Otium Cellars is a gem worth the drive from DC. We visited on a rainy day so we missed out on what…read morelooked like a vast and gorgeous outdoor space. However the tasting room more than made up for it. Cozy, charming and good people watching. In the winter there appears to be cute little wood burning stove inside. I saw that they used Real Solo stoves burning actual wood. Not some sad propane fire pit -- actual crackling fires. That kind of detail tells you everything about how this place operates. I love a good camp fire! The wines were genuinely good, and the staff made the experience even better. Super helpful with recommendations and clearly know their stuff when it comes to guiding you through the selections. There is pizza. It's available, but it didn't really deliver on quality -- stick to what they do best, which is the wine. If you are not in the tasting room, you can bring your own food. We LOVED the cats that casually wandered (snuck) into the tasting room like they lived in the place. They were super friendly and would walk past. On a clear day I imagine the outdoor space with those views and a real wood fire is pretty unbeatable. We'll definitely be back when the weather cooperates.

There are a ton of wineries in VA, but this one always holds a special place in my heart. It's…read morenever overly crowded, it has a gorgeous view, and the wood cabin style lodge is incredible on a snowy day. As for wine - the Cab Sav and the Cuvée are my absolute favorite bottles of wine. I serve it at almost every dinner I host and everyone always raves about it. Definitely add this one to the list while you're on your winery hopping trips in VA. You won't be disappointed.

A hidden treasure under an hour from DC. We stayed here and were treated like royalty. The…read morebreakfast was delicious and plentiful. We also booked our daughter's wedding reception here, and it was epic. The one stop service was amazing. From the organizers, catering, design, florals, photographers they hit every mark and more. Cannot say enough great things about The L

Where do I even start? If you are looking to get married…read morehere DO IT If you are looking to stay in the BnB DO IT If you're looking to go to any event catered by Zesty Gourmet DO IT. We were married here on 10/22 and the entire experience was beautiful and stress free. The whole planning process was so easy and Anthony and Natallia go above and beyond to curate and elevate your event while making it your own. I had my full trust in their design expertise and gave them so much control and I'm so happy I did because it was absolutely beautiful (trust the experts!). My florals were more beautiful than I could've even imagined. The whole experience is a family affair. There's no stuffiness or cookie cutter event experience you are interacting with some of the most genuine and kind people that keep that wariness while also being the utmost professionals. Even while we were getting ready we felt we were absolutely taken care of by the staff (Ava in particular was extremely attentive and kind) And the food is just incredible! From our tasting, to our breakfast, no one goes hungry here. They are extremely accommodating to dietary restrictions and allergies and every single thing I tried was *chef's kiss.* The BnB rooms are clean and cozy and well-decorated. They come stocked with snacks and most essentials you may need and one of my bridesmaids now wants to know the mattress brand because her bed was so comfortable. We cannot wait to get our professional photos back and we are so happy that we have new friends in Natallia and Anthony!

I visited Bluemont Vineyard this past Saturday with two friends I don't get to see very often, and…read morewe had a great time. Northern Virginia has a lot of winery options, but Bluemont offers a few things that make it special. First of all, it's huge - tons of indoor and outdoor seating on two levels. They take reservations. We made for one for noon on Saturday. We were seated upstairs/indoors but eventually moved to their upstairs deck (we were there for hours and wanted a change of scenery). Their views are incredible. You can see the Blue Ridge Mountains from practically anywhere on the property! I hadn't seen my friends in months, so we stayed for almost five hours. We started with their white wine flight, and then we had a few bottles, too. We also ate (beef empanadas, a flatbread, and some black bean hummus). We enjoyed most of the wines (between the flights and bottles, I think we tried 6 whites and 1 rose), and the food was pretty good, too. The service was great - Lily and Rose were our servers (there was a shift switch, since we were there for almost 5 hours) and they were wonderful. They were a little busy downstairs when we arrived, but it's such a large space that there was plenty of seating for more. (It seems to be a spot on wine tours, because there were a few buses when we arrived.) I'm not sure if you really need a reservation, but I'm glad we had one since our plan was to eat lunch at the winery. We had a great time at the winery. But the highlight of Bluemont Vineyard is the property itself - the views, the space, and outdoor dining!

Beautiful property! My only critique is what while the ordering system is easy and convenient, it…read moreforces the staff to only come out when they bring an order. No one is roaming to see if tables need to be cleared or not. We had to go to the back and flag a staff member down. Wine was good and charcuterie board was delicious. I'd visit again.

Great, underrated track way out in Virginia. Holes 5 and 18 are fantastic, reachable par 5s. Both…read morehave risk/reward second shots that ask different questions. I also love the hole 1 and 10 combo. Hole 2 is stunning too as it goes straight up the hillside with a stone wall and a severely sloped green. More room right off the tee than you would initially think. But this course is noticeably better from the blue tees than from the tips. Several blind tee shots from the back tees, the biggest being 17. It could easily become a fantastic drivable par 4 with water left and OB right. The other thing I would change is making those yardage features much smaller. They were trimmed recently and dozens of golf balls could be found by looking into them. I've lost a few in them over our rounds here. But I love the vibe here and welcome any opportunity to come back. And go see Robin Beach, their new pro. He's the man!

