Welcome to Part 2 of my series – Honeymoon Locations in the South!
Next stop is a town to the north of my hometown: Staunton, Virginia (pronounced STAN-tuhn).
Staunton has only one decent full-service hotel, the Stonewall Jackson Hotel!
It underwent major renovations in 2005 to update its interior to a higher standard. It had originally opened in 1924, and is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation Historic Hotels of America list. It has 124 guest rooms. Part of this project was due to a new parking garage that was built adjacent to the hotel on New Street. The other reason is because of the addition of the renowned American Shakespeare Center (“ASC”) at Blackfriar’s Playhouse.
As written by Frommer’s: “This stunning re-creation of the first indoor theater in the English-speaking world, which William Shakespeare and his colleagues built on part of London’s Blackfriars Monastery…is, in itself, a reason to visit Staunton.” The theater has 300 seats and is to scale and detail exactly what a serious theater buff would enjoy!
The hotel has a lovely dining room called the Colonnade, which does a very nice breakfast. Another dining option is the bar that is open at night. Often, there is live music at the bar and they have food as well. Both come highly recommended by friends and family. M and I have discussed doing a one-night stay there at some point, so we shall see! As you can see below, their king bedrooms look super-comfy:
So, if you are a couple looking for a southern town with some of the most talented Shakespearean actors in the country, this theater and music town is for you! If you love an old town steeped in unique architecture and history, then this location may be ideal for you as well!
Photo sources: Stonewall Jackson Hotel, Staunton Visitors Center
This is such a fun series! Can't wait to see the rest of the locations.
P.S. I LOVED the family picture in your Homestead post.
Oh, this place looks FUN!
I actually really want to go to the Blackfriar's Playhouse (I don't live too far from Staunton). I think it'd be such a great place to take my students on a field trip! Great review. 🙂
Whitney – Thank you so much! It was an epic adventure worthy of it's own blog post.
Muffy – the place IS fun. Kind-of hokey but the antique-ing is AMAZING and there are some great restaurants in walking distance. Also, Stuart Hall, Mary Baldwin College and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library are nearby as well!
Leslie –
I have seen three productions at Blackfriar's and the best of them was A Christmas Carol. An incredible experience. My boarding school does field trips there every year as the students do studies of Shakespearean plays and the Blackfriar's Playhouse does a mini-lecture for students if notified ahead of time. You should check it out!
My stepdad used to go there!! We've been meaning to make a trip down since we moved here. He says it's amazing and totally worth the drive.