Blackburn Inn, Staunton Virginia by Train
Once you realize they don’t care about stranded rail passengers, that their advertising borders on being at the very least incomplete, if not false, once you accept you have to read all the fine print and a few other smaller things, then the Blackburn Inn in Staunton Virginia is one terrific place to stay!.
Following doctor’s orders and having had too much stress resulting in strokes or TIAs in the past, I opted to miss an important Atlantic Highlands council meeting to get away for a few days, learn some more history, get a new appreciation for President Woodrow Wilson and have some exciting, fun, and different experiences, meeting new friends and seeing new things.
Thanks to Uber driver and local driving perfectionist Maura Richardson, my relaxation started before dawn as Maura picked me up and delivered me to Newark’s Amtrak station so I could board the 7:05 a.m. Cardinal, the overnight train to Chicago with stops along the way including several in Virginia. The train only runs three days a week, so your choices are limited.
Knowing that Woodrow Wilson, former head of Princeton University and former New Jersey Governor, was born in Staunton and his house is now a museum, I opted for the approximate 8-hour train ride and reservations at the Blackburn Inn and Conference Center.
There are so many great things about the Blackburn Inn, but none was evident as I and another couple deboarded in mid-afternoon at the Staunton rail station which is not abandoned by any means, simply unattended with no phone, building or rest rooms available, or any maps to show you any location to town.
Since the couple were loaded down with several pieces of luggage, and the woman had a walking disability, I found a building close by with a rest room for her and learned that they too, coincidentally, were booked at the Blackburn Inn. So I hunted down someone on the street who could tell us a bit more.
There aren’t any taxis, we learned, and it was only a short walk to the Blackburn Inn. But not an easy one, we were told, walking between a couple of buildings, under a railroad trestle then up the street a way to the 80 acre fenced in property of the Blackburn Inn. So I called the Blackburn Inn, explained there were three elderly persons booked at the hotel, alone at the railroad station and was there any way they could help us.
Nope. No car or personnel available. No bus, no taxi, call Uber for the short ride.
The gentleman of this new rail trio…the couple were charming, he was there for an Opera board meeting…. called UBER. Within minutes Danilo appeared, trunk and back seat of his vehicle loaded down with his own supplies or whatever. Only room for two and luggage, my new male train friend said, so he dictated his wife, myself and the luggage would go in the vehicle, he would walk to the hotel.
The ride was so short but circuitous because of Staunton’s road system, he, walking up and down the hills, even beat us there! But now we made another friend, Danilo the driver, who agreed he’d be happy to help throughout the stay.
Inside the gorgeous Blackburn’s Inn main building, a charming, very patient and very understanding clerk welcomed each of us, accepted our complaints about the difficulty in getting there, assigned us our rooms and explained the surroundings, magnificent as they are.
Oh, no, she said, that Second Draft Bistro where breakfast is also served? That is only open Friday and Saturday nights, did I miss that in the advertising? Yep, I did. I saw the hours it was open on Friday and Saturday nights, but also seeing breakfast was served there, I did think it would be open daily as well.
That Spa with all the wonderful facial, massage and other services offered? Well, that’s in a different building on the property. She did not know it was only open Fridays and Saturdays as well, something I learned when I called and got a recording. But a second call Friday morning led to a recording as well, so not sure when or if it is open. No one seemed to know.
Though it was no problem, it was a little disconcerting to learn that while check-ins, the library and gift shop are all on the second floor, and my room was on the first, it would be a walk and an elevator from my room to fill an ice bucket. NO, there were no brochures available, or maps, or anything to show everything the town had to offer except for a lovely drawing and description of the 16 areas of the beautiful Blackburn Inn buildings and grounds.
There was another handout with a map and locations of the 30 eating places in town as well as the Visitor’s Center, located surprisingly enough, only a couple of blocks from the railroad station. But no explanations or descriptions of anything.
For someone from Highlands or Atlantic Highlands, the terrain was a piece of cake. But for others who did not know that very little of the charming town is flat, the ups and downs of walking the couple of blocks from the hotel to the heart of activity can be troublesome. Most of the terrain is more like walking from First Avenue to the Strauss Mansion or from Bay Avenue to Mountain Street. They are not easy walks.
Enough of the complaining about the Blackburn Inn … There were lots of highlights. Check ins and check outs were easy and efficient, staff is incredibly pleasant, though they are sparse in number, rooms are spotlessly clean, the prices are shockingly low for an area with so many expensive B&Bs, the grounds are made for relaxation and admiration of natural beauty, and the architecture is a story on its own! Even lighthouse lovers would love it.
Other articles on past travels HERE
