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TextCalendar of Events: Weekend Highlights
Saturday, May 5
Ellanor C. Lawrence Park 30th Anniversary
Join our staff and volunteers in a celebration of all things Ellanor C. Lawrence Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Activities include home-made ice cream, farm animals, butter churning, nature hikes, costumed interpreters, colonial carpentry, guided nature and historical walks, and wagon rides. Admission is free. For more information, call 703-631-0013.
Riverbend Bird Stroll: Warblers
Hike with a naturalist during peak warbler migration from 9 to 11 a.m. Discover why so many species stopover and nest at Riverbend Park. Beginners welcome. Bring binoculars. The cost is $7 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-759-9018.
Use natural objects found at Green Spring Gardens to create works of art from 2 to 3 p.m. Enjoy stone stacking, creating music with natural objects, and make a painted masterpiece to take home. Participants must be at least age five. The cost is $6 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-642-5173.
Create your own colorful combination using a variety of Green Spring's favorite plants for your own container collection. Green Spring gardeners guide you through the process and give you tips for container magic from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Simple container plants and soil are included in the $45 fee. Register online. For information, call 703-642-5173.
Pink Lady’s Slipper Walk
Join a Hidden Oaks’ naturalist for a free walk from 1 to 1:45 p.m. to a natural display of wild orchids at Roundtree Park. Identify other native wildflowers. For information, call 703-941-1065.
Explore dinoland and unearth a real fossil to keep at Hidden Oaks Nature Center from 2 to 3 p.m. Compare your height and length to that of dinosaurs. Search for hidden dinosaurs and tracks. Make a fossil impression to take home. Canceled if raining. This program is suited for children ages three to eight. The cost is $5 per person. Register online or call 703-222-4664. For information, call 703-941-1065.
Off-trail Birding at South Kings Highway
Search for neotropical songbird migrants at Huntley Meadows Park from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Dress for going off trail. Binoculars and field guides are recommended. Meet at the park’s South King’s Highway entrance. Canceled if raining. The cost is $6 per person. Register online. For more information, call 703-768-2525.
Sunday, May 6
Wetlands Awareness Day
Enjoy an afternoon of wetland interpretation, wildlife presentations and a Fun Fair for kids at Huntley Meadows Park from noon to 3 p.m. Bring your friends and family to celebrate the importance of wetlands to wildlife and you. There is a small fee for some activities, but admission is free. For information, call 703-768-2525.
Botanical Watercolors: Art Show Opening
Meet the artists of the Potomac Valley Watercolorists at Green Spring Gardens at the opening of their two-month botanical watercolor show from 1 to 3 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 703-642-5173.
Azaleas & Rhododendrons at White Gardens
Take a leisurely walking tour from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and see this collection at its peak. Meet at the White Garden. Participants must be at least 12 years old. The cost is $15 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-642-5173.
Grinding Demonstration
The miller at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site will be grinding grain from noon to 3 p.m., conditions permitting. Please call ahead to confirm. Tours are $7 per adult, $6 per student 16 and older with ID, and $5 per child or senior. For information, call 703-759-2771.
Blacksmith Demonstration
The blacksmith fires up the forge at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Listen to the ring of the hammer as it strikes the anvil. Admission to this event is free. For information, call 703-759-2771.
Saturday, May 12
Spring Farm Day
Frying Pan Farm Park is celebrating Spring Farm Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participate in hands-on farm activities such as cow and goat milking. Watch sheep shearing and antique farm equipment demonstrations. Enjoy crafts, games, puppet shows and get an up close introduction to the baby farm animals. The cost is $6 per person at the door. For information, call 703-437-9101.
Enjoy an evening campfire with mom at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park from 7 to 8 p.m. We’ll investigate the hard work that goes into raising young. Toast marshmallows around the campfire. The cost is $5 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-631-0013.
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic at Hidden Oaks! Bring your teddy bear to join our stories, songs, games and light refreshments for humans and bears from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. This program is suited for children ages three to seven with an accompanying adult. The cost is $8. Register online or call 703-222-4664. For information, call 703-941-1065.
Park Manager Walk and Talk
Share questions and concerns about the Huntley Meadows Park as you talk with Park Manager Kevin Munroe on a free walk from 5 to 7 p.m. Participants must be at least 12 years old. For information, call 703-768-2525.
Join Huntley Meadows Park Naturalist P.J. Dunn on an evening walk from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Hike the trails after dark and listen for owls and frogs and watch for beaver activity. The cost is $6 per adult. Register online or call 703-222-4664. For information, call 703-768-2525.
Celebrate National Frog Month on a naturalist-led walk to the pond from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Identify frogs by sound and features. Bring one flashlight per family. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. Canceled if raining. Meet at Eakin Park on Prosperity Ave. The cost is $5. Register online or call 703-222-4664. For information, call 703-941-1065.
Squirreling Around on a Spring Day
In the early 1800s the Lee’s had a pet white squirrel. Children ages six and older can find squirrels throughout the house at Sully Historic Site from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and make their own white squirrel The cost is $5 per person. Register online or call 703-222-4664. For information, call 703-437-1794.
Sunday, May 13
To celebrate National Frog Month, make a toad abode for your backyard at Hidden Oaks Nature Center. Learn how to make your garden frog friendly. Meet live frogs, toads, salamanders and tadpoles. This program from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. is for children ages three to nine with an adult. The cost is $8 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-941-1065.
