The historic Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia has been on my list of domestic travel destinations for probably 6 or 7 years now. Finally, we were able to go for my birthday in March this year, and it made for an absolutely perfect birthday weekend! It’s nestled in the Virginia mountains– almost in West Virginia– and is a perfect place to visit if you’re hoping for some rejuvenating mountain air, outdoor activities, and year-round swimming.
I first heard about this resort when I was in college. I went to Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA and Hot Springs is about 2 hours away from Lynchburg, so I think I had heard about the homestead because it was a cool day trip or nearby weekend getaway from Lynchburg. It was actually not a bad drive from Charlotte (where we live now)– just a bit over 4 and a half hours (although might have been a little less if we didn’t have baby Theo in tow!)
I wanted to share some details about our trip if you are interested in going– it might shed some light on things to do, things to know before going, and whether you should visit (spoiler alert: you should visit!).
The Hotel Resort
The Homestead is a gorgeous historical resort oozing with history. The hotel is over 100 years old and has even hosted presidents like Theodore Roosevelt. Omni purchased the homestead about 10 years ago and the hotel has been undergoing lots of renovations to restore it. Part of the reason why it took Garrett and I so long to finally visit is because the hot springs pools and bath houses were under restorations for a long time and have only recently opened back up.
While we were there, they were renovating the clock tower on the outside of the hotel, the lobby, and some of the restaurants. Our room had recently been renovated so it was really clean and nice! I think most of the rooms have been renovated already but they are still working on renovating a few more rooms.
Food
Everything that we ate while we were at the Homestead was phenomenal. Like I said, some of the resort restaurants were under renovation which may have been more of an inconvenience if we were staying for longer than a weekend.
Our favorite meal was the breakfast buffet in the main dining room. I think we paid $30 per person, but it was truly great and was so filling that we didn’t need lunch that day. They had a made-to-order omelette bar, biscuits and gravy, house made maple doughnuts (Garrett’s fave), and so much more.
One night for dinner, we ventured into the town of Hot Springs. It’s a super easy walk from the resort. We stopped into the Bacova Beer Company which is a small brewery and serves food as well. We both got turkey BLTs and split some loaded tater tots which was so tasty after a day of swimming! The beers were also pretty good. It was a really relaxed environment and had high chairs and stuff for kids as well.
In order to accommodate for the closed restaurants, the Lobby bar was turned into a temporary restaurant while we were there. We ate lunch there one day and dinner there another. They had a small menu but good small plates and a surprisingly awesome steak burger that was one of the better burgers I’ve had in a long time.
One morning, we stopped at Martha’s Market which is just a coffee stand temporarily relocated to where the arcade is in the basement. They have some quick grab and go breakfast, snack, and lunch options as well as coffee. In the mornings, they have hot breakfast sandwiches, which was perfect for us on a busy morning!
Woody’s and Jefferson’s was closed when we stayed at the Homestead but the menus both looked really good, and we wish we could have tried either of them!
Things to Do
Spa
Being that it was my birthday weekend, and the the Homestead is known for having a great spa, Garrett really encouraged me to get a massage. Theo is 7 months old and is weighing about 22 pounds these days so when I say my back hurts from hauling him around all day, I mean it!
I got a deep tissue massage and included with that service is a day pass to the spa. In order to access the spa pool area and facilities within the locker room, you have to either purchase a day pass or have a spa service performed that day (although the service has to cost at or above a certain price– I think $200). The massage was really great (albeit REALLY expensive) but being able to enjoy the spa facilities for the day was really what made it worth it for me. Therefore, if you are looking to get a massage or something done, do it on a day where you don’t have anything else much planned for the rest of the day so you can really get your money’s worth and enjoy the spa!
The locker rooms are split by gender and in each respective locker room, they have showers, steam rooms, saunas, warmed rock loungers, cold water showers, and areas to just sit and read and enjoy some tea and coffee.
