Learning orienteering, water purification and self-rescue techniques are skills you think of acquiring in the great wilderness, not as a teambuilding activity just 40 miles outside the nation’s capital and 20 miles from Washington D.C.’s Dulles Airport. But at Salamander Resort & Spa, nestled on 340 acres at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Survival 101 course is just one of many outdoor teambuilding programs offered to groups. In fact, with all of its outdoor space, including an 110,000-square-foot Grand Lawn, the options and types of activities seem as endless as the property itself.
Groups can arrange for ziplining, ropes course challenges, hiking tours, falconry lessons and even Amazing Race-style competitions. On the Great Lawn, volleyball games, bocce ball and lawn Olympics are common team events. For groups looking for slightly less adventurous activities, there are history walking tours and winery tours and tastings available.
The property is situated in Middleburg, Va., which is known as horse country and for equestrian sport, so it’s natural that there are quite a few equestrian-focused programs to give guests a true Northern Virginia experience. A popular, and definitely the most unique, is the EquiSpective program. Developed and fine-tuned for 20 years by Sheryl Jordan, Salamander’s equestrian director, the self-discovery program unites horse and humans to develop leadership expertise as well as communication and relationship techniques. Led by Jordan, the program uses a hands-on approach and participants do not need any prior experience with horses.
Other equestrian options include trail rides, riding lessons and horsemanship courses as well as dressage and vaulting demonstrations. Groups can also arrange for sunrise yoga in the on-site Equestrian Center’s stables or yoga on horseback.
Heading back inside, the 168-room resort features a 5,000-square-foot ballroom and a cooking studio.