Parks & Nature

The Rappahannock County Park is open to the public.  Facilities include:
activity areas: basketball, tennis, shuffleboard, corn hole, skateboard area, frisbee golf, and a children’s playground
natural areas: trails along the Rush River, native plant garden
a covered Pavilion, which can be rented for private events

7 Park Lane Washington, Virginia 22747
(540) 675-5330

Shenandoah National Park, which encompasses the Blue Ridge Mountains along the entire western border of Rappahannock County, offers a wealth of seasonal activities spring through fall at its resorts, campgrounds and visitor centers — and is open year-round (except for occasional winter-weather closings) for hiking, birding, nature photography and sightseeing along Skyline Drive. Many trails, including the main route to Old Rag Mountain, start in Rappahannock — and, unlike those same trails accessed via Skyline Drive, the hike back is generally downhill.

See more about Hiking in Shennandoah

Birding & Wildlife

Flint Hill’s Caledonia Farm 1812 B&B is stop No. 1 on the Virginia Birding & Wildlife Trail, and the only B&B in the county with a direct link to the trail (and lots of birder-friendly reference books on hand).

Art Outside

If combining art and nature appeals, consider outdoor painting lessons in the Rappahannock countryside with Washington plein air painter Nora Harrington, who supplies everything you’ll need to create an oil painting on-site, including a French field easel, oil paints and a 12-by-16-inch canvas. Lessons ($160) are taught in three-hour sessions and are timed to start near sunrise or end near sunset.