Hi,
My husband and I are thinking of staying at the Homestead for a week in July with our three children, ages 14, 12 and 9. I have heard a little bit about the Homestead and also Greenbrier. Any advice on which resort would be better for families and any other tips as to room location or type would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Amy

Both are very nice. I haven't been to either in a while, but I think the Greenbriar has the movie theater and a bowling alley. I think the Homestead does not have the theater. The Greenbriar is not far (maybe about an hour) from white water rafting. They may arrange trips.
Rooms vary greatly. We have traveled with our kids and we have had large suite like rooms and we have had very small rooms. All were business trips. How far are you traveling from?
The food was very good at both places. I do remember the Homestead having some common areas that were not air conditioned. It gets hot in the summer. Both resorts were very classy and very nice. I am trying to think of activities for the kids.
Skeet shooting, fishing in the many rivers and streams, swimming, maybe tennis?, golf, cooking classes? etc..
My nod would go to the Greenbriar for more activities. Hopefully someone who has been recently will be able to tell more. Our last trip was in 2001.

The Homestead also has a theater. We went several times when our kids were younger. They enjoyed the kids club and all the activites...there is hiking, biking, pools, tennis, bowling...my children will also fish and play golf...and my girls like spas and theirs is so nice. We did not go when our kids were the ages of yours, but have been without them in the past few years. They are now 18, 16, 13 and would love to go back. I have never been to the Greenbriar....have wanted to go but we like the Homestead so much we just keep going back. We have had a very small room at the Homestead and been in a suite twice....you definitely to check into that. I think their garden wing has much bigger rooms and it's connected to the old building

Thank you both for your comments. I am glad to know that there is a theater and also that they had some spa treatments for girls. My daughters will love that.
Do they have shows in the evenings, and did you eat all your meals at the resort?
Thanks again for both of your resplies,
Amy

We ate all our meals at the resort. The Homestead has a huge breakfast in the morning and dinner...both included in our package. We just got a light lunch or snack in the afternoon. There was a great little gourmet shop across from the hotel...so one day we just picked up cheese, bread, etc and took it along with us on a hike. The Homestead has 2 fancier places to eat, but also a really casual place and it was nice for the kids not to have to get dressed up every night. I have a friend who went to the Homestead a few years ago and her husband and son did the falconry activity while she and her daughter did the spa and really loved it....not that your girls would not enjoy that as well...my girls would like that also. Another usual thing at the HS is the Jefferson pools and the Cascades hike is beautiful.

We also ate all of our meals at both resorts and food was excellent. I remember both having great breakfast buffets. The dinners had dancing and I thought that was very nice.
I also went when my kids were younger and did the kids club in each place for the night. I did not remember the movie theater at the Homestead, but that is great they have that too. You can't go wrong with either place. Oh, and we did the falconry. That was unique. I know my girls would love the spa today. Maybe we should go back...

The Greenbrier has a movie theater and there is hiking, biking, indoor and an outdoor pool, tennis, bowling, carriage rides, horseback riding, falconry, fishing, bunker tour, game room with pinball, etc. They also have an Adventure Zone for kids “These full-day and evening programs (open to those age 6-12) combine artistic and intellectual enrichment with physical and outdoor activities.”

We've stayed at The Greenbrier about 25 times in the last 17 years, we take our son so we stay in the Paradise Row cottages. It's been years since we stayed in the hotel so I can't recommend rooms in the hotel proper. The rooms in the hotel are not (or at least, were not) all the same. One time we stayed in one that had a "living room" area, another time our room had 1 and half bathes.

The Paradise Row cottages sit up on the hillside between the hotel and the outdoor pool. There is living room with pull-out sofa, separate huge bedroom, a kitchen area, 2 bathrooms, and a porch in front and in the back.

You may want to check out the South Carolina cottages or the Copeland Hill cottages. They have 4 huge bedrooms and in the middle is a huge living room and kitchen area. They are all gorgeous. I think you can rent just part of a Copeland cottage if you don’t need 4 bedrooms. There are also Spring Row cottages but I don’t know much about them.

If you stay in a cottage, you can walk to the main hotel, etc or call for on-the-grounds transportation.

My husband and I are big fans of the Spring Row cottages, but I think you need a little more space. They have a very nice living room with a pull-out sofa, a large bath with an additional seperate sink/dressing area and a really large bedroom with a king bed. If you go to The Greenbrier website and click on accommodations (sp), it is all spelled out. We do not take our children there, as it is "our" place but we have taken our handful to The Homestead. We upgraded to room 1000, which is a lovely 2-BR, 2 Bath, jumbo LR with patio, suite. Just get the top floor as the ceilings are very thin and you can hear every step the people above you take! You really can't go wrong with either place, and if your children were really young, I'd say The Homestead. But yours are approaching a civilized age and would certainly enjoy the infinity pool at The Greenbrier, as well as biking along the old RR bed.