Travel: Go With The Gang: Mountain Lodge in West Virginia
The pick: The BrazenHead Inn in Mingo Village, in the Potomac Highlands. The area features skiing at Snowshoe, trout fishing, endless hiking and mountain biking. After all that, you can warm up with a pint of Guinness at this real Irish potato nestled in the central Appalachians. Named for the famed pub in Dublin and built and run by a native Dubliner and his sons, the lodge is tailor-made for renting in its entirety by big family groups. The log building is spacious and welcoming, with locally crafted furniture in the large rooms and, in the common areas, woodcarvings—most notably, bears—whittled by the proprietors. In demand are the hearty Irish breakfasts and the hammocks on the 4,000-square-foot porch.
Accommodations: 20 large rooms, most with queen-size beds, holding 65 total guests; upstairs rooms have sleeping lofts.
Rental fee: Nightly, $69-$119 per room. Ten percent discount for one of the six-room wings; 15 percent discount for the entire inn.
How to book it: 866-339-6917; brazenheadinn.com.
Other options: Old Inn at Cacapon Resort State Park, Berkeley Springs, 12-room inn with golf course (think: camp for grown-ups), $712 a night for the entire inn, or rent one of its rustic eight-person cabins for as little as $662 per week. 800-225-5982; cacaponresort.com. Mill Creek Cabins, eight “luxury” cabins sleeping eight to 14 each, with hot tubs, fireplaces, handmade oak furniture, roomy kitchens and lofts. Close to New River Gorge Bridge, state parks and whitewater rafting. From $130 to $570 per night, depending on size and season. 800-692-5005; millcreekcabins.com.
