Overnight Field Trips
Give your class an unforgettable trip to Virginia's highest mountains and stay in our historic 1925 schoolhouse on the Blue Ridge Discovery Center campus. Your students will learn core SOL material in an inspiring outdoor setting through hands-on experiential programs. All meals, lodging, and instruction are covered within the cost of the program.
Lodging
Dormitory accommodations are provided for the students and accompanying staff in the recently restored Historic 1925 Schoolhouse. Upon arrival students are given their "Species Room" assessments and will sleep in bunk bed rooms with private bathrooms.
Curriculum
An individualised program and itinerary is developed in discussion with your school based on your class grade, size, goals, and the season. All of our programs align with your state SOLs and are led by highly educated staff who provide hands-on experiential learning that exponentially increases the absorption of the lessons.
Meal Service
Hot nutritious food is served at every meal in "family style dining". Sitting in locally handmade chairs and tables, students are led by a table captain passing serving dishes in a circle. Dishes are cleared by the captain with students separating food scraps for composting and waste. The BRDC is a nut-free facility and diet accommodations can be made for food allergies and gluten sensitivity.
Campus
Our 12-acre campus, nestled at the base of Virginia’s highest mountains and bordering the National Forest, provides an ideal setting for outdoor learning. At the heart of our campus is the 17,250 square foot Historic 1925 Schoolhouse, which includes dormitories for up to 70 guests, a dining hall, library, classrooms, auditorium, and an infirmary. The schoolhouse entrance features an educational rain garden, a 150 seat stone amphitheater graces the back, and a two story slide exits from the dorms. The campus also offers woodland and streamside trails that wind through lush wetlands, across boardwalks, past a picnic pavilion, and along the tumbling Whitetop-Laurel Creek.
Partnership with the United States Forest Service provides educational access to some of the most scenic mountains in Virginia including the Appalachian Trail, Whitetop Mountain, Elk Garden and more!
Overnight Field Trips
Our 12-acre campus, nestled at the base of Virginia’s highest mountains and bordering the National Forest, provides an ideal setting for experiential learning. At the heart of our campus is the 17,250sf historic 1925 Schoolhouse, which includes dormitories for up to 70 guests, a dining hall, library, classrooms, a historic chapel, and an infirmary. The schoolhouse entrance features an educational rain garden, a stone amphitheater graces the back, and a two story slide exits from the dorms. The campus also offers woodland and streamside trails that wind through wetlands, across boardwalks, past a pavilion, and along the scenic Whitetop-Laurel Creek.
The primary function of BRDC revolves around education. We believe that hands-on activities in the field are the most powerful way to reach students. Our residential education programs are multi- day, multi-season, and even multi-year engagements. By providing long-term experiential learning, the opportunity for powerful impact on the region is greatly increased.
The facility features overnight accommodations for a maximum of 70 individuals. This includes a dining hall serviced by a commercial kitchen, a classroom, library with over 1500 books, dormitories, and auditorium. Students traveling from afar will participate in multi-day programming that covers a variety of natural history subjects. With the Center acting as a base camp, students will have the opportunity to prepare for excursions using a variety of resources including the library, meeting hall, and specimen collections. After field explorations to various regional natural assets, students will return to basecamp to document findings, reflect on the experiences, and share their discoveries with others. Interest-driven programming combined with experiential learning and a mentoring environment provide a powerful education lesson that develops independent, critical thinking skills.
Beyond providing this service to students, the Center will have the capacity to host a variety of events including regional conferences, weddings, fundraisers, and community programs. Each year BRDC hosts the Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally in every season. The Spring Naturalist Rally is now going on its 50th year and was originally founded at the Konnarock Girls Training School in the early 1970’s. Bringing this event back to this facility and combining it with overnight accommodations will double the impact.
Blue Ridge Discovery Center works with regional schools to provide residential education programs throughout the year. Through these overnight programs, we provide immersive, hands-on, and experiential activities to youth from 5th through 12th grade. Our renovated 17,000 sq ft Schoolhouse provides the perfect environment for nature education with all the comforts of home. Our programs consist of dendrology, herpetology, phenology, stream ecology, nature journaling, birding, and much more! Contact us if you are interested in having us partner with your school or work with your specific class through residential education.