Fall in The Blue Ridge Mountains

Best Things Nearby:
Thomas Jeferson's home, Monticello; many excellent local wineries for tours and tastings; several great golf courses; and Charlottesville, VA, for interesting little shops and restaurants and a day in the "city"

Best Things About the Resort:
The resort is beautiful and well-maintained, and the staff is helpful and prompt to resolve problems. The exercise facilities are excellent.

Resort Experience:
The resort is large, with several options and types of timeshare accommodations. We stayed in the one closest to the registration center (Woodstone Meadows), which is very close to one of the resort’s golf courses and walking distance to one of the large exercise facilities with an indoor pool. This time of the year, the ski area was not operating (too early), but it looked impressive.

Things we did on-site: We went to a crafts fair at the Conference Center and really enjoyed it. We signed up for a special winemaker’s dinner at the Conference Center. The food was very good and we learned a lot about the winery's different products as well as why this region is so good for growing wine grapes. We took a class in couples' massage from one of the massage therapists at the spa and learned how to help each other get the kinks out of our necks and shoulders. There is a calendar printed weekly showing all the things you can do and classes you can take.

The unit we had was upstairs and was very nice. The kitchen was quite complete, which was important to us, as we like to cook in rather than eat out every night. There was a very nice balcony with a gas grill and a gas fireplace in the unit, which we used a couple of evenings. The master bedroom was very comfortable, and the master bath had a good-sized Jacuzzi tub as well as separate shower. We did not use the second bedroom. The living area furniture was very comfortable and not at all worn. There was a TV in the living-room area and both bedrooms. It is definitely a Gold Crown resort.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

I enjoy historical homes, so the house was quite interesting to me, but my husband was fascinated by all the things Jefferson invented. It was interesting as well to see the ideas he had implemented to make life better, more efficient, and easier. One example is his alcove bed that was open to his bedroom on one side and his office on the other, with a closet in the space above the bed that was able to be reached by a ladder. He also used many variations of common items to make his work easier, like a revolving table and a copying machine for his office.

 

 

The guides are very knowledgeable and want the visitors to get a lot out of the tours. My husband wears a hearing aid, and I asked the guide if he could stand near her in order to hear. She made certain he could hear everything she said for the entire tour, which I thought was indicative of the quality of the tour.

 

 

I was amazed that this man had so many talents, although I knew of his interest in science and philosophy. The house also contains much evidence of his support for the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and some exhibits mention the Louisiana Purchase. The grounds are well laid out and maintained. You can buy plants to take home that are grown there, and there is a very nice shop on the premises stocked with a wide variety of items of historic as well as current interest, most of which are very well made, rather than the cheap imports we are so used to seeing at tourist attractions. The house is situated at the top of a "mountain," and the views are beautiful. We brought a picnic lunch and enjoyed it after the tour, sitting on the grounds and looking out at the mountains in the distance.