Planning a meeting in a Virginia State Park is easier than you think
For conferences, meetings, banquets and retreats, Virginia State Parks are the natural choice. Leave behind the impersonal meeting rooms in generic glass and steel buildings and take advantage of one of Virginia's best-kept secrets.
From state-of-the-art meeting space at Hungry Mother State Park's Hemlock Haven Conference Center to the cozy Stewart Room of the Jones-Stewart Mansion at Chippokes Plantation State Park, Virginia State Parks can accommodate various group sizes in facilities across the state.
If you're planning an event for 375, a retreat for 250 or a meeting with three people, the serenity of a Virginia State Park is the natural choice to escape the noise and distraction of the day-to-day routine. Our affordable, comfortable accommodations, helpful staff and beautiful locations will make your next event memorable and unique.
Depending on the park and season, guests using meeting facilities also can enjoy all the park has to offer, including swimming, hiking, boating and many more activities. So the next time you're making plans for business or pleasure, look no farther than a Virginia State Park.
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Hemlock Haven's banquet services can accommodate up to 250 guests. |
Nationally acclaimed Hemlock Haven Conference Center at Hungry Mother State Park is the park system's largest full-service meeting facility. Hidden in hemlock-shaded mountains of southwestern Virginia, Hemlock Haven offers meeting space, lodging, audiovisual equipment and a wide variety of seasonal activities like swimming and tennis as well as group activities like softball, basketball and volleyball.
Hemlock Haven accommodates 375 people for a reception and has banquet services for up to 250. Overnight accommodations for 78 people are available in comfortable lodges and cabins. Twenty additional cabins elsewhere in the park may be available, and Hungry Mother Lodge can provide overnight accommodations for 16.
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| Nestled in the woods, Cedar Crest overlooks a picturesque lake. |
Nestled on the banks of Prince Edward Lake, Cedar Crest Conference Center is a central Virginia tradition. Historic Twin Lakes State Park is just a short scenic drive from Richmond, Appomattox and Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historic State Park.
Cedar Crest offers meeting space in a quaint setting for up to 90 people, overnight accommodations for 50 in eight cabins as well as a 20-site campground. The open lawn, audiovisual equipment, spacious deck, swimming and a lakeside gazebo make Cedar Crest right for any occasion.
Click here to download a brochure describing the center (PDF).
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| The Water's Edge Meeting Facility offers a great view. |
The Water’s Edge Meeting Facility at Claytor Lake State Park offers a beautiful setting for weddings, reunions, meetings and other special events. The meeting room overlooks the lake and has a scenic view from the water’s edge. It can accommodate up to 125 people. There is a warming kitchen equipped with a refrigerator, freezer, warmer and microwave-convection oven. Audiovisual equipment can be rented. Claytor Lake is about two miles from Interstate 81 and offers fishing, swimming, hiking and camping for a memorable outdoor experience. Claytor Lake also has 110 campsites, 3 lodges, 13 cabins and 110 campsites that can be rented.
Less than 45 minutes south of Richmond, the Algonquin Ecology Center in Pocahontas State Park is perfect for a group retreat. Come back to summer camp where the rustic cabins, shared restrooms and group dining hall can handle up to 112 people. Group Camp III also offers very basic group camping and dining.
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| And when it's time for a break, our parks have plenty to do. |
Pocahontas offers fishing, swimming, hiking, canoes and everything that makes camping fun. A campground elsewhere in the park is available on a site-by-site basis.
The Heritage Center accommodates 150 people and can be divided into three smaller meeting rooms. The Heritage Center is just a short stroll from the park's Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, and with modern conveniences and state of the art audiovisual equipment, this is an ideal location for any type of meeting. The Heritage Center Amphitheater is a full-size outdoor stage and can seat up to 5,000.
Following the north shore of the beautiful Rappahannock River and bordering Deep and Mulberry creeks, Belle Isle State Park hosts diverse tidal and non-tidal wetlands, lowland marshes, tidal coves and upland forests.
The guesthouse sleeps eight, and the Pollard House comfortably sleeps six. Meeting space and kitchen facilities are available for from 24 to 40 people. Park grounds are perfect for picnics and relaxing strolls.
