Since John and I have not had any alone time since we went to NYC last year, we decided we were in desperate need of a vacation. John didn’t have to play, and I had the time off from planning other people's vacations, so we…Read More

Since John and I have not had any alone time since we went to NYC last year, we decided we were in desperate need of a vacation. John didn’t have to play, and I had the time off from planning other people's vacations, so we decided to head to Virginia for some diving. So we loaded up the van, grabbed Jazzy, and off we took.

The drive up was pleasant and Lawrenceville is fairly easy to find. It sits just off I-85 in VA and is about 90 minutes from either Raleigh/Durham NC or Norfolk VA. We arrived about 11:30 at night at Mineral Springs. When we first pulled it the long drive way I was immediately taken with this beautiful home. We were first greeted by the Spears' greeting committee of Trinket, Henry, and Nubsie,and then by Dave. Dave gave us a tour of this exquisite home. Then Dave helped us with our bags and told us to come join him and his wife and some other guest down stairs.

There was a group of six ladies downstairs who were enjoying a girl’s weekend, since one was celebrating a birthday. This was their second visit to Mineral Springs, and it seemed more like they had been coming here for years. We later discovered for our own selves why.

I can’t begin to praise Dave and Nan and their wonderful home. We were immediately made to feel like family here. Mineral Springs is a wonderful B&B and gives you a chance to just kick back and enjoy yourself. I have nothing but wonderful memories of this beautiful place, and you can bet I will be going back for many years to come.

Diving in Lake Rawlings was great. While it certainly isn’t anything compared to the Caribbean, it is a great place to do some diving when you can’t get to a tropical paradise. If you have just started diving it is a great place to get in a few dives before a major dive. John and I actually took lesson several years ago, and then sinus problems kept us from diving. Were going on a cruise over Thanksgiving and plan on doing some diving in Cozumel and Grand Caymans, so we knew we needed an up dated lesson. We took our updated skills class and were ready to go dive on our own before heading to the Caribbean. So it gave us a great chance to do some diving in a protected environment. I would much rather my first few tries be at a place like this, where you don’t have to worry about currents or drifting. So now, we're ready for bigger things. We do plan on diving here again just to get some dives in.

All in all our weekend was a perfect getaway. It gave me time to spend with my hubby and time to get relax. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect weekend, and we couldn’t have asked for more perfect hosts. You know how, earlier, I told you there was always good and bad in everything? Well, the bad in all this is we had to come home. When you leave Mineral Springs, you will feel more like you have left a favorite relative’s home rather than someone you only met a few days prior. And that, folks, is what travel is all about!

To say the food here was magnificent would be an understatement. Both Dave and Nan are fabulous chefs. Dave is in charge of breakfast while Nan handles dinner. All rooms except for the Hospitality Suite feature a full breakfast and dinner. After dining on Nan’s…Read More

To say the food here was magnificent would be an understatement. Both Dave and Nan are fabulous chefs. Dave is in charge of breakfast while Nan handles dinner. All rooms except for the Hospitality Suite feature a full breakfast and dinner. After dining on Nan’s food, it will come as no shock that FOOD TV is her favorite channel.

Our first morning, breakfast was served in the elegant dining room. The table is laid out with plate coasters, fine china, and silverware. Our breakfast started out with a wonderful fruit bowl. After that, we were served scrambled eggs, homemade hash browns, bacon, and a HUGE muffin. I had banana nut, and John had blueberry. They had OJ, coffee, and hot tea. The portions were huge and more than I could eat. The Spears' oldest cocker spaniel, Nubsie, is around to help you finish anything left on your plate! How cute!

Our second day started with a gargantuan slice of watermelon and cantaloupe. Then we had the best French toast I had ever tasted. It was thick and made of raisin bread instead of white bread. I still drool thinking about it. We also had an egg omelet and sausage links. What a meal!

Our last day started off with a fruit cup. Followed by scrambled eggs and cheese. We also had a bagel and sausage links. It was more that I could eat, and I think Nubsie was very grateful for that.

Dinner our first night was served out on the patio. The weather was perfect and the company was even better. We had a great couple join us from Virginia who had come to dive at Lake Rawlings. The ladies we had met the first were back from their antique trip and a couple of the husbands had joined them for dinner. Our yummy dinner started off with one of Nan’s huge salads. Then we had beer can butt chicken. To make this you take a whole chicken, open up a can of beer, and place the chicken butt end up on the can, and then cook on the grill for about 3 hours. It is some of the tenderest chicken you have ever tasted. With that we had corn on the cob and baby potatoes. Saving room for dessert was hard but we did it. We had some of Nan’s famous brownies with ice cream and fudge sauce. And after a day of diving, I figured I had burned off enough calories for that meal!

By Sunday, everyone else had checked out, leaving John and I by ourselves. So Nana and Dave set us up a table on the sun porch for a romantic dinner by candlelight. Since everyone else was gone, Jaz got to join us. Once again we started off with one of Nan’s oversized salads. Our main meal consisted of beef brisket, beans, and potatoes. Once again, it was so incredible, and the portion was more than I could eat, for which Jaz was grateful, since she got to finish off my brisket. I really didn’t have room for dessert right at the minute. So we joined Nan, Dave, and the dogs downstairs for TV and some great conversation. Later on, when we got some room in our tummies, we joined them for some ice cream.

