Beautiful scenery with great commodities and vibes
Peaceful, beautiful, clean, caring and friendly staff! Had a great visit, can't say enough good! Highly recommend :)
Stayed at Weatherford Hall this weekend for a church retreat. There is no AC in the building. The building is damp and a mold breeding ground. Mold is on all tile, wood doors and furniture. The windows and screens were full of spider webs, years of yuck. Windows need cleaning. The kitchen hood was full of grease. The whole place needs a Clorox bath.
I'm not sure who picked this location for our group, but it definitely was not suitable for a group of 250 who had several members with physical limitations and dietary considerations. If you were lucky enough to get a room in the main hall, I suppose it was OK, but if you were in one of the dormitory halls "up the mountain", the only thing positive to say is that the A/C worked. The rooms were set up dormitory style, many of them did not have private baths. The highlight/lowlight was when teens started arriving and their noise level did not mesh with the quiet needs of our group. I have no idea where their chaperones were, but they weren't chaperoning. The building I stayed in (Eureka Hall) was on the historic register and you can't make many changes to it so I guess we're luck we had A/C. No elevators, steep and dangerous stairs. We had a laugh about the ramps inside the building and the handicapped stall in the restroom. Anyone who was handicapped could not access this building as there were at least 5 steps to navigate on the most accessible side. On the whole, the place smelled musty and several areas had signs of mold.
Many of our group had diet restrictions - vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, etc. During several of our meals, there wasn't really any options available.
It was a pretty area, but you can't eat and sleep in pretty. I will say the staff was very friendly and cooperative.
I've been coming to YBRA for 4 years for 2 different conferences, and I love it! Rooms are a bit old but that is to be expected as the campus is over 110 years old. Meals are decent, and they always have salad and vegetarian options.
Great retreat center in a great location. There's some hiking trails on-site and many more nearby. Unfortunately the food isn't that great; the meals were hit or miss.
I'm booked in for five days, but I'm leaving early. This place reminds me of when mothers used to wear necklaces wearing supermom when their kids were out of control.
Utopia with a twistIt has been many years since my Blue ridge days, but just saying Blue Ridge still puts a smile on my face and a warmth in my heart. Way back in 1991, Tracy Sullivan was my psychology teacher at Lake Brantley HS, she mentored me and invited me to this wonderful place. I will forever be in her debt.
If anyone needs me I'll be rocking on the porch at Lee Hall!
Blue Ridge is a truly amazing place. I went there for last years (2015) Christian Values Conference, and my god, it was a truly amazing experience. I had some great times, made some great friends, and you can almost FEEL.. SOMETHING that seems to hover over the grounds. The place has lingering pleasant memories and you just cant help but smile. It was the best week of my entire summer. Between morning devotion in the outdoor amphitheater, to hiking up Black Mountain, to experiencing the utter CHAOS of "The Wrekening", it was an amazing time and you really feel closer to God while your there. I would recommend it to anyone. The rooms are great, the views are breathtaking, and I can't find a single negative thing to say about it. It gave me memories that I don't think I'll ever forget, and I fully plan on going back next year. 1,000,000 out of 10, any day!