Meetings, Retreats, Team Building in the Virginia Blue Ridge at Graves
Warm Winter Retreat with Fireplaces for a Cozy Country Meeting by Shenandoah Park in Blue Ridge
Where Are We?
Syria, VA. In heart of Blue Ridge, right next to Shenandoah National Park on Rose River.
. . . Washington DC - 2 hrs, 92 miles
. . . Charlottesville - 1 hr, 38 miles
. . . Richmond - 2 hrs, 95 miles
. . . Charleston WV, Raleigh -Chapel Hill-Durham 4.25 hrs
What Are We Like?
1100 Acres of Blue Ridge Forest and Meadows - a working farm and orchards
3 Lodges with meeting spaces
16 Cabins
As many deer, foxes, turkies, bear, cattle, and apple trees as you can find
The Facts
Isolated Focus
In Rose Valley by the Blue Ridge, - nearest town (very small) is 10 miles, yet we are near Washington DC - 1.5 to 2 hrs drive - for meetings and retreats.
Quasi-disconnected with limited cell - only available through Internet to Cell/Cell to Internet connection (not hard to set up and usually automated through phone settings).
Modest - not fancy
Country style. We are not luxury. No spa or golf course here. Rather hiking, fishing, riding, monopoly, camp-fires, s'mores, local music, and front porch rocking chair life.
Accommodations, again modest, not fancy
- 55 Lodge Rooms with 36 double queens and 17 kings or two twins
- 16 Cabins - log cabins to farmhouses - from 1 bedroom to 8
Meeting Spaces - 17
14 Indoor Total SF 9500 - boardrooms. Break out and general
2 Outdoor/Indoor SF - 8000 picnic pavilions and surround along the river
1 Outdoor "special event site" 40,000 SF plus parking for 2000 cars in adjoining fields
Team Building by Andy Nichols
Indoor and/or outdoor training locations.
Andy will build exactly to the group's goals, time allotment, and budget.
All Inclusive Day Meeting Package Available
All Inclusive Overnight Meeting Package Available
Build Your Own Meeting Escape-retreat here with our team's assistance
Shannon Minton, Director of Sales
Missy Graves - Sales and Detailer
Barbara Waga - Sales and Detailer
Gail - Catering & Conference Services
All there Is To Do
13 outdoor activities - from hiking, to fishing (2 streams and 2 ponds) on to nature walks and a local musician concert with camp fire and s'mores.
Just no golf here.
7 Indoor group activities from Monopoly tournament, movie shows, to wine and beer tastings and vineyard trips on to just hanging out by a fire in a rocker.
Our Story
We are the Graves Family.
We have been farming this valley in the Blue Ridge since 1850, followed in 1857 by getting into the "turnpike" business, as one of the builders of the what is now the "Old" Blue Ridge Turnpike - the road that runs through our tiny village.
With the road, we became inn keepers providing horse changes - so as to get up the Ridge, beds, big communal meals, and locally brewed drink for travelers.
That's how we come to be taking care of travelers and visitors still. And still with that same flavor. The tavern and farm tables are in the Bader room of the Farm Restaurant
That inn was also our own farm house and is still - in the center of the farm, where Rachel and Jimmy - the "Mom and Dad of Graves" - live.
Maximum Size of Groups that the Lodges Can Accommodate
We do not put our groups out in the cattle and horse pastures - except for farm tours and trail rides.
We have a total of 55 lodge rooms and 16 cabins with 33 separate bedrooms.
So . . .
Max group size
One person to a room - 88
Two to a room - 173
Meeting Rooms
Three seasons using our picnic pavilions with fireplaces
General session In pavilion - 250
General session In fully heated and air conditioned building
Room 1- 105
Room 2 - 105
Smaller meeting rooms for sizes 20 to 35 folks - 4
Breakout rooms for 12 to 25 folks - 7
Pool and surrounding concrete deck as a separate area for events.
Event tenting - limitless.
Then all the lawns and meadows to sprawl on.
Our Story
Why would a group meeting choose to come to Graves?
As we see it -
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We are modest in cost and ambience. Definitely not "show". Your company, association or church will see that money is being "saved".
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We are a farm. We are "real", not manufactured resort.
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We are remote yet within a reasonable drive of northern VA - two hours to DC.
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We are without distraction. We assure there are no bright lights here unless you are looking closely into the fireplace.
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No direct cell connection yet a fiber optic pipe internet that enables live meeting broadcasts and Cell to Internet calling and reception of calls.
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High speed fiber Internet - new to us in 2019
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Can do all-inclusive pricing and experience - both for day and overnight meetings
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12 outdoor activities on our 1100 acres.
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Small group focus. We can set it up that you have the farm pretty much to yourselves.
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In-built Team Building specialist - Andy Nichols
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Simple group indoor activities, that require little in extra costs.
Team Building
We are fortunate to have Andy Nichols and his team as our team building partners.
- Andy Nichols can lead short 1 to 1.5 hour sessions up to multi day deep dives.
- He can build the program to suit our groups' needs and budgets.
- Andy listens and builds the group's team building to fit financial needs and your goals.
- He is an exceptional trainer in leadership skills and processes, a team builder who pulls together Seal Teams (he is also an ex Seal) and Fortune 500 companies including Bechtel.
- He is a professor of outdoor group leadership at Hood College and previously at Shepherd University. He teaches contract courses at George Washington University, William and Mary College, Boston College, Brown University, and Mt Holyoke.
