Three more Voight rooms to begin renovation this week!
Eagle Eyrie is currently conducting a campaign to renovate the hotel rooms in our Voight Conference Center. For $5,000 a church, organization, or individual can sponsor a room renovation and receive 5 free nights of lodging for 5 years.
Currently we have one room done and three more fully paid for – this week we will begin work on those three! In other words, we’re 25% towards our goal with 12 more rooms that need to be renovated.
Why renovate? Because Eagle Eyrie wants to become the premier destination for retreats and conferences in the region. We believe that a comfortable room with an upgraded mattress will give you a restful night of sleep and fully allow you to “retreat” away from the busyness of daily life.
Here are some of our frequently asked questions:
What is included in the $5,000.00 room renovation?
A $5,000.00 gift covers the cost of new carpet, paint, bedding, blinds, art work, lighting, an upholstered chair, patio furniture, and other amenities. Of course, if the donor chooses, we can also upgrade the room to include a new dresser and other features depending on the size of the contribution.
Can I dedicate a room in honor or memory of someone?
Yes! Each room will carry a special plaque to be placed on the door commemorating both the donor and the recipient.
Will a flat screen television be placed in the room?
We debated this question quite a bit, but the short answer is no. We came down on the side that Eagle Eyrie and the Voight Conference Center is not just a hotel but a place of retreat. With that distinction we felt that a television would be out of place. That said, we do have one with satellite downstairs in the lobby area. We also feature Wi-Fi with the capability to stream video such as Netflix, Hulu, etc. on your laptop or device.
How can find out more information about sponsoring a room?
Please call Eagle Eyrie at 434.384.2211 and we’ll be happy to help.
New lodge photos and floor plans now online
Last Friday I took advantage of the unseasonably nice weather and walked up the mountain with my camera to take new photos of the lodges. Wow. I sometimes ‘forget’ that I work at Eagle Eyrie. Walking up there on a quiet afternoon overlooking the mountains was just what I needed.
The photos we did have of the lodges, well, they just didn’t cut it. We’ve done a lot of work on the lodges over the last few years and it was time for them to be updated.
In addition to taking new lodge photos we uploaded floor plans. They are all now listed and categorized by size with small lodges sleeping 14-20 people, mid-size lodges sleeping 22-28 people (and broken up by one level and two level lodges) and large lodges sleeping 29-45 people.
The next step is to take interior photos of all the lodges, but I’m going to save that for a little warmer weather!
-Nathan
12 Reasons to hold your youth retreat at Eagle Eyrie in 2012
As we ponder all that 2012 will be in the days and months ahead, we at Eagle Eyrie hope you would consider allowing us to host your youth retreat!
Here are just a few reasons of how we can make it easy to plan and memorable for you and your youth group.
#1 - Mountains
Once the beauty of the mountains get in your blood they’re hard to shake.
Eagle Eyrie sits amongst the Blue Ridge Mountains overlooking Lynchburg and the James River valley.
The views throughout the property are breathtaking and will help add perspective for your retreat.
#2 - All you can eat buffet
We wanted to highlight this early on because for teenagers we know this can be potentially a big deal. If you choose to eat your meals with us, George, our Director of Food Services, will make sure that his excellent cooking fills your teenagers’ stomachs. Oh, and we have two soda fountains, hot drinks, a salad bar, and desserts available as well.
#3 - Separate male and female lodging
This can be done in a couple of ways depending on the size of your group. For larger groups, we can help you assign males to one lodge and females to another.
For smaller groups, our lodges are built such that you can separate males and females via a hallway.
#4 - Convenience to Lynchburg
Forgot a few supplies? Want to take your group out for ice cream or a movie? Want to enjoy amenities such as the Snowflex? Eagle Eyrie is only minutes away from Lynchburg, a metro area with over 100,000 people.
#5 - Convenience to Blue Ridge Parkway & Appalachian Trail
Want to ignore the hustle and bustle of the big city? Easy.
Eagle Eyrie is mere minutes away from tons of recreational and hiking opportunities along and around the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail.
There is a beautiful yet fairly simple hike over and along the James River only 15 minutes away.
#6 - Full kitchens in each lodge
Should you choose not to partake of George’s yummy buffets, our lodges feature a full kitchen for your disposal. You’ll have a full refrigerator/freezer, microwave, oven and stove top along with plenty of counter space.
#7 - Affordable pricing
A typical 2-night youth retreat with 4 meals (Saturday breakfast – Sunday breakfast) starts at $90/per person. However, if you wish to eat breakfast in your lodge, the cost is lowered to about $74/per person. Even better, if you belong to a BGAV church, you save 10% on meals and lodging, meaning that a 2 night/4 meal retreat is about $83/per person and a 2 night/2 meals retreat is about $68/per person. Learn more about our pricing here.
#8 - Recreation opportunities
Eagle Eyrie boasts a large and renovated swimming pool, bonfire pit, ballfield, volleyball court, basketball court, picnic pavilion, indoor game room, ice cream parlor, gift shop, and hiking trails.
There are plenty of ways for your group to have fun (and wear themselves out so they’ll sleep at night!)
#9 - Flexibility of meeting space
Each lodge has a common area with some even having outdoor space. Should you need or want a larger space, Eagle Eyrie has over 30 classrooms with some able to hold up to 200, while others are more intimate with capacities between 25-50 people.
