Corporate Retreats & Group Getaways near Old Rag, Virginia

Old Rag Mountain across the hayfields at Overlook

Corporate Retreats & Group Getaways near Old Rag

 

Stay together on a thirty-two-acre farm facing Old Rag, with room for up to 38 across our three homes. Meet, dine and taste at DuCard Vineyards, a few minutes down the road in Etlan.

In partnership with DuCard Vineyards

DuCard Vineyards

Old Rag Overlook is a main farmhouse and a cottage on thirty-two acres in Etlan, sleeping up to eighteen between them. It is about two hours from Washington, DC, on the eastern edge of Shenandoah National Park, with long views, dark skies and almost no passing traffic. Dogs are welcome.

Your group can gather at the house for smaller conversations and shared meals around the long table. Meanwhile DuCard Vineyards can provide the event venue. It has the facilities to host company retreats, with breakout rooms, catering, vineyard tours and tastings, and its owner and management can work with you to arrange the day. In the evenings, everyone can come back to the farm.

How it fits together

Work at the vineyard, come home to the farm

 
Overlook from above: main house, cottage and game room

At Overlook

Your home base · Etlan · 6 bedrooms · sleeps 18

  • Beds for up to eighteen across the farmhouse and cottage
  • Room for small working sessions and shared meals
  • A long dining table set for eighteen
  • Game room and bar
  • Porch, stone patio, hot tub and a fire pit facing Old Rag
The LOVE sculpture at DuCard Vineyards, with the tasting room behind

At DuCard Vineyards

The winery and event venue · a few minutes away

  • Meeting and breakout rooms, including the Shenandoah Room for 30 to 40
  • Pavilion, tent, decks and patios for larger gatherings
  • Catering from local caterers
  • Vineyard tours and wine tastings
  • The owner and management work with you to arrange the day and your activities
Evening light over the fields near Old Rag

Around you

Shenandoah National Park, Sperryville and Madison

  • A hike up Old Rag, or gentler park trails
  • Horseback riding
  • Fly fishing nearby
  • Apple and peach picking in season
  • Restaurants and shops in Sperryville and Madison
  • Starry nights at the fire pit

Why here

Trade the windowless conference room for the Blue Ridge

 

Many offsites end up at a chain hotel: a windowless conference room, breakouts squeezed into the lobby and the coffee shop, and a hallway between your team and the outdoors. Here, your group meets with views of the Blue Ridge, takes breakouts out on DuCard's patios, and comes home in the evening to a farmhouse facing Old Rag.

Larger groups

Room for up to 38, across three homes

 

Together our three homes have 14 bedrooms for up to 38 guests. When your group is bigger than Overlook, our other two homes take up to ten guests each, under fifteen minutes away by car. Everyone stays close, and the whole group can meet at DuCard during the day.

Old Rag Overlook

Old Rag Overlook

Etlan · 6 bedrooms · Sleeps 18 · 6.5 baths

A farmhouse and cottage on thirty-two acres facing Old Rag, with a game room, hot tub and fire pit.

Old Rag Trailside

Old Rag Trailside

Nethers · 4 bedrooms · Sleeps 10 · 2.5 baths

An old farmhouse, a short walk from the Old Rag trailhead.

Old Rag Foothills

Old Rag Foothills

Nethers · 4 bedrooms · Sleeps 10 · 3 baths

The farmhouse next door to Trailside, also a short walk from the Old Rag trailhead.

Retreat packages

Three ways to plan it

 

Every retreat is put together with your group. These are starting points. Tell us what you have in mind: we can provide home rental pricing, and DuCard can offer event planning, rates and meeting venue options. We can even suggest a meeting facilitator if you want one.

Rocking chairs on the porch at Overlook

2 nights · midweek

Vineyard Escape

  • Stay: the whole of Overlook for your group
  • At DuCard: a vineyard tour and tasting
  • Also: a welcome basket with DuCard wine
The long dining table at Overlook, set for eighteen

2–3 nights

Team Retreat

  • Stay: the whole of Overlook for your group
  • At DuCard: a meeting day with breakout rooms, plus a tour and tasting
  • Also: a hike or horseback ride, and a private chef dinner at the farmhouse
Fire pit circle at Overlook with Old Rag beyond

3 nights

Leadership Offsite

  • Stay: the whole of Overlook for your group
  • At DuCard: meeting days in the Shenandoah Room and a catered dinner at the pavilion or patio
  • Also: a facilitator for strategy sessions, and a hike or a morning of fly fishing
Fog filling the valley at dawn below Overlook

A sample retreat

Two nights, midweek

 

Day 1 – Arrive in the afternoon. Settle into the farmhouse and cottage, then dinner at the long table and an evening at the fire pit.

Day 2 – Work at DuCard. A morning session and breakouts at the vineyard, a catered lunch, then a tour and tasting. Back to Overlook for dinner together.

Day 3 – Out on the mountain. An early hike up Old Rag, or an easier trail in the park, then head home. In season, Old Rag needs a day-use ticket, and we can help you get them.

The house

Life at Overlook

 
The game room with its red tin roof
Living room with mountain views
Covered porch looking out over the fields
The bar in the game room
Adirondack chairs and the fire pit, Old Rag beyond
The farmhouse under a Shenandoah night sky

Good to know

Planning questions

 
Which dates work best?

Sunday to Thursday stays suit most retreats and give you the quietest days at both the farm and the vineyard. Ask us about our respective midweek rates.

Can you help us find a meeting facilitator?

Yes. Tell us what kind of sessions you have in mind, and we can suggest facilitators to work with your group.

How far is DuCard from the house?

About five minutes by car.

Can we bring our dogs to the homes?

Yes, dogs are welcome at all three homes.

Plan your retreat

Tell us about your group

 

Share your group size, the dates you are considering and what you have in mind, and we will come back with dates, rates and a suggested plan from DuCard. DuCard’s wine, event, and catering services are offered and billed separately from the house rentals, so you’re free to build the experience you want.