The “Roving Ranger,” a new mobile visitor center for Chesapeake Bay, made its inaugural voyage last weekend to Mallows Bay on the Potomac River/NPS

A new visitor center has opened for national park sites in Chesapeake Bay, but it’s different than what you expect. This one has wheels.

Last weekend, the “Roving Ranger,” a new mobile visitor center for the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, made its inaugural voyage to Mallows Bay on the Potomac River. The vehicle is the size of a delivery truck and features large images of the Chesapeake Bay on all sides.

“We're taking the low-cost concepts of the food truck phenomenon to accomplish the NPS mission,” said Joel Dunn, president and CEO of the Chesapeake Conservancy. “With this mobile visitor center, we're able to meet people where they are and reach diverse communities with the hopes of fostering a new sense of stewardship and a desire to take care of our natural, historical, and cultural resources that make the region so unique.”

The vehicle will appear at Chesapeake Trail locations and at public events and festivals around Chesapeake Bay. Providing many of the functions of a visitor center, families will be able to collect a National Park passport stamp, pick up a trail brochure and a Junior Ranger hat, participate in an interpretive ranger program, and learn about new experiences on the Chesapeake Trail.

“We’re excited to start connecting more people to the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail,” said Superintendent Chuck Hunt. “The Roving Ranger gives families an opportunity to enjoy learning about American Indian communities and the history of the Chesapeake Bay.”