Should you need space for more than 200 people than the auditorium in Dogwood Hall can hold up to 1,000 people. No matter your needs, Eagle Eyrie can help you find the meeting space you need.
#10 - Spiritual meditation path & chapel
Eagle Eyrie features a spiritual meditation path as well as a 50-person chapel that can be utilized to enhance the spirituality of your youth retreat. They are situated on a slightly more isolated area of campus allowing peace and tranquility.
The surrounding area and its view is a great place for quiet prayer and reflection.
#11 - Location, location, location
Eagle Eyrie is only an 90 minutes from Charlottesville, 2.5 hours from Richmond, 1.5 hours from Roanoke, 2 hours from Greensboro, 2.5 hours from Winston-Salem, 3 hours from Raleigh/Durham, and 3.5 hours from Northern Virginia. Get away without going too far!
#12 - BGAV churches receive discount
As mentioned above, we already have affordable prices, but we wanted to highlight again that if your church relates to the Baptist General Association of Virginia, your retreat will receive a 10% discount on housing and meals. In this day and age every dollar counts and we are happy to help the churches that support the ministry of Virginia Baptists and Eagle Eyrie.
Need more information about a youth retreat at Eagle Eyrie?
You can check out our youth retreat package or fill out an Inquiry form to receive information by phone or email such as a customized quote or further clarity on what Eagle Eyrie offers. You may also email info@eagleeyrie.org or call 434.384.2211.
Ready to reserve your retreat? Fill out our Retreat Application Form today!
Top 11 Highlights in 2011
2011 was a great year at Eagle Eyrie! As we sit back and reflect, we share our “11 in ’11″ highlights with you:
#11
We ordered brand new t-shirts for our gift shop this fall. We will greatly expand our apparel offerings for 2012. (Shh, we may even open an online store as well!)
#10
At the Baptist General Association of Virginia Annual Meeting, we were excited to give away two free overnight stays at the Hoover Center!
The winners will be able to stay for free any time in 2012 and enjoy the luxury and peacefulness that defines Hoover.
#9
The annual Chinese Christian Conference in May saw 643 people attend, their second-largest attendance since 1994!
#8
We welcomed dozens of new retreat groups this year, including prayer, youth, college student, women, and men’s retreats!
Overall retreat attendance was up over 5% from 2010.
#7
Similar to #8, we wanted to highlight that we welcomed over 250 retreat groups in 2011. What a busy, busy year!
#6
We have begun fundraising and renovations of the hotel rooms in the Voight Conference Center.
So far we have one renovated and three paid for waiting to be renovated next. Consider sponsoring a room today!
#5
Eagle Eyrie is going green. With overall attendance up this year, (and even with electrical rate increases) through cost-saving measures our electric bills went down 21%!
#4
We installed new billboards on either side of 501. These bright and shiny signs will help guide the over 25,000 guests we expect to welcome in 2012.
#3
We renewed our social media efforts in 2011. We put new life into our Facebook and Twitter profiles as well as opened a YouTube channel and Google+ profile. We are also the first VBMB partner Facebook page with over 1,100 “likes”!
#2
We launched a brand new website this year featuring dozens of pictures highlighting the beauty that surrounds Eagle Eyrie. We now enjoy easier to use online forms and a blog platform. The website, alongside our reinvigorated logo, brochures, and social media profiles, serves an important role in our new branding and marketing efforts.
#1
We saved the best for last: the four Centri-Kid Camps this past summer saw 135 children making spiritual decisions while they were here! Praise God!
Did any of your 2011 highlights occur at Eagle Eyrie? If so, would you share them with us?
Winter youth retreat at Eagle Eyrie?
As cold weather will finally begin to take hold of Virginia next week, it will finally begin to feel like winter!
Discover what several youth groups have already stumbled upon: the next few months are a great time to plan a youth retreat at Eagle Eyrie.
Why?
- There aren’t many school breaks between now and Spring break – give your students a weekend to look forward to!
- Space and availability options are greater than our peak times.
- Enjoy a warm and refreshing bonfire for only $25!
- Take advantage of our game and arcade room or enjoy hot chocolate from our ice cream shop!
- Flexibility with meals – enjoy our own warm all you can buffets or use a lodge kitchen to save money and make your own.
- We’re close to winter attractions such as Liberty’s Snowflex and Wintergreen.
A typical 2 night/4 meal retreat starts at $90/per person (BGAV churches receive a 10% discount on lodging and meals). Learn more about our youth retreat package, make a Request For Proposal, or apply to reserve your retreat today!
Watch our promo video now!
Decorating for Christmas!
With a cold air sweeping through the mountains of Virginia, it seemed appropriate to put the final touches to the Christmas decorations here at Eagle Eyrie this week. New this year are:
- An 18 foot Christmas tree inside the lobby of the Voight Conference Center. It’s simply massive.
- Lights hung with the garland around the balconies of Voight.
- Decorating the water fountain display in the dining hall.
This Christmas season Eagle Eyrie is playing host to over a dozen company and organization banquets and luncheons. We hope that they will enjoy the Christmas decorations during their feasts!
The Christmas nativity scene on top of the piano inside Voight.
The Christmas wreath and lighted garland hanging inside the Voight Conference Center.
Eagle Eyrie's 18 foot tall Christmas tree!
Beautiful poinsettias adorning the registration desk at Eagle Eyrie.
Christmas decorations inside of the dining hall.
Are you putting up anything new in your Christmas decorations this year?
