Sunday, July 15, 2012

Virginia's The Homestead in Top Ten Mountain Family Resorts



The Homestead was the only Virginia resort to make the list of 10 Best Mountain Family Resorts from the Family Vacation Critic. Tucked away in the tiny town of Hot Springs in western Virginia, it offers the opportunity to relax while surrounded by the quiet beauty of the Allegheny Mountains. Kick back in a rocking chair on the wide front porch any time of the year, ice skate in winter, soak in the spa, swim in the hot springs pool, golf ... that and more waits for visitors at The Homestead, one of my favorite places in Virginia.

I was surprised to see I had been to several of the others on the list ... #1 Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe,Vermont; #7 The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO; and #8 Jenny Lake Lodge outside Jackson, WY, in Grand Teton National Park. Can you tell I love the mountains?

 Here's what they wrote about The Homestead, coming in at #6:
6. The Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia
The healing Hot Springs water has been soothing visitors since the time of the Revolutionary War. Many of our Founding Fathers, including Thomas Jefferson, have taken a soak in this Allegheny Mountain outpost on the Virginia/West Virginia border. A century after Jefferson, in 1902, the Homestead was built to house the many visitors making the pilgrimage. And what a house she is! This grande dame, built of red Kentucky brick and limestone, is the finest Virginian country manor open to the public. The 496-room resort is spread across 15,000 acres that features three golf courses, tennis courts, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, biking, downhill and cross-country skiing, ice skating, bowling and spring-fed indoor and outdoor pools. If you think the mega-resort solely caters to conferences, head straight to the KidSpa, where the 8 and over sect can soak their toes in chocolate milk and fingers in strawberries and cream, learn how to apply make-up, and get a facial or even a Swedish Massage. The year-round Kids Club for ages 3 to 12 keeps the youngins busy with outdoor activities, arts and crafts, and this being western Virginia, some good old tales about the mountains.

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell

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