The Other Washington

Washington, D.C.?  Not even close, well maybe - it's about 70 miles away.  Try Washington, Virginia.  This jewel of a town is just that, a rare gem of a place and let's hope it stays as unknown as it's more famous town is known.

The town of Little Washington as it's more commonly known, is a National Historic Landmark and Little Washington is little, more like an English village than a town, with a population of less than 150 people, not including two horses, one llama, a flock of sheep and a dozen or so chickens who live in an ornate chicken house with stained glass windows in the Historic District. To get a sense of the whimsical, you can sit on a bench in the center of the town and watch farmers driving John Deere tractors loaded with hay bales go by an antique Rolls Royce or stretch limos parked near the The Inn at Little Washington.

The town is known now not for its historic past but as the home of the renowned Inn at Little Washington, a swanky inn and restaurant that clearly caters to the upper crust. It's an expensive place to spend a weekend but well worth it according to those who have made the trip.

The town is dotted with a few small shops, another Inn or two (almost as pricey as it's more famous neighbor) and there is not much to do.  You can couple the trip with a visit to near-by Warrenton or Middleburg. It is simply pristine and untouched with a flavor unlike any small town in Virginia I've seen yet.

Let's hope it stays that way!