Gloucester Parks, Recreation & Tourism Events

NORFOLK BOTANICAL GARDEN – BEST YEARS TRIP (POP-UP TRIP-rescheduled)

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring a Best Years Trip to the Norfolk Botanical Garden on Tuesday, September 29th from 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM. This is the first week The Garden of Tomorrow is open to the public! Take a tram to explore various sections of the garden and visit the Summer Butterfly House, and The Perry Conservatory. The fee is $50 and the deadline is Friday, September 25th.

GAUTHIER VINEYARD – BEST YEARS TRIP

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring a Best Years Trip to Gauthier Vineyard for pizza and wine on Friday, October 2 from 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM. The fee is $15 and the deadline to register is Friday, September 25th.

IKEA –BEST YEARS TRIP (POP-UP TRIP)

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring a Best Years Trip to IKEA in Norfolk on Monday, October 5 from 9:00 AM –2:30 PM. Enjoy a fun day our shopping without the hassle of the drive! We will visit IKEA in Norfolk, you'll have lunch on your own at their restaurant. Finish the trip with a treat from Cold Stone Creamery on the way home! The fee is $30 and the deadline is Monday, September 28th.

BELLY DANCE WORKSHOP

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring a Belly Dance Workshop for ages 16 and older on Monday, October 5 at the Stewart Building from 6:30-8:30 pm. In this introduction workshop you will learn the basics of Belly Dance. This workshop is designed to prepare you for the Intermediate Belly Dance session. The fee is $15 and the deadline is Monday, September 28th.

FREE FLOW YOGA

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring Free Flow Yoga on Tuesdays in September, October and November from 5:30-6:45 PM at Whitcomb Lodge.  Pay for the whole month or $9 per drop-in session.

INTERNATIONAL CUISINE CULINARY CLUB

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring a 4-week session of International Cuisine Culinary Club for ages 16 and older on Tuesdays from 5:00-7:00 PM, October 6 -27 at the Stewart Building.  You will explore international cuisine, characteristic cooking practices and traditions.  German, French, Italian, Turkish, Indian, Thai and Mexican to name a few.  The fee is $55 and the deadline is Friday, October 2nd.

INTERMEDIATE BELLY DANCE

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring Intermediate Belly Dance for ages 16 and older on Mondays from October 12th to November 30th at the Stewart Building from 7:00 – 8:00 pm. For dancers with a good foundation of belly dance basics. You'll learn a fun choreography dance that the group will perform together at the end of the session. The fee is $65 for the 8-week session and the deadline is Monday, October 5th.

YOUTH BASKETBALL 

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring Youth Basketball for ages 6-16-years-old, November 9 – February 20th.? Practices are two weeknights each week M-Th | 5-8 pm (practice times & locations vary from team-to-team). Games- Saturdays (times & locations vary from team-to-team). Please visit our website for more info. Fee $60/child and the deadline is Monday, October 5th.

FALL ON SKYLINE DRIVE – BEST YEARS TRIP

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring a Best Years Trip to Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park on Thursday, October 22nd from 8:00 AM –7:00 PM. Come ride with us as we tour the scenic Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park via the Skyline Drive. This scenic Byway was built in the 1930’s and is known for its autumnal foliage. We will stop at some of the 75 scenic overlooks and have lunch at the beautiful Spottswood Dining Room at Skyland.  The fee is $45 and the deadline is Thursday, October 15th.

TOUCH A TRUCK

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring is sponsoring Touch A Truck at Old Page Grounds on Sunday, November 1st from 12 – 4 PM. No registration is required for the general public. Trucks who are interested in participating visit us online to register.

For more information on these and other activities call PRT at 804-693-2355, email prt@gloucesterva.info or stop by our office 6382 Main Street.  For online registration visit https://gloucesterva.info/civicrec

St. Therese Craft Bazaar

Calvary Chapel will be holding an Impact Kids Day Camp on Saturday, November 7th, check-in is at 9 a.m. and check-out is at 4 p.m. This camp is for kids ages 5-12 and will be held at Ware Academy. This event is free of charge and will be held rain or shine. See flyer below for more information.

Come out to the Gloucester's Farmers Market at Ware Church from 9a.m. to 1 p.m on the Second Saturday of the month until October. 

Summer is here, so it's time to book a sailing cruise on the historic skipjack Claud W. Somers.

The Somers, built in 1911, underwent an extensive refit over the winter and is now back at its home dock at the Reedville Fishermen's Museum, 504 Main St.

Sail dates are Saturdays, September 26th, and October 10th and 24th. The Somers leaves the museum dock at 10 a.m. and returns to the dock at noon.

Tickets cost $30 for museum members or $35 for non-members. Children age 10 and up are welcome. The boat carries up to 15 passengers per sail. The boat also can be booked for charters.

Ticket-holders can enter and tour the museum at no extra charge.

For information or to book a sail, call 804-453-6529 or email office@rfmuseum.org.

