Capon Springs and Farms, located in Capon, West Virginia bills itself as an all-inclusive mountain resort located less than two hours from DC, and got its start as a medicinal spa due to its fresh water spring that is touted as having healing qualities. After more than half a dozen visits to Capon, over ten plus years, I want to share my experience going to Capon Springs.
Why visit Capon Springs and Farms Resort?
Are you looking for a family-style camp similar to, but not nearly as nice, as the ones featured in Dirty Dancing or the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel? If so, Capon Springs and Farms may be the place for you.
While Capon categorizes itself as a “resort,” it is more along the lines of family camp. The property has more than a dozen cabins and cottages nestled into its wooded mountain property. It is open from late April to early November, and requires advance booking for most stays. Rates are set per person per night and include food and activities except for golf, the spa and Escape room.
Capon has a variety of camping trails, sports fields, a spring-fed pool and farm area too. The resort is based on a natural spring that flows through the property with drinking fountains scattered about, and has purported medicinal qualities.
The all-inclusive meals are served family style at specific times in a large dining room in the main building of the property. The set menu for the season is available here. One of the best part of the meals is dessert– with home-made pies and other baked goods that you can smell cooking when you walk by the main hall.
When I first went to Capon in 2012 the only way you could stay at Capon was by getting a referral from somebody you knew. There were no locks on the cabins, no cell reception after you left the interstate, and it was completely BYOB.
Today there are locks on the doors, you can get cell reception throughout most of the property, several places on the property have wifi, and they sell a limited amount of alcohol; but you still must only consume it in your cabin.
Planning for Capon Springs:
We book our room for each season when we leave the property the previous year. Capon’s booking system is one of the things I really struggle with. You submit your written request when you depart Capon each year, and if you are a repeat visitor you get priority with your room choice and date for the following year.
When my husband and I went to Capon before kids, it was easy to plan for Capon. We would just request a room in advance, and throw our golf clubs in the car with our hiking boots and other overnight belongings – and stop for some wine at a Virginia Winery like Linden along the way. We stayed in the log cabin, and other cottages before kids and it was super easy.
Going to Capon with young kids is not easy or sometimes comfortable to plan for if you are trying to optimize for cost. We stayed in the Webster Cottage during COVID with our oldest child who was less than a year old. It was hard having one room for nap time and at night when they went to bed so early, and we did not want to go to bed or disturb them in the room.
When we went back to Capon two years later with two kids we got adjoining rooms in the Fairfax because there was extra capacity during our trip. BUT we got a lot of friction from the front desk staff about the request for two rooms. Honestly, I don’t know how our family of four would have fit into one room given the space and size of the beds.
More recently we have paid for each child as an adult to secure a multi-bedroom cottage on the hill. We like the remote location of the cottages on the hill because they are super quiet, and once the kids go to bed my husband and I can sit outside on the screened in porch and enjoy seeing nocturnal animals and listening to bird calls while we drink wine. It’s super peaceful and the closest thing I will get to camping. Paying the adult rate makes it a lot more expensive, and it’s hard to justify a longer stay.
This past Summer, 2026 despite having written confirmation that we had a cabin reserved, Capon tried to move us to two rooms that were not adjoining for our family’s stay. Fortunately having a written confirmation helped us get the cabin we reserved, but it is still an experience worth sharing with other families that you may not get the room you reserved in advance for your stay. And you need to be prepared to split up as a family.
We really love going to Capon Springs and Farms because it is a chance for us to connect with nature and spend a screen-free long weekend as a family, but I wish they had a better reservation system or set-up for families. I understand it is part of its quirky nature and charm to not have everything modernized, but it would be nice if some of the rooms were updated for modern family requests. I wish the modernization efforts that have come to the spa would also be made so it’s easier for families to visit.
In preparing for Capon, know that there is no AC in the cabins, so you need to plan for heat or cool mornings and evenings. There are box fans available in many rooms to help cool them, and they serve as great white noise machines too.
Also, lunch doesn’t start until 1PM, so we always bring some snacks for the kids. While Capon is touted as all-inclusive, there are no substantive snacks between meals so you need to plan to wrap up food from the dining room to take with you, or bring some things from home for in between meals. I have started bringing our reusable snack bags to snag toast, cookies, etc. and things the kids can eat between meals.
Experience at Capon:
We try to get to Capon on Thursday nights to start our long weekend with dinner on the hill. We try to arrive shortly after check-in starts so we can get to our room, unpack and relax before dinner.
