Finding Room at the Inn

Hidden in these unabashedly simple farming communities and small towns is one of the most romantic inns in Virginia, a member of the Select Registry of Distinguished Inns of North America. The Inn at Vaucluse Springs, midway between Winchester and Belle Grove Plantation, dates back to Federal days and features six private guest houses on 100 acres of rolling orchards.


The 200-year-old Manor House serves as the gathering spot for an elegant three-course breakfast and end-of-the-day socializing over fresh lemonade and cookies or a glass of regional wine. The Old Mill House, once an artist’s studio, sits at the spring’s edge, while the Gallery Guest House offers panoramic meadow views. Innkeepers Neil and Barry Myers offer genial country hospitality, elegant accommodations, and first-class food that have earned them top accolades for almost two decades.

My guest cottage was totally charming with a rustic ambience and upscale amenities including a gas fireplace, huge bathtub with jets, and gourmet coffee. I could have comfortably moved in for months, and the view from my balcony was peaceful. I had morning coffee out there and watched the rabbits and squirrels play in the trees and gently rolling hills beside the gurgling creek.

Breakfast was a three-course affair with attentive and friendly service. We started with delicious berry muffins, still warm from the oven and then moved on to homemade applesauce topped with crème fraiche. The main course was Eggs Vaucluse, a tasty scramble with fresh veggies, artisanal cheese, and a side of turkey sausage. Neil and Barry are happy to accommodate special dietary needs and requests, and you won’t need to ask twice. A couple at the next table were worried that their vegetarian meal had been forgotten, but no sooner had they voiced their concern to the server , their special meal arrived at the table.

All of the ingredients are regionally sourced, and many come from the nearby Marker-Miller Farmer’s Market, which the innkeepers highly recommend visiting. They’re also very knowledgeable about the wineries in the region, and happy to assist guests with directions. www.vauclusespring.com

Crazy for the Wayside Theater

Middletown is also home to the second oldest regional theater company in Virginia, and the newly renovated Wayside Theater and its adjoining Curtain Call Café are a wonderful place to spend an entertaining evening. I was fortunate enough to attend the opening night of Always, Patsy Cline which was a huge event for the community, not only because the popular country singer hails from these parts, but also because the theater had been closed for a massive renovation for over a year, and this was its debut performance in the new and improved space.

The Curtain Call Café next door offers a relaxing space to grab a drink before or after the performance, as well as at intermission. On the opening night, they hosted a cocktail reception with light appetizers for the sold-out crowd.

Some of Patsy Cline’s family were in the audience, along with the movers and shakers of the town who spearheaded the fundraising drive to renovate the historic theater.

Not Eating Dinner at the Wayside Inn

On my recent visit to the Shenandoah Valley, I was invited to have dinner at the Wayside Inn in Middletown, just a few miles outside of Winchester on Route 11. I was going to the opening night performance of Always, Patsy Cline at the newly renovated Wayside Theatre right down the street, so it seemed like a great plan.

Unfortunately, wicked thunderstorms delayed my arrival and by the time I arrived at the Wayside, all I had time for was a quick soup and salad, and a slice of chocolate cake. I did get a brief tour of the historic restaurant, including a peek at what used to be the slave kitchens, but is now a dining room. The Inn/Restaurant/Antique store used to be a stagecoach stop and is definitely worth a stop to look around and browse through the collectibles. I just wish I had actually had time to have a full meal.

Oddly enough, a couple dining next to us turned out to be old acquaintances from my days in the music biz, a member of the Baltimore band Crack the Sky and his lovely wife. They had been to the Wayside about a year previously and the manager remembered them.

Desirable Real Estate at The Cork Street Tavern

During the Civil War, the town of Winchester changed hands over 70 times. One of the oldest streets in the historic town, Cork Street, was named by Lord Fairfax in 1759 and is home to one of the oldest taverns in the area. Known for its hearty sandwiches and barbequed ribs, The Cork Street Tavern was a perfect choice for lunch on the day I explored the area.

I started with the rib appetizer, and as promised, the ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender and perfectly seasoned. I had a few friends with me for lunch, so we all ordered different sandwiches so I could get a good sampling of the tavern fare. The crab cake sandwich passed the Eastern Shore test—more crab than breading—and the bacon burger with a healthy helping of fries was as good as any I’ve had. The only disappointment was the pulled pork BBQ sandwich, which was not nearly as good as the ribs and was drowning in sauce. Less is always more when it comes to barbeque, I think.

