Lodging for University of Virginia, Liberty University and Lynchburg College Graduations

It may only be January, but it’s not too soon to make your reservations for a place to stay while attending the graduation of a loved one this May.  We offer two options:  stay in our lovely traditional B&B, the Orchard House Bed& Breakfast or stay in our guest house, the Apple Blossom Farm House.  The Orchard House has five rooms ranging from $115 to $130 a night.  If you’d like more privacy or you have another couple or two you’d like to come with, consider the Apple Blossom.  A newly renovated farm house on our property features three bedrooms with private baths, a full guest living room and a large, modern kitchen for your convenience.  Rates are only $95 a night per room.  In either case, we do require a two night minimum.  We are a 30 minute drive to both Charlottesville and Lynchburg.

Valentine’s Romantic Getaway

Get out of the city and come to beautiful Nelson County in Central Virginia for a romantic, laid back weekend at the Orchard House Bed & Breakfast.   Two of our local vineyards and wineries are having special Valentine’s Dinners for the ultimate gift to each other.  Treat your loved one to a five-course, wine-paired dinner in Saddleback Hall at Veritas. Music and dancing to follow! $80/pp inclusive of the meal with a splendid glass of Veritas wine with each course*, tax and gratuity.  Delfosse Vineyard will have their Winemaker’s Wine Dinner from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM with an amazing menu and wines from Delfosse.  $70 pp.  Both require advance reservations.  Call us to book a room and we’ll be happy to set it up for you.

Apples, Apples, Apples

APPLES, APPLES, APPLES

 

Nelson County in Central Virginia has so much to offer in the Autumn months and it sure is nice to be outdoors without humidity.

 

The Apple Orchards have their festival weekends planned. Drumheller’s Orchard, just a couple of miles from us, has two special weekends.  One is the weekend of September 26^th and 27^th and the other is October 17^th & 18^th.  They offer hay rides, a hay maze, several varieties of apples, applebutter, cider, food, crafts, honey, etc. and Country and Blue Grass Music to enjoy.  There is no admission fee.

 

Dickie Brother’s Orchard offers “pick your own apples” now through the beginning of November and they offer pick your own pumpkins the entire month of October.  What a beautiful drive out there as well!

 

Silver Creek Orchard offers “pick your own” on Sept. 12 & 13 and again on Oct. 10 and 11.

 

Seaman’s Orchard offers “Pick your own” on Sept. 19 & 20.

 

Saunder’s Brother’s Orchard does not allow you to pick your own, but they have a wonderful variety as well as a great farm shop, including, the “SCOOP”, just about the best icecream ever.

Quilt Retreat

Last week we had a new quilt group here out of the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia. What a delightful group they were! It was our first quilt group that included a male quilter. He happened to be the husband of one of the girls and he is also a math teacher, so you can see the connection. His quilt pattern choice was lovely and near flawless. I’d say perfect, but I believe only Jesus is perfect, so we’ll leave it at that. What fun it was to hear them all singing, laughing, and kidding one another. They worked late into the night and were up at dawn. Here for three days, I believe they accomplished allot and we got to know them well. We can’t wait for their return, which they’ve already booked! Until then, happy quilting!

An Innkeeper’s Typical Holiday

For at least a week prior to the holiday, we’ve been having friends, family, and guests wish us a Happy Fourth of July and ask what are plans are for the day. As innkeepers, holidays don’t really exist unless you just don’t take any reservations. Presently, the only day we do that is Christmas.

So this is how our 4th has gone so far. Woke up at 7:00 am. Beautiful blue skies, low humidity…just perfect for someone wanting to go hiking, wine tasting, enjoy a picnic, a ballgame, a crafts fair, a dip in the pool or just a summer’s drive. After taking our showers, grabbing a quick bite to eat while standing up, we made three pots of coffee, set the tables for ten, sliced and diced peppers, onions, ham, and sweet potatoes and then made the egg batter for the frittata. I cut into the watermelon, washed and trimmed the grapes, peeled and sliced kiwi, went out to the garden to cut some parsley, garnished the plates and washed dishes as we went along. Then we poured juices and water in pitchers for the table. We made and baked biscuits. In the meantime, I went up and started a load of laundry. We greeted our guests for the day and fed them and then Richard provided them with ideas for their day and directions. We made a batch of cookies. We cleared the tables, and washed the dishes and swept the floor. I drove to the dump to get rid of the garbage only to be turned around due to the parade going through town. Richard went out and worked in the vineyard for two hours. I went to the fruit stand to pick up fresh peaches for tomorrow’s breakfast and one of probably a few stops at the grocery store to get something I need and don’t know about yet. When I returned home, most of the guests were gone for the day so we made their beds, emptied their trash, cleaned up their dishes and tidied the bathrooms. I continued with the laundry and restocked the beverages in the fridge for guests. After a quick 5 minute lunch break, we prepared our overnight peaches and cream French toast for breakfast tomorrow. Back to more dishes from lunch, breakfast preparation for tomorrow and the ones we took out of guest rooms. After lunch, we visited a few minutes with a couple of guests who were sitting outside and took them a glass of iced tea. Then it was off to the guest house to clean from this morning’s check-outs. Richard took on the three bathrooms and I made the three beds. We then swiffered the floors and ran the vac, emptied the trash, and emptied the dishwasher down there and stocked the fridge with items for guests checking in there tomorrow. More laundry to gather up and back to the main inn to continue washing sheets and towels. After that we checked the chemicals in the hot tub, straightened up the pool deck from the guests who used it earlier, pulled a few weeds around the patio and back to folding laundry. Finally, we got to take off for a couple of hours to enjoy a quick bite to eat with good friends. Happy Fourth of July!

