Right Around the River Blog

Breakfast within a Day's Drive of Rocketts Landing

Post Date: 09-26-2010

As I got deeper into my search, I was reminded that Virginia is a state full of so much natural, cultural and historical diversity. On one end, you have mountains, and on the other, you have beaches and ocean. It was hard to decide in which direction I should go.

This establishment, built over 150 years ago across from the Mathews Court House Square, has served many different purposes. The building has served as various hotels, home to local legends (including an MGM "Goldwyn Girl"), a day care center and now a rejuvenated inn & bistro. With its 2009 “face lift,” The White Dog Inn boasts two newly, renovated, modern suites with great views of the Bay and Courthouse. It also provides two dining areas, the Chart House for coffee and the Port Side Deck for drinks and dinner. It had everything I was looking for in a bed and breakfast – a unique history, nearby cultural activities, great coffee and breakfast menus and of course, the main highlight – the beach for my morning walk.

Now that I found a perfect place along the coast, it was time to shift my research efforts in the opposite direction. I wanted to find a bed and breakfast in Virginia’s mountains. Grazing through various Internet resources and books, I came across the town of Blacksburg, Virginia.

While this town is home to Virginia Tech, it also is the home of many great bed and breakfast inns, such as the Inn at Riverbend. This bed and breakfast offers incredible hiking and fishing packages, unique breakfast options, like sour cream banana pancakes and access to shopping and antiquing in Giles County. I love the river views at Rocketts Landing, and this inn’s pictures of the New River made me feel right at home. The only addition was the expansive, panoramic views of the Appalachian Mountains in the background. The more I looked at the pictures the more eager I became to try the hiking trails, the glassblowing classes and legendary pasta at the Riverbend.

Finally yet importantly, I wanted to find a bed and breakfast with access to Virginia’s famous wine country. It was not long before I discovered Orange, Virginia and the Inn on Poplar Hill.

This bed and breakfast sits on 28 acres of manicured park grounds within walking distance of downtown Orange’s restaurants, art galleries, Farmer’s Market and the Monticello wine trail. To start your day, they offer a “bountiful” breakfast and coffee in your private guestroom. For the rest of the morning and afternoon, they also offer Montpelier Excursion packages and Wine Trail Excursion packages. On the Montpelier excursion, you can investigate the mansion and participate in various archeological digs; during the wine trail excursion, the Inn arranges free tastings and tours at six Piedmont wineries, which includes dinner by awarding-winning chefs at the Barboursville Winery. I could not ask for a better day – breakfast in bed, history and great wine.

Of course, this is just a sampling of wonderful bed and breakfasts within easy reach of Rocketts Landing. With so many great places to choose from for my next weekend adventure, all I need to do now is to decide what to pack.