May/June 2006
40 Great Weekend Escapes
It’s impossible to let summer go by without at least one well-deserved quick and easy getaway.
By Mary Burnham
It’s time to chart your course for summer. Whether it’s destination relaxation, entertainment or adventure, there’s no better season to book a quick, two-day jaunt or long weekend vacation. So, go ahead—get out your calendars, sit down and schedule some indulgent travel fun.
The following getaways are themed for a variety of interests and activities—from ultra posh pampering and romantic rendezvous to hiking and historic hot spots. Some require a little driving (no more than six or seven hours), but each category has at least one right in our own backyard.
No matter how much or how little time you can spend, set a goal to take at least one memorable getaway this summer. There are plenty of attractive choices. Here are 40 of the places that top our list.
HIGH ADVENTURE
John Denver wrote of a “Rocky Mountain High,” but he also wrote of “Almost Heaven, West Virginia,” which boasts its own lofty heights. Some of the best climbers in the country play on Seneca Rocks’ spiky plates of Tuscarora quartzite, towering 900 feet above pastoral North Fork Valley. www.senecarocks.com
Set up your tent in the appropriately named Seneca Shadows Campground and watch as the setting sun creates an Allegheny version of alpenglow. 304-257-4488, www.reserveusa.com
Next day’s adventure: rafting some of the best whitewater in the world on the Gauley or New Rivers. www.aceraft.com
Just want to watch? Check out Smokey’s on The Gorge, the new gorge-side restaurant overlooking the New River. A trail leads to a rock outcropping for a spectacular view of the New River Gorge Bridge. www.class-vi.com/smokeys.cfm
Also like this:
-This June, Charlotte, N.C. becomes a first in the nation—and a possible contender for a summer Olympics—with the new U.S. National Whitewater Center. The fantastic manmade river includes moveable water features, adjustable waves and a conveyor belt to take kayakers back to the top. www.charlottewhitewater.com
Closer to home:
-When the Wright Brothers chose Kitty Hawk, N.C., to launch their first flight more than 100 years ago, they knew what they were doing. Jockey’s Ridge features the East’s tallest sand dunes, ideal for hang-gliding. Take lessons at the Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding Training Center, the world’s largest hang-gliding school. www.kittyhawk.com
ULTRA POSH
Barbara Streisand called it “extraordinary,” Zagat U.S. Hotel Survey rates its dining room number one in America, and limousines regularly deliver the Hollywood set and high government officials from D.C. to its doorstep.
From the outside, The Inn at Little Washington in northern Virginia appears as a small country inn (it’s actually a converted barn). But inside guest find a lavish, European-style hotel and restaurant, rated among the top in the world for food and service.
In the dining room, luxurious fabrics hang from the ceiling, and fringed, silk-shaded lamps and fresh flowers adorn each table. The 15 bedrooms and suites were uniquely themed with European fabrics and antiques by a London stage designer.
Save this one for a very special occasion—a weekend could easily set you back a grand or two—and make reservations well in advance. 540-675-3800, theinnatlittlewashington.com
Also like this:
-The Greenbrier resort at White Sulphur Springs in southeast West Virginia has a long history of hosting the world’s wealthy—and 27 U.S. presidents. This summer, the secret underground bunker built in the early 1950s to house Congress in case of a nuclear war opens for tours. 800-453-4858, www.greenbrier.com
-Pretend you’re a guest of the Vanderbilts, and stay at the Inn on The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C. America’s largest home has its own vineyards and an 8,000-acre backyard with an off-road driving course. www.biltmore.com
Closer to home:
-Sleep like a king in The Jefferson Hotel’s presidential suite, the preferred bedroom of visiting presidents and one king (Elvis Presley) when in Richmond. Chivalrous staff members will grant your every wish. 804-424-8014, www.jeffersonhotel.com
For the rest of this story—including getaway ideas in the categories of romance, just the girls, just the guys, family-friendly and more—see the May/June 2006 issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.
