Frequently wondered about things regarding this magical place.

We are unapologetically Old Fashioned so NO AC.It can get hot, it can be chilly. It is the way it always has been in the Mountains of Virginia.

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Actual FAQ Below

Nimrod Hall IS a magical place, but its luxury is its authenticity and vintage comforts; serenity and character. We are unapologetically and seriously old fashioned. Nimrod is not fancy and is rustic vintage modern but also focuses on comfortable beds, squeaky clean sheets, quirky decorations and above all, cleanliness. The aged look of Nimrod can be seen even in pictures from 1906, but since Nimrod Hall was built in 1783, it already (in 1906) had a few years on it.

We do not have AC. We do have a freezing cold pond and a beautiful temperate river. We do have wifi but it is not reliable. Electricity comes and goes but so far in my 35 years has always come back on! We have authenticity with posh hand soaps. Outdoor showers and Claw foot tubs. But mostly we have amazing artists who create and thrive . We are in the country. It is the actual country.

With Nimrod’s age comes the occasional warped floor board, the sloping hallway and areas paint simply will not stick, but to be honest, Nimrod Hall has not been overly restored on purpose to not lose her original charm. It will be unlike any other place you will ever stay, and that is on purpose. It has never been winterized except for caretakers and is only a summer resort, shutting down for a long rest in the winter. The Vintage vibe is on purpose but be aware that if you are not the camping type you might not appreciate its shabby chic. You are in the country, so if you really hate a spider or two? Might not be your thing. That being said, don’t be scared of Nimrod. We have a huge return rate and most everyone realizes its unique beauty and charm and above all, its total uniqueness. Take the plunge.

But we aren’t the Four Seasons, and aren’t trying to be. Come in with that adventurous spirit and you will do just fine.

HOWEVER. Nimrod Hall is not a good fit for anyone not mobile. We are also, sadly, not able to accommodate wheelchairs because this place is so old. We apologize about that and wish we could. There are very few rooms that have no stairs and stairs are part of the deal here. If you have recently had a surgery for hips or knees, it might not be a bad idea to give yourself some time before you try to come. There is a lot of walking here. Even the most accommodating rooms still require walking, steps and in general, it is not conducive to any recovery from a surgery within a year. And if you have had a bad run in with Covid it is also probably not the best year to come. We have no AC and it can be hard on the lungs. Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but I have been here many, many years, and pushing yourself too hard always becomes miserable for you and for us. If you email me with a request for a downstairs room, I will be in touch.

Some people are just not Nimrod People. To be honest, as owners of Nimrod, we love Nimrod and we also really love a 5 star resort, so some people can be both! Those are the best people! In my archives of old Nimrod finds I have a great letter written from a Richmond society woman who had planned to visit here from early 1910’s who got here and stayed one day! She was full of indignation for the relentless bird chirping, cow mooing and overall she was getting the hell outta there. Have some self awareness and you will be just fine!

The little writing below is from the genealogy book John Wood wrote on Nimrod Hall. His father grew up there and he is an expert of all things Nimrod.

When Can I Register? We only have online Registration. Just go to Book Now when you decide! Please only email me with questions after you read the whole site. If you still have questions after that then info@nimrodhall.com is your best bet. We do not answer immediately but will get back to you. But I promise almost every question is covered on this site.

is Nimrod All Inclusive? Your stay includes 3 meals a day and a lot of awesome fun things to do ( see fun things to do at Nimrod). It is not a cruise

At one point during the early 19th century many, many places were in Virginia like Nimrod Hall, but they have been torn down and gotten rid of for the more usual resorts with crazy things like air conditioning and boring things like sheetrock. : ) I am joking but until you sleep in a cottage at Nimrod you haven’t lived. It is anything but generic here. The very lack of air conditioning and the sounds of that and the buried power lines make you feel like you are literally back in time.

How do you fill weeks?
First come basis. Book early. But don’t book without being serious because your initial deposit is not refunded unless it is filled with a wait list. We will keep a wait list, however, and do our best. Last minute cancellations are hard to fill.

Can I come and just chill out while I am recovering from a surgery? Nimrod Hall is not a good fit for anyone not mobile. We are also, sadly, not able to accommodate wheelchairs, strollers, walkers because the terrain is gravel, grass and tree roots and simply because this place is so old. We apologize about that so much and wish we could. There are no rooms that have no stairs and stairs are part of the deal here. Walking to and from a cottage can be a long way. If you have recently had a surgery for hips or knees give yourself some time before you try to come. I repeat. There is a lot of walking here. Even the most accommodating rooms still require walking and steps of some kind. it is not a place conducive to recovery from a surgery you’ve had within a year.

How do I reserve a studio?  We have 9 studio’s on site. They are reserved when you register. Some weeks are busy for studios and others are not but I gotta say that the studios are the coolest. They are $150 for the week and you can leave all your things in there and party on. IF you aren’t given a studio rental option they are rented.

