Over MLK Day weekend, my sisters and I headed to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia to check into America’s Resort, The Greenbrier! Jennifer and I were lucky enough to visit The Greenbrier five years ago when I was invited on a media trip and we have been wanting to get back ever since. It was an easy sell to convince Lindsey to come with us this time, and visiting this amazing place with my sisters made for the perfect girls’ weekend.

While summer is definitely the resort’s high season given their golf course and outdoor pool, I personally think it is an amazing spot to visit during the winter months — there’s so much to enjoy inside The Greenbrier that you never have to go outside! Located about three and a half hours from the DC area, it’s the perfect spot for a weekend trip. We checked in for two nights and felt it was the perfect amount of time — we were able to thoroughly enjoy the resort before heading home refreshed from a break from daily life. It’s unlike any place I’ve ever been before given the Dorothy-Draper-designed interiors — every room is seemingly more beautiful than the last! In addition, the hospitality is excellent and the food + drink are also great.

I definitely don’t want to wait another five years to get back to The Greenbrier — and if you haven’t been, definitely make sure it’s on your bucket list!

EXPLORING NEARBY LEWISBURG, WEST VIRGINIA —

Before checking into The Greenbrier, we checked out Lewisburg, West Virginia, a small town located just 15 minutes from the resort. There’s one Main Street with several really cute gift shops that we popped into — but our favorite store was Robert’s Antiques! A combination antique shop and wine shop — so basically my dream — they had an amazing collection of antique furniture, rugs, decor, glassware, stemware, and art. I bought several silver-plated platters for my collection along with a beautiful glass dish. They also were selling these amazing Christmas tree art pieces made from jeweled brooches. I bought one and I am so excited about it — I know it will be a piece I enjoy around the holidays for years to come, and I hope it will be a family heirloom one day!

After our shopping trip, we headed to Hill & Holler for a delicious pizza lunch. When we arrived, it was flurrying, and this was the perfect cozy spot for lunch on a very cold day given they had a large fire going in their gorgeous stone fireplace. We started with some side salads and split a couple of pizzas — the pepperoni was my personal favorite! In addition to many beers, they also had wine on tap, so a we had a few glasses of pinot grigio to kick our vacation off. After lunch, it was time to head over to The Greenbrier to check in for our stay!

CHECKING INTO THE GREENBRIER & THE ACCOMMODATIONS —

Driving up to The Greenbrier is magical — the resort is huge and we were thrilled to see they still had their Christmas decor up, including a huge tree on the main lawn! We checked in and enjoyed the free glass of champagne they offered us while introducing Lindsey to some of the gorgeous decor in the lobby. After, a super kind bellhop helped take our luggage to our room and we popped a bottle of bubbles we had brought while taking a ton of pictures of our gorgeous floral room. Each guest room is decorated differently — and to the nines! — so it was fun to see what ours looked like. In addition to being super cute, it was also very comfortable as the beds were soft and there was a nice seating area. Sometimes with three people sharing a hotel room can feel cramped, but that was not the case at The Greenbrier. The ceilings were also high, which made the room feel extra spacious.

A few pointers as you’re planning your own trip — we did self parking, which is free and just a quick walk to the main entrance of the resort. They do offer valet parking, but, of course, you pay per night and we were able to save some money by forgoing that service. We also brought a cooler with our own wine. While we purchased cocktails at The Lobby Bar and in the resort restaurants, having a few bottles of our favorite wines on hand in our room was another way we saved some money. When we arrived, we called down for three wine glasses and a bucket of ice, and they brought it up to our room within ten minutes.

AFTERNOON TEA AT THE GREENBRIER —

Once we freshened up, we took a lap around The Greenbrier to show Lindsey some of our favorite spots — and enjoy the complimentary afternoon tea that happens every day in the Main Lobby at 4pm! While we were there, in addition to tea and coffee, they had a great assortment of sweet treats, namely all kinds of mini cupcakes and cookies. During tea, there’s also live entertainment — while we were there, we enjoyed a live singer and an amazing pianist.

