GREEN AT WINTERGREENBy Matthew Graham
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Wintergreen, Virginia: Ahh, spring at last! After months of snow, sleet and ice, it's safe to once again venture outside... no need to complain about the cold temperatures now. And summer is on the horizon! With it, of course, comes the other side of the equation -it's too hot! So instead of heading north to escape the heat and humidity of summer, why not try something different? Head south.
Due to an elevation of nearly 4,000 feet, Wintergreen Resort in Southern Virginia offers crisp, cold mountain air even though it's closer to the equator. "There's a radical difference in temperature between cities such as Washington, D.C. and here," notes Kendall Nelson, Director of Communications at Wintergreen Resort. "There's even a huge difference between the top and bottom of the mountain, with the top being 15 degrees cooler." |
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Activities Galore
Golf
Bike Trails
Adventure Center For the adrenaline junkie, the Adventure Center also has a 25-foot-high, three-sided climbing wall and a skate park with a half pipe and a five-and-a-half-foot-high mini-jump. The park is open to both skateboards and skaters. If a battle of wits against a cunning opponent is more your speed, a paintball field is set up as a simulated junkyard for the would-be warriors. More fun
Fishing opportunities continue at nearby Stoney Creek, Paul's Creek and Rodes Farm Pond. Next to the pond is the Rodes Farm Stable. The stable provides guided trail rides, sunset rides, pony rides for children and vaulting and riding lessons for the more experienced equestrian. Wintergarden Spa and Fitness Center After a day of intense activity in any of these sports, it's wonderful to unwind at one of the five outdoor swimming pools or the indoor pool and spa at the Wintergarden Spa and Fitness Center. … then finish off with a sumptuous dinner at one of the four restaurants, which range from casual to elegant. The choices for hard fun and pampering yourself go on and on. But perhaps the most alluring aspect of the resort is enjoying a far more simple pleasure - just wandering along the over 30 miles of hiking trails through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The Wintergreen Nature Foundation
Even along the main roads, many houses and other properties are almost invisible because builders took care to design the structures to blend into the forest and minimize the need for the cutting down of trees. "I grew up coming to Wintergreen as a child and conserving this area is very special to me," says Liz Salas, Special Events Coordinator for TWNF. "What makes the foundation unique is our partnership with the resort, the community and the homeowners."
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The pleasant climate, however, is but a small part of Wintergreen's attraction. The resort has it all -- golf, tennis, volleyball, basketball, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing, horseback riding, fishing, paintball, a skatepark, restaurants, spas, swimming pools… EVERYTHING! And, of course, in the winter there's great skiing, snowboarding and (new this year) tubing.
Golfers have a choice of two courses. In the valley is the Stoney Creek 27-hole course designed by Rees Jones. It's ranked #4 in Virginia and #34 in the US by Golf Digest. Devil's Knob, on the mountaintop, is the highest course in Virginia. All along this 18-hole course, you'll have a hard time keeping an eye on the ball as you're treated to magnificent views of the Shenandoah and Rockfish valleys. In spring, it's often possible to ski the mountain for half the day and golf in the valley for the other half.
If golf is too tame, hop on a mountain bike and speed downhill on one of the many biking trails, including one that's seven miles long, crosses six streams and drops 3,000 feet. "It's the best bang for the buck for distance on the East Coast", says Jason Schetompf, Director of the Out of Bounds Adventure Center. The arduous journey back up the 3,000 feet may be avoided by utilizing a biker's shuttle service, which runs throughout the day. "Often riders will do the trail three to four times a day", says Schetompf. "It's an opportunity to get an adrenaline rush and enjoy the great outdoors at the same time."
Or you can battle the elements by challenging the rapids in one of Central Virginia's mighty rivers. For those uninitiated into the world of white-water, kayaking lessons are available at the Lake Monocan Park in Stoney Creek at the base of the mountain. Canoes and paddleboats can also be rented at the 20-acre lake. And the lake is an ideal spot for the fisherman (or fisherwoman) -- cane poles and spinning rods are at hand for rent and there is bait for sale.
When the resort was first designed, developers set aside 6000 acres of the 11,000 acre property to remain as wilderness. The Wintergreen Nature Foundation (TWNF) was established as a separate entity to maintain this wilderness and the trails within it. TWNF also acts as a conservation guide for the resort and has won several environmental awards, including the Phoenix Award for National Environmental Quality achievement. The evidence of a love for the land can be seen everywhere.
This partnership was in full bloom last May when over 100 volunteers, resort employees and scientists joined forces to relocate nearly 5,000 native plants for a new snow tubing park. Says Salas, "People here feel that they've been entrusted with the environment." TWNF includes a research facility and library and offers nature hikes and a variety of educational programs. The foundation bestows all the tools you'll ever need to become Green at Wintergreen.