Nestled in the hills of Clarke County, Blandy Experimental Farm is a 712-acre environmental science field station operated by the University of Virginia. Affiliated with the university’s Department of Environmental Sciences, the farm has three research professors stationed there full-time. “Although ‘farm’ is in our name, agriculture is not a primary focus at Blandy,” explains Director Dr. David E. Carr. “Blandy’s mission is to increase our understanding of the natural world through research and education. We provide research training in the environmental sciences for undergraduate and graduate students and support the research of faculty from UVA and other universities.” Blandy is also home to the State Arboretum of Virginia, which includes more than 5,000 specimens. It’s free and open to the public from dawn until dusk, 365 days a year. Blandy.Virginia.edu
Participating in public programming at Blandy. Photo by Lori Cooper
This article originally appeared in the Best of Virginia 2025 issue.
