On a recent trip to the Sugar Tree Inn, we found the food, both dinner and breakfast to be delicious. The location and views also spectacular. I found the rooms less than spectacular. The decorating was in need of a major redo, and found many bugs on the floor of the bathroom and bedroom. Also, there was a very musty smell, and the bed had a dampness that I have never experienced before. This is a good place, just needs some attention!

If you want to just escape, go hiking and/or read your book by the fire with a nice glass of wine, this is the place to go. Set in a forested area you can stay in the lodge or wooden cabins across the yard. A large fireplace in each room and country style style furniture. Best surprise was the food, a wonderful 3-course dinner worthy of any 4 star in DC in my opinion. Breakfast was wonderful too. The hosts including the chef are very friendly and hospitable while respecting your time to be on your own. Other nice touches, Aveda toiletries in your room and snacks/drinks available in the afternoon.

Virginia’s Sugar Tree Inn: A Rustic Elegance


Hidden on a secluded mountainside one mile off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia’s Sugar Tree Inn is an ideal getaway, a respite from the hustle and bustle of modern life. All that rushes here is the creek, flowing across tranquil acres of laurel and dogwood. Nestled on South Mountain at 2800 feet, the Inn is constructed of 200-year-old hand-hewn logs, all reclaimed from historic local structures.

Up until the great chestnut blight hit the Blue Ridge in 1915, the ruggedly independent farmers of the South Mountain depended on the mighty American chestnut tree to bring in the bounty for their large families. But the blight hit hard, and many of the great trees were destroyed in a decade. However, some of the old wood lives on in the Sugar Tree Inn.

Inside the log lodge, beneath exposed beams of chestnut, oak, and poplar, content guests cozy up to a colossal (55 tons of quarried stone) fireplace rising two stories to the skylit ceiling. They enjoy board games and books in the upper-story loft, or savor candlelit dinners in the glass-walled dining room, surrounded by hummingbirds, deer, and wildflowers.

"Heaven," said one guest. "This is utopia."

Visitors rock on the front porch, soak in the outdoor hot tub, or relax with a glass of Virginia wine. The adventurous and athletic hike to a spectacular waterfall, or prospect for unakite, a mottled green and red semi-precious stone found in abundance on the South Mountain.

Rooms are comfortable and inviting, with country quilts, antique furnishings, private baths, and woodburning fireplaces. Meals are scrumptious, with the chef whipping up abundant mountain breakfasts and mouthwatering evening entrees.

Innkeepers Becky and Jeff Chanter exude warmth and the friendly grace of down-home Southern hospitality. "We’re not put-ons," says Becky, with a slight drawl. "We’re just ourselves."

Named one of Washingtonian’s Top Ten Mountain Inns, the Sugar Tree Inn is open from March through December, with a special Valentine’s Day package. The perfect romantic retreat, the Inn is off exit 27 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, in the tiny non-town of Steele’s Tavern, Virginia. Nearby is the historic town of Lexington, with the home of Stonewall Jackson and carriage rides for tourists’ delight.

However, most of those entering the welcoming doors of the Sugar Tree Inn stay right where they are, surrounded by history and hearth and charm.




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I can't say enough good things about the Sugar Tree Inn. My boyfriend and I went for my birthday and stayed two nights. We purchased the wine package and were greeted by Becky and Jeff (the owners) when we arrived with a wine and cheese buffet. The wine was from a local vineyard and the cheese was delicious! Becky and Jeff are wonderfully warm people and incredibly easy to talk to. We stayed in the Blue Ridge room, which is in the furthest out building (a minute's walk to the main house), and I highly recommend it. It was cozy and had a large shower and excellent Aveda products and the bathroom was sparkling. Our room included a large deck with two comfy chairs that looked out on the forest below. We watched the sunset both nights! The bed was extremely comfortable and there was plenty of space to lounge around. We went to Gerdie's (a local country store) for dinner the first night and had pulled pork bbq sandwiches. The patrons and owners of the store could not have been nicer or more hospitable. The next day after delicious omelettes, fruit and fresh muffins we climbed to the top of Crabtree Falls, which is about 20 minutes from the inn. We didn't even need to eat lunch as we were still so full from breakfast. There is also a great vineyard nearby (Rockbridge), which had much better whites than reds, but again the owners could not have been more hospitable. We also saw the world's first wheat reaper, an herb garden, a restored mill and an early 19th century home (all within 15 minutes of the inn.) That evening we dressed up and joined the 14 other guests for an incredible four course dinner (I had quail, a house salad with homemade dressing, a delicious chocolate cake, and chilled peach soup) prepared by their young chef who is going off to cooking school in Cali, which was served along with a wine tasting. We had the privilege of trying four wines from a Charlottesville vinyard, and they were all explained by the vineyard's sales manager who stayed at the inn overnight and answered all of our questions! The next day we awoke to a great buffet brekfast (the sausage was to die for) and headed out to explore Lexington (which is about 30-40 minutes away.) It was a magnificent experience and one I won't soon forget. You must try the Sugar Tree Inn!