Posts Tagged ‘Shenandoah Valley’

A Secret “Sweet Spot” for Lovers in Virginia’s Beautiful Shenandoah Valley: A TripAdvisor’s 5 Star Award for Excellence

Saturday, July 16th, 2011

“Virginia is for Lovers” is a promise fulfilled at Historic Downtown Harrisonburg’s Stonewall Jackson Inn ~ Bed and Breakfast!  Get out your “Bucket List,”  here is “must” places to visit!!   Two well- known, premier travel directories agree!  TripAdvisor has just awarded the coveted 2011 “Certificate of Excellence” to this Inn for again having a solid 5 star rating from their subscribers for the second year in a row. BedandBreakfast.com has also awarded the Inn “Best B&B in the Mid-Atlantic Region” and lists it in the elite Diamond Collection of the World’s Best B&B’s.

 

The really good news is that this Inn  is located in the hospitality-plus “Friendly City” of Harrisonburg, right in the center of the Shenandoah Valley. The City’s lively Downtown  Historical District  is also the Fine Dining & Entertainment Center of the Valley.  But that’s not all.  It offers museums, galleries, shops, stage theater and music, Farmers Market, outdoor festivals & activities.  In the center of the District in a beautifully restored pre-Civil War home,  you will find a  docent staffed  visitor’s welcome center with a gift shop and  a beautiful Tea Room that serves many different kinds of tea along with homemade goodies. Harrisonburg is not only the Valley’s choice destination for a very romantic B&B & fine dining Getaway,  but it is also a “base camp” for outdoor adventure.    There are easy day trips to experience Civil War and Frontier History, Outdoor Recreation and Entertainment, Shopping & Antiquing, Biking, Hiking, Wine Tasting, and much more.  Check out www.HarrisonburgTourism.com and www.VisitShenandoah.org if you are looking for some ideas.

 

The Stonewall Jackson’s mission and promise of a “A Night’s Delight ~ A Breakfast to Remember” is a tall order, but the Inn’s friendly hospitality team is up to the task.  They literally love their jobs of “making guests happy”.  Galina, a “wannabe” interning Innkeeper from Belarus tells the guests “It is like working in a Disneyworld Bed & Breakfast”.  The team leader, Master Innkeeper and owner,  Dr. Wayne Engel, is Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at James Madison University.  He and his son started the Inn twelve years ago “just to have fun”.  The ambiance is one of warm Southern Hospitality in a Civil War Era restored mansion , with all of today’s amenities & technological comforts.  The Stonewall Jackson Inn is Certified “Virginia Green” carries a 3 Diamond AAA and an “Exceptional” rating by the Bed and Breakfast Association of Virginia www.InnVirgina.com. Visit the website for more information and details of “The Stonewall Jackson Experience” in the “Friendly City” of Harrisonburg.

Dr. Wayne Engel, © 2011 http://www.stonewalljacksoninn.com/

Visit www.StonewallJacksonInn.com, write Wayne@StonewallJacksonInn.com, or call 800.445.5330

Dr. Wayne Engel, Owner/Innkeeper

Stonewall Jackson Inn

547 East Market Street, Harrisonburg, Va. 22801

 

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Memorial Day Weekend at Virginia Wineries

Saturday, May 21st, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend is filled with all sorts of fun events and festivities at Virginia Wineries in Northern and Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Take advantage of the long weekend. Get out of the city and spend time at a lovely outdoor setting, listening to good music and sipping fine Virginia Wines.

Consider one of the following activities, then book a room at a nearby Virginia Bed and Breakfast and let the fun begin.

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Enjoy a glass of Virginia Wine, live music, and fun at one of these Memorial Day Weekend events.

ValleyFest – the 11th Annual Shenandoah Valley Beer & Wine Festival on Memorial Day Weekend. Live music, crafts, and the finest Virginia Wine and Beer from the Shenandoah Valley. See ValleyFest for more details.
Lodge in a Harrisonburg VA Bed and Breakfast or a Keezletown VA Bed and Breakfast.

