General info | Location | Conference building | Lodging | Event planning | Area attractions | History | Park photos

General information: Deep in the heart of rural Prince Edward County and less than an hour's drive from Richmond, Cedar Crest Conference Center offers state of the art meeting and retreat facilities in a natural, secluded setting. Located within Twin Lakes State Park, guests can enjoy many recreational and cultural opportunities, including fishing, hiking, boating, and historical and educational programs. Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historical State Park and High Bridge Trail State Park are also nearby.

Whether planning a small meeting, management retreat, company picnic, wedding or family reunion, Cedar Crest Conference Center offers extraordinary value, modern facilities and stunning scenery. A full array of audiovisual equipment is available free of charge. Package plans are available, and event planners are eager to help.

Click here to download a brochure describing the center.

Location: Cedar Crest Conference Center is located in Twin Lakes State Park in Green Bay, Va. From Richmond, follow Route 360 West four miles past Burkeville. Take a right on Twin Lakes Road (Rt. 621). Follow Twin Lakes Road approximately one mile, and take a left on Cedar Crest Road (Rt. 697). The conference center office is about half a mile down the road on the right at 22 Cedar Crest Road). Click here for a Google map.

Conference building: Cedar Crest Conference Center has three conference rooms. Doswell Hall, the largest, can seat up to 130. The smaller two rooms, Hurt and Latham, can accommodate up to 35.

Lodging: There are overnight accommodations for up to 48 people at Cedar Crest Conference Center. Six cabins sleep up to six guests each, the Martin Cottage sleeps four, and the Hill Lodge sleeps eight. Lodging includes linens, climate control, and full kitchens complete with microwaves, toasters and coffee makers. Six of the cottages have fireplaces.

Event planning: Conference center planners will gladly offer customized, turnkey packages covering meeting space and lodging. The center also has a caterer list available on request. Call 434-767-2398 for food service information or free event planning services.

Area attractions: The last major battle of the Civil War took place at Sailor's Creek in nearby Rice, Va. Sailor's Creek Historical Battlefield State Park and the many other sites on the Lee's Retreat Driving Tour allow visitors an opportunity to re-visit the final days of the Civil War at their own pace in the comfort of their own vehicle. The newly opened High Bridge Trail State Park, which is a rails-to-trails park, is nearby and offers miles of multi-use trail. Twin Lakes State Park offers many recreational opportunities including boat rentals, hiking, fishing, swimming in season, camping and educational programs. Nearby Prince Edward - Gallion State Forest offers hunting and other outdoor recreation. Be sure to check out the Prince Edward - Gallion Multi-Use Trail that's suitable for hiking, biking or equestrian use. Farmville, Va., offers several convenience stores and restaurants, as well as a full compliment of grocery and general merchandise stores. The Crewe-Burkeville area offers similar but limited services in a quaint, small town setting. While in Crewe, visit the free Crewe Historic Railroad Park. The park is in Prince Edward County.

History: Cedar Crest Conference Center is on the site of the former Prince Edward State Park for Negroes. In 1948, during an era of rigidly enforced racial segregation in the South, an African-American named M. Conrad Martin was denied admission to Staunton River State Park. Represented by Oliver Hill, Martin, who was a prominent banker from Danville, Va., then filed suit to challenge the validity of the commonwealth's policy for providing state parks only for whites. This legal challenge led to a decision by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Development to expand facilities at an existing recreation area for African-Americans in Prince Edward County and turn it into a full fledged state park. In January 1949, Gov. William Tuck wrote a special appropriation totaling $195,000 for development of the new Prince Edward State Park for Negroes. The new park was opened to the public in June 1950, making it Virginia's eighth state park.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation. However, Prince Edward State Park and nearby Goodwin Lake recreational facility continued to operate separately until they merged in 1976. The resulting Prince Edward-Goodwin Lake State Park was renamed Twin Lakes State Park in 1986, and the concept of an overnight conference facility on the Prince Edward site came to fruition.

Historical displays in the lobby of the conference center as well as themed rooms and lodgings offer a glimpse into the site's history.