6 Romantic Mountain Getaways in Virginia: Where We Stayed and Which Room to Book

→   Wine with no driving: The Farmhouse at Veritas, the Afton Mountain Vineyards cottages or The Inn at Stinson Vineyards. All three sit on working vineyards with the tasting room a short walk away. Stinson’s tasting room is open Thursday through Sunday, so plan a weekend stay if that walk is the point.

→   Spa weekend: The Inn at Willow Grove in Orange, with a full spa and a heated saltwater pool from May through October.

→   Big-deal dinner: Blue Rock, between Sperryville and Washington, or The White Moose Inn, a short walk from The Inn at Little Washington.

→   Longer stay: the Afton Mountain Vineyards cottages have full kitchens. We stayed a whole week.

Drive from DC: about 2.5 hours

If you’ve read this blog before, you know I have a soft spot for winery hotels. We’ve loved staying at Casa do Rio in Portugal and Le25Bis by Leclerc Briant in Champagne. Closer to home, The Farmhouse at Veritas is our favorite.

It’s a historic farmhouse built in 1836 set right in the vines, with the Blue Ridge behind it. When we pulled up, the first thing that drew us in was the wraparound porch lined with rocking chairs.

The daily happy hour runs from 5 to 6 pm. They pour several Veritas wines with cheese, charcuterie and ridiculously good homemade cookies. Take it all out to those rocking chairs.

Breakfast here is next-level. Take it inside, or out on the terrace with the gardens and vines in front of you. One morning we had lobster eggs Benedict with a glass of Veritas sparkling wine.

Lobster and bubbles at breakfast is a vacation habit I could get used to.

What We Did Nearby

• Tasted at Veritas. You’re staying on a working vineyard, so the tasting room is a short walk.

• Walked the Blue Ridge Tunnel, an old railroad tunnel you can walk straight through.

• Hiked the trails on the Veritas property.

• Had a cold beer and comfort food with live music at Blue Mountain Brewery.

Drive from DC: about 1 hour 40 minutes

One of my good friends from grad school got married in the fall at The Inn at Willow Grove, so my husband and I got to stay at this very romantic inn. Fall is one of my favorite times of year for a getaway, and the trees were turning bold red, orange and yellow.

The inn sits on 40 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge. There’s a manor house dating to 1778, plus cottages spread across the grounds, for 25 rooms and suites in all. Each one is decorated differently, and I love when every room has its own personality.

The staff were so kind, with lots of friendly Southern hospitality. And every morning starts with house-made beignets delivered to your door.

There’s also the Mill House Spa, where you can book a massage, and a heated saltwater pool that’s open May through October. We were there in the fall, so the pool will have to wait for next time.

Dinner is at Vintage Restaurant & Pub, which has a seasonal menu. They also serve Sunday brunch, which we haven’t tried yet.

What We Did Nearby

• Tasted at Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison. Chef José Andrés named it one of his three favorite Virginia wineries in his 2023 newsletter. We actually had our family photos taken here years ago.

• Tasted at Barboursville Vineyards. Don’t miss the Octagon. My husband’s cousin got married here, so it’s another great wedding venue.

• Hiked White Oak Canyon, one of our favorite waterfall hikes in Virginia.

If you haven’t noticed by now, our idea of a great getaway always pairs the outdoors with exceptional wine and food.

Drive from DC: 1.5 hours

The White Moose Inn takes the country B&B and makes it bright and modern: white walls, clean lines, stylish rooms.

It’s right in the middle of the town of Washington. We stayed here the night we had dinner at The Inn at Little Washington, which is about a five-minute walk down the street, so we could stroll home afterward.

The happy hour is a big part of the appeal. They pour local drinks like wine from Early Mountain Vineyards and whisky from Copper Fox. We enjoyed our drinks out on the white Adirondack chairs facing the mountains.

Breakfast was quiche and granola from Red Truck Bakery. Condé Nast Traveler put it on a list of the best bakeries in America back in 2014, and it earned it.

What We Did Nearby

• Dinner at 2-Michelin star The Inn at Little Washington. Read my 14 insider tips before you book.

• Had lunch at Patty O’s Cafe, the casual restaurant from Chef Patrick O’Connell’s The Inn at Little Washington’s. Don’t skip the carrot cake or the pimento cheese. 

• Hiked to the waterfalls on White Oak Canyon.

• Tasted Jim Law’s wines at Linden Vineyards.

• Tasted at Crimson Lane Vineyards.

Drive from DC: about 1.5 hours

We celebrated my birthday with a weekend at Blue Rock, and it was close to perfect. The inn sits above a koi pond and rolling vineyards, with the Blue Ridge in the distance.

There are outdoor seats tucked all over the property for taking in that view, and fire pits for chilly nights. Inside, the style is mid-century modern with an equestrian streak.

Blue Rock is an inn, a restaurant and a more casual bar all in one place, and of course we tried all three. We started with a Mezcal Sour, then moved to dinner.

