Pocahontas State Park opened their new Discovery Center Nov. 17, with a ribbon cutting ceremony With more than 1 million visitors and over 6,000 school students visiting the park each year, the Discovery Center will provide the opportunity for visitors to be exposed to areas of the park in new and different ways.
Pocahontas State Park received a grant award of $15,000 from the Garden Club of Virginia for the Heritage Center Conversion to Discovery Center Project in early 2017. This award is part of the GCV’s 2020 Centennial Project which supports various projects in Virginia State Parks.
The concept plan for the conversion was developed by park staff and people from the community coming together at a visitor experience planning workshop which helped identified the importance and relevant themes of the park. These themes were then used to develop the concept and content of the Discovery Center.
“The Discovery Center at Pocahontas will showcase the resources within the park and for many visitors this center will be the first opportunity to learn about interacting with the natural environment,” said Park Manager Josh Ellington. “We couldn’t have purchased and developed the educational exhibits found in the center without the support from our community partners and the Garden Club of Virginia.”
Other partners in the community also contributed to the Discovery Center project. Friends of Pocahontas State Park, Coqui Bike Shop, Doliber family, Brown family, Appomattox River Company, and Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) see this as project as a way to educate our community of the importance of the unique natural and cultural experience the park brings to the Richmond Metro area.
Virginia State Parks are managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. For more information about Virginia State Parks activities and amenities or to make a reservation for one of the more than 1,800 campsites or 300 climate-controlled cabins, call the Virginia State Parks Customer Care Center at 800-933-7275.
