This other-era resort offers a getaway like few others, along with 10 miles of trails.
Capon Springs and Farms encompasses 4,700 acres in eastern West Virginia. It is unlike any other place I have been—and I’m not alone in feeling this way.
“At the risk of sounding rather amorphous, there is a quality about Capon that, while very difficult to describe, is almost magical.” That’s what Allen Sharrett of Emporia, Virginia, had to say when I asked what kept his family coming back twice a year for the past 35 years. “We simply love the setting, and the culture that the family owners have created. The decisions to remain, if you will, ‘rustic,’ have resulted in an atmosphere that is serene, relaxing, unpretentious, and friendly.”
Kelly Criste-Cook, of Ashland, Virginia, summed up her feelings: “It is about being in the one and only place we have found where we are truly responsibility-free and can disconnect from everything else and ‘just be.’ There is a purity in the way you get to live while you are at Capon, free from outside intrusions.”
The resort retains much of the feel of yesteryear. The buildings are, for the most part, from the early 20th century. No televisions, phones or internet in the rooms, although all are available in other buildings. While this is the source of much of its charm, it is the way it’s operated that sets it apart.
Third-generation co-owner Jonathon Bellingham welcomes guests, helping them adjust to the relaxed mood. Other than spa services, everything except golf is included in the daily rate. Meals are served family style with ingredients raised on the farm. Guests may sit at their own table or mingle with others. The springs’ water flows from drinking fountains and through the swimming pool (negating any need for chlorine).
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