It was Godfrey Barnsley who first began construction of a grand estate for his wife on 4,000 acres of wooded mountains in the 1840s. She died before the mansion could be completed, and Barnsley hadn't the heart to continue until her spirit reportedly appeared to him one evening as he strolled the parterre with instructions to finish the house and gardens.
Barnsley turned to writings by the authority of the era, Andrew Jackson Downing. Considered by many to be the father of American landscape gardening, Downing designed the White House grounds and the Washington Mall. While the great horticulturist never visited the area, he and Barnsley corresponded, and Barnsley embraced his ideas on taking a natural approach to gardening.
The gardens aren't the only beautiful amenities. 33 guest cottages are arranged to resemble a 19th-century English village. The cottages, available with one to four bedrooms and private porches, are divided into 70 suites that each have fireplaces and king-size feather beds. Landscaping around the cottages complements the historic gardens and knits the structures together with trees, shrubbery, and annuals while keeping them private.
The resort goes far beyond appealing only to garden lovers. There's also a Jim Fazio-designed golf course, a first-rate spa, a fitness center, tennis courts, a swimming pool, hiking trails, horseback riding, and a sporting clays course. Two onsite restaurants deliver delicious meals--one features an English hunting lodge setting; the other is an antebellum farmhouse that serves more formal fare.
If You Go:
Best time to visit: Spring is best to see the gardens at their height, but the garden has blooms year-round
Rates:$265-$375 per night, including breakfast
www.barnsleyinn.com.
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