A Little Bit of Heaven in West Virginia

After belting back a few rounds long the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky, we stopped for a couple of nights of recuperation in West Virginia. For me West Virginia has always been an enigma. I look at maps and unless I see the Greenbriar (which I can't afford to stay at) or Charleston, I'm not sure what is around. Will I encounter breath-taking scenery or am I just in the middle of nowhere? My task was more difficult since we wanted a place for Thursday and Friday night only.

After some internet research I started contacting various B and B's and sell-styled Inns. I discovered Brookside Inn in Aurora. Nestled along a windy two-lane road, far from what we might call civilization, the Inn sits on what was once a popular 19th century retreat. Arts and Crafts decor populate the sprawling two-story structure with lots of art and knick-knacks to peruse. And the wrap-around porch was a delight for relaxing or enjoying an after dinner nightcap.

The Inn provides a lovely offering of small plates Thursday-Sunday evenings. The food was delicious and the place has a bar and a small but decent wine list. The evening meals proved to be a wonderful asset. With the roads being so windy and wildlife (deer) in abundance, we were content to remain at the Inn after dark. The restaurant is also open to the public and locals venture out to eat in the charming dining room. Be aware that the Inn takes cash or check only.

Cozy Bar

A fine Cabernet with dinner

A salad with kohlrabi, apples, and cranberries

Italian tomato soup

Pizza on homemade flatbread

So besides relaxing at Brookside Inn what else is there to do? Right across the road is the entrance to Cathedral State Park which features a hemlock grove. Due to storms in 2012 - both hurricane and ice - some of the trails still need to be restored, but a lovely peaceful setting to contemplate nature.

Our main focus was to go to Blackwater Falls State Park. As we drove along the curved mountain lanes we encountered beautiful scenery. The town of Thomas offered picturesque views of the Blackwater River.

We also had to stop at Our Lady of the Pines Church whose claim to fame is that it's the smallest church in the 48 states.

Blackwater Falls State Park features lots of trails from easy to hard. The falls are spectacular and photos ops abounded.

One of the easy trails leads to the town of Davis where we stopped in at a few of the shops and enjoyed pizza at a little hole-in-the-wall called Sirianni's Cafe (cash only).

Even in mid-September the trees were starting to show their fall plumage. We stopped at one other place - Ben's Old Loom Barn. Nestled in a little valley the barn houses numerous looms where locals weave blankets, rag rugs, place mats, scarves, coasters, etc. It was so great to see this vibrant outpost preserving traditional arts.

We really enjoyed this little bit of West Virginia heaven.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail Stay and Eat Options

For a slice of small town friendliness I recommend staying in Bardstown, Kentucky. A delightful little place with some unique shops dotted along Main Street. Everyone we met exuded genuine warmth and charm. Bardstown is located halfway between Lexington and Louisville making it a perfect home base for visiting distilleries. Every restaurant from mom and pop diner to family/country cooking to upscale establishment boasted 50-90 different bourbons to imbibe.

If you are going to be drinking that much bourbon you need to stay within walking distance of your temporary watering holes. We stayed at the Colonel's Cottage Inn. A 6 room cottage with a huge jacuzzi, living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom was $99 a night and just two blocks from the center of town. And the Colonel and his wife Margaret Sue were a delight to meet.

The Colonel and wife also own the Kentucky Bourbon House where they serve meals on the weekends and offer bourbon flights. The flights were a great way to try different brands. We sat on the front patio with the Colonel while we tasted. (We then could walk to the drive-up liquor store to purchase our favorites). During this tasting I fell in love with Old Pogue  - very smooth and Templeton Rye - very floral nose and made in Iowa.

For lunch or dinner stop at the Old Talbott Tavern. They have served up food and housed travelers since the late 1700's. There are rumors of ghosts as well. We had delicious sandwiches for lunch.

It's hard not to take advantage of Southern comfort cooking when in Kentucky. We had dinner at the Kurtz Restaurant one night which began operations in 1937. The place oozes colonial revival. All entrees are served with hot rolls, green beans (the ones cooked to death with a large dose of ham hock), and spiced beets. They satisfied me with roast turkey and all the trimmings. Hubby raved about the skillet fried chicken and fried chicken livers - best livers since his mom used to fry them when he was a kid. And then came dessert - Chocolate Meringue Pie. This was the real deal people! A fluffy cloud of soft meringue with the peaks just-browned and the creamy chocolate filling that rivaled anything that my aunt used to make when I was growing up. After dinner and dessert we could do something at this family dinner restaurant that we could never do at our childhood restaurants in Virginia - have a shot of bourbon to cap off the evening. The Willett Pot Still Reserve made me very happy.

If you tire of comfort food, hit up Circa, but make reservations. This is an upscale boite and can fill up quickly. Circa was the only place in small town/rural Kentucky where we found a selection of good wines (as well as bourbons). The Cakebread Zin paired well with our meal. We enjoyed starters (shrimp rolls), entrees (bourbon-laquered short ribs and duck roulade), and an after dinner drink with my new-found friend Old Pogue.

Hospitality, good food, and bourbon. Bardstown is definitely the heart of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Willett Distillery

My favorite distillery turned out to be Willett which is a craft distillery (although they still crank out a goodly number of barrels). Three reasons why I liked these guys the best:

1. While we were waiting for the tour we could wander around the property as long as we did not go into any of the buildings. Lots of leisurely photo time.
2. For $10 we got a tour, a taste of two bourbons (2nd one our choice), and a souvenir sipping glass (kin to a Scotch glass). Our tour guide was young, but she was very knowledgeable and took us through the distillery itself with the copper pot still, the building where the barrels are filled and then one of the rickhouses.
3. The Willett Pot Still Reserve was my favorite bourbon out of all that I tasted. The aromas of vanilla and caramel as well as the smooth taste were impressive. I prefer to drink this elixir neat after dinner. The bottle shaped like a pot still was cool, too.

Here are a few of the photos from the visit: