Plan your summer road trips with our second round of weekend getaways.
By Deborah R. Huso
HQ 86 | SUMMER 2014
Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
This splendid vantage point represents a gateway into West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, a fist of gentle mountains, rolling farmland and ancient rivers cradled in the crook of Maryland’s elbow and an ideal spot for a warm weather retreat.
Harpers Ferry is a town steeped in history, bordered on the north by the Potomac and on the east by the Shenandoah. While it is best known for John Brown’s raid on the town in 1859, when he seized the federal armory there in an unsuccessful attempt to launch guerilla attacks against slave owners, that was just the beginning of this strategic village’s role in the Civil War that followed two years later. Located on the B&O Railroad, Harpers Ferry changed hands eight times during the course of the war. It was here in 1862 that General Stonewall Jackson made the largest single capture of federal troops during the entire war, seizing a federal garrison of more than 12,500 men.
Today, however, the town is quietly prosperous and part of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
It is easy to spend an entire day wandering the streets of Harpers Ferry and its neighbor Bolivar, exploring the armory, the serenity of St. Peter’s Church, tasting gingerbread cookies and fudge at the confectionaries on High Street and enjoying a softly lit view of the river gap from teetering Jefferson Rock. Travelers here can take a stroll and commune with the geese and ducks on Virginius Island, a quiet stretch of low-lying earth on the Shenandoah where the ghosts of old industrial buildings stand in the form of brick foundations and abandoned canal locks. And if the weather cooperates, the grassy knoll at Bolivar Heights, just south of town, offers a lovely spot for a summer picnic on wool blankets.
Visitors can enjoy biking on the towpath of the old C&O Canal located on the Maryland side of the Potomac and accessible by walking bridge from Harpers Ferry or tubing down the Potomac or Shenandoah Rivers.
Harpers Ferry offers lodging at a variety of historic bed and breakfasts as well as the landmark Hilltop House Hotel, a 100-year-old sprawling inn situated on a cliff overlooking the rivers. The Hilltop’s dining room offers lovely rose-hued sunset views of the mountain and river scenes outside as well as southern style entrees at the hotel’s Friday and Saturday evening buffets.
For more information, visit www.historicharpersferry.com.
The Homestead
Hot Springs, Virginia
Originally constructed in 1766, The Homestead is a 2,000-acre resort and 483-room hotel situated in the mountain village of Hot Springs, Va. Before the construction of the hotel, Hot Springs was already famous for its warm mineral baths. Today visitors can enjoy the bubbling, natural warmth of the resort’s historic Jefferson Pools, named after the president who enjoyed their healing waters or experience the mineral hydrotherapy at the Spa at the Omni Homestead.
Though well known for its three mountain golf courses, The Homestead also has the distinction of being home to the oldest first tee in continuous use in the United States. It was part of a course first used in 1892 that today is known simply as The Old Course. The Cascades Course, designed in 1923 by William S. Flynn, has hosted several USGA tours.
In the warm months, the resort offers a wide array of other outdoor activities, including archery, skeet shooting, falconry, fly fishing, kayaking and canoeing, horseback riding and mountain biking. And if you’re a beginner, don’t worry. The Homestead offers lessons in everything. You can also enjoy evening carriage rides and hay rides, and dine in one of half a dozen on-site restaurants, ranging from the elegance of the Main Dining Room to the casual atmosphere of Sam Snead’s Tavern.
For more information, visit www.thehomestead.com.
New River Gorge
Fayette County, West Virginia
Known as the Grand Canyon of the East, the New River Gorge is perhaps best known as a premier whitewater rafting destination. While the upper level of the river is fairly calm, the lower section has Class IV and V rapids, which can make for a pretty roiling ride. While whitewater rafting companies here number in the dozens, Class VI River Runners, which is located just a few miles from the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, is one of the most highly recommended, and after the river tour is done, dine al fresco cliffside at Smokey’s on the Gorge right next door.
Or hit the newest addition to Adventures on the Gorge — TimberTrek, an elevated obstacle course, which has four levels, ranging from a fairly simple yellow course that is great for kids and for those just getting their feet wet to a black diamond course that will test not just the limits of one’s physical strength and endurance but also the limits of one’s fearlessness. TimberTrek will suit you up with safety gear for walking tightropes, balancing across moveable logs and then zip lining down to the ground again.
