The Best Shenandoah National Park Hotels & Resorts
There are three best hotels for Shenandoah National Park - Graves Mountain Farm & Lodges, Skyland Resort, and Big Meadows Lodge.
Of these three, there is only one actual resort for Shenadoah National Park in Virginia - Graves Mountain Farm & Lodges.
Graves Mountain Farm & Lodges has Shenandoah National Park adjoining it, yet, unlike the other two, has 22 sets of activities on its 1800 acre farm with two mountain trout streams, three ponds, 29 miles of trails, a mountain higher than Old Rag and also the closest hotel and campground to Old Rag and White Oak Canyon trails.
One might say that Skyland and Big Meadows Hotels are Shenandoah National Park "sort-of" resorts, but actually they are hotels with no resort amenities or activities other than restaurants and views. Additionally, they are closed from November into April, the Farm is open all year round excepting the week of Christmas.
Graves Mountain Farm & Lodges is at the lower edge of the National Park and sits below Big Meadows Hotel. The Farm gave up, in the 1930's, several thousand acres to help build the Park. Camp Hoover for Herbert Hoover's fishing camp was built on what was Graves Mountain Farm land.
The Farm's 29 miles of trails touch and reach into the Park.
Old Rag Hiking Trail - see here
Amenities - Activities for the best Shenandoah National Park Resort
- Graves Mountain Farm & Lodges has all this and the Park
29 miles of trails that are not all down! Orchards, meadows, farming, streams, ponds, and forest
Horse back riding on the Farm
Fly fishing and guiding on the Farm
Learning & Discovery Classes on the Farm
UTV Tours on the farm and mountains
Live Bluegrass and Old time Music every Friday and Saturday
Festivals and celebrations
Campground - free-form - primitive
Resort Amenities for Shenandoah National Park Resorts | ||||||
Activities, Adventures, Experiences | Graves Mountain Farm & Lodges | Skyland Resort | Big Meadows Resort | Peaks of Otter - not in Shenandoah National Park | Massanutten - not in Shenandoah National Park | Wintergreen Resort - not in Shenandoah National Park |
Horseback Riding - Stables on Farm | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Trail Riding | Yes | Off Property | Off Property | No | Off Property | Off Property |
Pony Rides | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Pony Parties | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Wellness | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Yoga | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Massage | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Wellness Weekends | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Foraging | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Activities - Experiences | ||||||
Swimming Pool - junior olympic, seasonal | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Volleyball Court | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Cornhole | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Game Room - ping pong/Foosball | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Mountain Biking Trails -easy to hard technical | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Road Biking - exceptional on country lanes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Fly Fishing | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Fishing - spinner, catch & release | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Fly Fishing Guide & Clinics | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Native Trout Fishing | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Hiking - on Farm 29 miles of dog friendly trails - including one mountain higher than Old Rag | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Hiking - easy access Old Rag | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Hiking - easy access White Oak Canyon | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Hiking - easy access Cedar Run | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Hiking - easy access Rose River | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Hiking - easy access Upper Dark Hollow | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Hiking - easy access Rapidan Fire Rd and Rapidan | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Hiking - easy access Appalachian Trail | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Rock Climbing with Team Link | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Guided Hiking - Park & Resort Property | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
UTV Tours | ||||||
UTV Tours - mountain | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
UTV Tours - farm/farming | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Teambuilding | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Farm - Nature | ||||||
Farmyard & Animals - every weekend - 9:00 am and 9:30 am | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Orchard | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Nature Walk -every Sat - FREE | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Live Music Center for VA Blue Ridge | ||||||
Live Music - every Friday & Saturday- Open Mic and Bluegrass - Free | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Music Festival - Thursday, Friday & Saturday after Memorial Day | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Bluegrass Jams - 6 a year | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Jazz and Classical Concerts | Yes, on & off premises | No | No | No | No | No |
Learning & Discovery | ||||||
Soap Making Workshop | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Watercolor-acrylics Workshop | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Wreath Making Workshop | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Bluegrass - how to jam & play | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Bluegrass Youth Masterclasses | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Classical symphonic youth Camp | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Pop and Jazz Youth Masterclass Camp | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Horseback Riding & Get to know the horse | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Fly fishing classes & clinics | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Events - local community celebrations | ||||||
Apple Harvest Festival, first three weekends of October | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Apple Pick Your Own - Sept 15 on until all picked | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Halloween - trick or trunk, Haunted Packing Shed, Bluegrass Jam | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Christmas Fair - community at the Market | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Santa Breakfasts and Brunches | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
New Year's Eve Community Get-together | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Foraging weekend | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Heritage Trout Fishing Weekend for Youth - first weekend of April | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Music Festival and Workshops - weekend after Memorial Day | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
July 4th Fireworks, Band & Food - Madison County's July 4th Celebration-all are welcome. | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Peach Day - celebrating peach harvest, Fresh Peaches, Vendors, Food, Beer, Wine, Cider and more... | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Touring - shopping--Short Drive | ||||||
President Madison's Montpelier | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Luray Caverns | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Ruckersville Antiquing | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
President Jefferson's Monticello | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Vineyards | ||||||
DuCard - superior wine maker, 6 mins, great view and we sell at Market & Restaurant | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Revalations - Hebron Valley, 15 minutes drive | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Craft Beer | ||||||
Bald Top Brewery - Madison, 15 mins | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Shotwell Run Brewery, 12 mins | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Beer Hound Brewery, Culpeper, 30 mins, we also sell in Market & Restaurant | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Pen Druid Brewery - wild yeast, fresh, 25 mins | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Spirits | ||||||
Copper Fox Distillery, Sperryville - 25 mins | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Meeting Rooms | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Weddings | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |