January—that time of year when it’s tempting to hop a plane to someplace warm. One look at the variety of winter experiences at The Omni Homestead Resort, though, and you may want to save the airfare, opting instead for ice-skating, snowboarding, skiing, tubing, mini-snowmobiling for kids, swimming outdoors in a steamy pool, horseback riding, taking a carriage trip, playing billiards in the game room or settling in for movie night in the resort’s 100-year-old theater.
There’s also a luxurious spa and two championship golf courses. The Old Course is open year-round, weather permitting.
Set in the Allegheny Mountains on 2,300 acres in southwestern Virginia, the Omni Homestead recently celebrated the completion of a massive $150 million propertywide renovation—including all 483 guest rooms and suites, plus its restaurants and public spaces.
Each wing features a distinct color palette (pink, blue, lavender or green) that flows from the hallway corridors into the rooms in the form of bed skirts and draperies.
Dining options include Martha’s Market, a casual grab-and-go coffee shop café; the Presidential Lounge, a new speakeasy-style bar; Jefferson’s Restaurant and Taproom, the latter for regional brews and sports watching and the adjacent restaurant for quieter dining; and the elegant American Audubon Dining Room, the place for a breakfast buffet, fine dining dinner, or formal afternoon tea.Â
The iconic Warm Springs Pools, located a few miles from the resort, are an integral part of Virginia history and were the first step in the renovation.
Reopened in December 2022, these 19th-century bathhouses are fed by four naturally warm springs rich in mineral content. They’ve been sought by travelers for centuries, including U.S. presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The supposed therapeutic benefits of soaking in these springs range from soothing your skin to boosting your blood circulation and relieving pain. Unaffected by seasonal changes, the waters remain around 98.6 degrees all year and flow at the astounding rate of 1.7 million gallons per day. When it snows, a soak becomes positively magical.
Rates begin at $339, plus a nightly resort charge of $49 per room. Warm Springs Pools rate is $30 for a 50-minute soak. Reservations are required.
The Omni Homestead Resort, 7696 Sam Snead Highway, Hot Springs, Virginia, 800-838-1766