Mountainside Resort Surrounded by Grazing Pastures and Animal Farms

More than 450 acres make up the vast estate of The Inn at Mountain Quest, a sprawling white clapboard building situated in a mountain valley. A trip to the top of the inn's four-story observation tower helps guests to fully comprehend the seclusion of the property. Close by, one can see the farm’s red barns and a garden labyrinth. Farther out, though, there are only vast expanses of rolling green pastures, where horses, llamas, and longhorn cattle are the only permanent residents, and the Allegheny Mountains tower in the distance.

Much of the experience at the inn is dedicated to embracing the surrounding nature and taking advantage of this solitude. The inn can take guests on various farm tours to explore its vast campus. Hay-wagon tours explore the lush valley, with stops along the way to feed horses and pet llamas. The hotel also provides transportation up into the 300-acre mountain area, where passengers may set up a picnic lunch of deli sandwiches and champagne amid grand views of the surrounding landscape.

Back at the inn, one can relax and read selections from a 23,000-volume library. Every morning, the innkeepers lay out a complimentary buffet of biscuits and gravy and french toast in the farmhouse breakfast parlor. Arrangements can also be made for an onsite dinner.

Each of the 12 rooms at The Inn at Mountain Quest adheres to a unique theme. On the first floor, the Playhouse room emulates the ambiance of a theater with its punched-tin ceiling, regal red brocades, and an usher who points a flashlight to the bathroom. Down the hall in the Nautical Cove room, a hand-painted waterfront mural lends to a maritime feel, and the Fantasy suite—a larger executive guest room—features a sitting area and looks out to the surrounding greenery.

Pocahontas County, West Virginia: Former Logging Area with Mountain Trails and Bass Fishing

Located about 150 miles east of capital city Charleston, the tiny unincorporated community of Frost in Pocahontas County is surrounded by the Allegheny Mountains. The Greenbrier River Trail, a scenic biking route, passes over a series of wooden bridges near here, and its mountaintop fishing creeks are filled with bass and trout. Snowshoe Mountain, located 30 miles from inn, features downhill skiing and terrain parks for winter sports.

Trains weren't equipped to navigate Pocahontas County's mountain grades and curves until 1900, when the first locomotive train pulled into the area. About 30 miles from the inn, the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park transports passengers on vintage Shay steam trains to visit restored logging camps and the birthplace of Thomas the Tank Engine.