We are gravitating towards the mountains these days. Our recent experience at the Inn at Little Washington was the first hotel experience and only the third inside dining experience since the start of COVID-19, but it was a positive one that inspired us to head a little further south and west from the DC area. There are a few classic resorts within driving distance from the DC area that most people on the East Coast and in the Mid-Atlantic region have heard of, but we haven’t been to any of them. The Greenbrier, in particular, is a reasonable driving distance (we defined reasonable as less than six hours) from the DC area. We planned to spend three nights at the Greenbrier in West Virginia and then one night at Veritas Vineyard & Winery at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Charlottesville, VA area to break up the return trip back home.
Here are some highlights:
The Greenbrier is located in the Allegheny Mountains in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The Greenbrier is a National Historic Landmark known as America’s Resort and spans 11,000 acres. The property is breathtaking and offers miles of paved trails and walkways, in addition to plenty of outdoor view points to fully experience the grounds and mountain views.
The Greenbrier’s bold and very distinctive décor is an experience in its own. Dorothy Draper was an interior designer who was hired to renovate the Greenbrier after it was used as a hospital during World War II. Her style reflects her love for color, floral patterns, and bold print. Here is a fraction of the lower and upper lobby to get a sense for Dorothy Draper’s vision for the Greenbrier. All public areas as well as the guest rooms are decorated in this style. Check out the detailed page on our stay to view the guest room décor.
The Greenbrier is nothing at all like the all-inclusive resorts that we are used to in Mexico or the Caribbean. The Greenbrier is like summer camp for adults where you will find boldly decorated accommodations, fine dining, boutique shopping, and all the activities you can imagine and then some all without leaving the expansive property. Over the course of our stay we enjoyed playing tennis, hiking on the trails, learning to play croquet, shuffleboard, relaxing at the pool, and a tour of the former top secret Congressional bunker beneath the Greenbrier.
We barely scratched the surface in terms of all of the activities that the Greenbrier has to offer but after three nights we were off to a vineyard in the Charlottesville, VA area. We attended a wedding at Veritas Vineyard & Winery over ten years ago and I have also been there for a wine tasting with girlfriends and remember it being a wonderful experience for the food, wine, and mountain views. Since then, the Farmhouse on the vineyard property has been turned into an eight room bed and breakfast and has been welcoming guests since 2012. Luckily there was still one room available at the time of booking so I was able to experience Veritas for a third time!
We arrived mid-afternoon and had a wonderful experience tasting Veritas wines on the wrap around porch as we took in the views. An overnight stay includes a complimentary bottle of wine upon arrival, wine hour, and a champagne breakfast in the garden. We also booked dinner at the Farmhouse which starts with a champagne toast and is followed by a four course wine paired meal. It was the perfect way to end the week in the mountains with good food and wine, great views, and welcoming accommodations. I already want to go back!
Head on over to my White Sulphur Springs, WV page and Afton, VA page to read more about our time at the Greenbrier and Veritas Vineyard & Winery.
Question? We are drawn to the mountains this year. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?
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