Rediscovering America_ Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia & Maryland - Bill Burnham [27]
TRIVIA: Much of the Civil War-era film Sommersby, starring Richard Gere and Jodi Foster, was filmed in 1992 at Warwick Mansion.
Dining
Hot Springs
Choices for dining at the Homestead include the formal Dining Room (jacket and tie required in the evening), the Casino Club Restaurant with patio dining, the 1766 Grille, the Players Pub, and Sam Snead’s Pub, which is located in downtown Hot Springs. There are also restaurants at the Cascades and Lower Cascades golf courses, and the Mountain Lodge at the ski mountain. Even if you balk at the evening coat-and-tie requirement in the Dining Room, the breakfast buffet is to die for and requires only “resort attire.” They serve the biggest raspberries and blackberries we’ve ever seen. For all Homestead restaurants, call ahead for reservations and dress codes. tel. 540-839-7989)
Elliott’s in Hot Springs is open for lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday, serving eclectic fare, like horseradish potatoes and grilled salmon over bowtie pasta (3 Main Street, tel. 540-839-3663). The Village Roost is a local hang-out known for great burgers. Open 9 am to 3:45 pm Monday-Saturday (Main Street, tel. 540-839-2142). Two moderately priced American-style restaurants are operated by two sisters and their husbands, at either end of town: Valley View Restaurant is a mile north of Hot Springs on Route 220 (tel. 540-839-8964), and the Country Café is one mile south (tel. 540-839-2111).
There are several places on Main Street in Hot Springs to get a quick bite if you’re on the go. Duck In Deli & Market has the only fast-food franchise in the entire county, a Subway take-out counter (tel. 540-839-3000). The Homestead Market sells wine, beer, imported cheeses, pizza to order, and take-out sandwiches that are to-die-for, like stir-fry chicken on a croissant, as well as Virginia-made products like Route 11 Chips and Route 66 Root Beer (tel. 800-838-1766). McAllister’s One Stop Market has carryout only, things like taco salads, potpies and ice cream cones (tel. 540-839-2242).
Warm Springs
The Waterwheel Restaurant at Gristmill Square combines a rustic, Colonial atmosphere with a great wine cellar stashed in the workings of the old mill. There’s been a mill here since 1771, and the current one operated until 1971. Open for dinner only, nightly; closed Tuesdays in the winter. (Route 619, Warm Springs, tel. 540-839-2231, www.gristmillsquare.com)
John’s Steakhouse serves steaks, of course, but also seafood, poultry and native Allegheny Mountain Trout. Open daily for dinner only, with dining inside and out. Located one mile south of Warm Springs, next to the high school (Charger Lane, tel. 540-839-2333).
Just across the road from the high school, all the menu items at The Varsity are named for things to do with the school. The fresh deli sandwiches are served on homemade bread, and they make at least one soup each day. Eat inside or out on the porch. Open daily, 7 am to 10 pm. (tel. 540-839-4000)
For carryout, there’s The Fast Break, serving sausage biscuits for breakfast and pizza for lunch. (tel. 540-839-2942)
Lodging
The Homestead has 518 rooms, including 81 suites, all with terry cloth robes, mini-bars, two-line speakerphones with voice mail and data port, TV and VCR with movies on demand. Amenities include golf, fitness center, indoor pool, spa, skiing, hiking, bowling, valet parking, shuttle service, and nightly movies in the turn-of-the-century theatre. Accommodations range from cozy standard rooms to luxurious and spacious suites with fireplaces and balconies. Rates are per person, with some plans that include