Mountain Center
The Cleburne County Mountain Center is open Monday - Friday from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm and on the weekends for special events or building rentals.
Welcome to the Mountain Center!
The Cleburne County Mountain Center is a rustic, state-of-the-art, public building a few miles northeast of Heflin, Alabama that has operated as a partnership between the Cleburne County Commission and Jacksonville State University for over a decade. Approximately 30 miles southeast of JSU’s main campus but in close proximity to the Talladega National Forest it has served a site for the JSU Field Schools. A large portion of the facility is available to the public and available to rent for meetings, corporate retreats, church services, weddings, and other special events.
A larger portion of the Mountain Center houses the Cleburne County Public Safety & Administration Center offering county offices such as finance, human resources, compliance, emergency management, and emergency 911 services.
Additionally, an initiative is underway at JSU to identify more opportunities to better collaborate with the community. For more information, please contact us by calling 256-782-8010 or by emailing mountaincenter@jsu.edu. In the meanwhile, you can review our rental rates below.
We hope that you’ll come visit!
Mountain Center Rental Rates
Monday through Friday:
Day rates (8:00 am—4:00 pm):
White Oak Grove Room $125 for each 4-hour block, includes direct kitchen access
Scarlet Oak Grove Room $125 for each 4-hour block, no direct kitchen access
Double Room $200 for each 4-hour block, includes kitchen access
Gallery $75 for each 4-hour block, no direct kitchen access
Dragonfly Deck $250 for each 4-hour block, includes kitchen access
All Spaces $450 for each 4-hour block
Weekend and Evening rates:
White Oak Grove Room $250 for each 4-hour block, includes direct kitchen access
Scarlet Oak Grove Room $200 for each 4-hour block, no direct kitchen access
Double Room $400 for each 4-hour block, includes direct kitchen access
Gallery $150 for each 4-hour block, no direct kitchen access
Dragonfly Deck $250 for each 4-hour block, includes direct kitchen access
All Spaces $750 for each 4-hour block
Jacksonville State University Field Schools, a project of JSU Environmental Policy and Information Center, now have three visitor and education centers: Little River Canyon Center near Fort Payne, Alabama, EPIC Center near Anniston, Alabama, and the Mountain Center near Heflin, Alabama.
Directions
The Cleburne County Mountain Center (a partnership between Jacksonville State University, the Cleburne County Commission and the Talladega National Forest) is located on Forte Drive near Southwire manufacturers just north of Heflin, Alabama.
Alabama Highway 78 east of Heflin to Mile Marker 178; take next left turn onto Forte Drive; travel 1/4 mile to Mountain Center on left.
The Mountain Center is open Monday - Friday from 8am - 4pm and on weekends for special events.
Mountain Center Business Phone: 256-463-3838
Mountain Center Rental Information: 256-782-8010
Email: mountaincenter@jsu.edu
Background
From its deepest canyon to its highest mountains, Alabama has an abundance of beautiful natural areas. In the center of this educational corridor lies the Talladega National Forest. Encompassing over 200,000 acres, it is one of the largest national forests in the eastern United States and the home of Dugger Mountain Wilderness Area. To the west of the Talladega National Forest is Fort McClellan and the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge. Both federally protected and managed areas have enormous potential in terms of habitat conservation, eco-tourism and environmental education.
Because of this, JSU's EPIC proposed the establishment of Talladega Mountains Natural Resource Center (aka "Mountain Center") that would benefit both local and regional populations. The Mountain Center houses JSU Field School activities and acts as a visitor center to "the highest concentration of nationally protected natural areas" in the country. Also, a large portion of the center is the "Cleburne County Public Safety & Administration Center." The Cleburne County portion of the building provides services such as finance, human resources, compliance, emergency management, and emergency 911 services.
The Mountain Center is a Jacksonville State University "off campus" site and is therefore available to all official JSU departments for meetings and events at no cost. It is available to the public and for rent for private events such as weddings, meetings and reunions.