Newport House Bed and Breakfast
A few blocks south of Colonial Williamsburg on South Henry Street stands the Newport House, a 1988 B&B based on the 1756 design of Peter Harrison (also architect of the Williamsburg Capitol of 1749) for the Banister Plantation near Newport, Rhode Island. Each of the two guest rooms has a queen and an extra-long twin canopy bed and is furnished with antiques and reproductions. Other features include Colonial dancing on Tuesday evenings, a harpsichord and other musical instruments that guests may play, and a video library of 18th-century classics. Children are welcome.
CHARLES CITY COUNTY
Established in 1616 and located between the James and Chickahominy rivers, Charles City County affords agrarian beauty and an impressive history, having borne witness to the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. Those who worked the land and partook of its harvests included Indians and early settlers, slaves and free blacks, emancipators and educators, and presidents and signers of the Declaration of Independence; some of their descendants remain in Charles City today. Another piece of history that endures is the handsome manor houses of the James River Plantations, all listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Three of these plantation estates (Edgewood, North Bend and Piney Grove) are also bed and breakfasts.
Edgewood Plantation
Edgewood Plantation, an 1849 example of Carpenter's Gothic architecture, offers eight guest rooms, six in the main house and two in the former slave quarters. The estate includes a swimming pool, formal gardens and a wooded stream and is available for group tours, weddings, Victorian tea parties, meetings and banquets. During the Civil War, Confederate generals who were camped at nearby Berkeley Plantation used the third floor of this bed and breakfast as a lookout post, and area residents used its living room as a church. Edgewood is located in Charles City, approximately 30 miles west of Colonial Williamsburg and 25 miles southeast of Richmond.
North Bend Plantation
Surrounded by gorgeous countryside (including 850 acres under cultivation), guests will find plenty of activities at North Bend Plantation: perusing the rare books, family heirlooms and period antiques including a plantation desk used by Union Gen. Philip Sheridan when he headquartered here in 1864; playing billiards, croquet, volleyball or horseshoes; relaxing in a hammock or the outdoor pool; going biking; or playing the piano. The 1819 Federal-style Greek Revival home, which was remodeled and doubled in size in 1853, boasts three large porches and four queen-bed guest rooms, all with a fireplace or gas stove. One guest room is also available as a suite, adding a room with a double bed. Located about 25 miles west of Colonial Williamsburg, the estate is available for weddings and special events, group tours by appointment and self-guided grounds tours.
During our stay in the Rose Room, my husband and I appreciated the comfortable bed, spectacular views, relaxed atmosphere and delicious breakfast with lovely table setting. A striking sense of history permeated the property; owner George F. Copland II is the great-grandnephew of William Henry Harrison, the ninth US president, and his sister Sarah, whose husband built North Bend's main house for her. Mr. Copland is also the great-great-grandson of Edmund Ruffin, the Southerner who fired the first shot in the Civil War at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, and has close family connections to other James River Plantations.
Orange Hill Bed and Breakfast
In the midst of 50 acres of working farmland about 20 miles northwest of Colonial Williamsburg stands this 1898 Victorian farmhouse with sunroom and three guest rooms, two with queen beds and one with a double bed. A piano and guitar are available for guests.
Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation
Among the features at Piney Grove are buildings dating from 1790, 1835, 1857 and 1917, an outdoor pool, lawn games, gardens, a gazebo, a nature trail and farm animals. Guest accommodations are provided in the 1857 Ladysmith House, a two-story frame home furnished with antiques and family heirlooms. There are three guest rooms (with a queen bed, a double bed, or double and twin beds) and two suites (with queen and double beds or double and twin beds). This James River Plantation, situated about 20 miles northwest of Colonial Williamsburg, hosts weddings and special events, group tours by appointment and self-guided grounds tours.
