Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center

The Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center is a place where children and adults are encouraged to explore! We have many art, history, and nature programs based on the skills of exploration, as well as exciting workshops, activity stations, history games, and challenges. We are a destination for field trips throughout the state, as we examine both the historical Lewis & Clark Expedition and the modern methods and goals of exploration.

If the times listed on our Eventbrite pages don't suit your schedule, we are happy to make reservations for other times. Just email us at lcecvirginia@gmail.com to find out other available times. You can also call us at 434-996-7282. (Our phone is turned off during tours, but we will get back to you as soon as possible.)

Charlottesville is an important part of the history of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Meriwether Lewis was born in Ivy, near Charlottesville, and his relatives lived in the shelter of the Southwest Mountains where the Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center is also located. William Clark's family once owned the land where the Center was built, and his older brother George Rogers Clark was born in a small cabin nearby. We are located off the beautiful Rivanna River, which was travelled by Thomas Jefferson, whose Monticello is only a 30 minute kayak or canoe ride downstream from our river launch. Criss-crossing trails fan out from the Center and along the river.

We tell the local story with both our signature and premium history tours. These tours include boarding full-size replica boats and examining our inside exhibits, some donated to us by the Lewis family. Our Annual Portable Feast, a dinner featuring historical recipes, happens in the fall.