Sky Retreat — Attraction in West Jefferson

We had our wedding at Sky Retreat eight weeks ago. I had an extremely hard time deciding between so many beautiful High Country venues. There were three reasons Sky Retreat won out: the views, the Parkway drive up, and the covered porch. The fact that everything else was perfection heightened the whole experience into a choice that the two of us, our family, and our friends could not have been happier with.

The venue is kind of magical. You look down on the charming cabins on one side, and across breathtaking mountain vistas on the other. You get views from anywhere you choose to have your ceremony or dinner. Inside there are almost floor to ceiling windows and otherwise a blank canvas room to do with as you wish. Outside you can have your ceremony on the pavers or the grass. We had only twenty guests so we were able to have dinner on the patio, perfect for this never-ending pandemic.

Our caterer (Earthworks) raved about the kitchen set up here before we even booked it, and he even had tons of space outside out of sight to set up his wood grill for the veggies and local trout he served. It was awesome. Our photographer (Enowen) got incredible shots of us at sunset with the views behind us and the mountain breeze ruffling my dress.

The bridal dressing room has a comfy couch and a nice long makeup counter with a full wall mirror. I was the only one getting my hair and makeup done professionally in there, but if you have a large bridal party who are all getting ready at the same time it won’t be big enough. The dressing area is also one room with the toilets separated by a curtain which felt less than ideal, and I had to drag my dress into the handicap stall to get dressed in order to have privacy. The men’s dressing area is also in their bathroom and not separated in any way. This was really the only downside of the venue for me and my pee-shy friends. On the plus side everything about the venue is truly wheelchair accessible.

Merin answered every question I had so quickly and could not have been nicer and Vitold worked so hard setting everything up and tearing it down to our exact specifications (don’t forget to give him a...

Our son got married here in April, what a beautiful view!! Overall, the day ended beautifully but started out quit unorganized. We had to set up the tables and chairs inside as well as the chairs on the hillside where the ceremony was. Being the mother of the groom I didn't see the contract to know, but I am assuming the venue was supposed to do this part. We had to bring in everything, linens for the tables, decorations, etc. The chair covers were white, but extremely dirty. We had to go thru and pick the best ones to use without stains and tears. There weren't enough tables so we had to sit people on the ends. One of the tables had a broken leg and it fell on me two times. We had to use tables that should have been for guests for the caterers. The brides room is very small and connects to the only women's bathroom so guests kept coming in when we were getting ready. There was one hook in the room to hang everyone's dresses on. The groom's room is also a very small bathroom shared by the guests, again one hook in the bathroom for hanging clothes on. We had a small wedding (approx 75), which was the only saving grace to the bathroom situation. Thankfully, the bride and groom were happy at the end of the day. The view is why it gets 4 stars. I wanted to point out these things that need to be addressed for others choosing to have their wedding here. In the end, the place is beautiful and definitely worth inquiring...

Perfect place for a wedding or just a relaxing getaway! I had my wedding here in August and it was everything I could have hoped for. The views are breathtaking, pictures don't do it justice. It is located just 1 mile off the blue ridge parkway, easy to get to with any vehicle. My guests arrived from out of state without any problems. When you first enter the drive way, you see the cabins and then the amazing view they face. Keep going and you arrive at the ballroom/banquet hall that sits right on top of the mountain. The bridal suite was super cute and a great place for me and my girls to get ready. There are huge windows in the ballroom so you have the view from the inside and then a porch that wraps all the way around the back so you can also enjoy from outside. The ballroom faces directly south and the sunsets over the mountain just to the right. My photographer was so excited to take pictures of the view during the day and then again during the "magic hour" just before sunset. I loved that I could choose my own vendors because it saved me a lot of money. My caterers mentioned that they loved the full kitchen they had access to as well as having their own entrance. I highly recommend you plan a visit for a wedding or...