The Greenbrier

one of 10 lobbys in the Greenbrier

bold carpets everywhere

lobby outside the casino entrance

sitting areas and letter writing spots with desks and stationary through out the public spaces

this wallpaper is used throughout the main lobby area

plaster reliefs used extensively

more plaster relief over a small bar in a private dining room

it was a fantasy world of oversized chandeliers

the glamorous indoor pool

striking with the famous green leaf wallpaper"Braxilliance"

love this emerald green faux bois carpeting

heading to the theatre doors for nightly entertainment

tea is being served in the main dining room at 4 o.clock - complementary for hotel guests.

grounds on the back of hotel as you walk to the golf course

Mr. RTH found his heaven on earth here!

Carleton Varney's new bistro in the hotel  Love these chairs-
reminded me of the one's at my friend Gail's house in the  kitchen.

notice the details - like the red and gold menus.

the now famous lobster and mashed potatoes from the  Jerry West steakhouse in the resort- Lord, please keep me from ordering another one!  please!  so so so gooooood!

a little history - pictures of celebrities and diplomats that visited the Greenbrier

the "Old White" was changed to the Greenbrier n  1940

adorable picture of a "Children's Costume Ball" held at the hotel.

Christmas Dinner 1942 when the hotel was a WWII hospital.- never knew you served Fruit cake with ice cream!

Located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, the Greenbrier is America's most iconic old resort.  Over 200 years old, it was once called "Old White", served as a hospital for the army in World War II and was sold back to the Chesapeake and Ohio railroads after the war to become the "Greenbrier".  That is when one of the most famous American designers ever, Dorothy Draper, was hired to refurbish it.  Today it still  embodies her philosophy of color and  stark contrast. When picking wallpapers and fabrics for the Greenbrier, she said " show me nothing that looks like gravy"!   Her protege , Carleton Varney, " Mr. Color" still oversees the design of the hotel. In 2009 the hotel filed for bankruptcy and was rescued by James and Kathy Justice, West Virginia natives who made their fortune in milling and farming.   A state of the art casino and several new restaurants were built and the rest is history.  It is absolutely drop dead gorgeous.  I spent 2 days just soaking in the decor, while Mr. RTH fly fished on their pristine Howard Creek, catching over 60 rainbow trout in 3 hours!  It is a golfer's paradise and spa goers are in heaven with the  incredible array of treatments being offered at the Greenbrier's spa. Culinary classes are taught twice a day in the hotel's gourmet shop, while tours of the underground secret bunkers built during the cold war for the President and Congress are given every couple of hours. It is a fascinating place- full of American history but ready for a glorious future.  Seven restaurants are on the property, with ball room dancing in the main dining room during dinner service.  It is a farm to table concept, with much of the food grown on the premises.  In the steak house, a lobster and mashed potato dish was  featured on the Food Network's "the best thing I ever had to eat".  We ordered it and have to agree.  But I have to add that Cathy Justice's cornbread - that she won a blue ribbon for at the state fair and is served in Jerry West's steakhouse - is also fantastic.  While dining, you are given a copy of the recipe on the back of a blue ribbon for a keepsake!  This is a charming- must see- hotel and resort.  It is less than a 6 hour drive from most cities on the East Coast- but soon Jim Justice will be launching new luxury  Amtrak cars from  Washington, DC's Union Station  to come to the resort, as the Amtrak station is a short walk to the entrance.  His team is refurbishing 1950's sleeper cars into luxury Pullman cars. for service to White Sulphur Springs. How cool is that?