Seneca Sol Found Us
People always ask how we ended up here. The honest answer is we weren't looking for a glamping business.
Seneca Sol found us.
​
Two years ago, Rich and I were living in a condo about six miles down Route 414, right along the wine trail. Life was good there until the owner let everyone know the building was being sold and converted to Airbnbs. Just like that, we needed a new home.
​
We looked at a lot of properties. Put in offers on houses with land, the kind of place where you can breathe. We kept getting outbid, kept coming up short. Then we saw a listing for a house for rent on this property. We were the very last couple to walk through it. About twenty couples had already come and gone, and the owners had nearly made their decision before we stepped through the door.
​
I noticed the business next door and asked about it. Honestly, I was a little concerned about having a commercial operation so close. That's when the owners told us they had been running Seneca Sol for eight years. We had no idea there was a glamping business attached to the property. None.
Love At First View
We fell for the house immediately. The view alone would have sold us, but it was more than that. The land, the quiet, the energy of this place. We started talking about what it would look like to open a couple of sites ourselves. The previous owners had moved to Michigan to start a winery, and they gave us the green light to open two tents while we were still renting.
​
So we launched Elm and Ash. And from the very first guests, we knew. We loved the business, the property, every part of it. We worked hard, saved, planned, and closed on the property in April 2026.
​
Today, we own the Fox Den suite and five acres next door, plus the glamping grounds with ten acres, including our home. Fifteen acres total, and every bit of it feels like exactly where we're supposed to be.
Why This Feels Like Home
I spent 15 years in national sales in the automation field. I know how to run an operation, coordinate moving parts, and take care of people. But reading the five-star reviews guests had left over the years told me something I hadn't expected. This place was meant for me.
​
Rich is a foreman electrician by trade. Repairs, lighting, lawn work, building things from the ground up: he's that guy. We opened a brand-new infrared sauna with red light therapy in July 2026, and Rich built it out himself. The two of us cover everything together. I handle the marketing, sales, bookings, and coordination of cleaning and laundry services. He keeps the property running and looking its best.
​
We decided in early 2026 that I would leave my corporate job and make Seneca Sol my full-time work. It was the easiest hard decision we've ever made, and I absolutely love what we do here.
The Energy People Talk About
Guests tell us there's something about this place. They say the energy here is incredible, positive, healing. That word keeps coming up: healing. We hear it from first-time visitors and from the repeat guests who come back season after season and send their friends.
​
We have the full support of SCOPE, the Watkins Glen Chamber of Commerce, and the local community has welcomed us with open arms. That support means everything as we grow.
Come See For Yourself
We live right here on the property. When you stay with us, you're not checking into a business. You're visiting a place two people fell in love with and built a life around. We can't wait to share it with you.
​
Vallerie & Rich