Call us hopeless romantics, but stealing away to an inn hidden in the cache of West Virginia’s hillsides sounds like a movie Deborah Kerr should have made.
Graceland Inn in Elkins would have been the perfect place for the love story to unfold. Surrounded by an undisturbed view of the stunningly green Monongahela National Forest, the inn is a pristinely restored 1892 Victorian mansion that once served as the plush summer home of U.S. Senator Henry Gassaway Davis. Now a National Historic Landmark on the campus of Davis and Elkins College, the inn offers dramatic details such as a sweeping staircase, elegant canopy and sleigh beds, marble and claw-foot tubs and period antiques.
Staying in is part of a long-overdue romantic escape, but when you’re ready for some relaxing diversions, you’ll find the surrounding West Virginia Highlands is an epicenter of Appalachian heritage. Shop for stained glass, handmade furniture, folk art and even banjos made by local artisans at nearby Artists at Work and Mountain Made galleries.
The region’s scenery arguably puts the “great” in the great outdoors, so once you’ve filled your trunk, get some fresh air and surround yourself with natural wonders. Graceland is a short drive from Dolly Sods Wilderness, Spruce Knob (West Virginia’s highest peak) and Blackwater Falls State Park. There’s plenty of hiking at all three, but for those who prefer to do their hiking with a club in hand, a trio of championship golf courses are less than an hour away.