Walk a Country Mile
Warm spring days call for scenic hikes, farm-to-table fare and poolside sunbathing surrounded by blooming wisteria. All of that is available at Middleburg’s Goodstone Inn & Restaurant, where the land takes center stage. Grab a pair of binoculars and a birding guide (both provided by the inn) and wander the 3-mile trail up and over rolling hills, past grazing horses, and alongside Goose Creek, where you can swim or canoe, or rest on a tiny beach.
The farm, located at the center of Goodstone’s 265 acres, includes gardens that supply the inn’s award-winning restaurant, where seasonally inspired cuisine includes duck-confit-and-leek ravioli, truffled crab cakes and classic Chateaubriand.
A beekeeping program, introduced in 2015, produces homegrown honey for menu items (it’s also available in gift jars for purchase). Don a beekeeper outfit and learn how to extract honey from the hive’s trays, and also why honey is different colors depending on the season. You can request a tour of the working farm and meet the chickens (they provide roughly 80 eggs per day), Grayson the llama and his flock of sheep, and Oliver, a 700-pound pig who is the inn’s mascot of sorts.
Goodstone’s 18 guest rooms and suites are located in six separate buildings scattered around the property. The heated pool is open from early May through early October. Rates begin at $299 and include a full breakfast and afternoon refreshments.
36205 Snake Hill Road, Middleburg, Virginia; 540-687-3333; www.goodstone.com
Rooftop cocktails at The Logan.
Hit the Roof
Few urban pleasures compare with sinking into a fireside sofa, cocktail in hand, at a swanky rooftop bar. The Logan, a new cosmopolitan hotel in Philadelphia, allows you to do just that. Opened in December as part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, the property includes the Assembly rooftop lounge, where guests can enjoy panoramic views of the city’s art and museum district. The hotel is a short walk to The Barnes Foundation and the Rodin Museum, and a mile from the Philadelphia Museum of Art (home to the steps made famous in Rocky).
Inside, its contemporary spaces pay homage to James Logan, a mayor of Philadelphia in the 1700s. Logan’s passion for botany and reading (his personal library contained more than 3,000 books, including many American classics) inspired the hotel’s library and the James Logan Suite, which includes photos of the statesman’s family and copies of some of the books he valued.
The 391 guest rooms and suites feature local art, 42-inch flat-screen TVs, iPod docking stations with Bluetooth connectivity, and views of the garden courtyard or Logan Square. Urban Farmer, the hotel’s signature steakhouse, offers locally sourced ingredients and craft beers from nearby breweries. Rates begin at $259.
1 Logan Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 215-963-1500; www.theloganhotel.com
A renovated space at Lansdowne Resort.
Play and Be Pampered
Lansdowne Resort is polished up after a multimillion-dollar renovation that included its spa and all 296 guest rooms and suites, which are now done in earthy tones and wine-country-inspired décor. Set on 476 acres overlooking the Potomac River, the resort offers many ways to unwind, including golf (two championship courses or the family-friendly nine-hole course), a massage in the luxury spa and swimming in five pools (one with a waterslide and pop-up sprays).
Or simply relax in a rocking chair overlooking the course, with a good book in hand. If you don’t play golf, but would like to enjoy one of the courses, try FootGolf—it’s golf played with a soccer ball and your feet instead of a golf ball and clubs. Rates begin at $189.
44050 Woodridge Parkway, Leesburg, Virginia; 703-729-8400; www.lansdowneresort.com