Mathews Marathon - A Boston Qualifier Race

From 7:00AM to 1:00PM

On Saturday, October 17th from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. come out and run along peaceful, rural backroads in beautiful Mathews County, Virginia - as we like to say - the world's flattest race course! This course was officially registered as a Boston qualifier in 2025. Enjoy the fast, flat course that winds through dirt, gravel and paved roads and past the serenity of one of Virginia’s great countrysides. The Marathon route will take you to 3 of the county’s beaches. You can also register for the Half Marathon or run the marathon course as a relay! Find out more information and register here: https://mocva.net/marathon/ Organized by the Mathews Outdoor Club

Location: Put In Creek Pavilion

Website: https://www.mocva.net/marathon/

The Reedville Fishermen's Museum is now open for the season, with four new exhibits on view through 2026. The museum is full of artifacts and memorabilia telling the story of the Northern Neck's historic commercial fishing history. Outside on campus are several classic boats, at the dock and on shore. Activities being planned for the year include concerts, skipjack cruises, family boat building, golf cart party, fireworks, crabbing for kids, antique boat show and holiday celebrations.

Three new exhibits are in the Watermen's Gallery: Images by Kodachrome, a photographic tribute to the area's watermen by Mike Fontaine; Northern Neck Master Gardeners' Shoreline Evaluation Program; and Smith Point Sea Rescue.

Chesapeake Bay Quilts by Logan O'Bier are on exhibit in the museum lobby and the Walker House.

Admission includes entrance to all museum exhibits: $10 for adults; $5 for seniors 65 and above; $5 for veterans; free for children 17 and under; and free for active duty military members. For more information, call 804-453-6529 or e-mail office@rfmuseum.org.          

MATHEWS MUSEUM TO OPEN

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES EXHIBIT

The Mathews Museum is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit highlighting the indigenous peoples who lived in Mathews centuries ago.

The exhibit will open in two stages. The public is invited to visit during regular museum hours, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and step back in time through a remarkable collection of artifacts and interpretive displays.

“The exhibit has been more than a year in the making,” says Museum President Tom Robinson.  

The exhibit features original artifacts, a hands-on touch table, and a vintage hand-crafted dugout canoe, offering visitors an immersive experience. Indigenous people are believed to have lived in the Mathews area for thousands of years — from as early as 22,000 years ago until the Kiskiack Tribe was driven out in the 1670s.

Chairman Robinson invites community members with Native American heritage to share their stories and family histories. Those interested are encouraged to contact the Museum at 804-505-1277,  or email info@mathewsmuseum.org, or, simply stop by for a visit. Visit the Museum at mathewsmuseum.org.  

The Disabled American Veterans Chapter 58, located in Gloucester VA, at 6265 Professional Drive, directly behind the radio station. Their Certified Claims Service Officers can assist ALL Veterans and their dependents with submitting claims to the Veterans Administration at no cost. No appointment necessary, you’ll need a DD214, hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 2pm and they can be reached at 804-695-1558.

For a ride to Richmond or Hampton for appointment, call Keith Davis at 757-728-3148 to make arrangements.

Gloucester County Unveils New Driving Tour Exploring the
1781 Battle of the Hook
The Gloucester Museum of History proudly announces the launch of the Battle of the Hook Driving
Tour, a new self-guided driving tour exploring the events, people, and key sites of the Battle of the
Hook, the largest cavalry engagement of the American Revolution and a crucial Franco-American
victory. The tour brochure is available at the Museum of History and Gloucester Visitor Center, at
no cost, and an online version is also available.
 

The October 3, 1781, Battle of the Hook is one of the most important episodes of the siege of
Yorktown, when the Duc de Lauzun's famous Legion of hussars with 300 troops of the "Infanterie
de Marine,” and Lieutenant Colonel John Mercer's Select Battalion of Grenadiers, under the overall
command of French Brigadier General Claude de Choisy, defeated Lieutenant Colonel Banastre
Tarleton's British Legion and a detachment of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. The fighting at Gloucester
helped cut off British escape routes from Yorktown, directly contributing to their surrender just
sixteen days later, on October 19, 1781.
 

The driving tour guides visitors to pivotal locations throughout Gloucester County, including the
historic Tavern at Gloucester Courthouse (now the Gloucester Museum of History), Ware
Episcopal Church, Abingdon Episcopal Church, and Seawell’s Ordinary. Each site reveals how local
landscapes became strategic military positions during the final campaign for American
independence.
Additional highlights include the Second Surrender, memorialized at Tyndall’s Point Park, where
British troops garrisoned in Gloucester surrendered to French forces one hour after the October 19,
1781, capitulation at Yorktown. The tour also directs visitors to Abingdon Elementary School,
where they may experience interpretive signage and a new memorial honoring the five French
soldiers who fell during the battle.
“This tour invites locals and guests to explore Gloucester’s beauty and history while visiting
landmarks where decisive moments in America’s fight for independence unfolded,” said Robert
Kelly, Gloucester’s Historic Resources Supervisor. “As we commemorate the nation’s 250 th birthday,
the tour is a powerful way to connect Gloucester’s history and landscapes with the broader story of
America’s founding while also honoring the importance of the Franco-American Alliance.”

Registration is now open for 4-H Camp for Gloucester, Essex and Middlesex. Camp will be held June 8th-12th at the Jamestown 4-H Center.

Do you have concerns regarding your preschooler's development? Gloucester County Public Schools conducts screenings for preschool children as part of their Child Find Activities throughout the school year. Parents/Guardians should consider having their children screened if they are experiencing difficulty walking, talking, playing, and meeting developmental milestones. If you are interested in having your child screened, please contact your child's zoned school. Any further questions please contact the Special Education Office at 804-693-7880 or 804-693-7944.