08/15/2026
After surviving our very first official full week back to school, the kids and I were craving a breath of fresh air. I didn't have the energy for a grueling hike, so we opted for a low effort, high reward nature fix: Lake Abbott and the Peaks of Otter!
The weather was absolute perfection, gorgeous cloud cover and cool, refreshing breezes sweeping across the water as we strolled the paved loop.
As we made our rounds, we spotted a sign that Polly’s Ordinary was open, hosting a ranger led talk about the history of the cabin and the Peaks of Otter as a tourist destination. It turned out to be an incredible, fascinating talk led by Ranger Benbe!
After visiting the Peaks of Otter countless times over the past 13 years, we were finally able to go inside the historic cabin for the very first time!
A Few Highlights From the History We Learned:
Polly (Dooley) Wood’s father-in-law arrived in the area from the Chesapeake, Virginia area in the 1700s, starting a farm without a land grant up in the Peaks area.
Polly married Jeremiah Wood and they had 10 children together. After her husband passed, Polly opened "the ordinary" as a pit stop along a trade route between Buchanan to Liberty. (Now Bedford)
The cabin was originally located not far from its current spot, and was noted to be one of the few original cabins along the parkway.
The Peaks of Otter gained major attention after Thomas Jefferson wrote about them. Later, in the late 1800s, an investor from Ohio opened a hotel in the area (which unfortunately burned down).
In 1935, the National Park Service began acquiring large tracts of land to connect Shenandoah National Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, ultimately creating the Blue Ridge Parkway system.
In the 1960s, the Peaks of Otter Lodge was added and Lake Abbott was created.
Such a fascinating dive into multi generational travel and lodging history right here in locally.
To my understanding the cabin will be open on Saturdays for talks and viewing.
Contact the ranger station for details before planning your visit.
Link for more information:
https://www.nps.gov/places/polly-wood-s-ordinary.htm
