I had to pick up my sister in Leesburg early for Thanksgiving, so I decided to stay at the Wayside Inn located in Middletown, Virginia, near Winchester. This gave me an option outside of "nova" and a chance to breathe. I have stayed there a few times before and it's like staying in a living museum. I had a slight falling out with the management over my bookings, but we have made ammends. They no longer have independent live music, but instead have weekend bluegrass jams. I love the history and the ambiance. This time I stayed in the Jubal Early room- the room once occupied by Confederate General Jubal Early. It was one of the rooms in the hotel that has the least amount of "ghost" activity, however, I felt a little odd , as just my sister and I and two other guests were there the entire night. On my side of the hotel, no guests had arrived and the room across the hall was unoccupied.. The entire side of my hotel was empty! I did hear some strange things, such as a woman sobbing and a tapping on the wall. I rebuke whatever these things are, or simply ignore them. Ghosts are not departed spirits, but demons impersonating the dead . My sister staying on the other side of the hotel, heard a baby crying. This place is creepy, but beautiful.
Some of the Wayside Inn is already decked out for the Holy-Days. Christmas decorating in November, otherwise known as "Thanksmas". I enjoyed my stay and also went down to nearby Strasburg to the Box Office Brewery for some nachos and bean dip. There on a Tuesday night, they were having family trivia , and no riff raff or heavy drinkers, so that was a plus . Strasburg is a nice and quiet town. The whole area looks like the set of a Hallmark Christmas movie! I did find the folks so friendly and laid back in comparison to Richmond, which has a lot of jerks, even if they do offer some musterings of Southern hospitality. A bucolic get away was just what I needed to wash the Richmond off of me.
My room: The Jubal Early Suite (where the Confederate General July Early slept- not the same, bed , of course) I felt safe in a Confederate room!
Old Town Winchester
Winchester, VA is much more conservative than Richmond and is Republican. Because of this, it seems cleaner and keeps out the riff raff and has managed to preserve it's rich Confederate history. Old town is charming with lots of friendly folks . This is why I like getting away from Richmond. It shows me there are many normal people left in Virginia and Richmond is just a commie bubble. Getting out to Winchester was refreshing. My family almost moved to Winchester in 1994 , when I was going to high school, but instead we opted to rent a farm in Loudoun County where I grew up.
Old Town Winchester and it's charms..
The Taylor Hotel where Stonewall Jackson stayed. I was rightly impressed with the architecture of Winchester and the many mansions they had there. So many gems. I wish I had taken more shots of everything. So much to see there.
A "howdy" sign on the local barber shop
Stopped At Glen Burnie where I ran into an old school chum who is now a docent there. I wasn't feeling very loquacious, but I did wish him well.
Overall, I enjoyed getting away for a two day affair in the northern Shenandoah Valley. I'm so glad they have kept it somewhat remote and intact from the carpetbaggers. Northwest VA has a charm all of it's own. The towns of Winchester, Front Royal, Berryville, and Luray, are very beautiful this time of year.
I love these little travelogues! So much beauty left in Virginia even in these troubled times. I hope you can find a way to move out there someday. You don’t belong in Richmond. So when you travel do you bring anything to read? When I stay in a historic place I like to bring along a book of stories from the era (like stories set at that time, or what people back then would have been reading). I makes a relaxing escape from modernity to spend an hour or so before bed just reading.
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