For spring break 2021, we decided to visit Nemacolin Resort in Pennsylvania. It’s roughly a 10/11 hour drive from Atlanta, and there are several ways to make stops along the way and enjoy some different cities and towns without making the drive time longer. We chose Charlotte, NC and Summersville, WV as our overnight stopovers, but you could also do Knoxville, TN or Asheville, NC.
Unlike all of our friends who (all) chose to go to Florida for Spring Break, our trip was naturally uncrowded and I believe much more enjoyable. We know that this trip has a lot of driving involved, so we decided to break it up over multiple days and enjoy each stop as a destination.
Day 1: Charlotte, NC
Place to stay:
Charlotte NC doesn’t have a lot of hotel options that are family friendly. We settled on Embassy Suites Uptown which gives us the ability of having a separate bedroom for us, and the sleeper sofa for the kids. This worked well for us and the floorplan flowed well with the en-suite bathroom easily accessible from the living room area (we booked the 1 King 2 Room Suite). However, the hotel had many unpleasant little issues. For example, the keyless digital key does not work with the elevator, so you still have to get a physical key card. The breakfast is a grab-and-go (due to COVID) instead of the deluxe breakfast Embassy Suites typically offers. The grab-and-go is very limited in options and really not even worth a stop. The evening reception is not available. Don’t get me wrong – I understand that we are operating during a different climate right now, but why only take away the complimentary amenities (evening reception, breakfast, self-parking), yet provide valet parking at $30 a day? The valet attendants wore masks but no gloves, so I don’t think it’s about COVID, but more about greed.
The other little surprises included the fact there’s no Keurig in the room, and there was no Netflix on TV, which for a newer hotel like this, it was honestly a little shocking. But, the room did have very nice views, with floor to ceiling window overlooking the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and we all did sleep well, so there’s that.
Place to eat:
For dinner we chose Eddie V’s Prime Seafood. You definitely want to get a reservation from Opentable before going there. The service was great and the menu was impressive. If you like fancy steakhouse and/or seafood, this is a good choice. Personally I think my cocktail (Red Dragon) had too much ice. The Hope Diamond (cocktail) was interesting but pricy. There is a kid’s menu but the prices ranged from $16 to $21. For appetizer, I ordered the Lobster Tacos which was delicious and had a good amount of lobster meat. I definitely recommend this. For entrée we had the Filet Mignon with Scallops. It was good but the filet wasn’t the most tender I’ve had. For sides we had the Brussel Sprouts and the Asparagus. Both were very good. The Brussel Sprouts had a nice kick to it. Dessert we had the Banana Foster. It’s a little small but that’s how I usually feel about Banana Fosters – wish they were bigger. LOL.
Things to Do:
Since we are only intown for a few hours, we decided to visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame right across the street from our hotel. After we paid our entrance fees, we realized that there is a sign outside that stated it was children’s free week for spring break, but we would have had to buy it on their website with a discount code that was on the screen. Oh well. The museum had a lot of information and they did a good job to keep the crowd flowing. The most exciting attraction is the simulation ride, which is $5 a person, but requires the driver to be 54″ tall. One of my kids is right under that, but the person at the ticket counter told me it’ll be OK. When it was time to drive, my kids were given cushions to sit on to help them reach the gas pedal but they were still barely able to reach it, so it is something to keep in mind if your children’s heights are close. The simulation ride is well worth the money! You go through “qualification” round first to learn how to control everything. Once you are comfortable at driving, you go to the simulation section and you’ll get to compete with everyone in your group, as well as possibly others. If you like racing or 3D rides, then this is a must-do.
Day 2 & 3: Summersville, WV
Summersville, West Virginia is a very small town known for its mountains and lakes. There are many whitewater rafting and boating opportunities in the area, although during our stay, those activities aren’t yet fully open. However, the weather was very nice, so we enjoyed some local hikes.
