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Retreating to the Goodstone Inn & Estate
Play landed gentry for a week or weekend at The Goodstone Inn & Estate, an idyllic 265-acre estate in the middle of Virginia horse country. The inn, once the rural retreat of the Warburg family of New York banking fame, has been used as a working farm since 1768. Eighty angus still roam the property. The inn, which now offers 13 antique-filled rooms and suites in four residences, each delightfully decorated in English and French Country style, features abundant luxuries from down pillows on the four-poster beds to sybaritic baths with claw foot tubs, whirlpools and steam showers.
“Our guests say we’ve overlooked nothing – down to the bird watching guides and binoculars in the guest rooms,” says Chris Crane, the general manager of The Goodstone Inn & Estate. Days here begin with a breakfast worthy of an Edith Wharton epic with the eggs fresh from the chickens that scratch about the grounds.
Since most people come here for a quiet escape, says Crane, rambling along the estate’s three-mile trail is popular, as is canoeing in Goose Creek, which borders the property. Swimmers can practice a stately sidestroke in the 1940s era stone pool, while golfers can take in a round at the nearby Stoneleigh Golf Club. Also, stables are available.
For a “please pass the Grey Poupon” moment, the staff bundles you into a stretch limousine with a picnic basket filled with goodies for a luxe tour of some of Virginia’s wineries. Understanding that such unbridled self-indulgence can be exhausting, the staff can arrange a massage in your room before dinner. Goodstone is also a coveted spot for wedding, anniversary and birthday celebrations.
Cozying Up to the Lake Pointe Inn Bed & Breakfast
“Our guests say it’s like an adult camp,” says Linda Pettie, owner of the Lake Pointe Inn Bed & Breakfast in Garrett County, Maryland. Very adult, we would say.
The circa 1890 Craftsman-style farmhouse has 10 handsome bedrooms decorated with William Morris fabrics, each with a private bath equipped with either a jetted tub or steam shower. Most of the rooms have gas fireplaces and a few have private balconies overlooking Deep Creek Lake, located just 13 feet from the wraparound porch.
Golden days are filled canoeing or kayaking on the lake and hitting the trails on mountain bike or by foot. In November there’s downhill skiing at Wisp Mountain Resort across the road and cross country skiing at Harrington Manor State Park.
There’s also plenty for the less energetic. Rocking on that porch, playing a round of croquet, or heading for nearby attractions like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. But the guest rooms are so cozy that it’s hard to pry some visitors out of them, says Pettie, particularly when you can arrange for an in-room massage.
As the evening chill sets in, hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer are served in the great room with its massive stone fireplace and panoramic views. And yes, marshmallows are available for the roasting. Ask nicely and we’re sure s’mores can be arranged.
Getting Ready to Loll at the Norris House Inn
In historic Old Town Leesburg, Virginia with its antique shops, restaurants and quaint streets, there are many gorgeous old homes, including The Norris House Inn.
Dating back to circa 1800, the house once belonged to the Norris family, considered Northern Virginia’s foremost builders in Victorian times. They added the inn’s Queen Anne facade, the elegant dining room, and the 40-foot veranda that runs alongside the building, stepping down to the English garden.
When the last of the Norris family moved out in 1986, the home found new life as an inn. Charming Brits, Carol and Roger Healey, purchased it a year-and-a-half ago. “The first guests arrived about 15 minutes after we did,” says Roger Healy.
The six guest rooms, several with fireplaces, are furnished with Federal and Victorian antiques, canopy and brass beds. Since en suite baths couldn’t be added without damaging the historic home, they are immediately adjacent to most rooms.
Gorgeous floor-to-ceiling bookcases adorn the library and dining room, where fires blaze merrily throughout the cool months. Weddings are held here. Last summer, Becky Werner, great, great granddaughter of Joseph Lafayette Norris, wed Laird Dunlop in the garden. The adjacent Stone House Tea Room is available for rehearsal dinners and receptions.
Besides those who come to tour the enchanting historic city and the nearby Civil War battlefields, a surprising number of guests roll in on bicycles, peddling the 35 miles from Washington, DC along the C&O Canal to White’s Ferry.
