The New River Trail state park has a 10-bedroom hotel that opened earlier this year, and a ribbon cutting was held Friday, Oct. 27 to officially celebrate the completion of a renovation project, which took 10 years.
The original Foster Falls Hotel opened in 1882, along the railroad. Most of the guests were connected with a nearby iron mining company. Later, the building was used as an orphanage for children. The building sat vacant for more than sixty years.
Matthew Wells is the director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, or DCR, which oversees Virginia’s state parks.
“I love camping as much as the next guy, it’s one of the reasons I took this job,” Wells said. “But sometimes you get tired of roughing it. Sometimes you want a soft bed and a hot shower. You want hospitality.”
DCR hired a local hospitality company, New River Retreat, to manage the inn. Debbie Gardner, owner of the company, which also manages the Draper Mercantile, said since opening the Inn at Foster Falls in April, they’ve had several guests rebook for next year.
“It’s just about being able to experience what it’s like in southwest Virginia,” Gardner said. “Enjoy the nature. I mean you can sit on the porch and hear the sounds of the river. It’s very peaceful here.”
The Inn at Foster Falls is open to guests year-round. It’s part of the New River Trail State Park, which Wells said had 750,000 visitors last year, and it’s estimated they brought $33 million to the local economy.
