What can be better than spending the morning paddling along the beautiful waterways of Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster County incorporating in that float a trip to Morattico’s Waterfront Museum?

Saturday September 4th, Belle Isle State Park and Morattico Waterfront Museum team up to offer a kayak program called the “Marvels of Morattico.” Kayakers will leave Belle Isle at 10 a.m. and paddle down Mulberry Creek and onto the Rappahannock River to the Village of Morattico. Along the way the guide will talk about the native inhabitants, early European settlement, and the modern history of the village. Participants will go on shore at Morattico, tour the museum, and have a light snack before paddling back to the park and arriving about 1 p.m.

Belle Isle State Park is located in Lancaster County near the town of Kilmarnock. Morattico is a village on the northern shore of the Rappahannock River in the heart of Virginia's Northern Neck, consisting of a post office, two churches, the Morattico Waterfront Museum, an active though diminishing fleet of fishing vessels, and scores of dwellings of its residents.
Since the 17th Century Morattico has been depended upon the Rappahannock River for its sustenance and identity. Now, in the 21st Century, during a time when oyster and crab populations in the Rappahannock River and the Chesapeake Bay have shrunk dramatically, Morattico is working to remain a vital and vibrant waterfront community. The Morattico Waterfront Museum, housed in the old Morattico General Store, is committed to preserving and honoring Morattico's history and, in the process, contributing to the development of its future.
Cost for the program is $15 per single kayak and $22 per double kayak and includes all equipment. Call 462-5030 for reservations. For more information on Belle Isle State Park visit our website.
















T
rees that were chosen to plant are native to Virginia; they include Holly, Red Maples, Willow Oak and Redbuds. 


For those of you that grew up camping, do you remember how good food tasted cooked outside over a campfire? Wasn’t it the best? My family spent many seasons camping at Virginia State Parks. I can still taste the peanut butter toast my father made. He would toast the bread over an open flame on a long fork turning it over until it was crisp and brown. It was so good! Just time spent with family was so much fun. Waking up to the birds singing and the sun rise over the water was incredible. Memories like that last forever. I will never forget those wonder filled days spent swimming, hiking, canoeing and wildlife watching. No television (and in those days no cell phones) just magical times created by the magnificent surroundings and our imagination.
To make your experience even more memorable, the park offers seasonal swimming and paddling. There are a variety of things to do through the year. Hiking, geocaching, orienteering, biking, fishing, birding and wildlife watching. The park also offers exceptional educational programming year round. So grab your family and get outside and play! 













