Chippokes Plantation State Park
Just across the James River from historic Jamestown in beautiful Surry County, Chippokes Plantation is one of the oldest continually farmed plantations in the country. A working farm since 1619, the park offers modern recreational activities and a glimpse of life in a bygone era. Visitors tour the historic area with its antebellum mansion and outbuildings, stroll through formal gardens, and view antique equipment at the Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum. A campground and four overnight cabins allow visitors to stay on the historic grounds. The park has an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a visitor center with a gift shop. It also provides opportunities to bike, hike, ride horseback and picnic. Chippokes Plantation also offers wedding packages and meeting facilities.
Enter Your Location
Related Trip Ideas
- B.E.A.C.H.: Best Escape Anyone Can Have
- Five Spots in Virginia for Young Kids to Discover the Outdoors
Nearby Places
At the Site
Activities to do
Facilities/Amenities available
Hours
Park is open year round from dawn until dusk, call for facility or camping reservations.
Swimming Pool is open from Memorial Day - Labor Day from 10 am to 6 pm.
Chippokes Mansion Tours are offered on weekend April through October, or by reservation.
The Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum is open for self-guided tours daily, except for Christmas, from 10 AM to 4 PM.
(Note: Many places fill to capacity on busy, nice weather days, especially holiday weekends. Please call ahead or visit the official website to get the most up-to-date information before visiting.)
Fees
Daily parking is $5 per passenger car
Chippokes Plantation Conference Shelter $315 per function
Camping: $30 and $33 for a site; $67 for a group. Cabins can be rented for a higher rate.
Activities
Freshwater fishing is available with a valid Virginia fishing license. An olympic size swimming pool is open Memorial Day through Labor Day. Concessions operate from the Saturday before Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and include a snack bar at the swimming pool. Interpretive programming offers mansion and farm museum tours, canoe talks, Junior Ranger program, plantation and crop field tours, beach walks, and various seasonal programs.
Tours of the 19th century Chippokes Mansion are available weekends April through October. In the spring, special tours of the mansion and gardens are offered in conjunction with Garden Week. The Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum uses more than 3,000 antiques to interpret early American farm life. The seven building complex is open for self-guided tours. Chippokes Plantation State Park Campsites have thirty-two wooded sites with electric and water.
History
Chippokes Plantation State Park sits directly across the James River from where English colonists established the Jamestown settlement.
The land along the James and other rivers, which Captain John Smith explored between 1607 and 1609, was home to thousands of American Indians.
These tribes used large dugout canoes to travel between settlements and harvest the region’s abundant fish and shellfish.
After the English arrived, the rivers continued to serve these purposes, but European barges and ships eventually became the dominant mode of transportation.
Weather
