MISSION: Located on the banks of the Rivanna River in Darden Towe Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center is a hands-on center focusing on the historic expedition as a gateway for learning about history, exploration, transportation, the arts, science, the natural environment, and native cultures.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: We acknowledge the Monacan Indian Nation, the people who occupied and stewarded the mountains, fields, and rivers of Charlottesville, including where the Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center now stands. We actively seek to listen to Native people about the Lewis & Clark Expedition and its impact on the Native people of this area, as well as Native peoples from other communities, to develop a more expansive understanding of the true impact of the expedition. With respect and humility, we acknowledge the Monacan Indian Nation’s elders and knowledge-keepers of the past, present, and future.
Program Information
Our hands-on activities and our exhibitions relate to inspiring curiosity and exploration, while showing respect for the environment and for varying viewpoints. We lead art projects for both children and adults as a way to interpret history, the environment, and science, using the Lewis and Clark journals as inspiration, journals that included drawings, written accounts, and mapmaking. Art that involves carpentry is also a focus. Carpentry projects have included boats as art installations and 3-D mapmaking.
The Lewis & Clark Expedition (1804-1806) was led by Meriwether Lewis, who was born in Albemarle County, and by William Clark, whose family lived for years in Albemarle County on land adjacent to the Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center site. We explore their local roots as well as their national journey. Beginning with the Rivanna River, and ending with the Columbia, we examine the histories of the rivers that are part of the histories of the Expedition.
A variety of interactive programs allow visitors to question history and form their own opinions based on primary source documents and objects.
Board Officers:
Malou Stark, President
Dan Mahon, Vice President
Valerie L’Herrou, Treasurer
Eileen Akers, Secretary
Sally Thomas, Immediate Past President
Members of the Board:
Diana Amatucci
Brooke Asher
Bob Fenwick
Landon Fishburne
Sarah Gran
Deborah McLeod
Executive Director: Alexandria Searls
Director of Programs: Becky Gildersleeve
The Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center is a 501 (c) (3) corporation. All contributions are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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