Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Located just a little over an hour from DC, 3 hours from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and about 5 from NYC, the dome is only a half mile from the beautiful Shenandoah River and less than a mile from the Appalacian Trail. Historic Harpers Ferry is just four miles away, and Charles Town's Hollywood Casino is less than a ten-minute drive.
3 bedrooms and 3 full baths, a huge pullout couch, additional couches and air mattresses allow the place to accommodate anything from a romantic weekend for two to a house party of a dozen. Previous guests have included families, couples, eco-women retreaters and century-ride bikers.
As mentioned in the title, this house is truly unique - its a geodesic dome house (bucky ball), with a beautiful full-wall mural, spiral staircase, and wrap-around deck. Just like a regular house but better!
We just completed a major renovation and added a lovely third bedroom, workspace, and laundry room to the property. New HVAC is keeping the dome cool at the tail end of the summer and warming the place quickly in winter. The central fireplace can get the place really toasty (and romantic :) as an alternative to the fancy new heating/cooling.
Dogs OK with permission but they must be VERY housebroken and stay off the furniture. Sorry, no cats (allergies :(). For dogs there is a $50 additional pet fee payable by check.
Little kids are great too, but it should be noted that the house is not child-proofed, and has an exposed spiral staircase (so recommend no pets or small kids on the second floor).
For winter guests, note that the roads to the dome usually get plowed about 2-3 days after a snow, so we can't guarantee the road or driveway will be plowed. If coming during a big snow, bring snow chains (or let us know if you need to cancel because of weather, and we can provide a full refund.)
Feel free to contact me with questions about the place or the area - I wish I could get out there more often!
1
Quiet setting near activities that we wanted to experience.
Group of friends and I had a great weekend at the Dome. Everything you want out of a clean house is what we got. Plenty of sheets and towels. Billy was very communicative for the few questions we had. House is definitely off the beaten path (about 15 minutes away from nearest gas station) so make sure you get everything you need. The only heads up I’ll give is that the ladder step from basement to ground floor can be a bit steep and tough mobility wise if you have a difficulty moving around. Overall, would definitely recommend to stay. Especially if you have a group of friends.
The name of the property, “Dome of Your Dreams,” suggests a high standard. Unfortunately, there was nothing dreamy about our stay. Upon arrival, we messaged the property manager with some concerns- dirt, hair, and mold in the refrigerator. Not a great first impression. Billy messaged back with an apology and offered to refund the cleaning fee (which he did) and the following night if we chose not to stay. However, after driving from out-of-state, and with two young kids, we decided to make the best of it. As the night progressed, we discovered lights that flickered or didn’t turn on, vents caked in dust, sloping floors, mildewy showerheads, an exposed electrical outlet, and a broken ping pong table (among other things). Again, we thought about the kids and reworked our plan: the HOUSE was no longer the adventure we’d promised them, instead it would be whatever activities we could enjoy OUTSIDE of the house. So, we went to Leesburg Animal Park, the Crystal Grottoes Caverns, and walked the historic streets of Harper’s Ferry. We stayed two nights. It was an expensive lesson we will not repeat (and if we could post our pictures, we would).
Super cool place, great location, we had a fun time!
When booking this property I was so excited for its uniqueness alone. This turned out to literally be the worst booking I think I’ve ever had, included some sketchy motel stays, I think this one was worse. We had to clean the entire property ourselves. There was loose food in the closets, mouse poop in the cabinets, dirty/moldy dishes in the cabinets, mold in the shower AND the linens for the bed were NOT clean. In addition when addressing the lack of cleanliness alone to the property manager, we were directed to the sketchy/nasty, cobweb filled, random liquid leaking, laundry room to find “CLEAN” linens…??????????? Furthermore, most of the chairs are not stable. The steps leading to the basement should have been pictured, even though nobody stayed down there due to the dirty bed clothes, it was not a safe staircase for most of the family staying. The spiral staircase has loose railings, and a legitimate blood stain next to a missing support beam. There was dried vomit on the front patio and myself and my family ended up raking and sweeping the outside.. after already cleaning the entire inside, just so that the patio was functional. This place was not just showing signs of missed cleanings but COMPLETE lack of maintenance and care for the house itself and the guests PAYING to stay. It is a cute house with amazing potential, but I could not recommend this place to even an enemy. INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTING. Reading further reviews, I am not the first to complain of cleanliness or lack of maintenance.. if this property manager had ANY consideration for its PAYING guests it would at least be safe and sanitary. Do not stay here.
