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| The Greenbrier White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia |
 
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Since 1832 when the original hotel was built on this site, this 6,500-acre resort in West Virginia's Allegheny Mountains 
has lured celebrities, presidents, and fashionable Southern society. It traces its origins to its mineral springs, but over the decades it has greatly expanded its allure from mineral-bath treatments to a vast array of recreational diversions, among them tennis, golf, bowling, and falconry. The current white-pillared hotel, a National Historic Landmark, stands in a serene mountain valley, made all the more beautiful by the trees and shrubs landscapers introduced. As a guest, you bed down in one of its 802 rooms and suites or 97 guest cottages and estate houses, each of them striking for their Carlton Varney decor of bold patterns and vivid colors.
The last thing the decor suggests is a shy, retiring Southern belle, but the hotel does cling to some long-standing traditions. Packages optionally include breakfast and dinner, the latter a sumptuous, multicourse affair served by gloved waiters in an ornate dining room. Gentlemen don jackets at dinner (though there is also a less formal option of dining at the golf clubhouse).
Tennis Features
Pro Shop: 304-536-1110, x7179
It is no easy matter to assess the tennis at the Greenbrier. On the one hand the resort has an extraordinary history of tennis interest: It had a grass court as long ago as the 1890s and such tennis legends as Bill Tilden, Ellsworth Vines, and Bryan "Bitsy" Grant played there. Recently, however, it did away with half of what had been an impressive—though admittedly underutilized—complex of 20 courts. Nevertheless, of the 10 that remain 5 are indoors, which means that play year-round is an option.
Tennis Staff. Head teaching pro Terry Deremer arrived at the Greenbrier in June of 2003. A native of West Virginia, he had been coaching the WVU men's tennis team, which ranked as high as Top 20 in the nation during his tenure, and teaching in his hometown of Morgantown when he took the resort position. Another native son, Jeff Morrison, is the resort's touring pro and stops in occasionally when not on the tour. Morrison's visits tend to be unpredictable. The Australian left-hander Owen Davidson, on the other hand, schedules three or so two-day visits a year to give the benefit of his mixed doubles and doubles expertise—he won all four Grand Slams Mixed Doubles titles and the U.S. Open and Australian doubles titles. Check with the resort for dates if none appear below.
Tennis Programs. The Greenbrier offers a daily roster of stroke analysis clinics and doubles drills and strategy as well as cardio tennis. All of these tend to get bigger turnouts on weekends and during the summer. The staff also strives to find both adults and juniors games: "We try the best we can to match them up," says Deremer, drawing on their local membership if there are no suitable hotel guests.
Courts & Fees. The Greenbrier has five Har-Tru courts outdoors and 5 hard courts indoors. Court fees: Indoors, $50/hour for doubles, $37/hour for singles; Outdoors, $36/hour for doubles, $26/hour for singles.
Your Call
This is your opportunity to rate and review the resorts and camps you've visited. As material comes in I'll post it here, so you can read what others think.
So far, I haven't received any written feedback on Greenbrier. If you've taken a tennis vacation there, I'd like to hear your reactions.
Other Recreation
Golf Courses. The Greenbrier has three courses: the original Old White Course, built in 1914 using designs by Charles Blair MacDonald; the Greenbrier Course, which opened in 1924 but was redesigned by Jack Nicklaus in 1977 for the 1979 Ryder Cup Matches; and the Meadows Course, which opened in 1962.
Spa & Fitness Center. The Greenbrier grew up around its mineral-springs spa and has since enhanced and expanded those facilities for offer a broad range of spa services. Meanwhile, they have installed fitness equipment on the mezzanine overlooking the indoor courts.
See Also
Among the other tennis resorts with the Greenbrier's grand style are:
For other historic resorts but with a different ambiance, look at:
- Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, New Hampshire which offers a Full American Plan
- Mount Washington Hotel, NH, which offers a Modified American Plan
- Mohonk Mountain House, NY, which offers a Modified American Plan
Travel Essentials
Seasons. Year-round, including tennis thanks to its indoor courts.
Rates.Rates vary greatly throughout the year, so check the website for the times you want to visit. In general, they are higher on Friday and Saturday than during the week.
Reservations:
Greenbrier
300 W. Main St.
White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986-2498
304-536-1110
Toll-free: 800-624-6070
Fax: 304-536-7854
Web Link: The Greenbrier
NEW!
Book Online: The Greenbrier
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