And at the end of a busy day of adventure on the water and in the treetops, guests can enjoy the Canyon Falls Swimming Hole, a two-level, 3,000-square-foot pool. It features cascading water features over natural sandstone and a zero-entry section for young children as well as a kids’ splash and spray area. You can also spend the night in a cabin on site, ranging from rustic to multi-bedroom vacation rentals with hot tubs.
For more information on all Adventures on the Gorge has to offer, including on site dining and lodging, visit www.adventurewestvirginia.com.
For more information on the New River Gorge, visit www.nps.gov/neri.
General Lewis Inn
Lewisburg, West Virginia
The General Lewis Inn on Washington Street in Lewisburg is something of an institution in this quaint, historic town. Rooms are cozy, and as innkeeper Nan Morgan says, “There’s not a bed in the place that’s less than 100 years old.” The inn was originally built as a residence in 1834 and has since been expanded to house a dozen rooms and a restaurant. Be sure to check Memory Hall, where innkeepers have on display dozens of antiques, including farming implements, shoes, candle molds, wool cards, muskets and even a dulcimer. Then head out to the inn’s wide white veranda and settle in one of a row of rocking chairs to while away the afternoon.
Or you can walk to downtown Lewisburg for a day of exploring the town’s extensive historic district, which includes nearly 70 structures. Some, like The Barracks on Jefferson Street, date back to the late 1700s. The Old Stone Presbyterian Church on Church Street across from Carnegie Hall was built in 1796 and is still in use and often open for public visitation.
The town also has an eclectic collection of antique shops, art galleries and gift stores. With everything from fine oil paintings to folk art, a theater at the restored Carnegie Hall and even an organic food store, Lewisburg is a thriving center for art and culture enthusiasts.
For more information, visit www.generallewisinn.com.
Snowshoe
Pocohontas County, West Virginia
Located at over 4,000 feet with 360-degree views of the surrounding Allegheny ridges, Snowshoe Mountain isn’t just a winter destination. In the spring and summer, visitors here can enjoy everything from fly fishing and swimming at Shavers Lake to sporting clays and Segway tours.
Particularly popular is the Hare Racer Zipline, which runs right through the middle of the Village, allowing one to sail over the restaurants, shops and lodgings below. Another good way to get an adrenaline rush is with a Polaris RZR® tour through creeks and over hills on the mountain’s 11,000 wooded acres.
Families can also hike the mountain’s miles of backcountry trails, try out their skills at the Bike park, hit the links at Raven Golf Club or spend the afternoon enjoying swims and soaks at Split Rock Pools.
The resort offers nearly 20 restaurants in the Snowshoe Village and surrounding resort areas. A number of those restaurants are open into the wee hours and feature live music and dancing, including Connection Nightclub. Snowshoe also has its own spa as well as a teen center with video café, pool tables and nightly programs for the 13 to 20 set. Snowshoe also offers a Kid’s Night Out program, so mom and dad can hit the restaurants or the dance floors for a romantic date night.
Lodgings at Snowshoe include an array of full-service condominium suites with full kitchens, fireplaces and private balconies. Single-family homes are also available for rent on the mountain. The resort has conventional lodge rooms, too.
For more information, visit www.snowshoemtn.com.
Great Wolf Lodge
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cool off this summer with a weekend devoted to water at Cincinnati’s Great Wolf Lodge. Featuring days’ worth of on-site fun, the lodge’s four-story interactive treehouse at the center of the indoor water park offers swinging bridges and cargo nets, spray stations and slides and a 1,000-gallon bucket that dumps periodically from the treetops. Experience a water thrill ride with the 40-foot drop down the Coyote Cannon water tunnel into a gigantic bowl. Be prepared to scream the whole way, no matter how old you are.
The water park also has a rollercoaster/waterslide ride and rafting trip through a giant water tunnel. There are tamer water features for toddlers, including a lazy river, wide water slides and zero-entry pools, and mom and dad can sit back and relax in the giant Hot Springs warming pools.
Water fun isn’t the only fun to be had here. Great Wolf also has its own full-service spa (including one for kids), miniature golf, Cub Club activities for kids and the opportunity to explore a fantasy kingdom at MagiQuest. The resort also has half a dozen on-site eateries as well as themed camp suites for families with beds located inside makeshift log cabins, tents and caves.
For more information, visit www.greatwolf.com/mason/waterpark
