NEMACOLIN WOODLANDS RESORT
My idea of a brilliant camping experience is a chilly hotel room with the window open. No one would ever confuse me with an outdoorsman, but this kind of outdoorsman life? This I could get used to.
The Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, located in Farmington, PA about 90 minutes south of Pittsburgh, offers families looking for adventure a full service experience for all ages, perfect for finding a new hobby or taking an existing passion and wrapping it in style and luxury. I mean, c’mon, every room at the Chateau (shown above) has a full-size chandelier!
There is virtually nothing Nemacolin Woodlands Resort doesn’t offer. Really. From Fly Fishing to Off-Road Driving and Zip-Lining to Mini Golf, there are activities you love and at least one activity you’ve always wanted to try your hand at waiting for you at Nemacolin. And then there’s the winter sports — snowshoeing, tubing, dog sledding, skiing and more. Oh yeah, there’s also a wildlife center with lions, zebras and tigers, oh my! Pools, a gymnasium, a spa, rock climbing walls, equestrian trails, two golf courses, a casino, and a kids club’s. There’s even a companion resort, Nemacolin Wooflands, for your pets! See what I mean? Nemacolin has everything you want, even Fox Soccer Channel. No hotel TV ever has Fox Soccer!
The on-site food options are diverse and out of this world, with the 5 Diamond Lautrec leading the way as the resort’s crown jewel. Chef Kristin Butterworth and her team elevate expectations for how accessible gourmet food can be. The 7-course Chef’s Dinner I enjoyed there was a borderline religious experience for this foodie.
Mediterranean Sea Bass with Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes. Photo by: MochaDad
The soup awaits its broth at Lautrec. Photo by: MochaDad
The sprawling resort grounds provide ample space for an early morning jog or a relaxing late afternoon stroll with the kiddos.
The Nemacolin Shooting Academy is where you can try your hand at screaming “pull” and then blowing away clay targets out of the sky. I had never fired or even held a weapon before last week, yet with the quick guide tutoring of their expert shooting team, I was able to hit 7 out of 8 targets during the 2nd round of firing. My Olympic training begins post-haste 😉
The brand of luxury on offer at Nemacolin Woodlands does not come cheap, but as the expression goes: you get what you pay for. At this SW Pennsylvanian resort, you get substantial bang for your hefty buck. Nemacolin is the kind of place you’ll dream of returning to each and every year, but the financial realities of a life devoid of a stacked stock portfolio is more harsh. Still, a splurge once every 5 years or so will carry the day.
Photo of Yours Truly By: Chris Collard, Overland Journal Magazine
As if there wasn’t enough to do at Nemacolin, you simply must get back in your car at some point during your stay, or upon your tearful departure (parting is such sweet sorrow when you’ve been pampered like the King or Queen you are), to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterwork Kentuck Knob, and, a bit further away, his legendary Falling Water. The former is a mere 20 minute journey from Nemacolin and is worth every minute of the short trip. Your guided walk through and around the former residential home will inspire and leave you breathless, and also, possibly, have you figuring where you can work at least one hexagon into your adobe.
*I was put up and fed well at Nemacolin Woodlands, and taken on a tour of Kentuck Knob by Toyota during their 2014 Tundra Preview event. All opinions expressed above are honest and unbiased, as always.
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