Places to Stay:
During white water rafting seasons, I would recommend staying at one of the rafting trip adventure centers, like Ace Adventure Resort or River Expeditions, but since it was still a little too cold to be rafting, we decided to stay at La Quinta Inn for its convenience and proximity to the hikes we wanted to partake. La Quinta Inn is an older hotel but they were undergoing some renovations. The exterior had a major face lift and some of the interior was getting updated as well. Our room was a one bedroom king, which was rather spacious, but the pull-out sofa only created a twin bed – something we weren’t prepared for. Fortunately, the hotel was able to provide a roll-away bed free of charge so all was well. The breakfast was decent, and the coffee was convenient, with a large selection of condiments. Overall, considering how few choices there are in the area, this hotel may just be the best choice during off season travel for any family with kids, and/or pets. Sharing the same parking lot as La Quinta Inn, is a good selection of shops and restaurants. Goodwill, Big Lots, Dollar Tree, are all behind the hotel. If you walk quarter of a mile, you will reach the only Walmart in town. However, the selection is poor at all of these shops, and if you are a city girl like me, you will feel like you have stepped back in time. Out of Big Lots, Dollar Tree, and Goodwill, no one carried HDMI cable for sale. Since it was Easter Sunday at this point, we wanted to pick up some Easter eggs. None of the stores had any.
Places to Eat:
This was actually the first time I’ve been to Bob Evan’s and I was rather impressed. The menu had many nice options, from healthy to hearty. The interior looked very new and had a nice farmhouse feel. Price was very reasonable and service was actually pretty quick. I’m not one to eat at chains very often when I’m traveling but this place worked well for us. And it was literally next door to our hotel La Quinta, so the location couldn’t be beat.
Fujiyama is also next door to La Quinta Inn. If you like Japanese hibachi and you like a LOT of it, then you’ve hit the jackpot. Compare to back home, the food is much cheaper, larger quantity, and the drinks are a lot cheaper as well. The food tasted amazing – we had leftovers reheated in our hotel microwave for breakfast and it was still good!
The Vault on Main is a new restaurant in downtown Summersville. It’s located inside an old bank, hence the name, and the menu is quite possibly the best I’ve ever seen. It has a long list of delicious sounding salads, as well as options for steak, sandwiches, desserts and an impressive wine menu. What could possibly go wrong? Well, let’s just say it didn’t live anywhere close to its potential. The service was very slow – our water was never refilled even after reminding them. The drink special was for a drink that the bartender has never made before, so that took forever. The Greek salad we chose sounded amazing but came with very different ingredients than what was on the menu. I know they are new and are probably trying to work out the kinks but it was just an overall letdown for what was a great concept.
Things to Do:
This is a nice roadside stop to stretch your legs. It has a lot of local goods and several options for dining. We stopped here along the way when we were driving from Charlotte to Summersville, and purchased a lot of local goodies which was nice, but overall the prices seemed high especially considering this s not a wealthy area. To be honest, I was quite looking forward to this, but I don’t think I’ll stop by next time I’m here. The restaurants were kind of a hit or miss and overall it felt a little bit like a retirement home. The best attractions were the art galleries which were great to look at, and if you were going to stop at a rest area anyway, then this definitely beats that.
The biggest attraction of Summersville is definitely the beautiful Summersville Lake. There are many gorgeous trails to take around the lake, and we chose Long Point Trail because it’s the perfect length and difficulty. An easy 3.9 miles with amazing lake views, this was a highlight of our trip so far.
Day 4-7: Farmington, Pennsylvania
We are finally at our biggest destination, Farmington, Pennsylvania. Farmington is the home of Nemacolin – the resort that hosted the last season of The Bachelor (Matt James’ season). Is that why we want to be here? Maybe. (Yes.)
Nemacolin is a beautiful spa and resort that spans almost 2000 acres. There are lots of options as to the types of rooms, the choice of restaurants, and the there are endless things to do.
