Rockfish Gap land to be condemned?

[bamboo bob]

In 2012 I was told by a local Inn owner that the property at Rockfish Gap was tied up in a confusing estate with many heirs spread out all over the country who were not cooperating with each other to settle the estate. He hoped the State would somehow take it and at least clean it up.

Previously there has been an office for the local Trail Angel group and they would arrange rides etc. They still do that by phone, I think there was a list of numbers posted on the bridge but the office looked like it had been bombed and looted.

There was a Food Truck though with soda's and popcorn !

[Odd Man Out]

I don't even know what alphabet that was...

On Google Translate it comes up as Thai.

[Odd Man Out]

Here's a person with an interest in the history of the area.

http://www.schuminweb.com/photograph...ogress-part-1/

[Mr. Bumpy]

That Howard Johnson's was burned into my mind from family road trips in the early 70's. I think we used to sing the meatball song and I loved that place, or the memory of it. In the mid-90's I recall from bicycle or motorcycle tours that the place was a dump. I'm glad I have the memories.

[10-K]

Read some of the reviews on Tripadvisor about the Afton Inn.. Some of them are hilarious...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...a.html#REVIEWS

[Almost There]

Wow, last time I stayed at the Afton Inn was after my 2006 section hike, restaurant was still open, and ok...at the time it still wasn't the worst hotel I had stayed at on the trail. Left my car there again in 2009, and could tell it was going down hill fast, restaurant was closed by then, and staff was not of the same caliber. It's a shame, as I agree with most that I would think something good could be done with the property. The location is perfect for tourists.

[Kembo]

I stayed there twice. The first time was in 1972. It was one of the highlights of my hike. Stayed at Howard Johnsons. I remember soaking in a nice hot bathtub and eating a pint of butter pecan ice cream. Stayed at the Afton Inn about 2010. It as better than sleeping in the rain & mud but not much better. A pizza place in Waynesboro delivered. There was one car in the parking lot. No restaurant. No place to resupply in walking distance not even a gas station. The old Howard Johnson rooms were in bad shape. Some rooms were caved in. Some of the roofs were burnt out. It was a ghost town.

[Hikerhead]

I don't think the owner is hurting for money. I've been told he owns the golf course http://www.swannanoa.com/ and the granite mansion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swannanoa_(mansion). I always thought he just waiting on a major motel to offer him a few millions for his land, bulldoze the trash that's there now, and build a nice new hotel. A nice hotel on top of Afton Mtn would be a big money maker for someone.

[ChinMusic]

Not been there, but reading the reviews on TripAdvisor and Yelp are entertaining. So is their web page

www.theinnatafton.com

My wife is Thai. I had her quickly scan that link. She say nothing related to the AT nor VA, but I didn't give her much time to go over it carefully. Weird hack?

[Damn Yankee]

I don't think the owner is hurting for money. I've been told he owns the golf course http://www.swannanoa.com/ and the granite mansion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swannanoa_(mansion). I always thought he just waiting on a major motel to offer him a few millions for his land, bulldoze the trash that's there now, and build a nice new hotel. A nice hotel on top of Afton Mtn would be a big money maker for someone.

I was just up at the mansion which is actually marble and not granite. The poor place is just falling apart. What a shame, it is such a beautiful place with great gardens. There is a groundsman that lives there and I know they still hold functions there and tours to try and raise funds for the upkeep but, obviously not doing well.

[earlyriser26]

This would be a great location for a first rate hotel. I still can't believe that the county or state can't force this "hotel" or old HoJo to be closed / bulldozed. There are a million violations. I have stayed in some dumpy places along the trail, but this looks the worst. I can't believe the various guidebooks even list it. Anyone stay there this year?

[full conditions]

Read some of the reviews on Tripadvisor about the Afton Inn.. Some of them are hilarious...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...a.html#REVIEWS

Thanks. Those were awesome! I especially enjoyed the "reminded me of the documentary "Life After People" and "a shirtless drunk came out of his room to help me with my bags".
So, I stayed there with a girlfriend in 1974 during a summer break in high school. We hiked the AT from the James River to Rockfish Gap and decided to stay at HoJo's. I talked Cassie into registering by herself for a single room (partly because we were broke and partly because I was pretty sure the manager wouldnt allow a couple of unmarried high school kids to share a room). I waited out by the road for a couple of hours and finally Cassie came out and she sneaked me in the room. Moments later we received a call from the front desk. It was the manager - "I know what you two are doing up there...and I want you to know...its OK with me"...click. That was it. We stayed pretty freaked out for a while but eventually we came down to the restaurant and had the HoJo clam rolls with ice tea and went up to the parkway to watch the sun set. Next day Cassie's mom picked us up and that was it - but I've always carried just the best memories of that place with me. Just a shame what's happed to it.

