Featured image: Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards
About halfway through my annual drive from Nashville to D.C.–somewhere around the six-hour mark–I usually hit the wall. That’s when I start scanning highway signs for the usual suspects: a gas station sandwich, a Ruby Tuesday’s, maybe a budget motel with a dog-friendly policy and zero expectations. But this time, I took a different kind of detour. I turned off the highway and found myself winding through the hills of southern Virginia, where a sign for Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards pointed me toward what can only be described as a fall oasis.
When I pulled past the gate, I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. Golden, rolling hills. Rows of grapevines just past harvest. A warm breeze rustling through the trees. And at the heart of it all, a boutique luxury resort that felt more Napa than Virginia.
Set on 450 acres in Bristol, Virginia, Nicewonder feels like it was built for fall. The property backs up to the Blue Ridge Mountains, which come alive in October with vibrant reds, deep ambers, and golden canopies that seem to stretch forever. This isn’t just scenery, it’s an immersive experience.
I stayed in one of their nine yurts, and let me be clear: these aren’t glamping tents with string lights and s’mores kits. These are fully furnished luxury retreats with vaulted wood ceilings, heated floors, fireplaces, spa-like bathrooms with Byredo products, and private decks overlooking the woods. If you’re more of a traditionalist, The Inn offers 28 well-appointed rooms and suites, many with vineyard views and soaking tubs.
Upon arrival, I was welcomed with warm biscuits wrapped in a cloth napkin, paired with seasonal jam and a sorghum butter so good it almost made me cry. I don’t usually get emotional about carbohydrates, but after six hours on the road, this felt like divine intervention. After a few hours of relaxing on my private deck, I freshened up and walked down to the main Inn for dinner.
Dinner at the resort’s signature restaurant, Hickory, is worth the drive on its own. Led by Chef Travis Milton, the menu reads like a love letter to Appalachian cuisine. I enjoyed the roasted oysters in Old Bay butter, hearth-roasted carrots with romesco and chimichurri, and tender roast chicken so good I’m certain I made a few noises while eating it. I paired my dinner with a warming cocktail called By the Fire, which featured Elijah Craig bourbon, hickory bark syrup, vermouth, Luxardo cherry, and smoke. It was everything I love about this time of year in one sip: bold, earthy, just a little sweet. I finished my meal with an apple stack cake that tasted like fall wrapped in a hug.
The next morning, my dog and I walked the trails, weaving through trees, wide open fields, and eventually a creek. The air was so clean, the scenery so beautiful, I found myself repeatedly taking deep breaths, as though I was trying to inhale the feeling of the place. At breakfast, I enjoyed eggs from the resort’s own chickens, a berry yogurt parfait, and several cups of Wolf’s Run, a floral-meets-earthy tea blend from Appalachian Teas & Botanicals. Every bite, every pour, every plate at Nicewonder is thoughtful, seasonal, and genuinely good. The hospitality is truly warm and welcoming as well. I found the staff to be friendly, helpful, interesting, and engaging. Sometimes it can be awkward traveling and dining alone, but it never felt that way at Nicewonder. I enjoyed easy conversation throughout my stay — never forced, never intrusive.
Fall at Nicewonder offers something for just about every type of traveler. There are helicopter tours, guided hikes, holistic spa treatments if you want to relax, archery, and hatchet throwing if you’re feeling bold. There’s also mountain biking, paddleboard yoga, and of course, wine tastings. Nicewonder grows Viognier, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Petit Verdot grapes right on property. In the evenings, guests gather around the fire for s’mores.
On my final day at Nicewonder, I enjoyed a private golf cart tour of the grounds, and capped off my stay with a wine flight and a wood-fired pizza in the Tasting Room (get the Kristy: artichokes, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, crushed red pepper—it’s perfection). The wines were far better than I expected, honestly–each one distinct and well-crafted, but I especially loved the 2024 Heaven’s Corner, with its delicate notes of honeysuckle, white peach, and ripe apple, and the 2023 Petit Verdot, which was full-bodied, velvety, and laced with dark berries, espresso, and just enough spice to feel indulgent.
Nicewonder is a place to feel as much as it is one to lay your head. And in the fall, when the air is crisp and the mountains are glowing, it’s surely at its most beautiful. Whether you’re planning a long weekend or looking to break up a road trip like I did, it’s the kind of destination that reminds you luxury doesn’t always mean over-the-top. Sometimes, it’s just a soft bed, a perfect cocktail, and a trail through the trees with your dog by your side.
And sometimes, it’s knowing you’ve finally found your halfway point–and you’ll never settle for Ruby Tuesday’s again.
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