kcook,
Yes, it is true that PT will put you up in a local motel when you go to tour the factory. The name of the motel is the Fincastle Motor Inn. I stayed there when I visited the factory. It was clean and quiet, period. AAA doesn't list it in their Mid-Atlantic States Tour book. On-line, you'll see mostly single star ratings, and that's fairly accurate. But, hey, you're going to play with tractors, er... I mean evaluate ground engaging equipment. When you call PT to arrange a visit, they will call the Fincastle and set it all up, so you just have to do a Google and arrive, and tell hotel clerk that you are doing a PT factory visit.
There's a decent Italian restaurant within a short walk from the hotel. My 6 year old son consumed an impressive quantity of spaghetti and meatballs, and keeps asking me when can we go back to eat and play at the tractor store. My wife thinks I brainwashed him on our father-son trip. I've tried to explain that the tractor gene is on the Y chromosome, right next to the fishin' gene, the huntin' gene, the knife gene, the truck gene, the BBQ gene, etc., etc....