39 Roads

Well, readers, recent travels took me to Southern Virginia and into West Virginia, with the first stop being Homestead Preserve in Hot Springs, Va.  There’s much to speak to with how special this place is and will become.  First it has a close relationship with the Homestead resort which traces its history to 1766.  This grand hotel not only serves as the “clubhouse” for the Homestead Preserve but was the original owner of the nearly 12,000 acres purchased for the development of this community.  The developers are tremendous stewards of this beautiful land and immediately sold 9,250 acres to The Nature Conservancy and placed another 935 acres into a conservation easement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.  They have created only 450 home sites on 3% of the original property which even then could have supported over 2,700 homes according to existing county zoning regulations.  Homestead Preserve offers home sites with views of mountains and beautiful meadows.  Touring the tranquil property called to mind what life must have been like in a simpler time.  Homestead Preserve taps into the rich history of the area and wants it to be a community where families gather for generations to come.  Lastly, in 2006 the Homestead Preserve was selected as the site for the 2007 Southern Accents Showhouse, and the 7,000 square foot Virginia Highlands Classical style home will be featured in the November/December 2007 issue of the magazine.

Lewisburg, West Virginia, about an hour’s drive southwest of Hot Springs, is the next destination on our tour.  Lewisburg is known for its Civil War history and antique shops and has a thriving downtown area.  In addition to its quaint shops and restaurants the town features live theatre and also has one of four Carnegie Halls still in use.  An article in a June 2006 edition of The New York Times highlighted the town as a vacation haven and referred to Lewisburg as “a country town with a cosmopolitan edge” and said that “it’s a place where you can start the day kayaking down the Greenbrier River and end it listening to a jazz concert.”  National Geographic called it one of its “Best Small Town Escapes” and Lewisburg has also received distinction as “One of the 100 Best Small Art Towns in America”.  An easy ten minute drive from downtown is The Retreat on White Rock Mountain, a gated community on 900 acres.  One is immediately greeted by a waterfall and trout pond at the entrance.  The Retreat has spectacular long range views of peaks and ridgelines, and most home sites are on the edge of the forest.  The Lodge which will soon be completed will have a steam room, sauna, and spa.  This gathering place for the community also will feature a heated infinity-edge pool where the water seems to go right into the mountains.  The grotto-style Jacuzzi also provides the same breath-taking views of the Allegheny Mountains.

I also visited the Four Seasons Charlottesville which is an active adult community from K. Hovnanian.  Located in Ruckersville, about 15 miles north of the city, Four Seasons Charlottesville launched in 2006 and currently has a number of model homes up for touring.  The community will have a 21,000 square foot clubhouse that will have a full-time lifestyle director and both indoor and outdoor pools and lighted tennis courts; it is slated to be completed in December 2007.  This gated, resort-style community features homes with base prices in the $300,000s and will have approximately 540 homesites.  As you know, this area is one of my favorites with the history, culture, and entertainment of Charlottesville, the University of Virginia and Monticello nearby.  Four Seasons Charlottesville will be having a Grand Opening on April 21st and 22nd.  All model homes will be open, and food will be catered.  They will also be having drawings for giveaways.

If you are interested in getting more information on these communities or registering for the Grand Opening of Four Seasons Charlottesville, please contact the Retirement Relocation office at 703-430-6411 or 877-55-RETIRE (877-557-3847) or by e-mail at info@RetireRelocateRelax.com.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 30th, 2007 at 5:01 pm and is filed under General, Reviews, Communities, Events, Books and Magazines, My Travels. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.