Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center

05/02/2026

You otter come join us at the Rivanna RiverFest on May 9th!

https://www.rivannariver.org/rivanna-riverfest/

02/14/2026

May you find much joy on your paths today!

01/01/2026

May the new year be filled with many happy adventures and explorations- including a visit to the Center!

11/14/2025

We had a wonderful day with students from Louisa County, making maps and memories and exploring the trails and local history of the Expedition.

10/01/2025

Happy trails to everyone as we enter a new month! The Pantops Trail Stewards were at the Center today making the trails around us more accessible. It’s an ongoing project and we are grateful for their dedication as well as the continued and invaluable support of Parks and Rec. Here’s to great trails and great community!

09/19/2025

United Way’s Day of Caring is always a special day for us. This year we were overwhelmed with gratitude as UVA’s Offices of Academic Compliance and Institutional Research and Analytics spent a drizzly morning tackling some crucial projects that will make our ongoing restoration goals possible. We learned that with a power washer and positive attitude, nothing is impossible!

08/27/2025

Yay! Many big THANK YOUs to carpenter builder Michael Pleasants and to Cville Builds/Building Goodness for these beautiful new stairs to the Keelboat! Access will be more regulated and bigger groups will have a much easier time... This is Alexandria Searls, and I'm in my last week of being Executive Director of the Exploratory Center, and I'm very happy to have this project accomplished in my last week, part of a Cville Builds grant. The new Exploratory Crew taking over will be raising money for the continued renovation of the Keelboat, as well as taking on volunteer carpenters, and these stairs will make it easier for those renovations as well. The Keelboat is such an important educational resource, valuable to teachers throughout the state, and I wish everyone much success in the future as you fundraise and complete its restoration.

08/12/2025

Hi Everyone, but in particular hi to the teachers and camp leaders I've worked with over so many years. This is Alexandria Searls, who has been Executive Director at the Exploratory Center for decades and is now going off to university for a grad program in art. My resignation date as Executive Director is September 1. I have loved our field trips and activities together, our kayak explorations and our hikes. I am sad that I won't be greeting you again at the Exploratory Center, and I will remember our times together forever. Especially the schools that came every year and allowed us to renew acquaintance with the same teachers and new ones and always a new group of students. I'd love to hear about your new field trips at the Exploratory Center, and join the experience that way, or just to catch up a little. My personal email is [email protected], and my personal Facebook is also under my name. Thank you so much for all the co-teaching experiences! I learned so much from you!

08/05/2025

We're looking forward to music tonight at the Exploratory Center! We're selling tickets at the door, but if you want text ahead to see if we have any left. The number is on the flyer, and we hope to see you there!

08/03/2025

We are honored to be one of the recipients, and we are looking forward to leading teachers' workshops on programs that address literacy and environmental education.

The Community Grants program of the JLC awards grants, up to $4,000, to help non-profit community organizations meet immediate community needs.
This year we are honored to have awarded $10,000 to the following area non-profits:
-Greene County Child Care Center
-Mahogany & Friends Foundation
-IX Art Park/Soul of Cville
-Banks Collage Elite Empire
-Heart & Soul Fitness with Nicole
-Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center
-Come As You Are C'ville

To learn more about these amazing organizations and their projects, please visit us at https://www.jlcville.org/community/community-grants/