TheVirginia Explorer
by AIMEE LEE BALL
Guests of all
ages can enjoy
afternoon tea,
punctually served
at 4:15 p.m.
Greenbrier
GRANDEUR
T
Where to play, stay and get away
PIOTR REDLINSKI
The Greenbrier, a fabled West Virginia
resort, was turned into a military
hospital during the Second World War.
When its patriotic service was over, the renowned decorator
Dorothy Draper was commissioned to restore the property to its
former glory, creating a fantasy world of cabbage rose prints and
dripping chandeliers.
It’s easy to imagine her fictional namesake, “Donald Draper,” as
w w w. v s g a . o r g
Master_VSGA_MayJune14.indd 21
a guest in the Mad Men era (one episode of the series mentions
a trip to the resort)—drinking at the Lobby Bar, perhaps ogling
some pretty Kennedy sisters (the president’s own parents had
honeymooned there in 1914).
It’s a National Historic Landmark, seemingly belonging to
another time. But since The Greenbrier was acquired by local
billionaire Jim Justice five years ago, it has undergone a 21st
century renaissance. Now, your visit might include a sushi dinner,
a hot stone massage and a concert by the Black Eyed Peas.
M AY / J U N E 2 0 14 | V I R G I N I A G O L F E R
21
5/1/14 3:27 PM