Layered blue-green mountains and fields bursting with wildflowers surrounded me as I drove through Greenbrier County on my way to Lewisburg, West Virginia.
My destination this evening was the 170 year-old General Lewis Inn, perched on a hilltop at the edge of town. I checked into my second floor room and stepped back in time; the beds are 100 years old, the walls uneven, the floors creaky. But still, the room radiated a certain old-world charm. After settling in I walked downstairs to the candlelit dining room.
I ordered the Chicken Randolf entree—a boneless chicken breast stuffed with country ham, swiss cheese and herbs, and served with a medley of sauteed vegetables. For dessert I enjoyed a chocolate sundae and a smooth cup of coffee.
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"Country roads, take me home."
Picture yourself here, on the country lanes near Lewisburg. |
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I woke at 2:00 a.m. to the sounds of wind sighing through the shutters and rain gushing over the gutters. I listened for over an hour before falling back to sleep. I woke again at 8:30; it felt good to sleep in on this water-logged morning.
Breakfast in the downstairs dining room—French toast with spiced apples and grits—was every bit as delicious as last night’s dinner.
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| General Lewis Inn, 19th century excellence. |
After checking out of the General Lewis I drove straight to Lost World Caverns, five miles north of town. The caverns offer a self-guided tour; you’re given a flashlight and a brochure and you enter by descending a steep and slippery pathway to the cave’s mouth.
Walking the half mile path, I marveled at the stalagmites and stalactites, their calcite deposits sparkling like jewels. I spent 40 minutes walking the paths and in all that time no one else appeared. All alone in the cave I heard the splash of every falling water drop, the echo of every tumbling pebble—and I imagined the whole thing crashing down around me.
Focusing my attention elsewhere I spied a beam of light streaming from a hole 120 feet above the cave’s floor. My cavern brochure told this story: “A farmer who lived here 80 years ago used to throw his dead cows down the hole. He said to a neighbor: ‘That danged hole never seems to fill up.’ So the neighbor threw a rope down the hole, rappelled down and found this amazing cave.” I agree, Lost World Caverns is an amazing place and well worth a visit.
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One of the walkways through Lost World Caverns—
kind of creepy when you're here all by yourself. |
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| The "War Club" stalagmite. |
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| 30 ton stalactite. |
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| The "Wedding Cake" formation. |
Returning to Lewisburg I investigated the downtown shops and restaurants. I bought two novels in the Open Book. I slurped homemade split pea soup in The Wild Bean. As I strolled the sidewalk other shops and eateries called out to me but I didn’t have the time to linger.
Leaving town I noticed signs pointing to a Civil War Cemetery and followed the arrows to a gated patch of grass between a quarry and a farmer’s field. There, under a mound in the shape of a cross, lie ninety-five unknown Confederate Soldiers. Gnarled old trees stand guard over the soldier’s graves. It’s a somber place, a fitting end to my Lewisburg tour on this cool and dreary day.
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| The only acknowledgement for 95 unknown souls. |
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| Cross-shaped burial mound in Civil War Cemetery. |
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Read about the General Lewis Inn, Lost World Caverns and historic Lewisburg, West Virginia by browsing these websites:
