About
Clifton Institute Education Programs include field trips, K–12 field trips, youth hikes, family nature walks, guided walks, guided tours, and public programs. The programs also include college and university programs, internships, adult programs, natural history lectures, workshops, volunteer days, and videos on a YouTube channel that feature activities for kids, silly songs, talks for adults, and nature journaling inspiration.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Office hours Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00–16:00
• Price: You can become a Friend with a minimum annual donation of $40.
The mission of Clifton Institute Education Programs is to inspire a deeper understanding and appreciation of nature, to study the ecology of the region, to restore habitat, and to conserve native biodiversity. The Clifton Institute was founded as The International Academy for Preventive Medicine in 1985, and the organization’s name was changed to the Clifton Institute in 2011. Construction on the farmhouse associated with the program began in 1817 and on the cabin in 1820, and the construction dates were determined by dendrochronology of framing timbers. In 2023 the Fauquier County Architectural Review Board presented the organization with the Fauquier County Award for Preservation Excellence for work to conserve the cabin. The organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and works with high school students, college students, university professors, community members, and government entities to conduct research on the ecology and evolution of species that live on the property. Intern Danielle Cross helps run an education program about vernal pools. The programs take place at a 900-acre field station that is permanently protected under a conservation easement and includes forests, grasslands, shrub fields, and wetlands, and the organization has a major project started in 2019 to restore 100 acres of pastures to a native grassland and a goal to catalogue every species that occurs on the 900-acre property. The farmhouse and cabin connected to the programs have an unusual peach paint color inspired by the color of Little Bluestem in the winter. Friends of the Clifton Institute can explore trails on Saturdays from mid-January to mid-October.
Last updated January 20, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Office hours Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00–16:00
• Price: You can become a Friend with a minimum annual donation of $40.
The mission of Clifton Institute Education Programs is to inspire a deeper understanding and appreciation of nature, to study the ecology of the region, to restore habitat, and to conserve native biodiversity. The Clifton Institute was founded as The International Academy for Preventive Medicine in 1985, and the organization’s name was changed to the Clifton Institute in 2011. Construction on the farmhouse associated with the program began in 1817 and on the cabin in 1820, and the construction dates were determined by dendrochronology of framing timbers. In 2023 the Fauquier County Architectural Review Board presented the organization with the Fauquier County Award for Preservation Excellence for work to conserve the cabin. The organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and works with high school students, college students, university professors, community members, and government entities to conduct research on the ecology and evolution of species that live on the property. Intern Danielle Cross helps run an education program about vernal pools. The programs take place at a 900-acre field station that is permanently protected under a conservation easement and includes forests, grasslands, shrub fields, and wetlands, and the organization has a major project started in 2019 to restore 100 acres of pastures to a native grassland and a goal to catalogue every species that occurs on the 900-acre property. The farmhouse and cabin connected to the programs have an unusual peach paint color inspired by the color of Little Bluestem in the winter. Friends of the Clifton Institute can explore trails on Saturdays from mid-January to mid-October.
Last updated January 20, 2026.
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