Sugar Tree Inn

Hotel/Resort

Virginia's Sugar Tree Inn: A Rustic Elegance

by Linda Oatman High, Freelance Writer

February 2006

Hidden on a secluded mountainside one mile off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Vir The rooms of the Sugar Tree Inn provide all the modern conveniences in a comfortably rustic setting. ginia’s Sugar Tree Inn is an ideal getaway, a respite from the hustle and bustle of modern life. All that rushes here is the creek, flowing across tranquil acres of laurel and dogwood. Nestled on South Mountain at 2800 feet, the Inn is constructed of 200-year-old hand-hewn logs, all reclaimed from historic local structures.

Up until the great chestnut blight hit the Blue Ridge in 1915, the ruggedly independent farmers of the South Mountain depended on the mighty American chestnut tree to bring in the bounty for their large families. But the blight hit hard, and many of the great trees were destroyed in a decade. However, some of the old wood lives on in the Sugar Tree Inn.

Inside the log lodge, beneath exposed beams of chestnut, oak, and poplar, content guests cozy up to a colossal (55 tons of quarried stone) fireplace rising two stories to the skylit ceiling. They enjoy board games and books in the upper-story loft, or savor candlelit dinners in the glass-walled dining room, surrounded by hummingbirds, deer, and wildflowers.

"Heaven," said one guest. "This is utopia."

Visitors rock on the front porch, soak in the outdoor hot tub, or relax with a glass of Virginia wine. The adventurous and athletic hike to a spectacular waterfall, or prospect for unakite, a mottled green and red semi-precious stone found in abundance on the South Mountain.

Rooms are comfortable and inviting, with country quilts, antique furnishings, private baths, and woodburning fireplaces. Meals are scrumptious, with the chef whipping up abundant mountain breakfasts and mouthwatering evening entrees.

Innkeepers Becky and Jeff Chanter exude warmth and the friendly grace of down-home Southern hospitality. "We’re not put-ons," says Becky, with a slight drawl. "We’re just ourselves."

Named one of Washingtonian’s Top Ten Mountain Inns, the Sugar Tree Inn is open from March through December, with a special Valentine’s Day package. The perfect romantic retreat, the Inn is off exit 27 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, in the tiny non-town of Steele’s Tavern, Virginia. Nearby is the historic town of Lexington, with the home of Stonewall Jackson and carriage rides for tourists’ delight.

However, most of those entering the welcoming doors of the Sugar Tree Inn stay right where they are, surrounded by history and hearth and charm.

**Photo by Linda High Oatman

If You Go

www.sugartreeinn.com

800-377-2197