Hiking
There are lots of hiking opportunities in the area, and some that are on the Omni property. Since we had Theo and we were wearing him in the carrier, we did a short hike on the property that went up to the horse stables on the resort property. It was really beautiful to get to see more of the land of the resort.
At the front desk, we asked about hikes in the area and they gave us a brochure of nearby hikes with a map. They also mentioned a waterfall hike that is on the resort property and is led by a naturalist. You do have to pay to go on the hike and I don’t believe you can access the trail without going on the paid tour (since it’s on their property) but we totally would have done it if we didn’t have a baby with us and a nap time to contend with!
Shopping
The town of Hot Springs is pretty small, but there are a few little boutiques in the town that I noticed. Within the resort though, there are also some shops that we popped into and checked out. There is a store with home decor, a candy store, stores with women’s and men’s clothing, etc.
Pools
Indoor pool
This is where we primarily stuck to since we visited in March and it is really nice! It is chlorinated but fed by the hot springs, so it stays a comfortable temperature year round! Theo had a BLAST swimming in the pool, we got such good naps afterwards because he wore himself out so much!
Outdoor Pool
We did visit the outdoor pool once just to check it out! These pools are also fed by the hot springs so they are a comfortable temperature year round. There is also a hot tub in the outdoor pool area and there is a lazy river and slide that is open in the summer! It would be such a blast for kids!
Spa Pools
I visited the spa pool area one day because I got access after my massage. Like I said before, you have to purchase a day pass or have a spa service done I order to access the “Serenity Garden”. The serenity garden includes the spa outdoor pool, hot tubs, octagon pool and more. The Octagon pool is fed by two hot springs rich in minerals (and is warm!) and those same springs source the naturally pressurized Deluge Shower (which was ICE COLD hahaha). I really enjoyed relaxing at these pools throughout the day after my massage. I highly recommend getting a day pass or getting a spa service done so that you can experience for at least one day!
Bath Houses
This was one thing that we did not do, so I’m not really a source of knowledge about. All I know is that there are recently renovated bath houses that are directly fed by the hot springs. They are not located on the resort property, and you do have to pay per hour to access them so they have to shuttle you there.
Things to Note
Parking is valet ONLY and is $30 a day– I know this is meant to be convenient but honestly after spending so much money to stay here, it was annoying to be obligated to shell out more money. We are frugal and just weren’t expecting it though, so make sure you budget for that.
Expect to do a lot of walking around the hotel– its a bit of a maze. We stayed on I think the 11th floor, and in order to access it, we had to take multiple elevators. Like go to the 13th floor, then walk down a long long hallway and then take another elevator. It didn’t necessarily bother us, but it definitely makes getting to some rooms a journey.
Regarding renovations: this is an OLD hotel and the Omni is doing a beautiful job of bringing it back to some of its glory. Our room was recently renovated and was beautiful and I believe that they are almost done renovating the est of the rooms. When we were there, they were renovating a lot of different areas but they had just started renovating the clock tower on the outside and the main lobby. Aesthetically, this was a bit of a bummer, but there are so many beautiful parts of this resort to enjoy and admire not currently under construction. I really hope to revisit one day when their renovations are done and be able to see it!
Is it kid-friendly?
YES! We saw so many kids running around the hotel and made comments about how much fun it would be to return here with Theo when he is a bit older in the summertime. Between the pools, slides, lazy river, nightly movie nights, and arcade in the basement– this place would be a BLAST to visit as a kid.
There are certainly areas that are less kid-friendly or kid-free– for example, the dining room is formal; however, we took Theo there for the breakfast buffet one morning and it was certainly less formal than the dinners there appear to be. I don’t believe that kids are entirely prohibited from the dining room for dinner– I just think it might not be their favorite place to be.
The spa is off-limits completely for kids. There is a outdoor pool, hot tub, octagon pool (which is directly fed from a hot spring), and more in the spa area. It’s super quiet and relaxing and there are no kids allowed.
Have you ever visited the Omni Homestead? Tell me about your experience!
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