Little Washington- Washington, VA
Washington, Virginia is impossibly quaint. It is a tiny town, so picturesque it could easily be a movie set. It was also surveyed by George Washington himself in 1749, and is the very first town in the country to be named in his honor. Today, it’s known as much for its world renowned Michelin rated restaurant as for its history. If you are feeling particularly flush, be sure to partake in their tasting menu- it is supposed to be life changing. If not, it is still a beautiful town to stroll around, following in the footsteps of a Founding Father.
In the 1700s, the area around present day Washington, Virginia was owned by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. Lord Fairfax just happened to be a distant relative of George Washington, whom he employed to survey his land west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In 1749, at just 16 years old, Washington surveyed and platted today’s town. It would be almost another 50 years before the village reached a population of 200, and was officially recognized as a town by the Virginia General Assembly. Shockingly, the population has not changed much in the last 200 years.
There was never much industry in Little Washington, which was given that nickname to avoid being confused with the nation’s capital, located just 70 miles away. Records from the 1880s indicate a handful of businesses, a church, a tavern, 55 dwellings, and two flour mills. Which doesn’t differ a whole lot from what you will find there today. The town probably would have been destined to live out its days quietly, had Patrick O’Connell and Reinhard Lynch not founded a restaurant there in 1978. That event was an absolute game changer.
The restaurateurs had little formal culinary training, but drew inspiration from the great chef’s and inn’s of Europe. They studied the best Europe had to offer, then they built a small luxurious hospitality empire in Little Washington. Today’s beautiful blue building bears little resemblance to the abandoned garage and dance hall that first housed the Inn at Little Washington. It, along with several other buildings in town were updated and renovated, creating many of the the inn’s guest rooms. Within years of opening, the inn was awarded five stars from the Mobile Travel Guide, which is impressive indeed.
Today when you visit, it is not uncommon to see very formally dressed maids move between the various guest houses that comprise the inn. There are several around town, all impossibly quaint and brightly colored. While there, you can wander the restaurant’s gardens, and visit the sheep, goats and llamas that call this town home. Make sure not to miss the super fancy hexagonal chicken coop, which is rumored to be complete with a chandelier.
For a small town, there is certainly plenty to see and do; it’s a fun place to explore, even if the inn isn’t on your bucket list. And to stay or dine there it better be, because it is outrageously expensive. It is also obscenely nice, so it may well be worth it. Either way, enjoy a stroll around town, visit the sheep, and think of young George and his time there, long before he was president, or even an adult by today’s standards.
