Hot Springs, VA

Nearing the Homestead, a Grande Dame resort situated in an Allegheny Mountain Valley, we pass bailed hay and mares in paddocks as well as roads with names such as Sweet Springs Lane and Stage Coach Drive. These lanes harken back to the resort's beginnings more than 240 years ago as a place to sample the region's healing springs.

Along with a spa that still utilizes the mineral waters, the now 3,000-acre property is a four-season resort that gains fames for its golf and its formal dining. Spring through fall, families can also hike mountain trails and in winter ice skate, ski and snowboard.

The resort was founded in 1766 -- a decade before the Revolution. That's when the land's owner erected the first wooden structure for those who came to soak in the healing waters. Among the famous who bathed in the mineral springs were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Robert E. Lee and Thomas Edison.

As a historic hotel, the resort maintains a period feel. You won't find minimalist furnishings or sleek, edgy decor. Instead the octagonal Jefferson Parlor, with its murals depicting eras in the property's past, has Colonial-style furnishings. The Great Hall, or lobby, with its two-story ceiling punctuated by double rows of ornate columns, suggests the prosperous mid-19th century when Dr. Thomas Goode built his hotel. That resort changed hands and grew in size over the decades. Rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1901, the Homestead resort now features 483 rooms. On our visit, the resort, perched on a hillside, looks spectacular framed by the red, rust and gold mountains of fall.

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