Mountain Lake Biological Station Is Open for Office Retreats and Other Activities

Lewis Hall entrance with trees  growing in front and bright green grass

Lewis Hall, at Mountain Lake Biological Station

Are you looking for a great place to get away for an office retreat or get-together or to hold a class or workshop? U.Va.’s Mountain Lake Biological Station could be just the place, and it’s not just for scientists.

Located on 650 pristine acres in Southwest Virginia, about 20 minutes northwest of Blacksburg, it's a mini-Academical Village with its own Lawn – at 3,800 feet in elevation.

The station has rustic and modern cabins, apartments and dorms for overnight stays, classrooms and meeting rooms with projection equipment, a full-service computer lab, a library, outdoor pavilion, a 100-person auditorium, kitchen facilities, audio-visual equipment and free open-access Wi-Fi.

The facilities are available as an inexpensive escape hatch for U.Va. groups. During the academic year rent on cottages is free, the kitchen facilities can be rented or meal service arranged through the station’s caterer, and other needs can be accommodated on a case-by-case basis.

“We’ve got a gem here on this mountain, and we want more of the University community to come and see that it’s not just for scientists,” said Butch Brodie, a professor of biology in the College of Arts & Sciences and director of the station. He is leading an effort to encourage a range of groups to make use of the facility, not just in the summer, but also in the September-through-May “off-season.”

“It’s a welcoming environment, an intellectually stimulating place in a beautiful setting where creative people can learn, make discoveries and bring their families.”

The station is an ideal venue for day and overnight use by classes and groups for field trips, conferences and retreats – for a unique, pleasant and productive experience. Removed from the distractions of the busy world, Mountain Lake helps guests achieve focus in the cool mountain air.

Plus recreational facilities include a swimming pond and beach, sand volleyball court, grass volleyball court, campfire circle, pavilion fireplace and home-style theater in the auditorium.

And the station is in an area of great natural beauty, with hiking trails at the station and close access to streams and rivers and trails in the Thomas Jefferson National Forest. Plus Blacksburg is less than half an hour away with plenty of dining and entertainment.

For more information, visit www.mlbs.org and http://news.virginia.edu/content/mountain-lake-biological-station-offer…. To arrange a visit or retreat, call 434-982-5486 or send an email to mlbs@virginia.edu.

Mountain Lake Biological station is three hours by car from Charlottesville.

Media Contact

Fariss Samarrai

Office of University Communications