Big House

Big House

Handbook

Welcome

to the

Big House!

We’re so pleased you’ve decided to join us!

This booklet will help you know what to expect at your Big House Atlantic University program. There is some important information inside, so please read the entire booklet. If you still have questions about your program or the Big House, contact::

Sandy or John LaPrelle

284 White Rock Furnace Road

Rural Retreat, VA 24368

Phone: 278-686-5878

Email: sandynewlap@hotmail.com

These pages will help you know what to expect while staying at the Big House. There is some important information here, so please read it all. If you still have questions about the Big House, contact:

It really is a big house, three stories tall. On the first floor are two large living rooms, one of which is set up as a meeting room with plenty of comfortable seating. There is a dining room that seats up to twenty people, and a large country kitchen. Four of the eight bedrooms are on the third floor, with two or three twin beds per room. Two of the second floor bedrooms have one full size bed plus one or two twin size beds each; the two remaining second floor bedrooms are occupied by members of the LaPrelle family. There are two full baths, one on the 2nd floor and one on the 3rd floor, and a half bath on the first floor. There are no wheelchair facilities.

The Big House is not your typical conference facility. The house itself is homely, always in need of paint and upkeep; the furniture is old dormitory style, mixed with some home-made benches and a few antiques. It’s not a hotel; there is no food service or room service, and there are no maids. As your hosts, John and Sandy will provide meals during your stay. Please keep in mind that unless the program is very small (6 people or less), some bedrooms will be double occupancy.

The area around the house includes fruit trees, generous shade trees, and a large yard surrounded by cow pasture.

The LaPrelle farm is large and mostly wooded and bordered on three sides by Jefferson National Forest. There are miles of woods to walk in and plenty of cow pasture for picking wildflowers and berries when in season. The A.R.E. Camp is only one mile down a gravel road, and the Camp pond is available in season for swimming and sunning.

The following is a suggested list of items you might want to bring to your program. Mark your name on personal items. BED LINENS, PILLOWS & TOWELS WILL BE PROVIDED

The house has one washer and one dryer available for limited use, and a back yard solar dryer (clothesline!)

Meals are served family style in the large dining room. Menu planning utilizes the Cayce readings on diet and health whenever possible; a balance is sought between today’s food tastes and the healthful dietary suggestions in the readings. Plenty of fresh vegetables are used; some come from the A.R.E. Camp’s organic garden when in season.

The daily menu is designed to accommodate the vegetarian diet, with vegetarian options at all meals. Participants with a restricted diet should let us know their needs in advance. Please send us a note outlining your dietary needs, or let us know after you arrive if you have a special diet.

NOTE: Cell phone reception can be poor due to the remoteness of the region and the many hills and valleys.

Nearby the Big House are several State Parks and Wilderness Areas which offer a variety of opportunities for exploration.

Hungry Mother State Park is about a 30 minute drive. This park has a lake for boating, fishing and swimming, public swimming pools and nature trails.

Grayson Highlands State Park, about an hour’s drive, offers beautiful views, a visitor’s center with gift-shop, and some rugged trails for hiking to some of the most beautiful spots in Virginia.

Mount Rogers is the highest point in Virginia, and is about an hour’s drive from the Big House. This designated Wilderness Area has trails for hiking.

The Big House is accessible by car, bus, or plane. Please let us know in advance if you need to be picked up at the airport or bus station.

By bus: The nearest Greyhound bus stations are in Marion, Virginia and Wytheville, Virginia (pronounced “with-ville”). Please arrange for arrivals to be after 4:00 p.m. on Sunday and departures before noon on Saturday. There is no fee for bus pick-ups and deliveries.

By plane: Flight reservations should be made to and from Roanoke Regional Airport. The airport is a two-hour drive from the Big House. There is a $70.00 fee for airport pick-ups and deliveries ($40.00 one way).

By car: Please see map on back cover. Arrivals should be planned for after 4:00 pm. on Sunday and departures before noon on Saturday unless otherwise noted.

A.R.E. Camp is located in the mountains of Southwestern Virginia, about 90 miles southwest of Roanoke, just 10 miles from I-81.

Take the Rural Retreat exit (exit 60) off I-81. Turn towards the McDonalds onto Route 90 East. Continue straight on 90, crossing Route 11/Lee Highway at the light, and on through the town of Rural Retreat. Cross the railroad tracks. As the road leaves town, it becomes Cedar Springs Rd. Continue south on Cedar Springs Rd until you get to the community of Cedar Springs (exactly 6.0 miles from the light at Route 11). Bear right in Cedar Springs, onto Route 614/Cedar Springs Rd, toward the town of Sugar Grove. Go 1/2 mile, turn right at the sign for A.R.E. Camp, onto White Rock Furnace Rd. Continue on this gravel road across the cattle guard and through the farmyard. For Big House programs, turn left up the hill before the first cattle gate.