Starry Nights

Summer is in full swing with plenty to do in the beautiful countryside of Nelson County. We still have availability for the July 10th weekend for anyone who was too late for their 4th of July plans. Veritas Vineyards & Winery is having another fabulous Starry Nights on the 11th. Stay with us and we’ll supply you with a couple of nice lawn chairs or a blanket where you can sit and picnic, listen to music, dance, drink some fine Virginia wine, and wait for the stars to come out. This runs from 7:00 pm until 11:00 pm so if you really wanta party, hit the Cardinal Point Winery Concert series beginning at 5:00 pm before going to Veritas.

Summer Activities in Central Virginia

With the arrival of summer comes the opportunity for a lot of activities here in Central Virginia in Nelson County and beyond. Starry Nights at Veritas Winery and Vineyard is among our guests favorites. Once a month they have a band that comes in around dinner time. You take your picnic or you can purchase one from them, bring a blanket or chairs, and sit out in their spectacular vineyards with magnificent views all around you while you listen to some great music, chat with others, watch the fireflies dance and finally gaze at the stars that light up the skies of the country without the city lights.

Another Nelson County Winery, Cardinal Point, has a summer concert series as well where they have live music and encourage you to bring a picnic and enjoy the view of their mountainous backdrop.

Wintergreen Resort has their annual Festival of Wines where you can not only enjoy sampling many local wines, but listen to jazz, feast on a light fare and cool off with the fresh mountain air. And don’t miss their spectacular 4th of July fireworks. The best ever! You sit on top of the mountain while they shoot the fireworks off from below so they are exploding at eye level. No cricked necks after these fireworks.

With all the rain this spring has brought us, the waterfall flows at Crabtree Falls should be plentiful and make your hike up the mountain cool and refreshing on a hot summer day.

Consider renting our inflatable Coleman Kayak and paddle around beautiful Sherando Lake where you hike, paddle, picnic and swim.

Don’t feel like going anywhere? Then just lay out in our hammocks and catch up on those summer novels and take a dip in the pool. We’re sure you’ll see why so many return again and again to rural Virginia and the Orchard House Bed & Breakfast.

SPRING is Ending

We have had a pretty wet spring here in Central Virginia. We sure needed it though. We’ve had a drought here for the last few years. I am ready for some dryer days though. We have enjoyed the daffodils, tulips, cherry blossoms, dogwood blooms, azaleas, rhododendrums, peonies, and irisis over the past couple of months. They are gone now and the air lingers with the smell of the honeysuckle which grows all around the property. We have yet to see the Butterfly bushes, the wisteria, and the hydrangeas. Hopefully Richard won’t mow down my beautiful blue hydrangea this year and maybe the deer will leave it alone. The vineyard is doing magnificent and for now we haven’t had too much of a problem with the deer. Although we’ve had many rabbits around, the population is much less than it was last year at this time. Could be due to the fox I saw crossing the driveway this week. There have been a few ducks make their home on our pond for a few weeks and then they were gone. The bluebirds seem to enjoy the vineyard. They like landing on the wire fencing. Evenings still bring the singing of the peepers and crickets. With the end of cooler temperatures brings an end to our population explosion of ladybugs and stink bugs. Can’t be too soon for me. Of course, now the bees are abundant and Richard does not like bees. Most of the people who know us aren’t surprised when they drive by on a hot summer day and see Richard riding the mower in his bee suit. He looks so funny, but at least he’s not getting stung. And another week or so should bring the lightening bugs. They light up the sky around here like the fourth of July. Just amazing!
Now, if only the pool would heat up.

Strawberries!

My favorite season is here! I love it when everything is green, the flowers are blooming and activity abounds all around us. Here at the Orchard House we try to use as many local products as we can, including coffee, eggs, fruits, herbs, vegetables, etc. Seaman’s Orchard and strawberry patch just opened for the season. Over the next several weeks, I’ll be heading out there about twice a week to get the freshest, juiciest strawberries ever. For me, the best part of going there is the view. It is totally encircled by farmlands and rolling hills dotted with cows leading to the Blue Ridge Mountains. I usually get there early before the heat moves in and the air is fresh and crisp. It is a great way to start my day and the end results will be a great way for you to start yours when you stay with us.

Navy 3, Army 1 (B&B Military Discount)

We have always had quite a few military people stay with us either just prior to deployment or while on leave. However, this past week we had four couples in a three day period. One eloped while here, one recently eloped, one was expecting a baby and another was about to be deployed. We always feel so sad when they tell us where they are headed or where they have come from, but none of them complain or express fear. They are doing their duty and they are not about to speak ill of that. We are so proud and honored to have any of our military branches, whether Navy, Army, Marines, Coast Guard or Air Force and we offer a 10% discount and promise to treat you well. Thank you for Serving our Country. USA!!