View of the New
The sound of a train whistle, the company of the inn’s dogs and WiFi are all part of the Riverbend experience.
Linda and Lynn Hayes may have found the cure for high blood pressure and other stress-related ailments at their Inn at Riverbend in Pearisburg, Va. As easily as slipping into their cozy terry robes, we find ourselves easing into the peace and quiet of a Blue Ridge mountain moonlit night broken only by the whistle of a train in the valley below.
We take a few wrong turns before we find our way to the inn. It’s perched on the side of a mountain in an upscale residential neighborhood where each house is large, unique and set on a multi-acre property. Mapping services, the couple warns, never pinpoint their location so it’s wise to call ahead for directions.
The lodge seems at first glance to be a modest, cream-colored, rambling building. But the real treats begin when Jackson, a playful German wirehaired pointer, escorts us to the lodge’s main room, where a wall of windows frames a stunning view of the New River running through the deep gorge below.
The back of the lodge is spectacular – multi-decked to capture the beauty of the mountains, with a waterfall tumbling down the 13.5-acre site. With a local architect, the couple designed and built the contemporary lodge, which opened in 2003. Linda, an interior designer, says they aimed for a fresh, open ambiance without the overdone lacy frills typical of some restored Victorian B&Bs.
All of the inn’s seven rooms overlook the valley and each is named for one of the innkeepers’ children– like Griffin, a light-filled, blue and yellow room with a beachy feel, and Gavin, decorated with a vintage fisherman’s theme. Each room has a jetted or soaking tub and opens onto a deck or covered terrace. Touches like a fly-tying station, WiFi, iPod-friendly clock radios enhance our visit.
The history of the lodge property dates back to the 1770s, when three siblings and their families settled in the New River Valley area. They survived the wilderness, Indian attacks and kidnappings to become soldiers in the Revolutionary and Civil wars, as well as doctors, lawyers, legislators and farmers.
Inn at Riverbend, Pearisburg, Va. 540-921-5211, innatriverbend.com.
$139-$259. Open year-round, reservations recommended. Children over 10 welcome. No pets, no smoking. Handicap accessible.
