My husband is an avid fly fisherman and for years, many of their family vacations centered around fly fishing. At some point in our relationship, I accepted that fly fishing was always going to be a part of my life and I began keeping an eye out for new locations where my husband and my father-in-law could go fly fishing, while at the same time providing my mother-in-law and me with other distractions and things to do!
Rose River Farm in Syria, VA in located near some of the very best fly fishing in Virginia. The farm was purchased and built with the intention of providing a “fly fishing getaway” close to Washington, DC that offers the same uncrowded fly fishing experience to those who enjoy fishing in Colorado and Montana. In 2011, the Farm added two modern Mongolian Yurts, to provide sleeping quarters for both fishermen and their families. I personally find the notion of a yurt to be fascinating (bordering on a hobbit house like experience), so when I realized that I could combine both my yurt fascination along with my husband’s intense love for fly fishing in one fall getaway, I immediately booked us for a weekend at Rose River Farm.
The Farm now has a total of three yurts which are available for booking year round. Each yurt is just over 1,100 square feet, has central heating and cooling, two full baths and two full bedrooms (each with double beds). The yurts are fully equipped with just about everything you can think of for a fly fishing vacation, including washing machines, however, I must note that the yurts are not equipped with dish washers, which may be a dealer breaker to some.
The yurts are stunning:
The major benefit to my family, of course, was that the yurts provided close proximity to excellent fly fishing. By staying at the Farm, you have access to fish a stretch of the Rose River that is private access only. It is $95/day/person to reserve the right to fish the stream and the Farm limits access to five rods a day (if your party books four rods, they will reserve the entire stream for your use). My husband and his father loved being able to fish the reserved stream that was located just minutes away from the cabin and, when they were ready to take a break, they came back to the cabin and walked our son down to the pond so he could practice his own fly casting.
There are a number of nearby attractions in addition to fly fishing, such as wine tasting. My mother-in-law and I spent a lovely afternoon wine tasting while my son napped. If you’ve never been wine tasting in Virginia, it’s not quite the same as wine tasting in California, but there are a number of excellent wines (and ciders) that you can sample throughout the state.
The Farm also provides a list of other activities nearby, including guided kayaking trips, horseback riding, and fishing on public waters. Although having a three-year-old in our party meant that we could not participate in many of those activities, I would definitely explore more active activities now that our kids are older.
Finally, I would love to return to Rose River Farm, especially now that my oldest is 8 and could learn to fish on the relatively calm stretch of the river they offer private access to, but, unfortunately, the Farm does not allow pets. While this may be a benefit to some, with three cabins available for rent, I sure would hope the Farm reconsiders the policy and allow pets perhaps in one of the three cabins! I have no problem traveling without my pet when the need arises, but for fall weekend getaways close to home, it just doesn’t seem right to leave our four-legged child behind. Nevertheless, if you aren’t limited by this factor, I highly encourage you to getaway to Rose River Farm and experience a yurt, as well as excellent fly fishing, wines, and more, just two hours from DC.
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