By Jill Cueni-Cohen

It’s an easy four-and-a-half-hour trip from Pittsburgh, but the classic architecture and Southern hospitality of the Greenbrier resort gives guests the feeling of having retreated to an entirely different era.

Nestled within the Allegheny Mountains on 6,500 acres of serene woodlands in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, the Greenbrier’s history of catering to the rich and famous is kept alive through traditions like formally dressing for dinner and taking afternoon tea in the main lobby.

“Your life slows down when you get there,” says Dr. Arne Thomas, of Moon Township. He and his wife Tessie are avid golfers who regularly visit the Greenbrier, both with and without their two young daughters. “It’s close enough to Pittsburgh that you can just go there for a few days and feel like you really got something out of it.”

Programs for Kids
Children are seen and not heard at The Greenbrier, probably because they’re having too much fun. From infants to teens, every age was represented in droves during our weekend stay, and we were amazed at how well-behaved and quiet they were.

A tour of their domain -- known as The Adventure Zone -- revealed colorful, spacious playrooms, a fully-equipped kitchen, a computer lab and an animal room with real, live animals.

Catering to the 3 to 12 set, the Adventure Zone is about more than just fun and games. Through partnerships with Carnegie Hall and Greenbrier Valley Theater, local drama instructors ignite young imaginations with interactive workshops while local artists help the kids create craft and art projects.

Nature walks, bike-riding and other age-appropriate adventures will make for life-long memories and give parents the chance to do their own thing.

Older children will benefit from a variety of lessons, including golf, swimming, horseback riding and cooking. An evening program can include dinner and fun activities, including movies at the resort’s theater, a visit to the bowling alley or a dip in the indoor swimming pool.

Healing Waters
While the children are busy, parents can indulge in a variety of soothing treatments in The Greenbrier Spa, which is well-known for its natural sulphur springs, which for over 200 years have been purported to alleviate the symptoms of rheumatism and other ailments.

Make no mistake, sulphur smells like rotten eggs, but you tend to forget the odor when you’re surrounded by attentive therapists in such a luxurious setting.

The facility was renovated in 2001 and focuses on hydrotherapy, massage and exfoliation. They offer 35 different treatments, ranging from the explosive Scotch Spray, in which your body is deliciously pummeled by a pounding stream of water, to a detoxifying mud bath.

In addition to the spa, The Greenbrier also offers a separate diagnostic Clinic, which is operated by 13 doctors of internal medicine and also offers laser and aesthetic services with procedures designed to reduce wrinkles and treat acne, for example.

Golf and More
The sweeping green carpet of three championship golf courses will beckon golfers to play a friendly game or improve their skills at the Golf Digest Academy. More than just an instructional class, the academy also includes leadership and management development sessions geared towards business professionals and corporations.

Created in the early 1910s, the oldest course was dubbed the “Old White Course” after the famous Old White Hotel, which originally stood near the present Greenbrier from 1858 to 1922. In 1924, the Greenbrier Course was opened, followed by the Lakeside Course, which was redesigned in 1999 and re-named The Meadows Course. In an effort to recall its traditional Scottish feel, the Old White Course is currently in the process of being restored and will be completed in 2006.

“There are all these new clubs popping up with homes all over the place, but when you go to The Greenbrier, it’s strictly golf,” Dr. Thomas says. “For a true golf experience you can play three different courses all in the same place, and it’s very challenging.”

Exposed as America’s Best-kept Secret
For nearly 30 years, the Greenbrier was hiding a secret government bunker almost in plain sight. In the late 1950s, the Eisenhower administration built the bunker at the Greenbrier to house government officials in the event of nuclear war. Code named Greek Island, the bunker was large enough to house every member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

According to Lynn Swann, public relations manager, the bunker was kept in a constant state of readiness by federal employees. “But since delivery trucks arrive here all the time, it never looked suspicious,” she notes, adding that hotel guests regularly attended functions in the bunker’s Exhibit Hall, Governor’s Hall and Mountaineer Room without ever realizing where they really were.

The secret was revealed in 1992 when a Washington Post reporter got wind of the story and published the bunker’s location. The facility was phased out the next day, and the lease between the government and the Greenbrier was eventually canceled, but the bunker remains as a reminder of the Cold War.

Swann said that the facility will become a public museum in 2006, but at the time of publication, it was closed off to visitors.

For more information, visit www.greenbrier.com.