Lewisburg WV Girls’ Trip

I am tremendously lucky to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 now, and thus feel comfortable venturing further afield and cautiously “re-entering the world”. Please don’t think this is my endorsement of throwing all caution to the winds. On this trip, as well as everyday life, I followed CDC guidelines, masking and social distancing.

This trip was to the Greenbrier Valley of West Virginia, east of Beckley on I-64, close to the Virginia border. The most well-known attraction is the Greenbrier Resort, where I’ve been lucky enough to host a couple of work conferences. A stay at the Greenbrier is usually out of my budget, however, unless someone else is picking up the tab! Disclaimer here, too: this is not a sponsored post, I paid for everything with my own $$, and all the opinions are my own…

Years ago, my bestie and I discovered that this area is just about halfway between where she lives outside Washington D.C., and where I live in Kentucky. While the Greenbrier is all about luxury, the little town of Lewisburg, 9 miles to the west, is all about “cool”. Lewisburg, established in 1780 with a population under 4,000, made the Budget Travel magazine’s list of “Coolest Small Towns in America” some years ago, and has been living on it ever since, but with good reason.

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The historic downtown area is full of shops and restaurants, two boutique hotels, and two theaters, including the Greenbrier Valley Theater, the state professional theater of West Virginia. We attended a performance there several years ago, and it was charming. There is also the Greenbrier Trail, a 78-mile-long park along a former railroad line, with a walking/biking trail along the gorgeous Greenbrier River (did a hike along there years ago as well).

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We didn’t stay in Lewisburg, however, but at an AirBnb about 20 miles north: Vernal Vibe Rise farm. It’s advertised as being “off the beaten path”, and they weren’t kidding, but that suited us just fine, even if I got incredibly lost on the way there. I’ve driven across West Virginia at least a hundred times in my life, and I’ve always admired the lovely countryside from the interstate highway, and always wanted to see the farmland closer up – well, I certainly got my wish! This is cattle country (although there were quite a few sheep, much to my delight), specifically Black Angus, and I even saw a calf in the very act of being born in the field right beside the road on my drive to the cabin!

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Lost Croft Cabin was directly across the gravel road from the Monongahela National Forest, in a clearing in the woods. The cabin was exactly as advertised – 3 beds, well-equipped kitchen, wi-fi and well-heated (I was sorry we weren’t allowed to use the woodstove, but I wouldn’t let people I didn’t know use one in my house either, so I completely understand). It was immaculately clean, and well-stocked with good linens and even a telescope! There was no TV, which we never would have turned on, anyway.

An option which we chose was the Pantry Package, in which our hostess provided ingredients for 2 meals, either produced herself or locally sourced. Waiting in the fridge for us were two porkchops, baby bok choy, and a sweet potato for dinner. There was also sausage and French toast ingredients for breakfast, and popcorn for a snack. At first I thought the portions looked a big meager, but when cooked up, we were both quite full and there were no leftovers – perfect!

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Back in Lewisburg, we found many places closed on Sunday afternoon, due to reduced traffic during the pandemic. I’m sure that will be changing soon. Our first stop was Aggie’s for charming housewares and delicious gourmet chocolates. Rosalita was incredibly helpful. Across the street is Bella, The Corner Gourmet, where we foodies were in hog heaven, helped by the wonderful Carol.

Lunch was a delight at The Humble Tomato. In a historic log building beautifully restored, this restaurant had awesome food and service. We basked in the sun on the terrace, served by the awesome Haley, with unique and delicious cocktails, and some of the best pizza I’ve had in years. The gorgeous second floor of this place could host the most wonderful private party (we event planners never stop thinking…)

Another discovery was The Wild Bean coffeeshop, recommended to us as “where all the cool kids go”, and it was indeed. Maybe there’s something in the water, but customer service was exceptional everywhere we went, even the Kroger’s where the butcher on duty (Jordain was his name) trimmed up an entire beef tenderloin for us while we stood there, to let us have our choice of which fillet steaks we wanted for our dinner!

Lewisburg is well-worth the 5- hour drive for me, and this trip decided that it will be our regular rendezvous point. We’ve barely scratched the surface of things to do, and on the next trip I hope to make it to Lost World Caverns, the North House Museum, Hawk Knob Appalachian Cidery and Mead, and the Smooth Ambler Distillery (and back to the Greenbrier Resort for their legendary Sunday brunch…)

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Have any of you been to the Greenbrier Valley? Let me know in the comments, or any other fun long-weekend getaways. I think we’re all pretty travel-starved!