Mother’s Day Cruises
Treat Mom to a special day at beautiful Lake Accotink Park! Sit back and listen while staff shares interesting facts about local wildlife and some of the fascinating history of the park. Light refreshments served on board. Boarding fee: $5 for mom; $5 for ages 3 to16; $6 for all others. Cruise cancelled and refunds issued in case of rain or gusty winds. Cruises last just under one hour and leave the dock at 1, 3, and 5 p.m. Reserve your spot, space is limited! To reserve a time, call 703-569-0285.
Mother’s Day Tea
Mother’s Day and afternoon tea go together like scones and clotted cream. But what is clotted cream anyway? Let’s brush up on our knowledge of teatime history, traditions and etiquette and treat our mothers to a memorable and thoroughly “proper” tea party at Historic Green Spring! This tea program from 1 to 3 p.m. is for participants age eight and older. The cost is $27 per person. To make reservations, call 703-941-7987.
Rhythms Around the World Concert
Take a magical musical journey around the globe with the Virginia Virtuosi string trio at Green Spring Gardens from 1 to 2 p.m. Bring the kids (age five and older) and the whole family for this interactive performance with music from such countries as Kenya, Japan, Spain and Argentina. Learn about the rhythmic elements that make each nation’s music special and unique. The cost is $2 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-642-5173.
Saturday, May 19
Birding with Andy: Warblers and More
Search for warblers, thrushes, hawks and a host of other birds while birding with Andy Higgs, veteran Huntley Meadows Park birder, from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Meet in the visitor center parking lot. The cost is $6 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-768-2525.
Enjoy a continental breakfast and then hike with a naturalist to varied habitats to search for fall migrants passing through Ellanor C. Lawrence Park. This program is for anyone age 12 and older runs from 8 to 10:30 a.m. The cost is $10. Register online or call 703-222-4664. For information, call 703-631-0013.
Spring Garden Day
More than 40 vendors of rare and unusual plants descend on Green Spring Gardens to fill your spring gardening needs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. FROGS (Friends of Green Spring Gardens receive 10% off plants in the Garden Gate Plant Shop. For information, call 703-642-5173.
Sunset Cruise
Soak up the sunset from 6 to 7 p.m. and relax as you cruise the beautiful shoreline of Lake Accotink. You may spot a heron settling in for the night or a deer coming down to water’s edge for a late drink. Sit back and listen while your tour guide shares interesting facts about local wildlife and some of the fascinating history of the park. Keep an eye out for the park’s resident eagles. Beverages served on board. The cost is $6 per person. Cruise cancelled in case of rain or gusty winds. To reserve, call 703-569-0285.
Sunday, May 20
Canine Cruise
Get your pup ready for this one-of-a-kind cruise aboard Lake Accotink Park’s pooch-friendly pontoon boat from 6 to 7 p.m. Enjoy the long rays of the sun while canine passengers take note of ducks, geese and other lake dwellers. The cost is $6 per person; no charge for dogs (one dog per person). Dogs must be leashed and well-socialized. Cruise cancelled and refunds issued in case of rain or gusty winds. To make a reservation, call 703-569-0285.
Mill Run Dulcimer Band Concert
Take a relaxing musical journey to the past in the barn at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site. The band is back for a spring concert from 2 to 4 p.m. Hear your old-time favorite tunes. Admission is free. For information, call 703-759-2771.
Join naturalists in Nature Playce at Hidden Oaks Nature Center from 2 to 3 p.m. to learn and act out traditional nursery rhymes with nature themes. Make mud pie patty cakes and enjoy other activities and live animals.This program is suited for children ages two to four with an adult. The cost is $6 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-941-1065.
Wildlife in Watercolors: Art Show Opening
Meet wildlife artist B.J. Opfer at the opening of his two-month show at Huntley Meadows Park. The reception is slated from 2 to 4 p.m. Free admission. For information, call 703-768-2525.
Seasonal Birding for Beginners
Identify seasonal birds while walking with a park naturalist 8 to 11 a.m. at Huntley Meadows Park Meet in the visitor center parking lot. The cost is $6 per adult. Register online. For more information, please call 703-768-2525.
Saturday, May 26
Assist a naturalist with a reptile survey at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park from 9 to 11 a.m. We will search for, capture, identify and release snakes. Learn the habits and preferred habitats of our native snakes. Participants must be at least eight years old. The cost is $10. Register online. For information, call 703-631-0013.
Visit the herb garden at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park from 1 to 2 p.m. to find the best herbs for flavored vinegars. Learn how to make herbal vinegars along with the benefits of using vinegar in your own home. Participants must be at least eight years old. The cost is $5 per person. Register online or call 703-222-4664. For information, call 703-631-0013.
You're invited to tea with Miss Spider, Miss Ladybug and other wildlife friends celebrating spring in the forest. Come dressed as your favorite insect or spider and make your antennae at Hidden Oaks Nature Center. Enjoy a sit-down tea party, stories and activities as we spin learning with fun from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Participants must be at least age four. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. The cost is $15 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-941-1065.
Sunday, May 27
Enjoy a brief presentation and demonstration by animal caretaker staff at Hidden Oaks Nature Center from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. At least one snake, two turtles and a toad will be fed. Participants must be age four or older. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. The cost is $5 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-941-1065.
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