Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 40

joe tennis

Inn at WIse Re-Opens In sOuthWest VIRgInIa
For a couple of decades in southwest
Virginia, the Inn at Wise stood vacant,
overlooking the Wise County
Courthouse. And while it was in decay,
some said the old inn should maybe be
replaced with a parking lot.
The inn dates to 1910, built at the
height of the coal boom. "This was the
place to be," says Nicole Green, the
hotel's assistant general manager.
"They had a room where all the lawyers
came over every day for lunch. And The
Tap Room is where you had the best
steak and private-stock liquors."
Such grandeur has since returned - in a
new way - with the long-awaited

Upper: Entering the palatial blond lobby of the Stonewall
Jackson Hotel can make visitors feel like a Crawley of
"Downton Abbey."
Lower: At Wytheville's Bolling Wilson Hotel, breakfast arrives
in a basket placed quietly outside each door.

40 BlueRidgeCountry.com

with private
developers
providing the
rest. Visitors to
the hotel's 124
high-ceilinged
rooms love the
results.
The
Stonewall
Jackson
perches on a
hill within
walking distance of anything
in
downtown
Staunton you're likely to visit. The
tall windows, walk-in closets, and
oddly shaped corner rooms of the
original 1924 hotel add charm;
entering its palatial blond lobby
makes you feel like a Crawley of
"Downton Abbey."
The original Wurlitzer theater
organ on the mezzanine, the only
working one of its kind worldwide,
is restored to playing condition, but
you'll only hear it in piano mode as
the staff says its full sound is too
"exuberant." Guests wishing to burn
off their own exuberance can swim
laps in the basement pool or exercise
in the fitness center. Or walk downhill to shops and eateries.

rebirth of the inn in 2014. With a multimillion dollar renovation, this has
become again a posh place to stay. And
it features three places to eat - the
1950s-style Corner Diner; The Pub and
Tap Room; and the elegant Colonial
Dining Room, serving what Chef John
King calls Southern Appalachian comfort food.
"Our big hit right now is our steak and
potatoes dish," he sayds. "And running a
close second is our cedar plank salmon."
This hotel's second coming coincides
with Wise's continuing evolution - from
coal town to college town - thanks to

Really, every visitor should make
haste to the blue-lit Beverly Street
café under the "Zynodoa" sign and
order dinner from its nouvelle
Southern farm-to-table menu. If
you've wondered about the merits
of free-range chicken, try it here.
This succulent, slightly nutty bird is
a different critter entirely from your
usual corporate-farm fowl.
American Shakespeare Center's
Blackfriars Playhouse, beside the
Stonewall Jackson, is another notto-be-missed attraction. The only
re-creation of Shakespeare's indoor
playhouse in the world, Blackfriars
stages performances in this intimate
theater Wednesday through Sunday.
For an extra jolt of drama, ask to be
seated on the stage.
The Jackson's neon rooftop sign
orients you from anywhere in town.
Beverly Street's eclectic shopping
district begins a block north;
Sunspots Glassblowing Studio and
Redbeard Brewery are four blocks
west; President Woodrow Wilson's
birthplace museum is two blocks
east - see it before visiting his wife's
birthplace Friday. The Museum of
Frontier Culture, a living history
spanning three continents located
along I-81, is also worth a visit.
Stonewall Jackson Hotel & Conference
Center
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Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015

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