Recently, I had the pleasure of experiencing winter the way it should be experienced, relaxing during a bucolic getway at Airlie in Warrenton, VA. The funny thing is it was a bit of an accident.
I booked an Amarone wine tasting for my husband for his birthday, The American Wine Society tasting was at one of our favorite Virginia vineyards at Pearmund. It was on Sunday before Monday’s Martin Luther King holiday. We accidentally booked the hotel reservation at Airlie for Saturday night. We showed up at the winery wondering where everyone was. Oops! Fortunately for us Airlie was right down the road and it was their winter rates. We booked another night and were able to fully enjoy a long weekend getaway, when it was 2 degrees below freezing. Here are some pics from the weekend.
The main Airlie House / checkin area
Love is in the air and on the hillside
Topiary Love Knot Garden
Airlie’s Main Beautiful Dining Room.
We only ate breakfast in the main dining room. It was a glorious setting with morning light streaming in and Louis Prima and Frank Sinatra seranading us. The majority of this space was reserved other times for two wedding parties while we were there.
Instead, we headed down the side steps to Harry’s, where we ate at least four delectibal meals. I’m still craving the juicy seared pork chop with sweet potato puree and delicious brussell sprouts. I wish I had taken a picture.
Mural walk to Harry’s
Grisaille detail
Trompe l’oeil detail
Reward: many rounds of their Manhattan Slings in tribute to non-prohibition days
Harry’s is names after Harry Connelly Groome, the original owner of Airlie.
Just outside the bar doors is a lovely pond and fountain. Most of it was frozen except at the center. We saw geese crossing over to where they could swim.
Signs guide you
Main pond and fountain
Weddings galore
Our Lodge
Lobby in Lodge
There are many things to do at Airlie, including a lot of weddings. There were two different wedding parties while we were there.
You can enjoy a firepit with friends, play archery (in warmer months), walk the many paths, take bikes to other cottages to workout or play pool. We rode bikes to these and their organic farm. It was frigid and I couldn’t feel my face much less my fringers in the 2-degree below cold. I wouldn’t advice riding in this extreme cold but it was a fun adventure.
And check out the interactive map.
Firepit in the round
Many pathways to meander
Bikes & Cottages
Biking the property
Airlie’s Organic Farm
You can reserve an organic dinner with friends in the garden and under the stars. How romantic and memorable it would be! The uncanny thing is this is the very dinner I’ve been wanting to do through Vermilion, one of our favorite restaurants. Airlie is one of the farms that provides their produce and where you can book a farm to table dining experience.
Organic Farm Table Experience
Under the Stars
We had so much fun relaxing at Airlie that we were starting to feel transported with the sensation of being back at Sewanee, sitting on the porch, watching the shadows shift as time just drifted by. I caught up on some journal writing.
Beautiful Panorama
However, I neglected to take pictures of the wine tasting but you can read more about our previous experiences at Pearmund. Tomassi is a brand that usually never disappoints and we were happy to have it at the tasting. What a Airlie way to experience winter and a wonderful birthday celebration.
Love the Sunset (literally)