Virginia Mountains - Vistas, History, & Wineries

[giradman]

Since I'm all in black and blend in with the background, you can't tell if I'm fat or not. After several months of lessons, I fell off the horse, no injuries, but that destroyed the tiny bit of confidence that I had developed. (The instructors hadn't tightened the girth of the saddle enough, so the saddle started to tilt to the right.)

Yep - that was the end of my 'glory years' on a horse - we started the lessons when I was still working and I put together a PowerPoint presentation for my radiologic technologists who wanted to see me on a horse - added a few 'cute' captions - cannot upload the entire presentation apparently, so below just four selected slides - some of the captions were for the sake of my techs - Dave
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[giradman]

Homestead - New Trip in July 2019!

Well, looking back in this thread, I had just a few posts on this historic resort in western Virginia nestled in the Allegheny Mountains quite near the West Virginia border and probably the more famous Greenbrier Resort. Susan and I will soon be celebrating our 49th wedding anniversary here w/ good food and drink and some less strenuous activities compared to our previous visits, e.g. none of the longer trails anymore.

Below as an introduction are some pics of the front entrance for checkin and the back - the Spa-Pools (indoor and out w/ spring water)-Fitness Center to the far right. The Omni chain has taken over the resort and will report later on some of the changes made since this is a recent acquisition. The pics are a combination from the web and some of my own, including the two panoramic images taken late yesterday afternoon. More to come - Dave
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[giradman]

Homestead Resort - Brief History

As in the quotes below, the original resort was started as a lodge in 1766 - in 1818, Thomas Jefferson visited to 'take the waters' which may have contributed to his living to July 4, 1826, dying the same day as John Adams. The resort burned down in 1901, so the present property dates from the early part of the 20th century w/ changes and additions still being made. More history HERE for those interested and some pics from the web, both historic and some present ones from the inside, including lobby, indoor and several outdoor pools, portion of large fitness center, and some of the rooms. Dave

In 1766, Thomas Bullitt built a lodge on the site, which is considered the founding of The Homestead. In 1832, Dr. Thomas Goode purchased the land and expanded the medical therapies, establishing a European style of spa treatment and hydrotherapy. It has hosted vacationers ever since, including twenty-three U.S. presidents. The modern resort dates from 1888-1892, when a group of investors headed by J. P. Morgan bought the business and started rebuilding it from the ground up. The original hotel buildings burned down in 1901 caused by a fire in the bakery. The main Homestead hotel was constructed afterwards, one wing a year, with the main lobby reconstructed in 1902. (Source)

Many American Presidents and influential people were Homestead guests. William Howard Taft spent July and August, 1908 at the Homestead, as briefly did outgoing President Theodore Roosevelt. From December 1941 until June 1942, following the United States' entry into World War II, the Homestead served as a high-end internment camp for 785 Japanese diplomats and their families until they could be exchanged through neutral channels for their American counterparts. The diplomats were later transferred to the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia. In 1993, The Homestead was purchased by Club Resorts, the same company which owned the Pinehurst Resort. KSL Resorts assumed management of The Homestead at this time. KSL sold the resort to Omni Hotels in 2013 and it was renamed The Omni Homestead Resort. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. (Source)

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[giradman]

Fitness Center - Herb Garden - Village of Hot Springs - Restaurants in the Village - Serenity Garden

Well, our first morning was full - Susan headed for the Spa and choose a 'day purchase' in their Serenity Garden described below, while I headed for the Fitness Center which is surprisingly large and with all of the necessities - picked a treadmill w/ a view of the indoor pool; walked and read on my iPad.

After my time in the fitness area, I headed outside and passed the beautiful herb garden w/ a wonderful assortment used by the resort's chefs. Just across the street is the small but beautiful Village of Hot Springs w/ shops, restaurants, commercial businesses, and just 3-4 blocks in length along 'Main Street' - we will be dining at the Les Cochons d'Or (The Golden Pigs) tonight and the Sam Snead Tavern tomorrow night - I'll be doing some 'food posts' in case those viewing this thread plan a visit to the resort - plenty of meal options at the resort and the village area.

