Kathy Phipps

Review of YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly

I'm not sure who picked this location for our grou...

I'm not sure who picked this location for our group, but it definitely was not suitable for a group of 250 who had several members with physical limitations and dietary considerations. If you were lucky enough to get a room in the main hall, I suppose it was OK, but if you were in one of the dormitory halls "up the mountain", the only thing positive to say is that the A/C worked. The rooms were set up dormitory style, many of them did not have private baths. The highlight/lowlight was when teens started arriving and their noise level did not mesh with the quiet needs of our group. I have no idea where their chaperones were, but they weren't chaperoning. The building I stayed in (Eureka Hall) was on the historic register and you can't make many changes to it so I guess we're luck we had A/C. No elevators, steep and dangerous stairs. We had a laugh about the ramps inside the building and the handicapped stall in the restroom. Anyone who was handicapped could not access this building as there were at least 5 steps to navigate on the most accessible side. On the whole, the place smelled musty and several areas had signs of mold.

Many of our group had diet restrictions - vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, etc. During several of our meals, there wasn't really any options available.

It was a pretty area, but you can't eat and sleep in pretty. I will say the staff was very friendly and cooperative.