What To Bring and What's Provided In the summertime, Nimrod weather is generally mild, but can be hot, so a portable fan for the warmer days is definitely nice but every room will have at least one fan. At least one fan is in every room and one is provided in every studio.  All cottages are equipped with all fresh linens, a down comforter for colder nights and non matching but seriously fresh towels. The bathroom has all the toilet paper and bounty towels you need. If you bring a few beach towels for the swims, that would be nice but we can round one up, too.. We even have wool blankets in the cottages for really colder nights.

Coffee is on in the dining room by 7:00am normally but we have small coffee makers for your rooms if you’d like one- just ask! Bring your favorite coffee. We have a guest fridge for you to use to store food in the lounge or you can use an ice chest to keep things cold. On site is a giant ice maker that you can use to fill coolers at any time.

We do not sell alcohol but the store 5 minutes away has wine and there is an ABC store in Clifton Forge about 20 minutes away. Along with a Kroger and a CVS.

Our bathrooms are NORMAL. Just good old normal toilets. Our sinks are all over the place. Some are vintage some are not, but they all were put in by someone over the last 200 years. So that should reassure you.

We have laundry room and on mid week days when we are not in there you are allowed to use it to do your laundry but we ask it only be necessary things. We wash a lot of towels and it is not to be used daily but in the event of a skunk attack ( or you have small kids- the same thing) or something we will let you! But hopefully you will be too busy relaxing to do laundry.

Is the whole place Air Conditioned? Ummmm, no. Not a single room has A/C. I know. I know. It is hard to fathom in this day and age but it just works that way and quite frankly, it is one of the things that makes it so very authentic. We are in the mountains and although it is usually very mild, it can and does get as hot as anywhere else. That is when the topic of conversation revolves around the weather and we feel very turn of the century as we sip our mint juleps on the porch and talk about this sweltering heat wave or the unusual cool nights.... We make do with lots of fans, light clothing ( or jackets- check Weather for Millboro, Va) and taking many dips in the river, or the pond which stays at a frigid temperature no matter what the month as it is spring fed! 

Is sharing a bath a nightmare? Sounds like the worst but…Weirdly, not at all. When I first started to come to Nimrod in 1993 that was my biggest worry of all, and I know people worry about it and torment themselves about it --but don't.  Your concern over that will evaporate when you see how easily it is managed. People have been sharing baths forever until this generation. If we could pop a bath in every room at Nimrod it would be lovely but the turn of the century plumbing just won’t support it. Plus, where’s the fun in that? It is a small price to pay to go back in time, but I get it is scary! But it tends to evaporate as an issue when you get here. This year 2022 we will have cleaning products to wipe down after you go to a common bathroom to help with Covid concerns and we will be checking on them multiple times through the day. We have outdoor showers, too and it is not unusual to see people shower in the waterfall with organic shampoo….

Does my cell service work? You got a land line there? Verizon cell works best at Nimrod but even that can be spotty. But actually is has gotten much better. Almost no other cell service as of now, works very well. I have Verizon and am happy to let you use my phone to call your niece who is vacationing in Tokyo in an emergency! Our Phone at Nimrod is answered and the number is 540-862-0531. Please feel free to give that to your family for emergency calls.

Is there Wifi?  We do offer free wifi- the best money can buy us in Bath County, and most of the time it works great. BUT this is not a place to plan to lay on your bed and stream a show without interruption. Being where we are in the mountains even that pales to the city wifi. Please understand that Nimrod is a place you are supposed to be going to get away from it all and overly worrying and stressing about wifi may mean it is not the place for you. It is remote and the wifi is not reliable. Period. But every year it gets better. It is always fun to see what the next year brings to Bath County with the wifi. But we all need our tik tok, our email and above all to post our instagram fun all over the web. You should have no issues doing that.

Don’t panic if it goes out. So does the electric. It has always come back on. So far…

When and how do I pay?
You can register online with a credit card where it will only charge you your initial deposit with he remaining amount paid at the end of your stay with any other store purchases, taxes and gratuity. You will register with a deposit and we will charge your final payment a month before you arrive.

Any other extra’s like the gift shop, t-Shirts and Gratuity will also only take checks or cash, or hopefully venmo. Hopefully!

It sounds complicated but it isn’t in reality.

What is Gratuity?
We customarily give 15-20 percent gratuity of your last payment on the last evening (minus the deposit) to be split between all the people who work at Nimrod Hall, after you’ve seen how well they all do!.  Gratuity has been a mainstay of being able to keep staff and pay them decently through the history of all resorts like this. Our staff this summer will be on the smaller side to accommodate our smaller more intimate numbers but we are all here to make your stay as easy and pleasant as it can be. It helps us pay for everything from our helpers in the kitchen to the people who help with the mowing.

Can I smoke?
No one cares if you are a considerate smoker. But you can’t smoke inside the cottages or in common areas. Outside is fine but not in group settings. Use common sense and everyone is happy. Smoking on cottage porches or inside is prohibited by fire code.

Can you swim in the river?
The best swim you’ll ever have. Hop in a tube and hook your toe on the rope and ENJOY! We have tubing trips where we float down the Cowpasture River as well. Those are announced sporadically and everyone is invited. We provide the best vulcan rubber tubes with thigh scratching filler upper things to float down the river on, so not to worry. Don’t discount just popping gin a tube and fishing, too. We are a country place. Use your imagination!

