New signage for our cottages

“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare asked. With our cottages here at the Ridge, we hope the answer is “coziness.”

Thanks to a quiet new touch we’ve added, the names of our cottages are on display in a new, if small, way: all our cabins have new signage.

With eight cottages currently available and the Tobacco Barn nearly ready to come online in the spring, we have a lot of people visiting a lot of places on the property. Each cottage has its own personality, but we want each one to feel a little like home, too. It’s like having someone standing outside saying, “Welcome!”

Of course, with so much natural beauty surrounding us, we didn’t want our signs to detract from that. We settled on relatively small wooden signs, hand-crafted with carved letters, that sit at the ends of the driveways (or, in the case of the Civil War House, attached to the front deck).

After a long day of driving, a weary traveler appreciates every little touch of coziness to greet them—and we’re glad to offer it.

Valentine's Day Weekend a Success!

Executive Chef David Knapp's
flourless chocolate cake.

What a wonderful Valentine’s Day weekend we had at Stevenson Ridge!

Despite the snow last week, all our cabins were booked for Friday night, with many couples making a full weekend out of it. We did have a few one-night bookings on Friday, though, which gave us the chance to meet some friendly new faces who checked in for Saturday.

Chef David made a special treat for everyone who stayed with us over the weekend: heart-shaped cakes made of rich dark chocolate drizzled with white-chocolate.

Of course we had lot of romance packages to fulfill, so Debbie, Dan, and Chris were all on “Cupid Duty,” firing up the fireplaces, delivering chocolates, and scattering rose petals. One couple came home from dinner a little early, so Dan literally had to slip out the back door as they were coming in the front—like Santa nearly getting caught while making a delivery! “Don’t want to spoil the mood of a nice romantic evening by having the innkeeper unexpectedly standing in the living room with the fire-starting kit,” he chuckled later.

As for us? Dan and Debbie spent a quiet evening at home, on call for any of our guests who might’ve needed anything. Chris and I mixed it up a little: I asked to handle arrangements this year. I sent him on a fun little scavenger hunt to some of our favorite places; the last clue brought him home to a candlelit dinner in front of the fireplace and a bottle of wine from one of our favorite Virginia wineries.

We hope you had a Valentine’s Day that was just as wonderful.

"The Big Day" Bridal Show Today!

Don't forget to stop by and visit us today at the "The Big Day" Bridal Show at the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center. We've got a nice spot right across from our friends with the Fredericksburg Trolley company, right at the end of one of the rows.

"The Big Day" runs from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. More than 100 exhibitors will be on hand--not to mention our own Head Wedding Coordinator, Elizabeth, and her trusty assistant, Erin. Tickets at the door are $12. We hope to see you there!

And don't forget about our own Bridal Open House coming up next Sunday, February 23, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Our event is free, and will showcase our premier venues, historical cottages, and preferred vendors. Register today here!

Let it snow!

The mere mention of snow around these parts of Virginia sends people flocking to the grocery stores, where everyone stocks up on bottled water and batteries and, if they’re really smart, chocolate of some kind. But this week, we’re getting warnings for more than the usual dusting. It looks like Old Man Winter means business: the National Weather Service is calling for up to 12 inches between Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon.

The Log Home with a beautiful blanket of snow.

While everyone scrambles for milk and bread, I’m stacking firewood on the porches of all the houses here at the Ridge. After all, what better opportunity is there for cozying up in a rustic cabin, cuddled up by the fireplace with the orange glow of the fire flickering through the room?

I can envision an uncorked bottle of wine sitting on a coffee table and a pair of wine glasses catching the glint of the firelight...a vase of velvet-red roses...a warm hand-sewn quilt pulled close to a snuggling couple...a view outside of soft, quiet snow falling in fat, lazy flakes. Mmmmm..... Not a care in the world, right?

Though the weather might be daunting, our driveway will be plowed, our walkways shoveled, and our cottages stocked with plenty of firewood to keep those snowy evenings romantic and cozy.

With Valentine’s Day coming up Friday, we’re booked solid for Friday, and we have only two houses open on Saturday(the Civil War House and the Riddick House). Of course, the weather may frighten some people away, so feel free to check for availabilities if you’re looking for a last-minute getaway.

Speaking of Valentine’s Day, I told Chris that *I* was making our plans this year. I’d better get to the grocery store to pick up a few things—before everyone snatches up all the chocolate!

Six more weeks of winter?

Post Office Living Room

The groundhog said six more weeks of winter. That's good news for us at Stevenson Ridge: this has been a very busy winter for us. Many last minute guests are taking advantage of the wood-burning fireplaces and cozy cabins- rushing in for a romantic winter getaway. Maybe the groundhogs prediction means business will keep blooming!

Aside from all the Inn guests and weddings we have had, it has been bridal show season, so we have taken Stevenson Ridge on the road a bit.

Regardless of what Punxsutawney Phil says, though, things should quiet down for us a little over the next month and a half. Frankly, we could use a little breather--especially since spring, when it gets here, will be jam-packed with stuff. We also have a very special event of our own coming up in April. I'll share details soon!

Investigating our earthworks

Historian Kris White came to Stevenson Ridge lately to help investigate a mystery behind our earthworks.






One of the things that makes Stevenson Ridge such a historic property are the Civil War earthworks that wind through our woods. The National Park Service has called them the best-preserved privately owned earthworks in the region.

But there’s a mystery behind them: They face in the wrong direction!

For most people, it might be hard to tell. After all, most earthworks look like nothing more than humps of dirt bulging up from the ground in a long line. But most earthworks also have a ditch on one side or the other. The soldiers stood in those ditches, behind their big mounds of dirt, for protection.

Based on the location of the two armies in May of 1864, the Union army should have been facing toward the west and south. However, our trenches face toward the northeast—whoops!

Our historian, Chris, has been wondering about that lately. He has started to map the earthworks and our trails using a GPS system. But because the earthworks are facing the wrong direction, he’s trying to figure out why.

For help, he called in his friend and co-author, Kris White. They’ve written a book about the battle of Spotsylvania Court House called A Season of Slaughter. According to Chris, “No one I know knows how to figure out a piece of ground better than Kris.”

So Chris and Kris went pounding through the woods the other day on a mission to solve the mystery. “It’ll take some research,” says Kris.

I’ll keep you posted!

Engagement Season...

It seems like the phone on Elizabeth’s desk has been ringing off the hook these days. As our head wedding coordinator, she’s been getting a lot of calls from excited brides-to-be this season. December, it turns out, is a popular month to get engaged.

Yes, a lot of lucky ladies found a ring wrapped up under the Christmas tree this year. But even before Old St. Nick made his midnight call, a lot of guys popped the question. The period between Thanksgiving and New Years offers a lot of opportunities for families to get together, and that, of course, means plenty of opportunities for newly engaged couples to share the big news with their loved ones and show off the ring!

Once the dust settles and the couple starts talking about logistics and dates, Elizabeth’s phone starts ringing. She’s been talking about venue availability, setting up initial meetings, and letting people know about our new catering services.  She’s been having a blast—so keep those calls coming.

Congratulations to all our newly engaged couples!