Exlore Park Open House

Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism is thrilled to announce the grand re-opening of Explore Park, Milepost 115 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. An Open House will take place on Saturday May 10, 2014 from 10AM-5PM. Come and explore, enjoy and be reacquainted with the natural beauty this unique park has to offer. Activities’ showcasing every aspect of what the park has to offer will be featured and all activities are free and open to the public.

Special attractions and a wide array of activities will be available for all to enjoy. Explore the great outdoors with guided hikes or our annual geocaching event, be captivated by a talented storyteller or musician, enjoy the variety of craft activities, or enjoy a challenging game of laser tag. Children can participate in the unique “paint” a rainbow activity which uses gumballs to create a colorful picture or they can engage their creative side in our Creation Exploration. Here they use Legos to create the image of the activities they wish to see happen at the park and then actually place them in the appropriate location on a giant map of Explore Park.

Camp Roanoke staff will be on hand offering fun and interactive sessions such as Tracks and Scats, Herb Planting, Orienteering with compass and map, a watershed game, build a bird feeder using unique recycled materials, natural/interpretive hikes, be introduced to some primitive skills including fire building/shelters/tool fabrication. There will also be a campfire and Smores, ultimate frisbee, and outdoor still life painter, Ed Gowen will be on hand to introduce folks to Plein-Air painting.

Explore Park is also the home to Roanoke County’s newest wedding venue, Mountain Union Church. This Greek revival style church with its old world charm is sure to attract many a bride and will indeed make a very welcoming venue for weddings. The church will be open to visitors and will host scheduled events and activities.

The lawn of the Brugh Tavern will play host to the Explore Park Wedding Expo! This tented area will allow visitors to see just how beautiful a wedding and reception can be when held at Explore Park. Information will be available regarding all aspects of what this venue has to offer as well as a glimpse into The Arthur Taubman Center. This building, constructed in the mid-1990s compliments the church as the perfect addition in which to host an indoor reception. If you are interested in renting the facilities for a future event or wedding, stop by and take a look at what can be created here. Be sure to talk with any staff member to get complete details.

A unique sand sculpture will be on display in the Plaza and will be available for photo opportunities. The day would not be complete without food vendors, face painting, balloon twisting, a magician, juggler and stilt walker! Hay Rides will be available to help transport visitors from the Plaza to the historic and open areas of the park. Plenty of on- site parking is also available.

Into the Wild 5K Run and 1 mile Fun Run to save the animals and benefit Mill Mountain Zoo will be held from 10 AM – 12 noon at Explore Park. ( Please note that there will be a fee to participate in this run).Caching in on Scenery, the annual county Treasure Hunt and geocaching event will be held from 10AM-3PM for those who really would love to “explore” at Explore Park.

All Open House activities (except for the run) are FREE, courtesy of Roanoke County’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Come out on Saturday, May 10, 2014 from 10AM-5PM and experience how Explore Park can become your destination for exploration!