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.