“Wow! When you said we were staying in a cabin at one of your parks, I had no clue it would be this nice and feel like home away from home!” That is what one of my friends said when she arrived to our cabin for our Girlfriend Getaway Weekend at Bear Creek Lake State Park. I was in charge of this BFF Getaway (Best Friends Forever) that we try to take annually, and suggested one of my parks since we were on a budget and wanted to try something new. My friends were super excited but also somewhat shocked at how nice our accommodations were.
Our cabin at Bear Creek Lake State Park
The common area of our cabin
I realized that there are probably a lot of other people like my friends, who have never experienced staying at a park and have created an image in their minds that the cabins are something like a tree house in the middle of the woods. Although a tree house in the woods sounds pretty amazing to me that is not at all what the cabins are like.
The cabins are no tree house in the woods but there are some views off the balcony of the woods that are quite breathtaking, like this one at James River State Park
For those who prefer newer and modern accommodations, there are cabins and lodges that I would describe as home away from home, with comfy beds, large kitchens and balconies with rocking chairs overlooking the scenic views of the park. There are also rustic, historical accommodations that were built by men in the Civilian Conservation Corps and feel more to me like a cozy, log cabin.
Historical cabins can be found at Fairy Stone State Park for the more rustic traveler
For those with larger groups, lodges are a great choice
like this one at Occoneechee State Park
My friends and I cooked meals together, listened to music and reminisced about our crazy times in college, learned how to shoot bow and arrow with our favorite archery instructor, Tom Kneipp, kayaked on the lake and sat out on the balcony at night with our eyes up to the stars – stars that seemed closer and brighter and more beautiful than usual. Our cabin was our home for the weekend and it was hard to leave and head back to reality after our yummy home cooked brunch Sunday morning.
Summer cabin stays book up fast but there are still parks with seven-day availability including Virginia State Parks’ cabins.
I hope you enjoy your stay as much as my friends and I did. Until next time…