My Day Trip to the Greenbrier

What is the Greenbrier?

Find out HERE.


This last weekend I was able to take a short trip to West Virginia and White Sulphur Springs, Virginia. One of my best friends lives in Athens, West Virginia, so I took up the opportunity and caught a ride with her mama to visit for a few days. Our first stop was Olive Garden in Beckley, West Virginia. That was a treat because we don't have one in Charlottesville! We met Brooke there and then drove back to her house for the night.
The next morning we took our time getting ready. The Greenbrier Inn is only an hour and a half from her home. Lucky for us, the weather was almost 60 degrees and sunny. Perfect conditions for a Saturday trip.
We arrived at the Greenbrier around 2pm. There was no parking to be found within the actual gates, so we had to park across the street at the Christmas store. Luckily, there is a shuttle that drives back and forth all day to bring guests from across the street.

My jaw dropped when we finally pulled up the the main entrance. This place is HUGE. 

We hopped off the shuttle and were immediately greeted by the staff who held the doors open as we entered. The entry has this huge metal light fixture. The decor seems a little tacky and absurd, but screams,"this is all very expensive." 

Down from the entrance is a huge open floor with large windows.  There are live plants everywhere and the decor is very springy. There are maybe close to 100 different comfortable seating options where you can relax and chat. To our surprise, the second you sit down, a server eagerly comes to try to bring us a drink. Next time, I plan on doing a tea break in this room.


We were getting hungry so we decided to grab a late lunch. They have several restaurant options, but we decided on The Forum. It took us a while to walk down because there were tons of little shops we had to stop by as we made our way over. The Forum is fancy but not over the top. There was no wait for lunch, so we got seated right away. The colors of the room were yellow and blue. The menu was mostly Italian (fancy pizzas, paninis, soups, and salad). The other restaurant (Drapper's) was closed for renovations, so some of their food items were available as well. The meals were around $15 a person, but the portions were huge. Unfortunately, I was too hungry to remember to take pictures.

After lunch, we stopped at the little cafe and grabbed some chai lattes. We took a shuttle to the car to put away our leftovers before we continued exploring.

There are so many rooms. I quickly fell in love with the light fixtures.

I also found a ginormous Baldwin piano with real ivory keys.

We explored this slightly spooky, unlit room.

 As the sun began to set, the light from the chandeliers became even more magnificent. I loved this room. I felt like I was in the castle from Beauty and the Beast. After hours of exploration, we were tired. We took the shuttle back to the car. This was one of the best day trips I have ever had. I highly recommend it for anyone passing by or living within 3 hours of the Inn. Next time I hope I get to go in the spring when everything is a bit more colorful.