museum of indigenous animals, aviary, outdoor animal displays, botanical preserve and planetarium
Walker Nature Education Center	Reston	Fairfax	Northern	website, 72 acres, operated by the community, 2 miles of trails
Woodpecker Ridge Nature Center	Fincastle	Botetourt	Southwest Virginia	information, information, 70 acres, privately owned preserve and bird-watching site

External links

Map of nature centers and environmental education centers in Virginia

Defunct centers

Smithsonian Institution Naturalist Center, Leesburg

Protected areas of Virginia

Federal

National Parks	Shenandoah

National Historical Parks, Historic Sites & Monuments	Appomattox Court House NHP Arlington House Booker T. Washington NM Cedar Creek and Belle Grove NHP Claude Moore Colonial Farm Colonial NHP Cumberland Gap NHP George Washington Birthplace NM Harpers Ferry NHP Maggie L. Walker NHS

National Military Parks, Battlefields & Battlefield Parks	Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP Manassas NBP Petersburg NB Richmond NBP

National Cemeteries	Alexandria Arlington Balls Bluff City Point Cold Harbor Culpeper Danville Fort Harrison Fredericksburg Glendale Hampton Hampton VA Poplar Grove Quantico Richmond Seven Pines Staunton Winchester Yorktown

National Trails	Appalachian Trail Blue Ridge Parkway Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network George Washington Memorial Parkway Overmountain Victory NHT Potomac Heritage Trail Star-Spangled Banner NHT

National Wildlife Refuges	Back Bay Chincoteague Eastern Shore of Virginia Mason Neck Featherstone Fisherman Island Great Dismal Swamp James River Nansemond Occoquan Bay Plum Tree Island Presquile Rappahannock River Valley Wallops Island

National Forests	George Washington and Jefferson

USFS National Recreation Areas	Mount Rogers National Recreation Area

Other NPS Areas	Assateague Island National Seashore Prince William Forest Park Wolf Trap NP for the Performing Arts

Wilderness Areas	Mountain Lake Wilderness Ramseys Draft Wilderness Rough Mountain Wilderness Saint Mary's Wilderness

National Estuarine Research Reserves	Chesapeake Bay

State

State parks	Bear Creek Lake Belle Isle Biscuit Run Breaks Interstate Caledon Chippokes Plantation Claytor Lake Douthat Fairy Stone False Cape First Landing Grayson Highlands High Bridge Trail Holliday Lake Hungry Mother James River Kiptopeke Lake Anna Leesylvania Mason Neck Natural Tunnel New River Trail Occoneechee Pocahontas Sailor's Creek Battlefield Shot Tower Shenandoah River Sky Meadows Smith Mountain Lake Southwest Virginia Museum Staunton River Staunton River Battlefield Tabb Monument Twin Lakes Westmoreland Wilderness Road York River

State forests	Appomattox-Buckingham Big Woods Bourassa Browne Channels Chilton Woods Conway-Robinson Crawfords Cumberland Devil's Backbone Dragon Run Hawks Lesesne Matthews Moore's Creek Niday Place Paul Prince Edward-Gallion Sandy Point Whitney Zoar

Natural Area Preserves	Antioch Pines Bethel Beach Big Spring Bog Blackwater Buffalo Mountain Bull Run Mountains Bush Mill Stream Camp Branch Wetlands Cape Charles Coastal Habitat The Cedars The Channels Cherry Orchard Bog Chestnut Creek Wetlands Chestnut Ridge Chotank Creek Chub Sandhill Cleveland Barrens Clover Hollow Cowbane Prairie Crow's Nest Cumberland Marsh Dameron Marsh Deep Run Ponds Dendron Swamp Difficult Creek Elklick Woodlands False Cape Folly Mills Creek Fen Goshen Pass Grafton Ponds Grassy Hill Grayson Glades Hickory Hollow Hughlett Point Johnsons Creek Magothy Bay Mark's and Jack's Island Mount Joy Pond Mutton Hunk Fen Naked Mountain New Point Comfort North Landing River Northwest River Ogdens Cave Parkers Marsh Parramore Island Pedlars Hill Pinnacle Poor Mountain Red Rock Mountain Savage Neck Dunes Unthanks Cave William B. Trower Bayshore Wreck Island

Wildlife Management Areas	Amelia Big Survey Briery Creek Chester F. Phelps Cavalier Chickahominy Clinch Mountain Crooked Creek Dick Cross Fairystone Farms Featherfin G. Richard Thompson Game Farm Marsh Goshen and Little North Mountain Hardware River Havens Hidden Valley Highland Hog Island Horsepen Lake James River Land's End Mockhorn Island Pettigrew Powhatan Princess Anne Ragged Island Rapidan Saxis Stewarts Creek T. M. Gathright Turkeycock Weston White Oak Mountain

Other

Registered Historic Places in Virginia	Virginia Landmarks Register National Register of Historic Places listings in Virginia Bridges National Historic Landmarks

Nature centers in the United States