Outdoor Education Facilities

The W.E. Skelton 4-H Educational Conference Center is located near Wirtz, Virginia along the shores of Smith Mountain Lake and in the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains.  Our classrooms are 120 acres of streams, wooded forests, wildlife and mountain views right on Smith Mountain Lake.  Only 45 minutes from downtown Roanoke, our beautiful property is unparalleled and perfect for outdoor education programming. 

The James A. Meador Center, a completely sustainable building completed in 2000, is the heart of the Outdoor Education program.  Boasting an array of environmental concepts, the Meador Center uses solar and geothermal energy and hosts a wide variety of interactive exhibits and classrooms.  Truly innovative, it is a building that “thinks” for itself. 

• The JOCO Learning Center is located at the front of the campus and features:
  • Two (2) small classrooms with seating for eighteen (18) in each
  • A large meeting room with seating for fifty (50)
  • A Multimedia lab featuring four (4) Dell Desktop computers equipped with professional video and photo editing software as well as DVD/CD mass duplication abilities
  • A newly renovated and state-of-the-art computer lab featuring twenty (20) Dell desktop computers, an instructor's station, LCD projector and SMARTboard. Current software includes Microsoft XP, Office, Photoshop, Frontpage and more.
• The Meador Nature Center is a beautiful facility located on the waterfront and is an excellent setting for environmental education and related meetings. An aquatics classroom (seating for 20), a forestry classroom (seating for 20), and an atrium area complete with live animal exhibits (snakes, turtles, fish, frogs, etc.).
• The Challenge Course is nestled in the woods, a short walk from the main areas of campus. Perfect for groups looking to improve their ability to work as a team, improve communication, and simply learn more about each other, the Challenge Course features a Low Ropes Course and a Climbing Tower. They can be scheduled individually or together.
• Outdoor Instructional Areas include several miles of nature trails, a Riparian Buffer, fields, forests, shorelines, and more...perfect for the naturalist in you!

W. E. Skelton 4-H Educational Conference Center | 540.721.2759 | Skelton4H@vt.edu