Just before White Sulphur Springs lies the cute town of Lewisburg. Cute shops and restaurants line the street and a Carnegie library, North House and former college stand erect. Had it not been for the signs “Jim Justice for Coal Miners” and signs that said “Pray for West VA” and “W Virginia Strong” you would think you were in Virginia. It didn’t seem like a coal town. In front of the North House was a wood two-story house that housed a covered wagon.

White two-story houses and a golf course marked our approach to the Greenbrier Resort. Turning into the gate house, we were instructed to park across the street at the train depot and walk a small path to get to the hotel. A large car carrying truck was unloading fancy cars – probably shipped here for wealthy guests. Pink and white impatiens surrounded the white brick guard house. As we entered the grounds and rounded a corner, the sprawling, almost White House looking structure rose seemingly out of nowhere. Large white columns flanked the front entrance.

To the right, we saw people in suits boarding a green Greebrier Resort shuttle. We entered on the ground floor and could stay on that level to head to the casino or go upstairs. We went upstairs. A black and white tiled floor with multiple sitting areas and Palladian windows awaited us on the second level. Behind it towards the back was a semi-circular room that resembled a greenhouse or ice cream parlor.

We kept walking through lobby after lobby. The formal writing room fronted the back of the building. To the right of it was what I’d call a gentlemen’s parlor with forest green furniture, a bar and backgammon tables. A large pink ballroom was next followed by the North lobby.

Until Thing 2 stood next to a portrait of Grace Kelly did I realize how massively tall the ceilings were. We went outside onto a veranda and felt swallowed up by the enormous size of the place. DH tried to get a picture of the girls in the floral wallpapered hallways to the guest rooms. In the purple restroom, each stall had it’s own sink and dressing area. One of my children said it was too fancy to use.

Heading downstairs, we passed by the less formal areas – a shuttle entrance, a coffee and muffin shop, and the arcade of shops. Back upstairs in the middle of the hotel, we went in the other direction. A large dining room faced the back, while the front was lined with chintz fabric.

At the end was another dining room serving Sunday brunch buffet. We turned the corner to see a bar named after a Lakers basketball player. I entered the bathroom. You’d have to love chintz as the sitting room was floral overload. To top it off, the gift shop sold sets of pajamas in that fabric.

We left but I was so glad to have seen the beauty of the well-manicured grounds. For more information, visit The Greenbrier.