The house is very private on over 20 acres all together, mostly on the private hill behind the house (river in front, private wooded hill behind)... the one 'next door' neighbor is about 150 yards away and is an old farmhouse which is vacant, but currently being renovated for a future bed and breakfast...on the other side of the farmhouse are about 6 other little homes (further away from Cascade). There is one house being built about a half mile on the other side (beyond Cascade).
The river is about 3-5 feet deep in the center, but is smoothly sloping and shallow on the sides, with smooth river rocks along the shore (definite “small-child hand-holding” is necessary walking along the river rocks to the water's edge, but there are no sharp drops). We brought our kids [now 6 and 8] out swimming when they were 3 and 4 with no problem-there are wonderful little shallow eddy pools right in front of the house for fun swimming and relaxing.
Arden is a tiny little 'village' on the Tygart River, with a single little white church, and about 20 or so houses/cabins/cottages along its bank...Cascade is privately located toward the end of one of the banks, with 2 distant neighboring houses, both currently being built or completely renovated (and thus unoccupied). The location is a fantastic place to spend two weeks relaxing away from it all, but if you wish to be out and about, there are many things to do and see nearby. To start, Philippi is the nearest town, and has a wonderful covered bridge (the site of the first land battle of the Civil War), a museum, a couple of restaurants, and very basic shopping. About 30 minutes away, Elkins is a quaint little town with 'old-fashioned, small town shopping'. 35 minutes' drive brings you to Bridgeport, a very nice 'suburban' town with both small retail shops and unique restaurants downtown, and the more 'traditional' chain restaurants and stores and movie theaters as well.
In addition, you have access to many 'off-beat cultural experiences' (to name a few: a quilting club, belly dancing, learning to machine knit a scarf or toboggan). Also, there are loads of interesting attractions and interesting historical places that offer tours such as the Adaland Mansion, the Civil War Museum, etc, and of course lots of beautiful hiking, as well as gorgeous and plentiful lakes and national parks to visit.
The house is very private on over 20 acres all together, mostly on the private hill behind the house (river in front, private wooded hill behind)... the one 'next door' neighbor is about 150 yards away and is an old farmhouse which is vacant, but currently being renovated for a future bed and breakfast...on the other side of the farmhouse are about 6 other little homes (further away from Cascade). There is one house being built about a half mile on the other side (beyond Cascade).
The river is about 3-5 feet deep in the center, but is smoothly sloping and shallow on the sides, with smooth river rocks along the shore (definite “small-child hand-holding” is necessary walking along the river rocks to the water's edge, but there are no sharp drops). We brought our kids [now 6 and 8] out swimming when they were 3 and 4 with no problem-there are wonderful little shallow pools right in front of the house for fun swimming and relaxing.
Cascade is on a semi-paved road, which basically turns into a dirt and gravel double track trail, more than a road, beyond cascade that is ideal for more strenuous biking. On the other side of the river (over the bridge that is 1/2 mile from Cascade), turning right puts you on a nice, smooth packed dirt road for leisurely riding with very little traffic (i.e. rare cars-about 1 car every 10-15 minutes on average).