The Victorian Parlor of the Southwest Virginia Museum is a popular setting for business and club meetings, seminars, training and socials. The Victorian setting with modern conveniences can accommodate up to 50 people. The museum exhibits upstairs make meetings in the Victorian Parlor extra special.
One of the best areas in Virginia to sight eagles as they soar majestically, overlooking the Potomac River and bordering the former homes of both George Washington and Robert E. Lee on the Northern Neck, Westmoreland State Park is less than two hours away from Washington, D.C., and Richmond.
The Potomac River Retreat accommodates 15 people overnight and can host up to 40 people for meetings. The park has 26 cabins for comfortable and quiet overnight visits.
You'll also find the Westmoreland Conference Center at this park. It seats 60 and has a warm fireplace, screened-in porth, spacious deck and small stage. Still a "work in progress," there's a refridgerator, microwave and large sink. It's closed from November through March. A list of nearby caterers is available on requets.
Minutes from Clifton Forge and Interstate 64, historic Douthat State Park has everything you'd expect in the Allegheny Mountains. Mountain hiking trails, stunning views, swimming, fishing and more are just a short walk away. Two meeting rooms, one seating 50 people and the other 15, can be used for retreats and lectures. The smaller meeting area over the park's beach bathhouse is ideal for meetings in the fall, winter or spring. Douthat Lodge and Creasey Lodge can accommodate up to 33 people, and the park has 30 cabins.
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| Be sure to see the small stones after which Fairy Stone State Park is named. |
You'll find this special conference center in one of Virginia's oldest state parks, Fairy Stone State Park, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.
The CCC bunkhouse has been converted to a five-bedroom, three-bath, split-level lodge. Featuring a large fireplace in the living room and a modern kitchen, the Fairy Stone Lodge accommodates up to 16. The park's old restaurant recently reopened as a modern conference facility with a catering kitchen and room for more than 200.
Fairy Stone also has 51 campsites, eight log cabins, part of the original facilities built by the CCC and 16 additional cabins. One of the largest state parks, Fairy Stone offers guided nature hikes and fairy stone hunts, a swimming beach and bathhouse, bicycle and hiking trails, picnic shelters, a boat ramp, rowboats, canoes, paddle boats and a universally accessible fishing area.
One of the oldest farms in Virginia, Chippokes Plantation State Park is just a ferry ride across the James River from historic Jamestown and Williamsburg. With three cottages sleeping 12, a conference shelter seating 50, and a 45-site campground, Chippokes is perfect for any special occasion. The grounds of the Jones-Stewart Mansion are a favorite for parties, and the Stewart room can seat up to 24 for meetings.
Environmental centers, multi-use facilities
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| The Cove Ridge Center is great for workshops, retreats and meetings - all in a stress-free, natural setting. |
From the mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, Virginia State Parks offer environmental education centers for an hour or a night. With dorm style sleeping for up to 22 people, a kitchen, meeting room, audiovisual equipment and much more, our environmental centers are a great place to learn about Virginia's environment or host a special retreat or seminar. The two multi-use environmental centers are:
Cove Ridge Center
Natural Tunnel State Park
Scott CountyWash Woods Environmental Education Center
False Cape State Park
Virginia Beach
This unique park in Breaks, Va., has something for everyone. The Rhododendron Restaurant can accommodate and cater meetings and seminars, and the park offers a 34-unit lodge, two-bedroom, fully equipped cottages, a pool, a lake, horseback riding, an amphitheater and many other ways to recreate and enjoy the great outdoors. For more information about Breaks Interstate Park, call 1-800-982-5122.
Many state parks make visitor center meeting rooms available. A mountain estate, an ocean side, or even a historical site, all these and more make a Virginia State Park the natural choice for your next meeting. Meeting rooms are available in Caledon Natural Area, First Landing State Park, Leesylvania State Park, Mason Neck State Park, Sky Meadows State Park and Staunton River Battlefield State Park.
Picnic shelters and gazebos are available at most parks for family reunions, company picnics or any special outdoor gathering. When not reserved, most shelters are available year-round free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.
A state parks reservations counselor will help with all your reservation needs. State agencies receive a special discount and, no matter where you are in the commonwealth, you're never more than an hour away from a Virginia State Park. Just call 1-800-933-PARK.