Places to Stay
The Chateau is the building that is the symbol of Nemacolin. It is also where the limo pulled up on the first night of the Bachelor, when Matt met all of his suitors. The production team stayed at the Chateau during the filming. Matt James stayed in many rooms of the Chateau before the filming began. The lead from the 12th season of the Bachelorette, Jojo Fletcher stayed in the Presidential Suite during some of its filming as well. The Chateau is beautiful, with chandeliers adorning every room and lobby. If you are staying at The Chateau or The Lodge (next door), you would check in at the Chateau. Be prepared to be pampered from the moment you walk in (or even before you walk-in, as the valet and bellhop will take care of you as soon as you drive up). At the check-in counter, we were greeted with the biggest smiles and an envelope of our scheduled events, as well as champagne flutes for us and juices for the kids. Our room is a Chateau Club Suite, which is ginormous, with a separate living area, a king size bedroom, 4 French balconies, a huge master bathroom, and a separate powder room. Every area was very spacious and the living room was large enough to accommodate the sofa’s pull out bed, as well as an additional rollaway bed, so my kids didn’t have to share a bed together (they like to kick each other in their sleep). The Chateau Club Suite is located on the club floor, which gives you access to the Chateau Club. The Chateau Club provides light breakfast in the morning, snacks throughout the day, and late night drinks, just to name a few. The Club level room also comes with butler service. Our butler was always a phone call away and ready to assist with anything. For example, our butler drew a bath for our kids (there is even a menu for what type of scent you want!), our butler brought butter for our kids when they didn’t have butter for their bread, and our butler picked up swim goggles for my kids when they left them at the kids klub. Tipping is expected but you may do so at the end of your stay. We enjoyed having the butler service but if we were doing it all over again, I’m not sure if I would pay the price difference. The only places we had butler service before were in Jamaica and Dominican Republic, and I must say that those butlers were a lot more attentive and anticipated our needs a lot more. Butlers at Nemacolin did not do anything without asking, and I’m not very good at asking. Butlers in Jamaica and Domnican Republic did many things without asking (in our experiences). For example, they always had a cooler filled up with ice and our favorite beverages everyday. They golf carted us (or walked us) to dinner every night, and always decorated our tables. I don’t know if this is just a difference between stateside and overseas or if it’s because of COVID or what, but if you are used to butlers in the Caribbean, expect something less attentive.
Falling Rock is the 5 star hotel located inside Nemacolin. During the filming of the Bachelor, the contestants (that were vying for Matt James’ heart) stayed in the Falling Rock. The Falling Rock comes with a butler for all guests and is more suitable for adults, but they do allow children. Unlike the Chateau, your butler is assigned to you during your entire stay and will not change. (The Chateau butlers work by schedule, so you may have different butlers each day of your stay.) There is a beautiful pool (opened seasonally) in front of the hotel and the restaurant Aqueous is located inside of it. This Falling Rock is where I would stay if I come back without kids.
If you are here with a big family, then you should check out The Lodge as a more economic option, or The Estates as a very upscale option.
Places to Eat:
Nemacolin is very expansive, and there are lots of restaurant options no matter what time of the year you visit. You can walk to these restaurants, but some of them can really be quite far, so most of people take the shuttle. No matter where you stay on the grounds, the shuttle is always ready in minutes. The shuttle is free and tipping is optional. If you want to eat off the grounds, you will have to get the valet to bring your car. Since we were only here for 4 days, we tried all of the restaurants that were open in the resort and did not venture out of the resort except for the days we went to the Flight 93 Memorial.
Lautrec
To this day, Lautrec is the most expensive meal we have ever had. It is also the most difficult reservation to obtain. We tried to snatch a reservation the moment the reservation window was open – no luck. Then, I told my travel agent to call, still no luck. Then I call the hotel myself, still no luck. After checking into the hotel, I talked to our butler Brendon, who also tried to get us in, still nothing. Next day, I talked to another Butler, Brian, who also couldn’t get us in but told us to talk to the Matre’ D when they open (they serve dinner only). So we did. Surprisingly, Matre D’ was able to get us in for a 6:30pm reservation for next day! So persistence pays off and talk to Matre D’ if you can’t get in!
