University field courses
Blue Ridge Discovery Center is the ideal partner for your undergraduate and graduate field programs. Located at the foot of the highest mountains in Virginia, our historic schoolhouse offers an ideal base camp for your courses. This unique venue seamlessly blends natural beauty with functional spaces, creating an environment that inspires creativity, fosters learning, and facilitates collaboration.
Facilities
Our 17,250 sf Historic Schoolhouse includes: An Auditorium, Dining Hall, Commercial Kitchen, Natural History Library, Classroom, Outdoor Amphitheater, Bedroom Suites, Bunk Rooms.
Meal Service
Have your students or staff prepare your own meals in our commercial kitchen or BRDC provide the meal service for your course. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner menus are available. Contact us to learn more.
Natural Assets
Located at the base of Virginia’s highest mountains, our campus is surrounded by an array of globally unique ecosystems including spruce-fir forests, grassy balds, Appalachian cove forests, wetlands and bogs, shale barrens, northern hardwoods, boulder fields and more. Learn more about the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Lodging
Campus lodging options include bedroom suites, bunk rooms, a standalone cottage, and primitive camping. Please contact us to discuss lodging options.
Auditorium and
Dr. Jean Hamm Chapel
This beautiful historic chapel provides groups with an central gathering place. Lit by locally made stained glass windows, this auditorium can seat 125 guests but is setup as a flexible space that can also handle dance programs, round table discussions, weddings and more. Audio equipment along with a retractable 12’ presentation screen and projector are available.
Judge Jack and Clare MATTHEW'S Dining Hall
Featuring locally hand crafted chairs and replica solid oak dining tables, this dining hall can seat 64 individuals in family style dining. Soaring above the hall are our featured raptor silhouettes that provide guests with a sense of scale and ID markers for our migratory birds of prey.
Natural History Library
Our curated Natural History Library houses over 1,300 books dedicated to the natural sciences of the region. In this library you will find rare, historic, and local publications along with our collections of maps, artifacts, rocks, insects, furs, and more. Books are available for use by BRDC members and guests. A large meeting table along with a reading lounge make this one of the most attractive guest hangouts.
Nature Trails
With nearly 1 mile of nature trails on the BRDC Campus and the adjacent Forest Service properties there is plenty of opportunity to explore during down time. The trails engage with an educational rain garden, a frog pond, a constructed wetland, Big Laurel Creek, Della’s Branch, and native plant landscapes. These trials feature wildlife support (bird houses, cover boards, insect burrows, debris piles, perches, etc..) along with interpretative signs. Bring your binoculars and field guides when you take a meander on our trails.