Editor’s Pick: Omni Homestead Resort’s Fall Getaway Attractions
Now is a good time to consider a visit to the historic and charming Omni Homestead Resort in Virginia, less than four hours from D.C.
Perhaps you’re looking for a fall weekend getaway, an excursion to a charming and historic luxury property within a few hours drive from D.C. straying beyond the tried and true in Little Washington, Virginia, or St. Michaels, Maryland, to name two obvious locales.
If the Omni Homestead Resort has not been on your radar, now is as good a time as any to consider this historic and charming resort a little less than four hours from the city nestled in the Allegheny Mountains in the western part of Virginia bordering West Virginia.
A member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Hotels of America, the Homestead, which dates back to 1766, has hosted 23 U.S. presidents, including Taft and Teddy Roosevelt, and spans more than 2,000 acres, including a full-service spa featuring natural hot springs. Visitors, particularly oenophiles, can enhance their stay anytime by springing for the new Virginia Wine Experience, a tasting flight showcasing the rich history of winemaking in Virginia.
One weekend a month the Experience features a prominent Virginia winery and vintner leading a seminar or planning a private dinner to complement their wines.
The second weekend in November also adds the inaugural Homestead Epicurean Classic presented by Wine & Country, a premier, multi-day event featuring more than a dozen of the Commonwealth’s finest wineries highlighted in special dining events and master classes — including an exclusive tasting of the highest-ranking red and white wines from the 2022 Virginia Governor’s Cup Case, a one-of-a-kind Virginia Chef’s Table for which three Virginia wineries will prepare a dish paired with one of their wines, a tasting of the four finalists of the elite competition The Homestead Norton Cup Challenge, and a grand Taste of Virginia with tapas-style fare prepared by some of Virginia’s top culinary artists paired with tastings from 10 vineyards (11/11-13, $390 per person for All Access).
Other upcoming non-wine activities include a Murder Mystery Weekend, a Clue-like outing for guests exploring a fictitious murder on site, including a masquerade party with other murder-solving guests (11/18-19), the arrival of the Great Hall Christmas Tree, an over 20-foot tree heaved into the resort’s atrium and decorated by staff (11/21), and the debut of the Warm Springs Pools, the culmination of a $3-million rehabilitation project to restore the pristine, relaxing pools that previously welcomed Virginia-native founding fathers from Washington to Jefferson to Madison (December).
Omni Homestead Resort is at 7696 Sam Snead Highway, Hot Springs, Va. Rates vary from $354 to $484 per night (excluding the week of Thanksgiving), with the Virginia Wine Experience adding between $58 to $91. Visit www.omnihotels.com or call 540-839-1766.
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