The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs W VA, April 5-8, 2015

An adventure with the Stewarts, Steve and Lynne Frazier and Julia and Darryl DeMoss.  The Greenbrier is an historic hotel, on 10,000 acres, housing 26 presidents on vacation and families over generations.  Built in 1778 it is a National Historic Landmark. A golfing destination, it offers fly fishing, tennis, spa and pool, bicycling, rafting, raptor education and more recently, gambling.

Darryl and Jim went fly fishing, Andrea and Julia spa'd, Dave drove his caddy sportster, and Lynne, Steve and Susan enjoyed golfing the famous "Old White" course.

Main Entrance.  Lovely white building.  Wait till you see what Dorothy Draper did with decor inside...

Dinner at Prime 44, with theme of basketball player Jerry West 

Prime 44 restaurant - scene of two dinners

Stewarts, Fraziers, Woods and DeMoss'

Steve checking out dessert

The North Entrance

DECOR BY DOROTHY DRAPER DECORATOR, AND HER SUCCESSOR CARLTON VARNEY

Flowers, oversized patterns, Dorothy Draper, dominated interior design from 1925 - 1960

strong colors

dark green to mint green

striking black and white floors

The ballroom is about 10 times brighter pink orange than this shows.  Garish describes it. 

ladies room by the ballroom

"Old White" golf course.  Beautiful.

golf club

Steve coaches our approach to the green

The gals

Steve tees off

The Old White team

A bit cooler and wetter on Tuesday.  A long walk around the grounds.

Lunch at the Stardust Cafe in Lewisburg W VA, 10 miles away

We did the "bunker tour."  President Eisenhower oversaw its secret building meant as a relocation facility for for use by congress in the event of a national emergency.  It was built between 1958 and 1961 and maintained in constant readiness by a cadre of undercover government employees working as Forsythe Associates.  On May 31, 1992, a reporter for the Washington Post exposed it.  "Hidden in plain sight" - it was buried 720 feet into a hillside under the West Virginia wing of the hotel.  There are 3 entrances, each protected by steel and concrete doors (see below), it was built to withstand a modest nuclear blast.  153 rooms, and 112,544 square feet.  Self-contained power plant, communication room, dormitories, clinic, cafeteria and meeting rooms.  Capacity - 1200 people.