249th Anniversary Celebration of American Wine Festival at the Philip Carter Winery. Featuring Vintage Virginia Wine tasting, historical reenactors, live music, and more. Saturday May 28th. More information available at Philip Carter Winery.
Lodge in a Flint Hill Virginia Bed and Breakfast.

Memorial Day BBQ and Concert at DelFosse Vineyards. Mediterranean BBQ served at the outdoor pavilion. Live music by The Honeybirds. Reservations required: see DelFosse Vineyards.
Lodge in a Charlottesville VA Bed and Breakfast or a Scottsville VA Bed and Breakfast.

Memorial Day Weekend Music at Casanel Vineyards. Steve De Vries on Saturday afternoon and Mike Bowers on Sunday afternoon. Wine tasting and gourmet snacks. See Casanel Vineyards for additional information.
Lodge in a Manassas VA Bed and Breakfast or a Middleburg VA Bed and Breakfast.

Festival of Wines. Some of Virginia’s best wineries will offer tastings in support of Wintergreen Performing Arts. An afternoon of Jazz music, small plates, and wine tasting on Sunday, May 29 at the Wintergreen, VA, Evans Center. Find more information at Wintergreen Performing Arts.
Lodge in a Nellysford VA Bed and Breakfast.

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Central VA in the Spring

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
A Host, of Golden Daffodils

Walk among the daffodils, April 13 at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum.

It’s spring in Virginia, which means flowers are in bloom, music is in the air, and beer and wine is flowing. Several upcoming events are well worth packing a bag and spending time at one of the charming Central Virginia Bed and Breakfasts outside Harrisonburg, VA. Garden walks, carriage rides, and beer and wine festivals will ensure that visitors have a blooming good time.

Upcoming Central Virginia events:

  • April 13, 2011, is the Annual Daffodil Walk at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum and Botanical Garden, a paradise of more than 125 colorful acres.
  • April 23, 2011 is the Rocktown Beer and Music Festival in downtown Harrisonburg. Virginia breweries will be joined by breweries from New York to San Francisco; many of the brews are not widely distributed, so this is a rare treat indeed for lovers of fine ale.
  • Mother’s Day Carriage Rides at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum. When was the last time you and your mother spent a weekend together? Do so this year, at a Central Virginia Bed and Breakfast, and treat mom to a luxurious carriage ride through the forest. May 7 and 8, 2011.
  • ValleyFest Beer and Wine Festival in McGaheysville, Memorial Day Weekend, 2011. Enjoy live music while sampling a wide variety of Virginia Wine.

Winter is past, summer not yet arrived. In other words, it’s an ideal time to travel to Virginia Bed and Breakfasts.

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Virginia Fall Foliage

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

If you’ve been hoping to see Virginia Fall Foliage this year but haven’t yet had the chance to travel throughout the state, you’re in luck; there is still plenty of time to stay in a Virginia bed and breakfast during peak foliage. Festivals abound at this time of year; why not combine a festival with a Virginia Fall Foliage tour?

Autumn along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Leaves are expected to peak in the mountains of western Virginia mid to late October. There should be pockets of color in the mountains this weekend, and even more the following week. Consider a trip to a Staunton VA bed and breakfast this weekend (October 15 – 17) to participate in the Fall Foliage Bike Festival. A variety of well marked bike routes traverse the Shenandoah Valley and provide views of the Allegheny Mountains, awash in color. For more details, visit the Shenandoah Fall Foliage Bike Festival.

Farther south, in the Heart of Appalachia, the Lee County Tobacco and Fall Festival celebrates the heritage of Lee County. The festival takes place in Pennington Gap Saturday October 23, 2010, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. That same day, the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival takes place in Ferrum, about an hour south of Roanoke Virginia bed and breakfasts. Three stages will host to a variety of music, from bluegrass to gospel, ballads to blues. Storytelling, threshing, and horse-pulls will shed light on the rich heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which should be full of red, orange, and vibrant yellow leaves. For more details, please visit the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival.

