Here’s a recap of our romantic visit to The Inn at Willow Grove in Orange, Virginia.
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A quick one-night getaway
I told my mother-in-law a while back I don’t want any gifts other than the most precious gift of all: time! So her Mother’s Day gift to me this year was a night with our boys so Thomas and I could escape for the night. We were so thankful! It is amazing to “just” be grown-ups for a night.
We researched all the usual places to stay within a 1-2 hour radius of Charlottesville and decided upon the Inn At Willow Grove. My sister, who is a travel agent, did all the booking for us. This was our first visit and we hope to go back!
The Inn At Willow Grove
Nestled on 40 acres in the middle of Virginia countryside, the Inn at Willow Grove is located in Orange, Virginia (also home to Woodberry Forest School if you’ve heard of it!). It was about a 45-minute drive on winding roads from Charlottesville to Orange.
The grounds are anchored by the main house – a restored historic home dating back to the 1770s. It houses the reception, Vintage Restaurant & Pub, and some of the inn’s rooms.
Watch out for the butler!
There are 25 rooms total between the main house and cottages across the grounds that are named for what I believe they originally were: the Butler’s Cottage, the Smokehouse, the Schoolhouse Cottage. Some are registered historic landmarks.
Our room: Creekside Cottages
Our room was Creekside Cottage East (no. 6) and was bright and airy with a wonderful king-size bed and balcony. We loved the view!
The Bathroom
The Mill House Spa Pool
We didn’t have time to do anything fun at the spa, but we did get to sit by the pool! The weather was just warm enough.
While the pool is advertised as heated, it was not very warm. (It was also not freezing). Thomas did a nice cold plunge! They had a bar by the pool where you could order snacks or a drink, which was a nice touch.
Dinner at Vintage Restaurant
We changed for dinner and headed over for a drink at the bar before our reservation. You’ll definitely want a reservation at Vintage because folks from the community come too. Our trip was somewhat last minute and we almost didn’t get a reservation, but we lucked out.
Jumpsuit is from Short Story Box / Here’s a similar one
The Pub
We both RAVED about our cocktails. I had a Bourbini which was bourbon, vanilla bean syrup, orange, and Prosecco. Thomas had a margarita-style drink with tequila.
We also shared a cheese board which was generously decorated!
Dinner was excellent
We were seated in a private room with a view of the front lawn!
The bread with salted butter, amuse bouche, and entrees were all wonderful. I had a crab cake with carrot ribbons, greens, and fava bean hummus.
Happy Anniversary
Everyone kept wishing us a happy anniversary and we just rolled with it. I figured my sister had checked that box when she booked the room. When I sent her a picture of our dessert, she reminded me that it WAS our anniversary – the anni of our engagement! We had both forgotten – haha!
This chocolate mousse with caramel and peanuts was sooooo good!
French press + beignets
A plus of the Inn is they bring you French press coffee (or tea) and beignets for breakfast right to your room! How lovely.
Breakfast at Vintage
We went back to Vintage for omelets and more coffee before heading back home.
The Inn at Willow Grove is a beautiful escape from Washington, DC, or Charlottesville, and there is plenty to do in the area from vineyards to hiking to James Madison’s Montpelier to the towns of Orange and Culpepper. We would totally return for another stay – hopefully a longer one too!