Returned to the resort to find Susan totally relaxed in the Serenity Garden - she could have spent the whole day there but had some other afternoon plans. Dave

Experience the Serenity Garden, an exclusive, adult oasis featuring our renowned mineral springs.
Enjoy the various features of the garden, including our geothermal Octagon Pool fed by two hot springs rich in magnesium, potassium and calcium with a temperature range of 96-97 degrees. These same waters source the naturally pressurized Deluge Shower and the popular River Reflexology Walk with stones carefully placed to soothe and massage your feet. At the center of the garden is the beautiful blue Infinity Pool, heated to 85-92 degrees and the intimate hot tub which is maintained at 103 degrees. Let your tensions fade away and your muscles unwind in the Finnish sauna. (Source)

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[scifan57]

You look like you’re having a wonderful time! Thanks for an interesting story and photos.

 

[giradman]

You look like you’re having a wonderful time! Thanks for an interesting story and photos.

Hi Scifan - historic resort, in the mountains, and some good food, plus plenty to do although at our age much is in our past - Plan to add some more posts and hope others looking at this thread will be stimulated if near by to visit. Dave

P.S. again enjoying your posts on Halifax - wished we had not missed that extra day there!

 

[scifan57]

Hi Scifan - historic resort, in the mountains, and some good food, plus plenty to do although at our age much is in our past - Plan to add some more posts and hope others looking at this thread will be stimulated if near by to visit. Dave

P.S. again enjoying your posts on Halifax - wished we had not missed that extra day there!

You’d probably wish you’d missed the 8 hour walk I did today if you had made the visit.

 

[giradman]

Exploring the Resort - Horse Carriage Ride

After a light lunch at the resort's Jefferson's Restaurant (more later), we made a reservation for a mid-afternoon horse carriage ride from the Equestrian Center (shuttle bus access) - had an hour to explore the resort and see what 'new' has been added since our last visit - the main additions had occurred in the 'pool area', i.e. a 'kiddle pool' and the Allegheny Springs described below which includes a 'lazy river' that flows and allows inner tube floating (we will likely give that a try - see the pics), a miniature golf course, and a water slide.

The areas described are circled and indicated on the maps below - revisited the site of presumably one of the original hot springs (see plaque); then went to the 'Casino', a building dating from the mid-1890s, and now home to a golf clothing shop and Woody's Restaurant - also the pro shop to tee off at the 'Old Course'.

Mid-afternoon we shuttled to the Equestrian Ctr for our carriage ride - just a half hour on the back trails of the mountainous area - a bumpy but enjoyable ride - saw a half dozen deer (but no black bears - guide stated he had seen a small one the day before) - then back to the resort for the 'Afternoon Tea' - evening dinner at 'The Golden Pigs' (later post). Ready to settle in for the night w/ some plans for tomorrow. Dave

ALLEGHENY SPRINGS - Our two-acre water park, Allegheny Springs, is fed by the waters from our natural springs. Experience the exhilarating thrills of our two 100-foot water slides* or enjoy a leisurely ride along our 400-foot lazy river. Kids love the water play zone and sandy beach, while the large family pool is ideal for everyone. A cozy whirlpool provides an intimate haven adjacent to the family pool. (Source)

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[giradman]

Homestead Resort - Summer & Winter Activities

From Covington, VA on I-64, a winding uphill mountainous road leads to the Homestead Resort - once here, a car is not of much use (we valet parked and don't expect to see the vehicle until our departure) - SO, what to do? Well, there are numerous activities for both young & old - the first pic below is a listing of the many attractions, some of which I've inadvertently left out, such as the Spa-Indoor Pool-Serenity Garden (already discussed) and the Afternoon Tea; also, my listing does not indicate the wide variety of options, e.g. under the hiking category, there are numerous trails of varied length and difficulty, along w/ several escorted waterfall tours. Golfing in the area offers numerous courses and if ambitious, an hour's drive to the Greenbrier Resort provides additional courses (post a little later). Below are pics from the web of most of these activities. Dave
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[giradman]

Historic Tour - Lunch at Casino - Walk Along Old Golf Course - Falconry

Despite this being our fourth or fifth trip to the Homestead Resort since the mid-1980s, we had never taken the free historic tour of the building (see synopsis in quote), so our morning activity. The tour lasted 90 minutes and included the history of the building(s) - in the 1901 fire, the spa, casino, cottages and Virginia Hotel were saved; reconstruction started almost immediately with the tower completed in 1929 (the tower clock is still keeping the right time - see last pic below). A variety of rooms are part of the tour, including the Lobby Bar w/ the President's portraits (next post).