Thursday dinners at Capon are one of the meals that are served outside in a pavilion that abuts the Capon golf course. They serve steak, burgers, hot dogs, and sides buffet style with home-made pies and cookies for dessert. During and after dinner on the hill kids are able to run along the golf course and have fun with beautiful views of the blue ridge mountains in the background.
Mornings at Capon are special, and start with music playing around the property 30 minutes-ish before breakfast starts. Every morning there is a flag raising ceremony where kids can help raise the flag before the National Anthem is sung. Then, the breakfast bell rings and everyone files into the main dining room for breakfast.
During your first meal at Capon you will be escorted to your family’s table in the main dining room for the duration of your stay. Your name will be on the table, and you will also mostly have the same server for your meals. They will learn if you need a high chair, bibs, sippy cups, chocolate milk, etc. for young ones and can accommodate other dietary needs too.
After breakfast, unless you have reservations for golf or the spa, you are left to explore the pool, sports facilities, hikes, etc. that the property has to offer. Some mornings include tours of the spring house, organized hikes, feeding the pigs at hog heaven, and sports competitions. There are physical sign-ups for many activities in the main building.
There used to be a stand alone toy house directly behind the main building that was perfect for young kids to play before breakfast. The toys have been moved to the pingpong house, and are a great stop before breakfast. There’s also a library and puzzle room in the main building that can provide entertainment while at Capon.
The variety of animals available at “hog heaven” has changed over the years. Back in the day there were some goats too, but recently it has been predominantly pigs. Also, you will pass a well stocked fishing pond on the way to Hog Heaven. The main Capon building has fishing supplies, and you are able to eat some of the fish you catch from the pond for dinner. Be on the lookout for turtles too around the pond– my kids are still talking about the massive turtle they saw this past June.
You can tell lunch is close to starting when you hear the music again playing throughout the property. Lunches are usually buffet style in recent years with a robust salad bar and hot food. Your server will check in with you at breakfast about the lunch menu and if there are any accommodations like chicken nuggets or peanut butter and jelly needed.
Afternoons are usually the perfect time to check out the freezing cold- or some people say “refreshing” Capon pool. It’s fed by the spring on property and the temperature remains consistent throughout the summer.
Another relaxing afternoon experience is a trip to the Hygeia Spa. In addition to massages, you can soak in private soaking rooms as an individual, couple or family. You can choose bath salts for the experience, or just take in the waters. The spa is also where you can purchase wine on the Capon property.
2026 was the first time we checked out the somewhat new Capon Escape Room. We planned it for a day that looked like rain when our kids were 4 and 6. The experience was a bit advanced for the four year old, but was accessible for a precocious six year old. It was a fun experience for the family, and was not as complex or challenging as chain escape rooms.
Saturday nights at Capon are a special experience. After sun down there is a large bonfire with campfire songs followed by hotdogs and cake. We let the kids go for the first time in 2026. We ducked out early for bedtime, but the kids still really enjoyed the experience.
Departure days at Capon end with breakfast unless you pay extra to stay for lunch. There can be a long line at check-out, so be prepared to wait. We usually have one parent take the kids to the playground while the other finalizes check-out. At that point we make our reservation for the following year.
Lessons Learned:
- If you have limited mobility, or broken bones, you can rent a golf cart to get around the property
- There are snakes on the hiking trails, so be on the look-out when hiking the property
- The toy house that used to be a stand alone building was torn down before the 2026 season, and has been relocated to the ping pong house close to the spring house. We now bring toys in good condition the kids have outgrown to the toy house so they can keep it going for future kids.
- Check out my international travel check list for more travel tips.
Travel Gear:
- Butterfly nets and bug catchers are great fun for the kids, and help them explore nature
- Coffee Maker: The coffee at Capon leaves a bit to be desired so we bring our own coffee.
- Water Jug: We love bringing Capon water home with us, and this helps us bring more home without needing to buy gallon containers at the spring house.
- Reusable snack bags: Necessary for kids who need snacks between meals.
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Final Thoughts:
While my kids will grow up with core memories from Capon, and we will continue to try to go for a long weekend every summer, I wish there was a bit less friction when booking as a family and checking out at the end. After this past stay, we know we have to also prepare for the unexpected with room assignments.
Part of the Capon charm is the traditions the property has like set meals and the ability to completely relax and unwind which keeps some families going annually for generations. There are some families that have gone annually for over 50 years which is super impressive and is a testament to the property’s charm. It’s a hard balance for Capon to keep the nostalgic traditions that keep people going for generations while also modernizing to meet modern expectations in the hospitality industry to attract new families.
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