Can I swim in the pond? Our spring fed pond was revamped in 2014 and is an amazing place to swim. It is 58 degrees winter or summer and spring fed. On a 95 degree day it is about the best jolt of pleasure to hop in there to cool off. Many artists paint in their suits and hop in periodically to cool off then back to work. We have every single toy known to the pond toy universe in the pond shed. Bring life jackets for kids but we have them, too.

Can I explore the old camp cabins? HELL TO THE NO. Absolutely not because it is really not safe. Some of the best artwork created here have been the cabins painted from a distance-keep it that way. There are all kinds of snakes, etc. Bears that will eat you. Floors that will cave in. I am joking but trust me. It is a recipe for getting chiggers at the very least and I will escort you right off the property. This is a rule I am not flexible on at all.

Can I explore and paint off the grounds?
Best to stay on our property but we have 100 acres so you should be able to find something to paint. But it kind of changes by the year. I will address this when you arrive as to where you can go and not get shot by Elmer Fudd.

Are towels and linens provided?
Yes! I take pride in the vintage soft linens that I (for some reason) find to be an important part of NImrod and a lightweight down comforter is on most every bed. Towels are pridefully mismatched and we would love to have any of yours you feel are not quite ready to toss, but maybe need to be at an old summer resort....Please donate your towels. We love a mismatched broken in towel.

Towels and Trash?
We have plenty!! We do not make beds or clean rooms like the posher places but do bring fresh towels! Large Trash cans are on your porch but not a good idea for food trash. If you have a lot of that bring it to us in the kitchen or around the side of the house there are cans.. If you throw away food or leave it open in your cottage you will attract mice and ants and outside… bears. That has never happened and let’s not start now! Recycling containers are in the common bins by the Main House.

What is up with the gnats?
They are pests, that is what. Guess what though? If you stay under a porch they will sometimes stay away. Otherwise just coat yourself with bug spray and try to ignore them. Some years they are bad and others not but come on- it is a gnat.

Are cokes or soft drinks and fattening candy available?
We have a rocking snack bar/canteen with soft drinks and candy/snacks for sale. Bring some small bills if you like to have midnight candy raids for the honor box! : ) Or run a tab all week long and just follow every meal with a snickers like the rest of us. Even after dessert. Food hits different after a long day of painting.

Is there an ice machine I can use?
Inside the kitchen door there is a HUGE ice machine. Please help yourself (ice chests are fine to hav win your rooms) and be sure to put the scoop back on top.

Can I drink alcohol with my meals?
Only if you share... Sure! A glass of wine or cocktail is just fine to bring down to dinner. An ice-cold beer has always been a favorite at critiques as well. BYO Ice chest and we have ice to share! We are totally ok with alcohol but do not have a license to serve it ourselves but have wine glasses and all highball glasses and well- everything but the alcohol.

I am vegetarian, don't eat gluten, avoid red meat and other food questions....
We don’t make special meals. There is almost ways enough vegetables for anyone not a fan of meat but If you are Vegan or have other special diet needs you should bring some vegan snacks as we are not set up for that. Vegan is truly the hardest thing for us to pull off, so run by the health food store and get some good bars and with that and the fruits and veggie's you will be fine!  We have a fridge for the artists for special dressing and things like that.  For true celiac and other conditions and allergies the kitchen here is cross contamination and it is not a great gamble to take. The way to handle coming to Nimrod when you are avoiding a certain food is to avoid it.]

An easier way to navigate this is this summer I am letting artists use the smaller of our two kitchens to heat up premade meals if you truly have an allergy. We have adequate freezers and fridges.

Can I have food in my cottage?
Can you say MOUSE? Because unless that food is in a Tupperware container you will be. Seriously, seal the containers and you will be fine. We make every effort to make sure there are no mice and mice love junk food like we all do! Many people bring snacks and just use a plastic bin with a top to store them. Just bring an extra ice chest for snacks and have one for beer and that should keep you smiling!

The best thing is a cooler for food and keep it in your room. Sometimes you need a snack. : )

Can I talk to the other artists when they are working?
no no no no. Please don’t. Making art is a solo event and we are a unique place where if an artist is working somewhere public they won’t be disturbed. Studio row should be left private for the artists at all times, unless they invite you to come visit.

What about the books? Am I allowed to take them to my cottage?
Lots of books in the post office and the lower living room that is for lounging and reading. We encourage you to look at them and become inspired. Read a book!!!! Try not to forget and leave a book in your cottage all week but if the book is not a vintage one but a paperback- take it home with you! Leave the old timey ones, It is part of the package! Please alert us to any weird soft porn novellas you may find so we can all get tipsy and read it around around the pit. Also. Any hardback book from the 80’s must be taken home with you if you so much as glance at it too long. Pick it up? It is yours.

Feel free to Donate art books to us! We also loved gently used linens and cool old vintage things!

Whew- that should be it! If you think of anything else let me know!