Sunday, December 27, 2009
Life, Travel, In this Issue...
Past, present and future
The Greenbrier: America’s resort
Photo/David Danzig
The Greenbriar
IF YOU GO
The Greenbrier
300 W. Main St.
White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986
800-624-6070
www.greenbrier.com
COST: Rates start at $249 a night for double occupancy.
BY AIR: Delta offers seasonal flights in and out of Greenbrier Valley Airport (LWB). The flight is 1 hour and 20 minutes. The Greenbrier Valley Limousine provides transportation to and from the property from the airport at approximately $30 per person including tip each way.
BY CAR: The drive from Atlanta is 490 miles and should take a little more than 8 hours.
By David Danzig
The West Virginia morning sun tip-toes into the room through an old-fashioned window shade and frilly curtains. I’m sunk into one of the most comfortable beds ever assembled, immersed in ridiculously high thread-count sheets and cushy, marshmallow-like pillows. White wallpaper with never-ending patterns of aquamarine cabbage roses covers the entire room from floor to ceiling. At the edges of the room’s emerald carpet sits traditionally styled furniture, pure white wood with matching emerald trim.
For a split second, I imagine I have gone to sleep and woken up on a set of the 1950-’60s period TV show, “Mad Men.”
My wife and I rise—she prepares for a morning at the spa, where she will receive a treatment styled after 200-year-old local mineral therapies, and I get ready to play golf on one of the oldest golf courses in the country and the future home of the PGA’s newest tournament.
And right at this moment, it strikes me that underneath the hotel there are more than 100,000 vacant square feet of space, which once had the singular purpose of sustaining the entire U.S. Congress in the event of a nuclear strike on Washington, D.C. Welcome to the delightfully intertwined past, present and future of the Greenbrier, one of the oldest and most revered luxury resorts in the United States.
THE PAST
Poor Mrs. Anderson. Back in 1778, this West Virginia homesteader journeyed 15 arduous miles through the Indian-filled Allegheny Mountains and “green briers” to a mineral spring rumored to have magical healing powers. She drank and bathed in sulphur-laden waters, which miraculously cured her chronic rheumatism. As word of the springs spread, flocks of travelers descended upon the land, soon precipitating a tent and cottage city around the spring. In the early 1800s, a large dome supported by columns and topped with a statue of the Greek goddess of youth, Hebe, rose above the spring. Today, the spring runs dry, but the Spring House remains the resort’s symbol.
Since its inception, the Greenbrier has played host to 26 U.S. Presidents (with Obama rumored to soon be No. 27), as well countless foreign heads of state and generations of glitterati. It has witnessed the Civil War (the Old White Hotel, the Greenbrier’s predecessor, once housed Union troops) and World War II (as an internment center for Axis diplomats and later as a rehab center for 25,000 WWII vets).
But perhaps the aforementioned bunker beneath the hotel, code named “Project Greek Island,” remains the most notorious piece of the Greenbrier’s storied past. The 44-room mini-city could sustain Congress for two months, and withstand a nuclear blast as close as 15-30 miles away, guarded by a blast door weighing 25 tons. Fortunately, the project now exists only as an historical footnote, open to the public for 90-minute guided tours.
THE PRESENT
Nestled among ancient oak trees, the hotel’s starched white Georgian exterior, with soaring columns and waving flags, conveys a sense of stately importance, as if you were arriving at the White House in D.C. Inside the Main Lobby, the “Mad Men” décor runs wild—strong colors mixed with pastel floral patterns, black-and-white marble and grand crystal chandeliers are the unmistakable signature of the famed 20th-century interior designer, Dorothy Draper (surely it’s no coincidence that “Mad Men”’s main character also bears the name Draper).
The primary calling card of the 6,500-acre resort remains leisure. Guests choose from more than 50 recreational activities including 54 holes of golf, tennis, croquet, fishing, horseback riding, bowling, off-road driving lessons, clay shooting, hunting and even sleigh rides when the snow arrives. The 40,000-square-foot Greenbrier Spa, which draws upon the mythical White Sulphur Springs for many treatments, tackles stress year-round.
But beyond the resort’s multitude of activities, there are plenty of moments of simplicity—an intimate stroll to the President’s Cottage Museum, or afternoon tea in the Main Lobby, or sitting on a rocking chair and staring at the mountains—these are the moments that make the Greenbrier so special and keep families returning for generations. A number of the guests I spoke with said they “have been coming every year since I was a child,” and many of the staff themselves are second- or third-generation employees. With so much tradition, today’s visits to the resort take on a naturally unforgettable and timeless quality.
THE FUTURE
Of all of the Greenbrier’s 229 years, 2009 must be considered among its most significant. In May, a new ownership group took over and immediately drew up plans to augment the property with an on-site steakhouse and an underground casino.
And the PGA recently announced that starting next year, the event formerly known as the Buick Open will come to the Greenbrier’s Old White Course, bringing a championship to the 96-year-old greens, which has served as home to golfing legends Sam Snead and Tom Watson.
Some of the long-time guests I spoke to weren’t sure how to feel about the forthcoming changes. A casino? A hip steakhouse? Thousands of spectators taking over the property for a week to watch golf? Would the sanctity and intimacy of their beloved Greenbrier be compromised?
If history dictates, the resort will do what it has always done: adapt. Like the grand dame that she is, the Greenbrier will continue evolving to serve the desires of the new generations while observing the time-honored traditions of the past.
SP