We then had a light lunch at Woody's in the Casino - followed by a walk on a road/golf cart path along the Old Golf Course passing the tennis courts, the driving range (plenty of balls in the fairway), and finally returning to read the correct time on the nearly 100 year-old tower clock. Dave

P.S. in the afternoon, we signed up for the Falconry attraction but rain started - so will do in the morning and post back - looks like a lot of fun! We did have the complimentary afternoon tea.

HISTORIC TOUR - the Omni Homestead Resort has been around for more than two centuries. We opened our doors 10 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed and have seen many presidents, royalty and families come through our doors. We're pretty proud of our history and love to share it with our visitors. So when you stay, be sure to sign up for the history tour. Complimentary tours are given daily at 10:00 a.m.

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[scifan57]

There’s certainly more than enough activities to keep even the most demanding guests fully entertained.

 

[giradman]

US Presidents Who Stayed at the Homestead

Over many decades, 22 US Presidents have visited the Homestead Resort although there are portraits of 23 (George Washington - see quote below). Some of the Presidents include Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight Eisenhower, James McKinley, William Taft, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and both father & son Bush, the latter the last to have stayed. In our earlier visits to the resort, the portraits were in the 'Presidents Lounge' (first 2 pics below) which has been converted to Jefferson's Restaurant & Bar - the portraits have been moved to the Lobby Bar (last pics w/ my labels which seem correct?). Dave

Over the years, 22 US Presidents have visited The Omni Homestead Resort, yet there are 23 Presidential portraits in the Lobby Bar. George Washington is included due to his role in the establishment of The Homestead; he rewarded Captain Thomas Bullitt’s military service with a land grant which Bullitt used to build the first Homestead in 1766. From Thomas Jefferson’s historic “taking of the waters” in 1818, to Bill Clinton’s luncheon address in 2000, the resort has served as a popular destination for residents of the White House. (Source)

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[giradman]

There’s certainly more than enough activities to keep even the most demanding guests fully entertained.

In days gone by guests would stay weeks and easily keep occupied - a number of the Presidents in my post above enjoyed the 'waters', golfing, fly fishing, walking, etc. - we heard a lot of interesting stories in our historic tour this morning from the excellent guide, e.g. Harry Truman in his stays, loved a 'morning constitutional' and would walk around the entire Old Golf Course which is quite hilly; Eisenhower loved to play golf and fish. Dave

 

[giradman]

Food in the Hot Springs Area

There are plenty of dining places at the resort and in the vicinity, especially the Village of Hot Springs, as already discussed. At the resort, fine dining is offered at the Dining Room (our dinner tonight), Jefferson's Restaurant, and at Woody's in the Casino, where be had lunch yesterday. There is also the Cascades Golf course with an Italian restaurant called Rubino's, along with several other options (see HERE for more, if interested).

On our first night, we ate at the Jefferson's Restaurant (first pics below) - we started with the salads circled (I had the smoked trout Caesar); Susan had the half rack of lamb while I picked the local Alleghany trout - we enjoyed both.

On our second night, we ate in the Village at the Les Cochons d’Or (last pics below) - we both started with the Choptank Sweets oysters prepared in an unusual and quite tasty manner (sourced from a company of the same name on the eastern Maryland side of the Chesapeake Bay using top floating aquaculture). Susan had the combo duck main course and I the pork tenderloin (last image) - a wonderful dining experience.

More coming up on our eating experiences - Dave
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[scifan57]

Food in the Hot Springs Area

There are plenty of dining places at the resort and in the vicinity, especially the Village of Hot Springs, as already discussed. At the resort, fine dining is offered at the Dining Room (our dinner tonight), Jefferson's Restaurant, and at Woody's in the Casino, where be had lunch yesterday. There is also the Cascades Golf course with an Italian restaurant called Rubino's, along with several other options (see HERE for more, if interested).

On our first night, we ate at the Jefferson's Restaurant (first pics below) - we started with the salads circled (I had the smoked trout Caesar); Susan had the half rack of lamb while I picked the local Alleghany trout - we enjoyed both.

On our second night, we ate in the Village at the Les Cochons d’Or (last pics below) - we both started with the Choptank Sweets oysters prepared in an unusual and quite tasty manner (sourced from a company of the same name on the eastern Maryland side of the Chesapeake Bay using top floating aquaculture). Susan had the combo duck main course and I the pork tenderloin (last image) - a wonderful dining experience.

More coming up on our eating experiences - Dave
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I’m sure the food was delicious.