Now, should you decide to have a picnic lunch, Nan can arrange that for you. We took lunch with us Saturday when we went diving and we had enough left for Sunday too. If you are a diver, she tries to tailor the lunch to your needs. We had beef wraps, yogurts, fruit snacks, pretzels, and cookies. Just what you need for energy for diving. Lunch is an additional charge.

Now, I didn’t find out any further information about the house until the Spears brought the property 10 years ago. They purchased the home in 1995 and spent 2 years restoring the home. They opened the home in October of 1997. Their hard work and…Read More

Now, I didn’t find out any further information about the house until the Spears brought the property 10 years ago. They purchased the home in 1995 and spent 2 years restoring the home. They opened the home in October of 1997. Their hard work and dedication has paid off wonderfully. Their dedication to their home is evident in every inch of the home. It has been beautifully decorated to look as it might have looked when guest came calling over 200 years ago. Dave and Nan were former butchers from DC. I am sure they were terrific butchers. But they are just unbelievable hosts who seem to really love their job.

When you pull into your drive way you will encounter a drive way full of centuries old trees. There are still several of the old buildings remaining on the property. They still have the smoke house, barn, slave quarters, and the guest cottage still serves the same purpose as it has for hundreds of years.

Today guests will find three beautiful antique filled rooms in the main house and the hospitability cottage open to road weary travelers. The three rooms inside the main house include both breakfast and dinner in the price of the room. The hospitability cottage does not include meals. You can add meals for an additional charge.

The Aunt Mills suite is a two-bedroom suit that takes up most of the third floor. It is perfect for large families. The Col. Williams Suite is the one we stayed at and I will have a full description of that in another entry. The Ravencroft Suit is fashioned after a Victorian bridal suit and is incredible (that is where I plan on staying next time). It has a fireplace, four-post canopy bed, and the bathroom features a claw bathtub as well as a separate shower. The cottage has a microwave, small fridge, and coffee pot. The cottage is also pet-friendly.

Downstairs you can enjoy a game of pool or darts. The rooms have DVD and/or video players so you can get a movie from downstairs. Out in the pavilion you can relax with a good book in a hammock or swing. Or pitch horseshoes. You can also enjoy walking around the beautiful grounds. They have an area for divers to wash their equipment and hang it out to dry. Or just enjoy Dave and Nan’s company and their three furry babies. They also offer spa services with advanced notice.

The home is also available for weddings, parties, reunions, and meetings. Advanced reservations are highly suggested. You may go to www.brunswickmineralsprings.com for more information.

They offer a campground for those diving in the park. The tent camping here is primitive. They do not offer water hook-ups. There are also not any bathroom areas, showers, or changing areas. There is space for RV’s with electrical hook-ups, but again, no…Read More

They offer a campground for those diving in the park. The tent camping here is primitive. They do not offer water hook-ups. There are also not any bathroom areas, showers, or changing areas. There is space for RV’s with electrical hook-ups, but again, no water or sewer hook-ups. They do offer camping cabins that offer water and private bathrooms. But they cost $125 per night, and for that you might as well stay at Mineral Springs. The room we stayed in was only $135, and that includes both breakfast and dinner!

You can snorkel here and swim here, but you must be with a diver. Off-the-street swimming is not permitted on the weekend. They also offer kayaking for the non-diver in your party or for after your day of diving.

There are several picnic tables and grills for divers. There is a deck here, and you can enter the water either from the deck or by walking in. You must be a certified diver to dive here. You will be asked for your "C" card, and you must have dived in the past 2 years or have taken an updated skills course in the past few months. If you have taken what is known as a resort course in the Caribbean, you are not certified and cannot dive here. Resort diving is not allowed in the US. If you took the full scuba course in the Caribbean and have your "C" card, then yes, you may dive here.

Now, with just about everything, there is both good and bad, so here is a quick recap of the good and bad of this place.

The Good.

This is a great place to go diving for the long weekends. Since it is a dive park, it is great for new divers and experienced divers. It is also a trip that doesn’t break the bank. As I mentioned before, Keanu Reaves was here. They have plenty to keep your interested, though the right side of the lake offers more than the left. Most things are located in shallow water at depths of less than 30 feet. Pets are welcomed in the campground. Cell phones signals here are pretty good.

The Bad.

Colin Farrell wasn’t here! There are no changing rooms or showers and bathrooms are limited to porta-potties. Make sure you wear your bathing suit under your street clothes. There isn’t a lot of room here. There are less than a dozen picnic tables and only one really good flat area. But those are quickly taken up by dive groups who are here by about 8am. So, make sure you bring a blanket or tarp to lay your equipment on and chairs for when you are not diving. And there is no reason for one couple to take up two picnic tables. Please be considerate. When we were here, there were less than 50 divers and all good spaces were taken. Pets are not allowed in the dive area. One the left-hand side of the park, it seems like at some points you are diving into the abyss. Children are often running amuck while their parents are diving. You have to haul your tanks back up to the dive shop for refills. I have been other places where they have a trolley running from the park to the dive shop so you can just throw your tank on and go. But you can pull your vehicle up and load your tanks from here.

It may seem my bad is longer than the good, but it really is a great place for diving and I am ready to go back. I will just be better prepared next time. For more information on the park, you may go to www.lakerawlings.com.