Our facilities are shown on the following Site Plan and are described below.
(click to see larger PDF image)

Our current facility is located in the middle of 500 wooded acres on Mount Chestnut, surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest and miles of scenic hiking trails.  We have established the following facilities on site.

  1. Dogwood Lodge – A state-of-the-art boys’ home designed to house eight boys in four two man rooms with a common family room, kitchen, dining area, entertainment areas, and study areas for the boys.  It also includes an attached, independent apartment where our loving couple house parents reside.
     

  2. Oakleaf Lodge – This was the original home on our site.  It has been given an incredible transformation with an interior as fresh as the new Dogwood Lodge to serve as our facility to host such on-going events as our family enrichment, and marriage enrichment programs.  This completely renovated building has a modern kitchen and multiple baths and is air conditioned.  It can also be rented by public groups to host their own family and team building activities.  This building can comfortably sleep eight in the four upstairs bedrooms.  Meetings of up to twenty-four have been conducted on the lower level.  The charge per bed room (sleeps two) is $50 per night including linens.  You can cook, or we can arrange a caterer for larger groups.
      

  1. Offices /Bunk House – In 1999 this building was completed as a school.  It now houses our offices, and on the lower level it provides 26 beds with a small kitchen.  This has been home to many week-long work teams and many one night groups.  The Bunk House section, located on the lower floor, sleeps twenty-six.  Each bed has a comfy twin mattress.  There is a galley kitchen.  Showers and restrooms are just a few steps away.  This air conditioned space is for those who want to rough it lite.  Price per bed is $10 per night.  You bring the linens, etc.

  2. Wood Shop – This facility houses a wood working shop with hand tools and power tools to enable our boys to learn and apply the skills of wood working under expert tutelage.
      

  3. Outdoor Amphitheater – This facility will be completed in summer 2009 and provides an outdoor theater setting to host gatherings, talks, and entertainment in a quiet and beautiful natural setting in the woods away from our main established facilities.

  1. Laurel Meadow – This is a cleared playing field to give our boys and visiting groups an outdoor activity area.

  1. Azalea Trails:  
    The South Azalea Trail     was created as a scenic hiking trail developed to standards that will allow disabled visitors to enjoy the woods.
        
    The North Azalea Trail was laid out by experts and will venture higher up the mountain.  This more challenging trail will venture from an easy creak-side meander to a higher wilderness and will offer several group respites with woodland vistas seating on level knobs allowing time to linger on our Chestnut Mountain.
        

 

Future Plans

The following facilities are in various stages of design and construction and are part of our master plan to expand our facility and the programs we can offer.

  1. Peachtree Chapel – This building can serve many purposes and is long awaited.  The plans have been drawn, the site has been cleared, some building materials have been promised, and yet financial gifts are currently short of goal.  As the case has been at Mountain Top, construction will not begin until we have the means necessary to complete it.

  1. Rustic Cabins – Plans are complete, and funding so close we can say that the first of these will be complete in spring 2010.

  1. Chestnut Lodge – Plans are completed for twenty room Chestnut Lodge, a totally self sufficient facility that will supply its own power, dispose of all bio-waste on site, and maintain its own water supply.  This will be the model of green construction.  No cars will be allowed access to this incredible site.  While funding is some time away, a service road to the site will be constructed in 2009.

  1. Harpwood Pond – This small pond will be a small but tranquil resting place to be seen far below Beech Lodge.  It will also act as a reservoir for emergency water for Beech Lodge.

  1. Second Boys Home – Plans are have been prepared for a second home.  However, with the current views of both the state and federal child care agencies and the current financial situation, it could be some time before this is possible.

  1. Recreation Building - In the future, the current Administration / Bunkhouse building will be joined on the upper level with Oakleaf Lodge when the need arises, likely following completion of Chestnut Lodge.

 

This page was last updated July 3, 2009.

This is the official web site of
Mountain Top Family Services
For questions regarding this website, contact the Webmaster
 

k