The tavern is old, full of wood and the requisite animal heads, and definitely has the ambiance of a place that has been around for quite some time. It’s located on the edge of the pedestrian-only shopping area in the center of town, which is filled with boutiques and local shops. (8 West Cork Street, Winchester, VA (540) 667-3777) www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=29632

A Bath, Bed, and Breakfast

A Bath and Breakfast

Soaking in the Jefferson Pools was really cool, and just one of the “walking in the footsteps of history” experiences that Virginia is filled with…like the tale of George Washington throwing a silver dollar across the river, you can’t throw a rock in Virginia without hitting a historical site. And, it’s easy to imagine our early leaders and socialites retiring to The Homestead in the summers to take the waters and socialize. I talked with an employee who had been working at the resort for over 40 years, and she remembers the days when you walked into the lobby after 5 p.m. and the dazzle of jewels would be shooting rays of light off the walls.

Things are more business casual these days, but breakfast is still an elegant affair in the Main Dining Room, with one of the largest buffets I’ve ever seen. Literally rows and rows of banquet tables hold silver chafing dishes filled with everything from cheese blintzes, waffles and pancakes to every kind of breakfast meat and side dish imaginable. Egg stations on both ends will prepare anything you request, if you manage to have room left after the pastry and fruit table.

Breakfast and dinner are included in the hotel’s meal plan, the best value at the resort, and special packages available on their website make a weekend here an affordable splurge. www.thehomestead.com

Hanging Out With Thomas Jefferson

I just got back from a weekend at one of the most historic resorts in Virginia, The Homestead in Hot Springs. Since 1766, America’s presidents and most prestigious families have been retreating to this mountain resort for a little R & R, a lot of golf, and to take advantage of the therapeutic springs.

The view of the stately red brick colonial hotel is breathtaking when you arrive. Decorated in colonial style, The Homestead has a laid back, Southern vibe where casual golf and tennis clothes are replaced by jacket and tie for dinner in the Main Dining Room. The resort offers a European-style meal plan which includes dinner and breakfast, definitely a better value than booking your room separately, especially since other dining options off property are minimal. This is a resort made for extended stays, whose slogan is “your home away from home”.

My sister and I took the hotel shuttle to the nearby Jefferson Pools in Warm Springs to soak up a little history. It is widely accepted that regular visitor, Thomas Jefferson, designed the octagonal-shaped men’s bath structure. You can soak in either that pool or the women’s pool for $17 an hour in the warm mineral springs that have been rejuvenating weary travelers since George Washington’s day. In the women’s bath, there’s a chair on a platform with a pulley mechanism that may be the first handicapped-accessible bathing in America. It was designed for Robert E. Lee’s invalid wife so that she could partake of the healing waters. Feeling very relaxed after floating in the bath-tempature mountain waters, we headed back to The Homestead to dress for dinner in the Main Dining Room.

This elegant ballroom is filled with sparkling crystal chandeliers and tables are set around a central dance floor. A three-piece combo played classic tunes, and fathers took their daughters for a spin before and after dinner.

The dinner menu offers several selections of appetizers, entrées, and desserts, and special dietary needs can be easily accommodated. For my starter, I chose the portabello mushrooms wrapped in phyllo with goat cheese and beets. The sweet beets were a wonderful complement to the chalky goat cheese. For my entrée, I went for the fresh Mountain Trout, a local specialty that the resort’s fly fishing outfitter will teach you to catch in one of the mountain streams. It was perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.

Unfortunately, there was no chocolate on the dessert menu and since I was stuffed anyway, I retired to my room in the West Wing to rest up for the gigantic buffet breakfast. www.TheHomestead.com

Breakfast Under Glass

My breakfast in the Main Dining Room of the Greenbrier was elegant, and my server, Joyce, had great stories since she has worked there for 40 years. She recommended the Eggs Benedict, which are included in the huge buffet, so I ordered those and then set off to load my plate with raspberry stuffed brioche, blueberry Belgian waffles, fresh fruit, quiche lorraine, and tons of other goodies.

By the time I returned to my table, Joyce was approaching with my beautiful eggs. I devoured those and moved on to the dessert portion of my morning meal. It’s good that experts say you should have a hearty breakfast, because I ate as much at that one meal as I usually do in a whole week.

Dinners here are formal (jacket and tie required), but breakfast is resort casual. Even at breakfast, the chandeliers are magnificent, setting the tone for an elegant meal