Things we do here when we are not creating!
With so many thing to do here, the main thing is what you don’t have to do. Drive. Cook. Shop for food, Make decisions, not read, not play games, dress up, wear makeup, paint with people watching, paint with people talking to you and above all just live in the moment.
100 Acres
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Nimrod Hall sits on a hill where all the buildings you see above are sitting. Down the hill is the Cowpasture River, the Swimming Pond, The Rec Hall, and many creeks, a big waterfall at the pond and little waterfalls in the creek beds. Walking, Hiking, Laying in a chair by the pond, swinging in a hammock…we have it all. Look at Hikes and fun things to do within a short drive of Nimrod is on the Field Trip page!
THE COWPASTURE RIVER
Called Naked Beach (clothing required, unsure of name origin but I am sure it is interesting…!), this area of the our river is perfect to sink a chair in the rocks of the shallow rapids and danything at all you want to do.
Getting in a tire tube and floating down the Cowpasrture river has been a steadfast enjoyment for decades. You can lay on the tube and the water is so clear you see the rocks below you . Our typical trip is about 30 minutes and lands you within walking distance to your cottage. It has a little thrill with the rapids by Naked Beach but is truly fine by most any age.
Stairs from the swimming area. Just get a tan. Why not?
Canoes can be launched form this area of our swimming pond. also perfect for little creek tubing! We have a couple of kayaks for guest but they are not for true kayakers who love their equipment but you can bring your fanciest kayak and just kayak like crazy. This area is great for anyone to just hang in the super cold creek then go swim in the river. It makes the river feel like a spa hot tub.
The Cowpasture is one of the cleanest , clearest rivers you will ever see, and rumored to be the cleanest river in Virginia. Tubing the river is a famous way to enjoy the scene, relax, cool off and enjoy!! At the official “end “ of our tube we have a deepish water swimming hole and a rope, where you can hook your tube with your foot and read a book for hours! There’s nothing to beat the water temperature. Absolutely perfect clear Virginia water!
OUR SWIMMING POND
No chlorinated swimming pool at Nimrod! Our swimming pond is spring fed for a truly invigorating dip on any day, winter or summer! To be clear… It is pretty chilly! To live your best life, you can you lay on your lounge chair and get nice and hot then jump off the platform and wake your very soul with the dunk. It is cold, but once you are paddle boarding or playing it warms up fast. The waterfall from the pond back to the creek is the site of many “Nimrod Showers” where you can wash your hair and freeze your tail off and then thaw by the time you walk to your cottage. We have all the pond toys; Kayaks, canoes, rafts, noodles, splash mat and just about everything you can imagine. The waterfall sound alone makes for good hammock napping. Our gazebo is set up for shade and easels!
The pond is about as perfect an activity as you can get on a hot summer day. Paddle boards, splash mat and jumping platform make this 17 foot deep pond a raging good time!
The pond is also a site for fishing! And clear waters.
Our pond from the air with the road to the Rec hall on the right and the road up to the Hall on the left. Sunset Cabins on the hill.
Camp Nirmod for Boys 1937 or so. They only swam in the pond except little kids who had to go in shame to the warm kiddie oriented river. We have such great old photos of Nimrod in the lower living room for anyone to look through. .
The original waterfall and pond house in 1938 or so. This house fell down but we replaces it with our own that is full of floats. This house provided electricity “stuff” where Nimrod made their now electrical power.
The Rec Hall
Once the site of the rec hall for the summer camp for boys located here, the building was in a serious state of disrepair when we renovated in 2017 thanks to a help from a generous artist, Jack Frable, who also saw its potential. It is now simply stunning with a brand new roof, hoards of ceiling fans, an enormous veranda porch, a built in bar areas with a fridge, a ping pong table, couches and chairs, and more rocking chairs than you can image. Game tables, most every game, a good loud sound system and not to be ever missed. a lectern for serious karaoke. Just the ultimate play place.
The Rec Hall was built in 1936-37, but renovated by local carpenters with an eye for detail. They stained the new wood with a vinegar mix and you cannot tell old from new. It is amazing. The rails of the rec hall are old camp walls from a cabin that had to be taken down, then cut to be rails- talented guys and the whole place is simply magical to be in on a summer evening.
Yoga, ping pong, games all happen at one time. Built for a bunch of small boys it handles the noise amazingly well! The view from the Rec Hall is the pond and waterfall.
An enormous porch along the frot, back and sides have seen many easels and naps.
July 4th. This year we will have a fireworks display front he comfort of the rec hall!
More Fun
Nimrod is about whiling away your days in the most beautiful area of the country, and treating yourself to a life of days gone by.
Pull up a chair under the pergola and watch the hummingbirds. Or hop on the swing. Or go get a glass of ice tea and sketch. There are a lot of options here! A cocktail before dinner is a tradition and you will find people here most every night. And before any meal. And in between meals.
Go for a big nature walk with your friends! We plow walking paths through the land to be able to explore and try to walk off Jims food! We make trails in the racetrack field that we use to grow hay for local farmers for their horses, and it starts feeling a little like an old maze. Racetrack field s named so because Nimrod Hall used to have racehorses in the late 1800’s and they raced there. We have an old picture of them int he dining room. Nimrod History is long and interesting!
Paint a painting! You will not be alone. With 35 years of artists painting at Nimrod they still can paint a totally unique view of what we all know and love. Artists are instructed not to be bothered when working! because it is so hard to to paint uninterrupted, Nimrod Hall is a salvation.. Like the lions at the safari, please watch from afar but don’t get too close or we might bite.
Main House Common Areas
The ground floor of the main house is entirely open to guests this summer. We have a lower living room that was referred to al the music room or ballroom in the early days and now houses our TV with satellite that people can watch movies on, or see the cannot be missed sports show.
Our upper living rooms hosts tables for puzzles and games. The old Parlor at the end of the house we call the The Flag Room and has comfortable couches for reading, too. We have a huge library of historical Nimrod Pictures and fiction and non fiction books. The entire front porch is open to anyone who wants to be there and it is very common to see an artist with an easel or a writer deep in thought. There is plenty of space to socially distance..
We have a very casual Store that offers the usual resort swag as well as cold drinks, some sinful candies, and all a small amount of sundries! Kids of all ages love a Hershey Bar slightly melty from our shop!
So many great people have sat in these chairs and the rockers. Nimrod was a serious green and white decorating palette until we had an artist helping buy some things. You’ll see some red, yellow, blue and let’s face it, any colors to put with all that green for the artists to paint. Jimmy Apistolas, the former owner who passed away in 2020, built these sturdy wooden Adirondack chairs out of pressure treated wood and I have no doubt they will outlive me. But so many of the outside chairs are also original. It is a mix of things that ahem always been here and things that look right here.