Realizing my husband and I hadn't really exchanged Christmas gifts this year, I made a snap decision to reserve a room for the two of us at a historical inn, somewhere interesting in it's own right, that provided breakfast and on-site meals or easy walking access to a couple local restaurants. I wanted to drive up, check in, and not return to the car the whole weekend; best-case scenario, we wouldn't leave the grounds.

After an hour or so of dreamy Internet searching, I narrowed my search to within a 3-hour drive of our house (we were only going away for two days, after all) and had nearly lost hope in finding a historical inn within our price range when, on a whim, I typed "Staunton, VA" into the search bar.

One of those rare songs imbedded in my subconscious is Kickin' Grass's version of "Dear Sarah," in which the narrator, a Civil War soldier, sings:

. "Dear Sarah I’m stuck on a train bound for Richmond.

. We marched down from Gurnstown uphill all the way.

. At the train stop in Stanton, we pulled up and climbed on. 

. Then we just sat there for a night and a day."

'Stanton', which is actually spelled "Staunton", was a key target in two big campaigns during the American Civil War. If you were looking to experience preserved local history, Staunton sounded like a good place to start.

When I typed "historical inn staunton," the Blackburn Inn was the first thing to come up. The photos of its vast grounds and buildings (many not yet renovated) were manifestations of my best-case-scenario, and the Inn was within easy walking distance to downtown Staunton, which houses many promising restaurants and shops.

"Please be less than $150 per night," I thought, clicking through various links on the inn's website to find the room rates. I eventually turned to Hotels.com and then Orbitz to search for reduced prices. At the top of their lists a couple queen-bed rooms for $94 a night, which were very small (not a problem) but didn't have a bathtub (problem). Next was a single "Deluxe Room, 1 Queen Bed, Bathtub". I looked at the photos of the room. There was a large flat-screen television; and the bathtub, which was an extra deep soaker tub, was placed like a work of art in the center of a big beautiful bathroom that was nearly as large as the room, itself. The price was $156/night, only six dollars more than my limit. I verified its availability that weekend, entered my credit card information, and booked it on the spot.

My husband and I left Durham three days later- Friday at 3:00, 40 minutes before my mother arrived to retrieve my kids from school and stay with them for the weekend. The drive was half an hour beyond my intended threshold, which toward the end seemed a long distance to travel for a 2-day getaway, but the drive was pleasant and picturesque (Staunton is located in the Shenandoah Valley in between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains of the Appalachian Mountains). What's more, the day was gray with the constant threat of rain - perfect weather for holing it up somewhere interesting.

It was dark by the time we pulled into the circular round-a-bout in front of the huge stately building that now housed our accommodation.

Walking up the immense front steps was like walking up the steps of a building in Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's nearby (?)

This is an amazing historic destination accommodation. It was a mental institution built in the 1820's and served for a recent short time as a prison, but it was built and re-built with the residents' best mental health mind. We experienced little if any bad vibes here. You can walk the entire grounds, most of which contain not-yet-renovated old buildings that were part of the institution. Across the road way behind the property (it's well worth walking across the property to get there) is the cemetery where residents were buried. Most graves are blank, but more recent ones have numbers on them and a few most recent have names, a clear sign that the human race is improving. We were lucky that the developer and his wife happened to be at the Inn while we were there. They gave us the 'family tour', and I encouraged them to make it into a book to sell in the gift shop. The history and beauty that remains in everything they have saved and incorporated into the design and decor of the place is palpable. The spiral staircase to what could be a terraced lighthouse overlooking Staunton is pure and timeless magic. "I wonder why they built it?" I asked. "Because they could," my husband responded. The architecture from every corner was almost overwhelming- I couldn't stop snapping photos and plan to write about the place. We stayed for $156/night, which is very affordable, particularly considering it included a deep bathtub and a picturesque European breakfast (served until 10) that happily satisfied us each morning (the pastries are locally made and delicious).