Leaves in Piedmont aren’t expected to peak until late October, and vibrant colors aren’t expected to take over the eastern part of the state until early November. This weekend, October 16, Gladstone VA hosts a Fall Harvest Festival and Haunted Wagon Ride. The festival takes place in the James River State Park, about 25 miles northeast of Lynchburg, and features apple pressing, wagon rides, and historic craft demonstrations.

Spend the weekend of November 5, 2010 in Urbana Virginia bed and breakfasts and celebrate oysters from the Chesapeake Bay. The Urbana Oyster Festival features a parade, an oyster shucking contest, and lots of tasty oysters. Or enjoy Virginia wine barrel tasting at Ingleside Vineyards in Oak Grove on Saturday November 13, 2010. Additional information may be found at Ingleside Vineyards.

Virginia Fall Foliage provides a great excuse to travel across this lovely state.

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Virginia’s Blue Ridge Parkway

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
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Wonderful views from the Blue Ridge ParkwayThe Blue Ride Parkway runs almost the entire length of Virginia. It joins the Skyline Drive just east of Waynesboro, VA, in the Shenandoah Mountains, and it slowly meanders its way for nearly 475 miles to Cherokee, Tennessee, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Virginia’s Blue Ridge Parkway is the type of road that requires a leisurely pace. Time slows down on the Blue Ridge Parkway if you let it. The views will take your breath away, whether they span valleys and mountains or reveal a small, almost hidden waterfall. As you travel, plan on staying at a number of Virginia bed and breakfasts near the Blue Ridge Parkway – that way, you’ll have plenty of time to fully enjoy each leg of your journey.

Virginia bed and breakfasts near the Blue Ridge Parkway have much to offer. Aside from being a place to sit and enjoy great views, they are great bases for exploring the area. The innkeepers can be your local insiders – people who know the area well and who can provide priceless travel tips.

Take advantage of your stay by heading out to listen to mountain music; opportunities for this include the Floyd Country Store Friday Night Jamboree, Pickin’ Porch, and several festivals throughout the year. Spend a day or two visiting Blue Ridge Parkway area wineries, sampling wines produced in the fertile valleys. Vow to stop at every antique shop you see.

Travel the Blue Ridge Parkway when flowers are in bloom. the parkway website handily provides a Bloom Schedule, so you’ll know when your favorite trees, flowers and shrubs are at their most beautiful. These times can be ideal for hiking the trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Ask bed and breakfast Virginia innkeepers about favorite hikes near their inns.

You are sure to enjoy your time traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway, especially if you treat yourself to lodging in Virginia bed and breakfasts.

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Virginia Romantic Getaway – It’s Time

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

Don’t let another summer pass without making time for a Romantic Getaway in Virginia.

If summer romance means water and sun, head to a Virginia Bed and Breakfast near the Chesapeake Bay or the Virginia coast. Woe your sweetie with a moonlit canoe trip, or an afternoon sailing adventure. Share a bottle of Virginia Wine that you select after touring the region’s wineries. Watch the sunset while holding hands as you walk along the beach.

If summer romance means cool wooded trails and mountains, head to the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Drive the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway in search of the perfect scenic overlook to share a picnic. Go horseback riding in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. Sleep late, eat an amazing breakfast at your Virginia Bed and Breakfast, and spend a day poking through antique shops in search of treasures.

If summer romance means late nights in the city, head to Northern Virginia and enjoy excursions into the nation’s capitol. Spend days exploring the many historic sites of the region, and then dress up and go to the city for dinner and entertainment.

No matter what defines romance for the two of you, you’ll find it in Virginia. For inspiration, check out our Virginia travel packages and specials page; many inns offer romance packages that can help make any holiday cause for celebration.

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