DINNER AT PRIME 44 WEST & WHERE TO ENJOY A DRINK BEFORE AND AFTER —

Following tea, we got ready for dinner and then headed to my favorite place to grab at drink at The Greenbrier, The Lobby Bar! Located right off the Main Lobby, it’s a gorgeous red room that feels so cozy and is extremely memorable given the chandelier adorning the room is from Gone With the Wind. We were able to snag a couple of chairs right in the center of the bar and had a little happy hour while people watching and taking in the beautiful decor.

For dinner, we headed to Prime 44 West, the steakhouse on property. Named for NBA legend and West Virginian, Jerry West, this is our favorite restaurant at The Greenbrier. I definitely recommend getting a reservation if you want to dine here as it’s a very popular spot! We started with the tableside caesar salad and then split the lobster mac + cheese while enjoying a filet mignon. Everything was just as good as Jennifer and I remembered it from our first visit, and the service was great.

We capped off our night down in the casino for The Greenbrier Waltz, the daily 10pm complimentary champagne toast that’s accompanied by several of The Greenbrier staff doing a beautiful waltz. As it was Saturday night, they also had a DJ down in the casino and so we spent a little time on the dance floor, which was so much fun. It felt like a wedding without the bride and groom!

BRUNCH IN THE MAIN DINING ROOM  —

One of my favorite things about The Greenbrier is the breakfast buffet in the Main Dining Room! They have everything you could ever want — scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, assorted breads, fresh fruit, waffles, pancakes, and — my favorite — an omelette station. We decided to treat ourselves and enjoy a mimosa while we enjoyed the buffet and it was the perfect proportion of OJ to champagne. As with the rest of the resort, the decor is stunning — especially the chandeliers.

THE BUNKER TOUR —

Following breakfast, we went on The Bunker Tour. Declassified and decommissioned in the early 1990s, during the Cold War, a secret bunker was built at The Greenbrier designed to hold all 535 members of Congress in the event of a nuclear attack on Washington, DC. The tour showcases how they were able to hide the bunker underneath the resort and tours you around the living facilities that had everything from bunk rooms to kitchens to a television set inside. If you stay at the resort, it’s a must-do in my opinion.

SHOPPING AT THE GREENBRIER —

Later in the afternoon, we dropped Lindsey off to enjoy the spa, while Jennifer and I checked out the resort shops — in addition to the gift shops, they’ve got a super cute Dorothy Draper home goods store, a Polo Ralph Lauren, and several other specialty stores. While shopping, we bought a set of playing cards so that we could play them during happy hour at The Lobby Bar, which ended up being one of my favorite memories of the trip!

We capped off a great afternoon with a glass of wine at tea — and ended up chatting for a few hours with another guest who also was visiting from Northern Virginia and went to UVA! We always love meeting new people when we are on vacation.

DINNER AT THE FORUM & WHERE TO ENJOY A DRINK BEFORE AND AFTER —

To kick off our last night at The Greenbrier, we found ourselves back in The Lobby Bar for happy hour — and we put those aforementioned playing cards to work as we played several rounds of golf, which is one of our favorite card games. (You can read the rules here — it’s super easy to catch on, and great to play no matter how many people you have.)

For dinner, we dined at The Forum, the Italian restaurant at the resort. It definitely offers a more casual vibe than Prime 44 West or dinner in The Main Dining room, but the food — especially the fresh bread! — was great. I opted for a pizza and Jennifer and Lindsey both did pasta. If you bring kids to The Greenbrier, this would be a great dinner option for the family.

We capped off our final night at The Greenbrier with the complimentary champagne toast during the Greenbrier Waltz in the Casino as we had the night before and a night cap at Twelve Oaks, the bar located in the casino. The decor and vibe remind me a lot of Polo Bar in NYC! And, while you’re down in the casino, definitely make sure you swing by the ladies room — it is decorated so well. (As are all the public resort bathrooms — we made it a point to pop into all of them just to see how they were decorated!)

This was such an amazing weekend The Greenbrier with my sisters — and a great first trip of 2023! We had the best time enjoying each other’s company in such a beautiful setting, and can’t wait to get back — hopefully sooner rather than later. If you have any questions about our trip to America’s Resort, don’t hesitate to drop a comment below or email me at katie@atouchofteal.com.

Below are more of my favorite pictures from this trip — until next time, The Greenbrier!