Stoney Creek Golf

Stoney Creek Golf is just a few minutes of drive from Fenton Inn and is one of 50 Best Golf Courses in the world by Conde Nast Traveler magazine! It is located in Rockfish Valley and has restaurant and pro shops.

Far in the distance on a mountain top you can see condominiums of Wintergreen . Stoney Creek Golf is open year round and is $ 39-79 for 18 holes / $29-54 for 9 holes. This prices will include golf cart, range balls and pre game practice.

                                With 27 holes total you will find golf cart very handy.

If you want to learn golf, you came to the right place. At Stoney Creek they offer private lessons, clinics and much more. Each day at 11 a.m you can join the golf clinic for only $30.

After a round of golf surrounded by vistas of Blue Ridge Mountains you should treat yourself to some great food at Stoney Creek Bar and Grill. After day full of adventures head back to the comfort of Fenton Inn and enjoy couples massage or soak at the hot tub.

Wildlife in the woods near the Fenton Inn

                                      

This opossum is pretending to be invisible as it holds to a small tree about four feet up.  We were not fooled, but undeterred the possum kept up the pose for a while until we finally walked away.  I guess he will think it worked and we never found him.  The opossum is a very ancient animal, unchanged for millions of years.  Despite being one of the oldest species of mammals, they usually live only a few years.  They grow fast and mature quickly, having up to a dozen babies in a litter that they carry around in their pouch.

A baby box turtle in its first weeks of life.  Like the opossum, turtles have been around unchanged for a long and move at the same slow pace.  But unlike the opossum, the box turtle can live for a century.

                                                   Another picture of the baby box turtle.

We have a resident male turtle that we have seen in the same area of the woods for years.  Sometimes he  takes a stroll down the Fenton Inn Main Street.  No sign of the rabbit, so we declared him the winner when he went through the arch in the clock tower.

A close up of the adult male box turtle.  Note the red eyes, which indicate his gender or a late night down at the brewery.  Perhaps that is where he lost the rabbit.

Winter adventures on Wintergreen Mountain

After a tasty breakfast at Fenton Inn, head up for some fun winter adventures on Wintergreen Mountain.

One of our favorite activities is snow tubing at the Plunge. Depending on weather conditions you can reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour, so be ready to hear a lot of screaming from happy families around you.  You can connect several tubes together and enjoy this thrill ride as a group. 

At the bottom of the hill you will enter the conveyor lift that will effortlessly bring you back to the  beginning of the ride.  Snow tubing sessions are 90 minutes long and designed for ages 6 and up.

On the right side of the Plunge you can see Eagles Swoop run.

            Night skiing goes till 9 pm and it can be a lot of fun having the slopes all to yourself .

If you still have some energy left after snow tubing and skiing,  you can test your balance at Shamokin Ice .  Sessions are also 90 minutes long and you can bring your own skates.

Let it snow at the Fenton Inn!

                                                    

 

Well, after a very warm fall and early winter, we finally got a double storm front that dropped about 24 inches of very powdery snow.  The high winds overnight made some very high drift on Main Street, making it look much more like three or more feet came down.  Now, where did I leave my snow shovel?

The curved bay window with the snow drift touching the glass.  Even more snow fell on the fountain from the clock tower roof almost covering the lion’s head.   A good day to go out skiing.

 

A view of the Blue Ridge Express chair lift on Wintergreen Mountain.  Unlike most ski slopes, you park at the top of mountain, ski down, then take a lift back up to the top.  There is a good mix of gentle slopes, snow board park, and a few steeper runs.  There is even a ski through tunnel under the road that connects the more advanced slopes with the main ski area.

 

 

View to Upper Dobie.  All slopes have snow making and lights for night skiing.  Often only the ski slopes have snow, but after two feet of snow, the neighboring mountains all look formal decked out in white snow.

Potato Patch is a small run with a lift perfect for beginners and children.  Prior to the ski resort starting in the late 1970s, the top area of the mountain had a farm with a potato patch in this area.  Now most of the potatoes on the mountain come as French fries in the several restaurants and hamburger stands on the mountain top.

 

One of the more advanced slopes called Eagles Swoop for those that want a bit of speed as they imagine themselves on an Olympic slalom race.  So enjoy the winter before it melts, either by skiing or just watch the snow fall from the warm comfort of your room at the Fenton Inn.