About us
Old School Cider House, which celebrated its grand opening Sept. 13-14, used to be the site of an old schoolhouse that operated in the 1920s and 1930s before becoming a private residence. Jackie Smith and her husband Mark bought the building in 2021 with the intent of it becoming an event space and community hub.
The cidery specializes in Virginia craft beverages, mainly ciders, though it also serves beer and wine — also of the Virginia variety — and has a food menu that includes soups, salads, sandwiches and flatbreads. The menu includes appetizers (or shareables) such as a Bavarian pretzel, hummus plate and Miss Jackie’s Crab Dip and desserts such as apple crumble and ice cream sandwiches.
Cider is sold by the glass or flight, with state favorite brands such as Nelson County’s Blue Toad, Charlottesville’s Potter’s Craft Cider and Harrisonburg’s Sage Bird.
The cider house has several colorful seating areas, each named after a section of a school, including homeroom, the library, the cafeteria and the teacher’s lounge. Some rooms have restaurant-style tables and chairs, others include plush couches. Books are used as decorations throughout. Rooms can be reserved for special events such as birthday parties, retirement parties, bridal showers and book clubs.
Out back, there’s a deck and a stage for live music (visitors are encourage to bring lawn chairs), along with outdoor seating with room for activities such as cornhole and bocce ball. Smith will also soon break ground on a separate event building behind the cider house that will be able to accommodate up to 200 people. The goal is to become a gathering space for the community and help revitalize the small community of Providence Forge.
