ARS National Visitor Center

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

Click here for historic photo

National Visitor Center (NVC) hosts about 6,000 visitors each year from around the world. Visitors include policymakers, managers, and scientists from U.S. and international governments, universities, and industry. NVC is housed in a historic log lodge in Beltsville, Maryland. It features an exhibit hall highlighting ARS research programs and accomplishments and includes a live bee exhibit.

Because it is located on the grounds of the ARS Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), with ARS headquarters staff nearby, the visitor center offers a unique opportunity to learn about ARS. All ARS national research programs are represented at BARC. The National Agricultural Library is also at Beltsville, and ARS's U.S. National Arboretum is about 20 minutes away.

NVC programs are available for professionals and the general public. For international visitors, click here for special instructions.

ARS research programs include:
• Nutrition, Food Safety, and Quality
• Animal Production and Protection
• Natural Resources and Sustainable Agriculture Systems
• Crop Production and Protection

Hours of Operation
Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.
No reservations needed during regular hours.
Closed Federal holidays.

Contact us

Programs for Professionals
NVC staff works with ARS employees or stakeholder clients to develop a unique visitor program that meets stated objectives via presentations and meetings with appropriate ARS administrators and scientific staff. Programs may also include visits to laboratory and field locations in Maryland or be coordinated over multiple ARS locations. No two visitor programs are alike.

Click here for Web version of brochure

Reserve your date a minimum of 3 weeks in advance so our staff can develop a professional program to introduce ARS and coordinate ARS meetings that will meet stated objectives and/or facilitate partnerships and cooperative research efforts with ARS.

Please contact us if you have any questions. Once you confirm a date with us, someone on the staff will work with you to develop a program that will meet your objectives.

Programs for the General Public
Open visitor hours—10:00 am–3:00 pm Monday through Friday; closed Federal holidays

Explore how ARS research affects your everyday life by visiting the ARS National Visitor Center exhibits in the historic Log Lodge. No reservations required.

Thursday Free Programs at the National Visitor Center Reservations required—space is limited; programs fill quickly.

The 2-hour program includes a 45-minute overview highlighting the importance of ARS research and its impact on Americans’ daily lives. Topics include the food we eat, the water we drink, the clothes we wear, the air we breathe, and the many products we use.  The overview is followed by a short break, and a 1-hour windshield tour of ARS’s Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), the largest most comprehensive research center of its kind in the world.

Second Thursday of each month, 2 hours, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Fourth Thursday of each month, 2 hours, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Contact us
U.S. visitors for professional or Thursday free programs.
Call 301-504-9403 or e-mail NVC@ars.usda.gov for reservations or information. Please include in your message a phone number where you can be reached.

International visitors for professional programs or Thursday free programs.
Your embassy or USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) must arrange a program for you. FAS phone: 202-720-6725; fax: 202-690-1149.

Open visitor hours (10:00 am to 3:00 pm, M-F) don't require reservations.