A kind of outdated map from a camp book to show the location of Camp Nimrod! Good news is we have I-64 now to help ease the travel. But this helps!
Cool Field Trips Close to Nimrod Hall
We are in a cental location to some of the most beautiful places in Virginia and West Virginia! Smack in between the Homestead and Greenbrier, you just turn a different direction out of the driveway.
Every now and then, even the most peaceful vacation is interrupted by thoughts of retail and exploration. Here are some places that are easy drives from Nimrod that can make for some great memories. I am going to list a few here just to PROMOTE these cool places! Most people don’t leave the campus (as we say) when they are at Nimrod. The lure of the simple life is strong, but sometimes the call of the wild is real and you got to get in the car and check things out. You might ask why I promote other resorts but….we are not competitors of the Homestead or Greenbrier or to any other place I have ever visited. Nimrod is Nimrod. So check these things out! I had to stop because I could not stop thinking of great places!
The Homestead 25 minutes
The Homestead is like a way more fancier, more refined cousin to our little traditional original Nimrod Hall. But it is also a total Virginia Beauty! A legend itself, it is chock full of crazy things like sheetrock and AC! It is home to a nice pool, lazy river that pre-covid, sold day passes for you to go and take your children for an afternoon. Make sure and check that. But it can be a nice place to grab lunch, shop, spend some true resort dollars, and be home for dinner at 6:30. The Homestead is in Hot Springs and about 25 minutes away. Don’t forget Hot Springs itself, home to adorable shops and restaurants!
The Greenbrier 55 minutes
Another legend, the Greenbrier is less than an hour away and a site to behold. Home to another old time fancier cousin to our little place, this is a nice place to shop, walk around, check out some substantial landscaping and just behold. A dinner here is always a standard for our family at least once a season. This year we need to support everyone! White Sulfur Springs is also a charming town on the way to The Greenbriar. Greenbrier is also where the old bunker for the government was in the cold war, a story broken by a journalist in the early 1990s. It is a super interesting tour for the nerdy history loving types!
Lexington, Virginia 40 minutes
Home to Washington and Lee University, Virginia Military Institute and numerous adorable shops and restaurants, Lexington is 40 minutes away and a great place to visit. There is amazing shopping right on their Main Street and you will truly feel loved by the shop owners! Many good friends have shops here including my favorite owned by my neighbor at Nimod, Pumpkinseeds! Many good artist friends offer work at Cabell Gallery and Nelson Gallery. If you like to buy fun things definitely stop by! Lexington is adorable and one of the greatest quick retail fixes there is within 45 minutes of your cottage!
Lewisburg, WV
Very close to the Greenbrier, Lewisburg is one of those gray mountain towns where you can park your car and just walk and shop. Watch out. I have spent way too much money here after a day time margarita and mexican food lunch! There is the BEST shopping in this jewel of a town. I kid you not that the shoes alone are worth the drive. I go at least once a season to drop bunch of hard earned art money on cool antiques, shabby chic antiques, local WV art, and clothes. They got the clothes. Lewisburg is a stone throw from the Greenbrier so make an afternoon of it!
Roaring Falls 50-60 minutes
I discovered this by accident one year and don’t understand why it is not on everyone’s radar. On the road to Roanoke, this is a true natural wonder. Falls that you can play in, swim in, and hike, and all around it is simply divine. The first time I explored this I was shocked I had never heard of it. Virginia is full of places like that! This is where to go on a day when you got a lot of energy and there are no clouds in the sky. Feel free to grab lunch and a six pack at the gas station in Irongate like I do when I go. Chef Kiss!
Douthat State Park Beach Area
Douthat State Park 25 Minutes
Just a swift drive will have your kids playing in the sandy beach of and beautiful lake of Douthat State Park. It is perfect for the younger set who likes to dig in the sand and let their parents read or also dig in the sand…They usually have a snack bar and it is old school and AWESOME. It has a nostalgic feel that is hard to replicate, kind of like Nimrod but alas, we have no sand. So of course we loved it especially when the kids were small. I have done many many paintings of Douthat. It is a beautiful area but feels authentic and not over manicured! It is right down the road. Make sure to contact them in case covid restrictions are in place.
Goshen Pass
Goshen Pass 20 minutes
A stunning drive from Goshen, VIrginia through Rockbridge, VA, is a true vision to behold. you can park your car off the road, play in the rocks, gaze at the cliffs and admire the whole area. Goshen Pass is home to the former Camp VIrginia. It is a stunning visual treat. Make sure you know though, it is not always speedy. Especially on a beautiful day you can be sure to get behind some slow cars, but take it easy and have a look! I am absolutely sure together behind someone going 12 MPH. Every time.
HIKES And RAFTING
For White Water Rafting try The Gauley and New River Site Check out WV! It is about 25 minutes from us! Snowshoe Skiing is an hour and a half. Now if you get carsick from switchbacks better take the highway route!
Great HIKES!
Warm Spring Mountain Preserve ( google for directions) Williamsville, VA
Ingalls Overlook Trail Google for directions (Williamsville, Va)
George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
Hidden Valley Recreational Trailhead ( Warm Springs,VA)
Brushy Holllow Trail Overlook ( Millboro, VA) 15 -20 min
Allgheney Trailhead (Covington, VA) about 30 minutes
Also Covington, VA, Clifton Forge Virgnia, Staunton, VA, Charlottesville, Va, Millboro, VA and out little local general store Millboro Mercantile (6 min away and you can get beer, wine and a RC Cola and a moon pie! There are nothing but truly unique things to see in the Commonwealth of Virginia and State of West Virginia! I can go on and on and on but this gives you some insight. We are central to some seriously cool and beautiful places. You will be in Bath County and on the edge of Rockbridge County and Allegheny County. So Google it up.
I will admit something. I never left the “Nimrod Campus” until I had been coming to Nimord myself as a guest and artist for 12 years. I would come, unpack and not go to my car until I had to leave. But different people like different things so google for more things to do than you could possibly do!