[BillyGr]

I stayed there twice. The first time was in 1972. It was one of the highlights of my hike. Stayed at Howard Johnsons. I remember soaking in a nice hot bathtub and eating a pint of butter pecan ice cream. Stayed at the Afton Inn about 2010. It as better than sleeping in the rain & mud but not much better. A pizza place in Waynesboro delivered. There was one car in the parking lot. No restaurant. No place to resupply in walking distance not even a gas station. The old Howard Johnson rooms were in bad shape. Some rooms were caved in. Some of the roofs were burnt out. It was a ghost town.

As a quick note - from that link above (shuminweb) the hotel itself was never a Howard Johnson's, just the restaurant. Actually I saw photos on one of several HoJo sites that show the restaurant first, then the cabins, then the actual "hotel" part, all of that before the Inn (up top) was built.

This would be a great location for a first rate hotel. I still can't believe that the county or state can't force this "hotel" or old HoJo to be closed / bulldozed. There are a million violations. I have stayed in some dumpy places along the trail, but this looks the worst. I can't believe the various guidebooks even list it. Anyone stay there this year?

Maybe they need some Albany (NY) County folks to go down and inspect it OK - local joke, but they've just closed a couple hotels up there for a variety of violations, which sound similar to some of those TripAdvisor postings. Apparently the Inn has never collected public monies to house otherwise homeless folks (which the places here did) and thus doesn't draw the same attention?

[jbwood5]

Read some of the reviews on Tripadvisor about the Afton Inn.. Some of them are hilarious...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...a.html#REVIEWS

I would have never guessed that place was open and in business as late as 2013. I stayed there with a large group of trail runners for the 2004 Great Eastern Endurance Run (GEER - organized by a group out of Charlottsville). It was the host hotel and I'd have to say it was very run down, even back then. Most of the endurance trail runners really didn't care since they have similar expectations as backpackers (i.e. just a place to shower and crash). The place should really be plowed down and re-built.

The GEER organizers discontinued using the Afton Inn beginning (I believe in 2005). I think it was distracting from the race experience (which is awesome).... and probably too expensive for what you got.

I enjoyed reading the history from the link from the other post.

[mad4scrapping]

The scuttlebutt I've heard is that the man who owns the property won't sell, or wants an astronomical amount. It's too bad. We went to the visitor's center two weekends ago and the visitor center had no water. So we went to the Blue Ridge Brewery instead.

[Siarl]

I don't even know what alphabet that was...

LOLOL It's the Thai language. It looks as if the link was hijacked or something. It's certainly not about the Afton Inn.

[johnnybgood]

The scuttlebutt I've heard is that the man who owns the property won't sell, or wants an astronomical amount. It's too bad. We went to the visitor's center two weekends ago and the visitor center had no water. So we went to the Blue Ridge Brewery instead.

The latest scuttlebutt mentioned above is true except that what I heard my a reputable source is that the owner won't sell the property for no amount of money. The son ( heir) was instructed by his dad to not sell the property for reasons that a previous land sell went bad ( buyers name not disclos

The current owner also owns 600 acres of the surrounding land including the Italian style renaissance mansion ; Swannonoa , which he charges $4 a head to go see during summer weekends.

The guy sounds like he doesn't want to spend the money to completely overhaul the Inn at Afton which could use a good quarter million dollars in repairs. He simply doesn't want to spend large sums of money on property that gives so little profitabity in return.

Virginia is a strong property rights owner state so nothing will likely happen in the near future regarding the deteriorating buildings on his property as matters of countless violations will encounter years of court room dichotomy.

[12TH Man]

Having grown up in the area; I find the current condition to be an embarrassment to any Virginian. I am not a fan of eminent domain, but in this case----go for it.

[12TH Man]

AND having said that. How about the embarrassment we should all feel about conditions of infrastructure in Shenandoah National Park.

Stone walls along the Drive not sealed to prevent freeze thaw issues, Gutters leaking, broken walls and doors that haven't been fixed
for years. Everything looks shabby except the view.

[handlebar]

AND having said that. How about the embarrassment we should all feel about conditions of infrastructure in Shenandoah National Park.

Stone walls along the Drive not sealed to prevent freeze thaw issues, Gutters leaking, broken walls and doors that haven't been fixed
for years. Everything looks shabby except the view.

You get what you pay for.