Very good time with friends we do it again in the near future
Had a lot of fun hanging out in the dome. Listing was very accurate and instructions for check in/use were very clear. Host was responsive to messages. All in all a great stay!
Cons: I loved the quirkiness of the dome, but this venue needs maintenance and repairs. While the dome can sleep six comfortably, there are table accommodations for only four. In order to seat six, we had to bring in two chairs from the deck (which we returned). We also bought a folding table to allow all six of us to be seated at the same table. Two of the indoor chairs were so wobbly and rickety that we felt we truly used them at our own risk. A number of the balusters for the spiral staircase were noticeably loose. Some were missing. I spent some time tightening doorknobs and balusters before our guests arrived. A number of lights were out. I know they're hard to change with those high ceilings, but they need to be changed. I know it's fall, but it would have been nice to have had the deck blown off before we arrived. My wife noticed other reviews that mentioned a need for cleaning, so we hustled to arrive before our friends and family so we could clean if needed. I used a push broom to plow the leaves and detritus to the back of the dome. Because of the huge number of leaves (again, this is fall), we were unable to use the fire pit. While most areas were fairly clean, the house had a lived in and run down look, rather than a well-maintained appearance. Neither pro nor con: The beds are all super soft. If you need more support, consider this. Pros: Billy was very easy to communicate with. We had only one check in issue which he immediately resolved. The books and games in the home were intriguing. And a geodesic dome in the middle of the WV woods is an exciting concept. The kitchen was well-equipped. Check in instructions and house rules were clear and easy to follow. Checkout was simple and painless. We really wanted to love this place. With care and attention, it could be a five-star accommodation. At its price point, we expected more.
This is a fantastic location just outside of Harpers Ferry. I booked this for a bachelor party with 8 people and It suited our group perfectly. There’s plenty of space for separate vehicles to park which was a huge plus for our group. Any vehicle would be able to traverse into the property. After a hike in Harpers Ferry and a visit to the Shenandoah River the dome was a great place to come back to relax at. The outdoor deck is an ideal hangout spot and so is the lower portion of the property where the fire pit is. We’d come back here for certain.
Overall had the feel of a party house....but other than that....Steps to basement (ladder) not navigable for 3 of the 6 in our party. Had to replan sleeping arrangements which had my MIL in main floor bedroom, son and DIL upstairs, husband and I sleeping on pullout which had disgusting stains on it and sagged towards the middle, and teenage son downstairs. Beds not very comfortable...none of us slept well...Most furnishes have seen better days. Had to run dishwasher after every meal due to lack of quantity of plates, and we were only a group of 6. Did not realize how deep in the woods the place was...In other words, just was not the right place for us. Commend host if this us a work in progress, but if not then suggest more TLC and furnishings that have less wear and tear are needed to improve this property. If you advertise sleeping for many, then should have basic dining ware for that many.
Lovely house
This was a really interesting house. It was mostly positive, but things to note were several lights out, couldn’t find the basement remote, etc. It could also use a good cleaning. Also, a note for anyone with physical limitations, the stairs to the basement were really tough to navigate - almost like a ladder. Overall we had a nice time, though!
Our family stayed the weekend for a wedding in Pucellville Va. We loved seeing deer, the uniqueness of the house, and the ping pong table. The house had lots of basics with kitchen items and even spices and such. We were pleasantly surprised with Harper’s Ferry. What a cool town with so much to see and learn. We spent both Saturday and Sunday exploring this gem of a town. The house could use a deep clean. I can imagine it’s hard to get in all the high spaces but it looks like it hasn’t been dusted in some time. The beds were comfy and it was great having 3 full bathrooms,
You’ll find nothing like it. In a great location for Harpers Ferry hiking. Very well equipped and the host was easy to contact but hands-off, which I prefer.
Your dates are Available!
Total
Includes taxes and fees