Looking for a serene venue for a meeting, event or executive retreat within close striking distance of mid-Atlantic metro hubs? Look no further than Virginia, where pastoral resorts and gracious estates embody the rich heritage and stunning landscapes of the Old Dominion.
Whether dating from the colonial era or earlier this year, Virginia’s wealth of secluded meeting venues are idyllic settings for networking, rejuvenation and celebration. Here are some great sites to consider.
Salamander Resort & Spa, Middleburg
Once the neat white fences encircling rolling pastures along Highway 50 come into view, the horsey enclave of Middleburg is not far away. The tony village just 40 miles from the Beltway is where Jackie Kennedy Onassis retreated to on weekends, Elizabeth Taylor married Sen. John Warner and Linda Tripp now runs a shop stocked with German nutcrackers and Christmas ornaments. It’s also where another local celebrity, Black Entertainment Television co-founder Sheila Johnson, has just opened the 168-room, luxury Salamander Resort & Spa, a place where conference attendees can also experience the allure of Virginia horse country.
Set on 340 acres amid pastures and vineyards, Salamander features spacious guest rooms with canopy beds, sitting areas, executive work desks and terraces. The resort includes an equestrian center with programming that includes riding instruction and clinics from the area’s world-class riders. Riders have access to miles of trails leading off from the resort. Options for groups include trail rides, demonstrations of equestrian skills and excursions to nearby horse races and jumping events.
The equestrian theme extends to the resort’s meeting spaces, which include the 5,000-square-foot Middleburg Ballroom and the restored 100-year-old Stallion Barn. Salamander’s dining and catering offerings, overseen by Chef Todd Gray of the Equinox restaurant in Washington, D.C., include farm-to-table cuisine at Harriman’s Grill and small plate dishes at The Cup of Gold Wine Bar. There is also a full-service spa with 14 treatment rooms and a recreational area with an infinity pool, private cabanas and a fire pit.
Meetings are expected to comprise about half of all business at the resort, which is drawing groups not only from the D.C. area, but from New York, Chicago and the West Coast, says Matt Owen, spokesman for the resort.
“We’re only a half-hour from Dulles International Airport, so we offer great accessibility from all around the country,” he says. “We’re seeing everything from executive board meetings to associations that rotate between the East and West coasts. Corporate incentives are also showing a lot of interest.” PageBreak
LANSDOWNE RESORT, LEESBURG
Just eight miles from Washington Dulles International Airport, Lansdowne Resort is an easily accessible group escape. “Retreat. Renew. Reconnect” is the slogan of the AAA Four Diamond property, set in the heart of Loudon County, Virginia’s Wine Country.
The 500-acre resort is renowned for its 45 holes of championship golf, and other highlights include celebrated cuisine, the 12,000-square-foot Spa Minerale and the five-pool Aquatic Complex, which features 8,000 square feet of poolside event space.
Team-building activities are available, and attendees can also explore the region’s bucolic countryside, dotted with 30-plus wineries as well as horse farms and historic estates.
Lansdowne Resort boasts an IACC-certified conference center, so when groups want to get down to business, they can take advantage of 50,000 square feet of meeting space.
CLIFTON INN, CHARLOTTESVILLE
Small meetings and retreats are welcome at this luxury inn in Charlottesville that was originally built by Thomas Mann Randolph, a former governor of Virginia and son-in-law of Thomas Jefferson. Enlarged over the years, the beautiful estate with 17 guest rooms is surrounded by 100 acres of gardens, lawns and woodlands with views of the Rivanna River and rolling hills.
Meeting spaces include a 19th century drawing room, a wood-paneled wine cellar that seats 20, a dining room accommodating up to 40 for banquets and meeting sessions and a spacious terrace that can be tented for large events. Food and beverage offerings at Clifton, which features seasonal cuisine, include Chef’s Counter, an in-kitchen dining experience for small groups that can interact with the culinary team.
“Executive retreats for groups of 30 or less are a specialty for us,” says Niall Reid, general manager of Clifton Inn. “We offer a very private environment and can arrange everything from yoga on the back lawn to wine tours and chef’s cooking demonstrations.”
MOUNTAIN LAKE LODGE, PEMBROKE
Located in southwestern Virginia, Mountain Lake Lodge, film location for the movie Dirty Dancing, sits on a 2,600-acre nature preserve of spruce bogs, native trout streams, woodlands and one of only two natural fresh-water lakes in the state. The property, which reopened in May after an extensive renovation, offers 69 accommodations, including 43 guest rooms in the main lodge as well as cottages with fireplaces and historic lakeside cabins. A new addition is Harvest, a 175-seat restaurant in the main lodge serving locally sourced, farm-to-table cuisine.
