NC State’s 4-H program maintains facilities in picturesque outdoor settings that students, staff and faculty can use for team building, training, conferences and workshops.
The facilities are located in distinct regions of the state on wooded waterfront land. They boast conference rooms, dining halls, lodging and a variety of outdoor activities, including low and high challenge courses, ziplines, archery, canoeing, kayaking and rock-climbing walls.
“Magic happens in the outdoors that you can’t get in a conference center or a hotel,” said David Herpy, a 4-H camping specialist. “It’s unique.”
Herpy noted that COVID-19 made it difficult for teams to get together for team-building exercises or to enjoy themselves. Now that state and federal officials have lifted many of the COVID-19 restrictions that were in place more than a year ago, Herpy encourages units to bring their teams to one of 4-H’s facilities. The facilities are following NC State’s COVID-19 protocols, which require the use of face coverings inside buildings.
“The past year and a half-plus was very challenging for everyone,” Herpy said. “Our teams have been working remotely and connecting digitally through Zoom. This is a great opportunity as things come back to normal for folks who are comfortable getting together face to face.”
Here are more details about each facility:
Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center
Located north of Greensboro in Reidsville, this facility includes a multipurpose conference room, a recreation hall and eight heated cabins that accommodate up to 26 people each. Your team also can enjoy the on-site boardwalk, 22-acre lake and hiking trails.
Eastern 4-H Center
This resort-like facility with hotel-style rooms is near the Outer Banks in Columbia. “From a business-professional standpoint, for folks who don’t want to sleep in cabins and bunk beds, this would be great,” Herpy said.
Millstone 4-H Camp
This camp opened in 1939 and is the oldest of the three 4-H facilities. The site is the hub for 4-H’s shooting sports program. It also is the home of the State Employees Credit Union 4-H History and Learning Center, a $1.5 million privately funded conference center that includes the Cole Foundation Auditorium that seats about 150 people. Millstone is located in the Sandhills region in Ellerbe.
Contact Information for 4-H Centers
For general information about 4-H centers, contact David Herpy, 4-H camping specialist, at 919-515-8483 or djherpy@ncsu.edu.
For specific information about each 4-H center, including rental costs, contact a team member at the centers:
Stacy Burns, director, Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center
336-349-9445 or stacy_burns@ncsu.edu
Sara Lilley Phelps, marketing director, Eastern 4-H Center
252-797-4800 or slphelps@ncsu.edu
Keith Russell, director, Millstone 4-H Camp
910-652-5905 or hkrussel@ncsu.edu
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