George Washington slept here. So the old adage goes.

From inns to taverns, the first U.S. president made countless pit stops throughout the North and Mid-Atlantic during the Revolutionary War and his presidency. While most of these locations can only claim Washington may have visited, the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia can say with certainty he walked there. Why else would they name the 136-mile stretch of historic towns, buildings and homes The Washington Heritage Trail? He represented this area as an elected official (his first) in the Virginia House of Burgesses, defended it during the French and Indian War and sourced soldiers from here for the Revolutionary War.

The Carriage Inn, Charles Town, WV

Nestled in the region are a number of West Virginia bed and breakfasts with ties to Washington and America’s rich, storied past. History is never too far way from Charles Town’s Hillbrook Inn; the land the inn was built on c. 1700 once belonged to George Washington. The bed and breakfast brings together luxurious accommodations, including private cottage suites, wrapped in Tudor-style architecture. Also located in Charles Town, The Carriage Inn Bed and Breakfast is in close proximity to famous Civil War battlefields at Harpers Ferry, Antietam and The Shenandoah Valley. Built in 1840, the inn offers fireplaces, canopy beds and Jacuzzi tubs in some of its seven spacious rooms.

Shepherdstown’s Thomas Shepherd Inn, with its 6 cozy rooms in classic décor, original hardwood floors and guest library with access to a private porch, was built in 1868 as housing for the pastor of a Lutheran church. Claymont Court and Happy Retreat, both Washington family homes, are located nearby in Jefferson County. The 3-room Cider Mill House in Hedgesville is an active, working farm that has had eleven owners over the last 200 years. Follow the trails around the stone house left behind by Native Americans and explore the area where arrow heads and tools have been found.

While Washington may or may not have stayed at these inns, he surely left a trail of history in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. This President’s Day, take a trip over to the region, stay at a B&B and walk in Washington’s footsteps!

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