“We’ve undergone not only a major renovation, but have repositioned the resort for meetings,” says Heidi Stone, director of sales and marketing at the property. “We can handle up to 200 people and are just an hour’s drive from Roanoke Airport and a four-hour drive from Washington.”
A wide variety of meeting and event sites include a conference center, ballroom, converted barn and terrace. Team-building and activities include culinary workshops, guided hikes, raft trips, geocaching and mountain biking. The resort also offers Mountain Lake Treetop Adventures, a course with zip lines, sky bridges and rope ladders through the forest. PageBreak
STRATFORD HALL, STRATFORD
Commanding a sweeping stretch of rolling grasslands along the Potomac River in Virginia’s Northern Neck region, Stratford Hall is both the ancestral home of the Lee family and a versatile site for executive retreats, conferences and events for groups large and small. Its focal point is the Great House, an imposing brick manse built in the 1730s, where inhabitants included Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee, a Revolutionary War hero, and his son Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate forces during the Civil War. The fascinating story of the Lees is told in an exhibition hall and in the Great House where rooms are furnished with period antiques, children’s toys and other memorabilia.
On the spacious grounds is the Inn at Stratford Hall, comprising a variety of meeting and lodging sites with views of pastures and woods. The event spaces include the stately Council House, which seats up to 175, and the slightly smaller DuPont Memorial Library, a book-lined space with large windows overlooking a ravine. The Preservation Gallery, which features historical exhibits, is available for receptions, while the Stratford Hall Dining Room hosts seated lunches and dinners. Designed for executive retreats and informal meetings, the Astor Guest House offers five rooms and a living area, while the Cheek Guest House has 15 guest rooms and a living area with an adjoining deck in a wooded setting.
“Our meeting space has an 1800s ambience but is equipped with high-speed Internet, audiovisual and everything you need for a modern meeting,” says Randy Stephens, director of sales and marketing at the property, adding that executive retreat groups from metro Washington, D.C., and Richmond are a steady source of business.
“We offer plenty of privacy, plus team-building options and the chance to hike on secluded trails and along the Potomac,” he says. “At the same time, we’re a place where you can get business done.”
MARRIOTT RANCH, HUME
A Marriott property unlike any other, Marriott Ranch is neither a hotel nor a resort, rather it’s a unique venue for corporate retreats, picnics and outdoor activities on a 4,200-acre working cattle ranch outside of Hume, a tiny hamlet in the Blue Ridge foothills 50 miles west of Washington, D.C. Purchased by J. Willard Marriott Sr. back in the 1950s, it became his private family farm as well as a place for entertaining U.S, presidents and business leaders.
Its centerpiece is the stately Inn at Fairfield Farm, a 200-year-old red brick manor house with a palatial dining room and reception areas available for events. Accommodations include 10 guest rooms in the main house and adjoining buildings. Other spaces at the property include The Pavilion, with indoor space seating up to 135 guests and outdoor space seating up to 1,000 guests or more.
Horseback riding and hiking are available on trails throughout the property, which abounds with wildlife such as red fox, white tail deer and bald eagles. In winter, groups can go sledding or cross-country skiing. Team-building activities can also be arranged. PageBreak
HERMITAGE MUSEUM & GARDENS, NORFOLK
With beautiful grounds that include formal gardens, forest and wetlands, the Hermitage Museum & Gardens provides a relaxing setting for catered events. The museum is an Arts and Crafts-style, 42-room mansion that houses the Sloane Collection, which spans 5,000 years of history and features artwork from more than 30 countries. Two galleries are devoted to changing exhibitions of contemporary art.
While groups can tour the museum, it’s the outdoor areas filled with flowering plants and sculpture that are available for receptions, picnics and other events. Large groups of up to 250 can congregate for tented events at The Shoreline, a space overlooking the Lafayette River and wetlands that are a habitat for blue herons and other waterfall. Other areas include The Grotto, a secluded space for up to 100, and the East Garden, hosting up to 125 for seated events.
CHESAPEAKE ARBORETUM
Situated on 48 lush acres, the Chesapeake Arboretum is a verdant venue comprising a historic farmhouse built in the 1700s, antique rose gardens and other themed gardens, and a 3.5-mile trail system where visitors can wander through mature hardwood forest and explore several varieties of plants, flowers and trees.
The arboretum’s Pecan Grove can accommodate groups of up to 150 for private events.
VIRGINIA BEACH HISTORIC HOUSES
Several old homes, some with expansive grounds and lush surroundings, give groups a peek into life in Virginia Beach in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Georgian-style Francis Land House was built in 1805, while the Lynnhaven House dates to 1725, and the Adam Thoroughgood House, named for one of Virginia’s first colonists, dates to 1719 and reopened in 2011 after an extensive renovation.
Tours of the houses are available, and the Colonial Education Center and Lynnhaven House grounds can host private events of up to 300 outdoors and 150 indoors.
Maria Lenhart is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus.
