Are you looking for an adventure like none other right here in Central Virginia?
Or maybe even a quick getaway that’s not too far away?
I’m Mark and this is Candy. We own Sandy River Outdoor Adventures and Sandy River Distillery.
Candy’s from South Africa originally, and I’m from Virginia Beach. We both lived in the Caribbean, so we met in St. Martin about 19, 20 years ago.
11 years ago we really started the business, but we moved here 18 years ago, and it was nothing but cornfields, that’s all it was, just cornfields. Corn and cow field.
Today it’s covered with distillery, an 1840 log cabin from Charlotte Courthouse that we relocated, six teepees and a few other cabins out here that we’ve built from scratch.
We also have a pool for our guests that is heated and open from March through November.
We have the Zip Line Adventure Park, which Mark built, and that offers activities for people staying here. We have team-building that is perfect for corporate groups and family-building.
We also have kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards here on the property.
We make whiskey, vodka, some moonshine, and bourbons. Craft cocktails that are made with locally sourced produce like fresh berries and peaches, so we try to support local farmers in the area and use as much as we can in our cocktails and in our moonshines and that.
Our corn comes from the Amish and Cullen. Some of our wheat comes from Amish in Cullen, and yeah, we try to use local produce everywhere we can.
We have lamb on the farm because we raise sheep and we have a couple donkeys, miniature donkeys, and a pony. Plus we have several chickens and a garden.
All of our guests who come and stay with us are welcome to pick eggs out of the hen house or pick some vegetables out of the garden while they’re here. So it’s a little bit of a, I guess, almost educational farm as well, at the same time, as it is a recreational.
They play, zip, and sip. Yep, and pedal and paddle.
We do special events, too. Weddings, fashion shows, corporate events, family events.
We do an oyster event. My friend has an oyster farm on the Eastern Shore–some of the best oysters you’ll ever eat. We do a blue crab event with blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay.
Plus, we a big fall festival with vendors, a haunted trail down in the Adventure Park and that’s a popular event for our community for the whole month of October.
We are just trying to keep people involved and get everybody together and have a good time. Have some fun.
Come join us!
I’m Anita L. Williamson, Helping You Establish Roots In Central Virginia.