We just joined here a couple of months ago and it's been amazing so far. The staff is extremely…read morehelpful and super nice. Extremely laid back environment and definitely not the same old stuffy environment that too many clubs have around here. The course is always in great shape, even during the winter months and pretty difficult. There's opportunities to score if you know the course but miss your shot and you can end up in a bad spot and struggling to save par. A full driving range, putting green and chipping green. The only issue is there are no lights on those facilities so trying to get out there and practice during the winter months can be tough and they're closed on Mondays. They've done a great job with upgrading the pro shop and always having new products in there. The restaurant and Tavern is beautiful and I'm sure will be a great place to hang out and have dinner and a beer after a round during the summer months. If you've considered joining I'd definitely recommend it, the pricing is great especially with the amenities and access you get.

Whitehall Estate and Celebrations Farm was the location for "Pickled & Roasted" Taste of Blue Ridge…read morefood event. The property is spacious and has many different options for events including weddings and corporate. And there is plenty of parking. https://www.whitehallestate.com/spaces/ For this event we had the opportunity to try multiple dishes from local chefs and meet the them and the local farmers and suppliers they work with. All very cool and the food was great. Customer service was also great. My only issue was the wine and beer selection was limited and didn't include local selections. The line for the bar went through seated areas inside and did not allow for proper social distancing. But there were outdoor eating options, which is the best anyway for the view of the property, wildlife, and surrounding mountains.

This place is gorgeous!…read more If a rustic aesthetic, with a good ol' country timey vibe is your thing, then step right up to this sprawling venue with plenty of flat land, and ample trees to shade and protect you from the relentless summer heat and sunshine.

Great place to have a wedding. Sunsets are amazing. The barn decor with houseplants and bistro…read morelights very nice Buddy had his ceremony and dinner here. Ceremony area idyllic. A little hot though Barn can get a little stuffy but stepping outside there is a nice breeze Can't beat the rustic farmhouse look though Very romantic

My wife and I were keen on finding a venue that had a vibrant nature and outdoorsy vibe. We were…read moreimmediately charmed when we first saw East Lynn Farms, and met the team behind its operation. The owners Georgia and Peter were incredibly supportive, and gave sage advice throughout our planning process. In addition, Alyson, who handles the emails for the farm, was always incredibly quick to provide responses to our questions, and was a pleasure to communicate with. We visited the venue a couple times throughout 2019 between January and our wedding this past September. It takes some imagination to picture how the grounds would look like on your wedding day, because it transforms so much with each season. However, we thought it was gorgeous and made for a terrific backdrop each time we visited regardless of the season. The farm is between an hour to an hour and a half outside of D.C. so it is a fantastic option for getting a rustic venue space that is still accessible for our friends living in the city and the families flying in to Reagan or Dulles. There is a lot of flexibility for events at East Lynn Farms, which may be a stressor for couples depending on their appetite for DIY versus a turnkey wedding option. The farm includes some decorations and a list of recommended vendors, but we were not restricted to the list as long as the vendors we chose had the appropriate license and insurance. The farm allows you to provide our own beverages for events, and we were able to save quite a bit by sourcing our drinks from Costco rather than ordering through the caterer. My wife and I were initially worried about how hot might be at the tail end of Summer, and we contemplated renting fans or A/C units for the wedding. Thankfully, Georgia advised us that the surrounding mountains provided the area with a cooler ambient temperature and a reasonable breeze that negated the need for that hefty expense. On our wedding day, the weather was perfect! Even at the peak of the afternoon it never got so hot that it was uncomfortable to wear a suit jacket, and at the end of the night it wasn't so cold that one needed a jacket. There's no limit of the amount of praise and recommendations my wife and I would give to East Lynn! We honestly couldn't have imagined a better place to have our wedding!

Kari made gorgeous arrangements for our outdoor ceremony and indoor reception. Exactly what we were…read more looking for, and just perfect for our wedding. The bridal bouquets and boutennieres were stunning!

Extremely creative, flexible, and thoughtful of my budget. I would absolutely work with Kari again!…read moreLooking forward to it!

From Tammy & Brett "Trish is amazing" she was thoughtful, kind, and provide exactly what we were…read morelooking for for our special day! She was prompted when she arrived and checked in with everyone, making my nerves much better, she delivered exactly what we expected, and couldn't have asked for anything else exclamation five stars, and beyond!

After meeting with multiple marriage officiants we finally settled on TRISH. She helped write our…read moreceremony which turned out amazing! Highly recommend choosing TRISH when you want your special day done right.

What an exquisite afternoon that I had at the Good Spirit Farm in Loudon County, VA. It's a family…read moreowned winery in a beautiful space. Upon arrival I was stunned by the architect of the building and then once you walked in there was so much light entering the room that you immediately felt calm. One of the owners was there to greet us and then there was the option to sit inside or outside on their back patio. Because it was such a lovely day I opted to of course sit outside and immediately felt at peace. My all time favorite wine was their Albariño. I could drink this wine for the rest of my life and probably never get sick of it. It was refreshing and will be great to sip poolside over the summer. I also tried their pretzel bites and loved the sides that came with it ... a jam, a mustard and I forget the last option but I couldn't get enough. I look forward to coming back with family and friends. I wish I lived closer or else I would definitely want to join their wine club. Check it out and support this small family owned winery

Not too impressed. A rich guy who doesn't live here bought this place in 2020, he had some vines…read moreplanted in 2021 and is passing it off as a local small business. View good wine bad, typical for this area