Our four-course meal was the highlight of the trip. My favorite was a baharat-spiced dry-aged ribeye with the creamiest potatoes. I wrote up the whole meal in my Blue Rock restaurant review.

Breakfast was just as delicious: coddled farm eggs with black truffle and warm cinnamon buns.

What’s Changed Since Our Stay

Chef Bin Lu (former chef at Pineapple & Pearls), who cooked my birthday dinner, left Blue Rock and now leads the kitchen at Harrimans Grill at Salamander Middleburg.

Blue Rock’s restaurant carries on under a new team. We haven’t eaten there since he left, but the menu reads like the kind of cooking we drove out for: a blue crab starter, berbere-spiced duck, and a Linden Sauvignon Blanc in the pairing.

Menus rotate, so check the current one before you book.

What We Did Nearby (over the course of 2 stays)

• Tasted at Glen Manor Vineyards. Chef Bin Lu introduced us to their wine in our dinner pairing, and it’s some of the best wine in Virginia.
• Hiked Old Rag. We’ve done it twice. Book a day ticket in advance.
• Hiked Mary’s Rock when we wanted the views with less effort. It took us about 2.5 hours for the 3.7-mile round trip.
• Had dinner at Three Blacksmiths, still my favorite restaurant in Virginia.
• Did a whisky tasting at Copper Fox Distillery.
• Ate at Sumac, fine dining out of a food trailer. It keeps short weekend hours, so check before you drive.
• Tasted on the rooftop patio at Rappahannock Cellars.

Sperryville is five minutes away. For wood-fired pizza at RPK, cocktails at Bar Francis, botanical syrups at Wild Roots Apothecary and the River Walk, see my full guide to things to do in Sperryville.

Drive from DC: about 2.5 hours

The Afton Mountain Vineyards cottages have one of the prettiest settings of any stay on this list.

I’m not a morning person. But I will never forget getting up early to watch the sun come up over the vines while fog rolled across the Blue Ridge. It was worth every lost minute of sleep.

We stayed a full week in a self-catering cottage and used it as our base for tastings, meals and hikes. The tasting room is a short stroll away, so we could enjoy the wine without the driving.

There are four one-bedroom cottages, each named for a barrel cooperage, plus one two-bedroom cottage. Children under 10 aren’t allowed, and dogs are welcome for a fee.

What We Did Nearby

• Hiked the loop to Humpback Rocks for big Blue Ridge views.

• Drank small-batch coffee at Trager Brothers. It’s in an unusual spot, inside a community center.

• Did a vermouth tasting at Flying Fox Vineyard.

• Had a smoked old fashioned at Silverback Distillery.

• Drank a crisp hard cider at Bold Rock in Nellysford.

• Hiked to the cascades at Crabtree Falls.

• Drove down to Ankida Ridge Vineyards in Amherst for Virginia Pinot Noir. Yes, Pinot Noir. It’s a longer drive, so plan it as a half day.

• Ate a delicious dinner with local Virginia ingredients at The Shack in Staunton.

Drive from DC: about 2.5 hours

The Inn at Stinson Vineyards has only four rooms, all with views of the vines. That gives it a warm, intimate feel you won’t get at a bigger hotel.

We stayed in the Deluxe Suite. It has a private two-level deck overlooking the vineyard and the heated pool, which is open May through October. Every evening we poured a glass of wine and watched the sun go down from that deck.

When we stayed, innkeeper Stephanie made a hot three-course breakfast each morning, with croissants and muffins she’d baked that day. I would come back just for her cooking!

What’s Changed Since Our Stay

Breakfast is the big one, and honestly, it’s a bummer.

The inn is now managed by Virginia Guesthouses, and breakfast is no longer cooked. It’s a self-service spread of sweet and savory pastries from Praha Bakery, set out between 8:30 and 10:00 am, with coffee and tea available around the clock.

If you need anything, the inn asks you to text its staff, who are on call until 10 pm.

The private chef dinners still exist (which we did and loved!), but now it’s only for guests who book the entire inn. If it’s just the two of you in one room, plan on dinner out.

A few other things worth knowing: individual rooms are for guests 21 and older, and inn guests get 10% off Stinson wines at the tasting room next door, which is open Thursday through Sunday.

What We Did Nearby

• Hiked Sugar Hollow to a waterfall.

• Walked through the vines to the Stinson Vineyards tasting room next door. No driving needed.

• Bought gouda made by the nuns at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery.

• Sipped Virginia bourbon with a mountain view at Ragged Branch Distillery.

• Watched a Sunday polo match with a glass of wine at King Family Vineyards

• Ate one of the best sandwiches of our lives at Greenwood Grocery.

• Picked peaches at Chiles Peach Orchard.

Some of our favorite weekends in Virginia look a lot alike.

A glass of bubbles in a rocking chair on the porch at Veritas. Fog rolling across the Blue Ridge at sunrise in Afton. Fall color at Willow Grove. A dinner we could walk home from, at Blue Rock or The Inn at Little Washington.

Pick the one closest to home, book the room we loved, and go.

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