During our stay, Lautrec only offered a dinner called “Leap of Faith”. It is a 6 course dinner (plus intermezzo) that is chosen based on the list of ingredients that you circled from a sheet of paper. For our table of 2, we are only given 1 sheet of ingredients, so we have to agree on which items to circle, and our courses will be identical. I do not know if that’s the case for larger tables or not. If there are any ingredients that you really do not wish to have, you are allowed to cross them out.
The meal costs $175 per person plus tax and tip. You may also choose the wine pairing options, for $300 per person, or $475 per person with the prestige wine pairing. Even though this was our most expensive meal ever, I believe it was worth it for the experience. It was not just a dinner, it was a whole experience, and they did it beautifully. After the 6 course meal, we were also given a cart of mignardise where bite size candies and cookies were abundant and we were allowed to have as many as we like.
During our stay, we also enjoyed the Aqueous restaurant, Rockwell’s, the Tavern, and Barattolo. All of the restaurants were very good. Just make sure you have reservations in advance (except for the Tavern).
Things to Do
There are lots of things to do at the resort any time of the year. During our visit, the resort was transitioning from the winter activities to the summer activities, so ski was no longer open, ice rink was closed (maybe for good because it was an addition they made for the Bachelor, but left it open for a while), and some of the summer stuff was not yet available (like the carousel), but we still had tons of things to do. The kids enjoyed the Climbing Wall ($10/person), and the whole family loved the Jeep Off-roading ($130 for the whole group). We also loved the miniature golf (free) and the hiking trails (architecture everywhere). I definitely recommend asking for a free tour around the whole grounds on your first day to learn your bearings a bit.
We also saw lots of animals at their zoo and visited the hangar museum, the antique car museum, a seashell museum, and even a salt-water aquarium!
If you are traveling with children then I definitely recommend their Kids Klub! Just make sure you sign up at least one day in advance to make sure they will have someone working that day. My kids spent a whole day in Kids Klub and they did not want to leave. In the morning, they had two other kids joining them, in the afternoon, my kids were by themselves. This was surprising to me since we were there during the kids’ spring break. Since they were by themselves in the afternoon, they were able to do whatever they wanted – the caretaker completely gave them a tailored experience! My kids enjoyed video games, arts and crafts, they went to the playground, they visited the animals (twice because the first time the white tiger was sleeping), they went to the pool, and they loved their lunch of hot dogs, chicken tenders and fries. When my kids told the caretaker that they wanted ice cream, they were immediately taken to PJ’s ice cream parlor. So basically they were completely spoiled for a day. LOL!
Day 8-9: The Resort at Glade Springs, WV
For the final two days of our trip, we stayed at the Resort at Glade Springs. This is an older resort and you can tell based on the paint color. But don’t be deceived by its rough looking exterior. Our stay here was actually quite pleasant and easily exceeded our expectations!
We booked a Junior Suite and the rate includes breakfast, and the breakfast is a very deluxe buffet. Tip: even though it’s not advertised, you can actually order a Bloody Mary with your breakfast! It isn’t free but it doesn’t cost much either. Our room was spacious and there is even a real fireplace. The resort has free parking as well as free shuttle! There are two restaurants on site and both are very good! Bunkers Sports Bar is very family friendly and offers lots of TVs and some really comfortable seating. Glade’s Grill is the upscale steakhouse that has a dress code and takes reservations. Both restaurants exceeded our expectations.
The best part of Glade Springs is that you can buy an adventure pass (this isn’t advertised anywhere that I can see but if you call them they will tell you about it!) and for I believe it is $55 a person, you can play bowling, laser tag, escape room, archery, geocache, and disc golf (one time for each activity). It’s an awesome value and we all enjoyed everything! They have many other packages available as well but this was the best package for our short stay.
This ends our trip and we had such an amazing time. We weren’t road trippers until this pandemic and now I’m so happy we have given this new style of vacationing a chance!