State Parks offer a different way to vacation.
Sunbathing and snorkeling might make an ideal vacation for some, but for others, lending a hand can turn time off into a far more meaningful experience. Throughout the Commonwealth, volunteer opportunities from the Department of Conservation & Recreation include free lodging for do-gooders who pitch in to preserve and maintain state parks, some of Virginia’s most valuable resources. At Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield, repairing cabins built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps is a priority. Volunteers—in groups or solo—can commit to a week or two, or drop in for a day. Skills, like carpentry and roofing, are helpful but not required. Through the American Hiking Society, opportunities to construct and maintain trails make popular volunteer vacations at Hungry Mother State Park, in Marion, and Westmoreland State Park, on the Potomac River in Montross. DCR.Virginia.gov, AmericanHiking.org
