The Craddock Terry Hotel in Lynchburg, Virginia, blends history and charm with a playful shoe theme, honoring its past as a major shoe factory. From a giant red pump to shoe art on room doors and dining at Shoemakers Grille, the theme is everywhere.
Our spacious room had exposed brick, a luxe bathroom with a bathtub, and breakfast delivered in a shoeshine box. We enjoyed fire-roasted pizza, cocktails, and steak at the on-site restaurants. The hotel offers bikes for exploring the Riverwalk Trail and is steps from shops, dining, and the scenic Bluff Walk. A fun, stylish stay all around.
The hotel, a member of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio collection, got its shoe theme from the building’s history as the Craddock Terry Shoe Company, founded in 1888 by John W. Craddock. At one point, the factory was the 5th largest shoe company in the world, cranking out 2,500 pairs of shoes a day at this location at its peak.
Half of the hotel is housed in the King Building, built in 1896 and used to store and dry tobacco for the Imperial Tobacco Company. These two buildings kind of sum up the basis of the economy of Lynchburg in the early 1900s – shoes and tobacco.
John’s great-grandson, Hal Craddock, was the architect who spent five years renovating the two historic buildings in 2007 to make the hotel as it is now, with 44 rooms – 33 in the main building and 11 more in the adjacent building. There are three suites with jetted tubs and private patios. The hotel also has 4,000 square feet of meeting space, which can accommodate events for 10-200 people.
As you’ll find in many historic warehouse conversions, the hotel has red brick walls and some rooms have soaring ceilings with large wooden beams.
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Guest rooms at Craddock Terry Hotel
Extending the shoe theme, every guest room at the Craddock Terry Hotel has a photo of a shoe on it – this time we got a man’s boot. We were in the adjacent building, reachable from the lobby by walking on a bridge.
I loved our room – an exposed brick wall, king-size bed, large windows for plenty of natural light, sofa, lounge chair, dresser with TV and a desk. And wow – the bathroom was incredible! It also has exposed brick, two sinks, shower and a gorgeous tub.
On-site dining at Craddock Terry Hotel
One of my favorite features of the hotel is again shoe-related. When we checked in, I saw a wooden shoeshine box on the bed with a note to leave it outside with our order if we wanted breakfast. It brought back long-ago memories of my dad having a similar box to polish his dressy work shoes.
My husband shines his shoes but leaves all the polish-encrusted rags and half-used polishes inside the plastic foot soaker/massager I gave him for Christmas one year. Well, at least he’s using it for something, right?
The next morning, we had a muffin, orange juice, yogurt and orange waiting for us with a note that read “Getting your day started on the right foot.” I am the type that needs coffee first thing in the morning and do not like to have to get dressed to go get it, so I was happy to see a Keurig machine in the room. That definitely helps me get my day started on the right foot.
If you need a hot breakfast, you can head to one of the diners in downtown Lynchburg, just a short walk away.
Chris and I opted for lunch at one of the on-site restaurants, Waterstone Pizza, which also had brick walls and a spacious interior. Waterstone specializes in hand-tossed and fire-roasted pizza, and also serves salads, sandwiches and house-made pastas. We had a Caesar salad and the Wild Mushroom pizza with fontina cheese, fresh herbs and goat cheese. Both were fantastic.
Dinner at the fine dining restaurant Shoemakers American Grille was a real highlight. Seated in a cozy booth in another beautiful red-brick wooden-beamed room, Chris and I enjoyed a handcrafted cocktail while deciding on our dinner choices. He had the Thank You For Smoking made with Woodford Reserve, bitters, cherry and smoked with cherry wood, while I had a Tiger Lily made with Tangueray, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice and pear syrup. Cheers to us!
For dinner we ordered a scallop dish and a ribeye. I rarely eat red meat, but had to try one at a steakhouse. It was cooked medium rare, just the way I ordered it, and came with a loaded potato and asparagus.
Other Amenities, Activities and Location
There’s a gift shop in the lobby, 24-hour fitness center and business center. You can get your shoes shined overnight and charge your Tesla in the parking lot. The hotel is pet-friendly, and guests who check in with a dog get a welcome gift bag.
My favorite activity was to ride bikes on the Riverwalk Trail with the bikes provided by the hotel. After navigating down a steep hill towards the James River, we found the trail and headed to Percival Island, a former industrial area that is now a wooded island. The only challenging part was getting back up the steep hill after our ride. I made it about halfway before calling it quits and walking the rest of the way.
The hotel is located right in downtown Lynchburg, an easy walk to stores, restaurants and the Lynchburg Community Market. For a scenic stroll, you can take the Bluff Walk, a pedestrian walkway with views of the James River and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Another activity I enjoyed was driving through some of the beautiful neighborhoods in Lynchburg, especially driving down Rivermont Avenue to see the historic mansions and Randolph College, the alma mater of two good friends of mine.
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– Jan Schroder, Editor-in-chief