Dating from the Miocene Epoch - approximately 15 to 6 million years ago, the Stratford Cliffs are part of a rare geological phenomenon ranking among the most important fossil research sites in the Mid-Atlantic region. Whether you are a seasoned collector, or this is your first experience, Stratford Hall is the place for you! Spend a day hunting for fossils along the shores of the Potomac River, explore the Stratford Cliffs, and enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the great outdoors.
Excursions are rated at a moderately strenuous to strenuous activity level requiring long periods of walking, hiking, standing, stooping, and bending. If you wish to access the further extremities of the beach, this will include climbing over or under washed up debris or felled trees. Minimum age requirement for all fossil hunting excursions is 8 years old. Any participant under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult.
Event Dates:
Saturday, May 31 (Registration opens May 1)
Sunday, June 29 (Registration opens June 1)
Sunday, July 13 (Registration opens June 15)
Sunday, August 24 (Registration opens August 1)
Sunday, September 28 (Registration opens September 1)
Saturday, October 11 (Registration opens September 13)
Event Time: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Cost: $40 per adults and $35 per child (ages 8 to 13)
Age requirements: 8+ years of age; All participants under 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult
Availability: 40 slots per excursion
Fossil hunting excursions are weather dependent activities and Stratford Hall reserves the right to cancel excursions at any time. A full refund will be given unless the cancellation is due to inclement weather, in which case a reschedule date will be provided. All participant cancellations require a 48-hour email notice before the excursion takes place. Absence from an excursion is nonrefundable. Refunds are the sole discretion of Stratford Hall and will be considered in such cases where there is an illness or emergency. All requests for refunds must be submitted in writing to Mary Bowman at mbowman@stratfordhall.org.
Pre-registration and pre-payment are required for all Stratford Hall fossil hunting excursions. Registration for each trip will open approximately one month in advance. To register, please visit our website at www.stratfordhall.org. Under the Events tab, click on Events Calendar, then scroll down until you find the fossil excursion. Registration will open at 12 AM on the specified date for each excursion.
Additional information will be provided via email prior to your visit. Please contact Mary Bowman at mbowman@stratfordhall.org with any questions regarding Stratford Hall’s fossil hunting excursions.
Stratford Hall brings together people from around the world to experience two-thousand acres of natural and human history, preserved and presented so that we can all learn from the courageous struggles of our ancestors, taking inspiration both from what they endured and what they accomplished. There are few places in America where people can travel down small, rural roads to arrive at a vast site that preserves so many aspects of early-American life, from the Great House where the influential Lee family helped to forge a new nation, to the fields worked by enslaved Africans, to the waters of the rivers that fueled trade, to the ground, which still yields secrets about the people and animals that lived before.
Come experience this extraordinary place and learn about a layered history that began millions of years ago - a history that continues to educate, inspire, and influence Americans to the present day.
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