Our Campus & Story

Our school’s location on an 30 acre farm supplements the curriculum by providing our students with the opportunity to develop connection to the natural world, and a love of outdoor adventure.

A classroom with a wooden ceiling and floor, yellow chairs lined up along a whiteboard, large TV, whiteboard on a stand, window, and various classroom supplies.

Sign for Woodson Branch Nature School with green background and brown and beige text, surrounded by grass, bushes, and a tree, under a wooden and metal roof.

A gravel pathway winding through a rural area with green hills and trees in the background, a small wooden shed on the left, and a larger wooden building with sliding doors on the right.

Wooden community plaything box on wheels with a metal strap that reads "community playthings," set outdoors on dirt ground with some grass and nearby tires and a yellow slide.

Interior of a cozy room with a wooden ceiling, a small seating area with blue couches, a bookshelf, artwork, a clock, and an exit door, with sunlight coming through the window.

A rustic outdoor playground with a wooden ramp, a slide, and painted wooden panels with cloud designs, surrounded by trees.

A woven wooden fence along the edge of a grassy yard with green trees in the background.

A farm landscape with rows of vegetables and flowers, green hills in the background, and partly cloudy sky.

Front porch of a rustic log cabin with a metal roof, wooden beams, and empty gray cubby shelves outside, with mountains and partly cloudy sky in the background.

Backyard of a white house with a deck and a woodpile, shaded by a tan sail shade, with a wooded hillside in the background.

Wooden deck under construction with exposed roof trusses, a two-tier wooden railing, and a gravel ground with a wooden bench in the foreground.

A colorful painting of a garden with various flowers and mushrooms, set outdoors on a wooden stand amid tall grass and wildflowers under a partly cloudy sky.

View of a wooden deck under construction with a pergola-style roof and horizontal railing, surrounded by trees, and a gravel ground with a wooden bench in the foreground.

A small outdoor bookshelf with a red roof mounted on a wooden post next to a wooden fence and green grass.

A rural scene with two wooden buildings, one larger log cabin-style with small windows and a porch, and a smaller shed with double doors and a metal roof. Surrounding green hills and a sky with scattered clouds are visible in the background.

White house with a front porch, black decorative columns, and a large beige fabric shade sail above the porch, surrounded by green trees and a grassy lawn.

Rustic wooden barn interior with chairs arranged in a circle, a wooden table with a fire pit, string lights, a sign that says 'Woodson Branch', a white curtain on the left, and an open doorway leading outside to green trees.

Outdoor area with gravel ground, wooden fence with four small pizza ovens, outdoor bar or grilling station with stone oven, wooden shed, and surrounding trees and greenery.

White house with a front porch, black shutters, and a chimney, surrounded by trees and a well-kept lawn with flower beds and a paved walkway.

A rustic wooden barn with a sign saying 'WBNS' on the front, set outdoors with picnic tables and umbrellas nearby, surrounded by greenery and trees, under a cloudy sky.

Woodson Ranch Nature School sign on a grassy area with trees and bushes in the background.

An empty classroom with wooden ceiling and floors, green chairs, whiteboards, a flat-screen TV, and classroom supplies.

Old woven wooden and twig fence along a grassy yard with dense green bushes and trees in the background.

The front porch of a log cabin with a wooden deck, three vertical logs supporting the roof, and two white cubby shelves, with a mountain landscape in the background.

A weathered wooden playground with a slide, climbing ramp, and painted wooden panels outdoors in a wooded area.

Gravel path in rural countryside with wooden structures, green trees, and a mountain in the background under cloudy sky.

Colorful outdoor sign with painted flowers and a starry sky background located in a grassy field with cloudy sky overhead.

Interior space with wooden ceiling, small seating area with two blue couches, bookshelf, potted plant, wall art, and an exit door with window, including a large black cabinet and a colorful ball on top.

A lush farm with rows of various vegetables and flowers, green hills in the background, and a partly cloudy sky.

Outdoor pizza kitchen with three charcoal grills, a wood-fired oven, and a small wooden hut, surrounded by gravel ground and greenery in the background.

Backyard with a white house, a woodpile under a small shed, a gravel ground, and a large tan shade sail overhead. There is a wooden fence and a small shed on the left.

A wooden play cart with two wheels and an open top, labeled 'community playthings,' situated on dirt ground with grass and small plants.

A circular arrangement of chairs inside a rustic barn with a wooden sign overhead reading 'Woodson Braich,' string lights hanging on the left, and a wooden table in the center with a ring around a tire underneath.

A rustic scene with a small wooden building and a shed set against a hillside covered with trees, with a partly cloudy sky overhead.

A small outdoor public book exchange cabinet mounted on a wooden post in front of a weathered wooden fence, with books inside visible through the glass door and a red metal roof overhead.

A white house with a porch, surrounded by green trees and a well-maintained lawn with flower beds.

A rustic wooden barn with seating and umbrellas outside, cloudy sky, and trees in the background.

White house with a porch and black decorative columns, surrounded by greenery and trees. A large beige sunshade drapes over the porch area, with a lawn and a concrete pathway visible in the foreground.

Just 10-minutes outside of Hot Springs, NC | Where the Appalachian Trail & the French Broad River meet!

Rolling Hills

Established Blueberry Orchard
Apple Trees
Pasture
Indoor Classrooms

1800 Sq Ft., 2-Story Tobacco Barn

Pristine Forest with Trails
Three Creeks
Multiple Waterfalls Bordering a National Forest.
Outdoor Classrooms

Three young boys playing and showing mud-covered hands in a wooded outdoor area near a small creek.

The Woodson Branch Nature School campus hums with the rhythm of the land — deer tread softly through forest clearings, red-tailed hawks circle above open meadows, and the gentle flow of Spring Creek winds past the learning spaces, teeming with salamanders, minnows, and dragonflies. Nestled in the rolling hills of Western North Carolina, the school is surrounded by ancient Appalachian forests of rhododendron, maple, and white pine. Children build forts beneath the canopy, trace animal tracks in the mud, and gather around the warmth of an outdoor fire circle as the seasons shift. Each day begins with a walk through the morning mist, where the songs of birds blend with the laughter of students. Here, among garden beds, hand-built structures, and trails that weave through woodland and pasture, children don’t just learn about nature—they belong to it. This deep connection fosters resilience, creativity, and confidence as they grow into capable, compassionate stewards of their communities and the wider world.

Our Farm

Woodson Branch Nature School is part of the Madison County Community Learning Centers (MCCLC), a vibrant hub for hands-on, land-based education rooted in the Appalachian mountains. Situated on 30+ acres of forest, pasture, and creekside habitat, the campus features an active micro-farm with chickens, goats, gardens, and seasonal crops that students help tend. The farm and forest are fully integrated into the school’s curriculum, providing daily opportunities for experiential learning in ecology, sustainability, and homesteading skills. Families are invited to join in harvest days, seasonal festivals, and volunteer workdays, creating a strong sense of community connection. MCCLC is dedicated to growing confident, capable learners who understand their interdependence with the land and each other.

Learn More about Madison County Community Learning Centers >