Homesteading At The Homestead Resort, Virginia

A Family Travel Forum family takes their SUV to the Omni Homestead Resort in Virginia for some wintertime fun, indoors and out!

We’re always amazed that people continue to visit resorts in what can best be described as the middle of nowhere. The Homestead, one of America’s beautiful grande dame resorts tucked in several thousand acres of Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains, seems so remote as to repel visitors.

But instead it’s been attracting them since 1766, for good reason: there is much to do indoor and out, the staff is gracious and its buildings are luxurious, without the stuffiness that often invades established resorts.

To get there from our own Virginia home, we took back roads and later realized there are less direct but more comforting routes including flights into Roanoke about 70 miles away.

Getting to know the Omni Homestead classic resort

Arriving in time for lunch, we grabbed the quick shuttle to the cozy Mountain Lodge, the hub of winter activities: outdoor grill and fireplace, deck with picnic tables, food service and circle hearth inside. Oh, yes–and skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, ice skating and snow tubing.

After fueling up on burgers and fries by the outdoor fireplace, we walked to the snow tubing hill (must be 48 inches tall or accompanied by an adult). The resort requires reservations (call the morning of or the day before), so there’s never a big queue to get towed up the mountain for repeated rollicking trips down the icy slopes. We thoroughly enjoyed our two hours, which seemed to be the ideal amount of time for young and old alike.

On our way back to our lovely room we popped into the elegant main dining room to warm up with afternoon tea (from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.). We were welcomed despite our snow gear and enjoyed tea sandwiches and hot drinks, although our kids were not big on the food selection– perhaps if they served s’mores at a proper English tea?

That evening our kids enjoyed the Homestead’s Saturday evening “Kid’s Night Out.” They ordered off the kids’ menu, played games with the active counselors and made a cute dog tag necklace. Sounds simple, but it was very well supervised and our kids were impressed.

Indoor fun at the Omni Homestead

One afternoon the girls took advantage of the Spa Suite that allows guests 16 and under to enjoy some special spa treatments (in turn, ruining them for life). Maddy (age 11) adored the Fancy Feet pedicure: a foot soak in a chocolate milk bath, proper sloughing and moisturizing with cookies and cream lotion, followed by a very sparkly, very pink polish application. Mom enjoyed the less dessert-oriented Herbal Pedicure and sharing the blissful hour with Maddy. The full service, adult-only spa, which is fed by hotsprings, is quite new and attractive and is considered one of the best on the East coast.

Boys, as they say, will be boys. While the girls were enjoying the spa, Dad and Jamie (9-years-old) hopped on a snowmobile for a wild, guided tour up and above the mountain resort (driver must have valid driver’s license, be 16-years-old, or accompanied by an adult). The trails led through mostly untamed woods and offered incredible vistas overlooking the Virginia and West Virginia mountains.

While Maddy and Jamie went ice skating with the well-run KidsClub prior to our late afternoon departure, we had one more leisurely lunch at the resort’s Casino Club, followed by a stroll through the lovely boutiques off the main lobby. We found ourselves planning to stake our claim next spring in warmer weather to play croquet and golf.

Next time, we’ll make sure to pick the slower, more picturesque driving route to this palace in the middle of nowhere.

Details for a Homestead Adventure

For more information, go to Omni Homestead Resort site or call 800/838-1766. Check their site, as Kid’s Night Out may be available during your stay and pre-registration is recommended.