Wayside Inn

I really wanted to give them at least 3 stars, but can’t. The room was clean, service was fine — but you need to be prepared for the ambiance.
America’s first roadside inn, dating back to 1797… which may, sadly, include the mattress. Antique furniture is great — but not so much the mattress.
Yes, this building has amazing historic charm. You can see the various expansions to which the structure was subject. But be aware that nearly every step or motion you make in your room can be heard. I was literally awoken by the sound of the person in the room above rolling over during the night. Yes, they do «ghost weekends» — which I’m sure are a thrill given the squeaky floors, furniture that bangs simple because you walk past, or open a door on the opposite site of the room. And I won’t even mention the sound of the plumbing.
So…, on the other hand, if you were hoping for a romantic weekend, this might not be the place for you.
Breakfast was included — and the coffee was excellent, which was essential given the poor night’s sleep. Scrambled eggs were made with peppers and ham and were above average. Sausage gravy was average. The biscuits were cold, and we had breakfast in the first hour. French toast was strange and dry looking. They offered «blueberry pancakes or eggs to order upon request», but seemed surprised when asked for some. The eggs were ordered over hard, but were not fully cooked. The pancakes were loaded with blueberries — but had been prepared with too much bacon grease on the griddle.

Our family lives in Shenandoah County near Woodstock, VA. Last week my 89 year old mother and I needed to vacate our home due to the application of an epoxy based foam insulation. Mom uses a walker and is rather frail. While chain hotels were available, we opted to stay at the Wayside Inn which is a regional treasure. From the standpoint of handicapped accessibility, this may not have been the easiest of options, but with regard to gentility, compassion, accommodation and service, it was superlative. The innkeepers, Becky and George made us feel right at home, assisted us with belongings, found the best bed (height) for my mother, even opened a little used dining room directly across from my mother’s room to minimize the amount of effort she needed to exert to get to breakfast.
May I also say that the breakfasts were phenomenal including the coffee (which is rarely the case). We sat for over an hour each morning enjoying our meal while chatting with George (also breakfast chef), Betty and their staff. Mom never felt rushed and could complete her meal without sensing that she had irritated anyone because she ate so slowly. Dinner was also excellent as was the wait staff.
Overall, my only lament is that this unique Inn is not utilized more by local as well as vacationing customers. For those living nearby, please think of it when accommodating guests or treating yourself to a pleasant get away evening For visitors to the northern Shenandoah Valley, its a wonderful opportunity to stay at a historic, beautifully appointed inn, one which will linger in your fond memories of favorite vacation spots.

We made a 6:30 reservation last evening and then planned to go to the Wayside Theater that is just down the street for an 8 pm performance. There was no one at the hostess stand when we arrived, and we had to go in the restaurant to find some one to seat us. This should have signaled to us that the service was going to be slow even though the reatuarnt was not even half full. It took forever to even get a glass of water, then wait and wait for the appetizer and salad. The appetizer (5 little shrimp) was ok, but the cocktail sauce was watery and the presentation was non-​existent (5 shrimps laying bare on a white salad plate costing $ 10.) Then, the salad.. . iceberg lettuce with barely ripe tomatoes. McDonald’s is better. Then, the wait started for our entrees. We watched the clock ticking.. . no waitress coming by.. . no food. Finally at 7:45 we stood up and called the hostess and said we had to leave to go to the theater. We paid for the wine, salad, appetizer which wasn’t cheap, then rushed to the theater.. . still hungry. By the time we got out of the play, all the restaurants were closed. So, we went to bed hungry that night. Obviously, we felt really «burned» by this restaurant and will never go back.

Completely adorable, America’s first roadside inn, dating back to 1797, has a wide array of rooms and prices. Well worth a trip off the beaten path. We HIGHLY recommend it!

We stayed the night for our anniversary, and it was an excellent choice. The New owners made us fell very welcomed. We loved exploring the various rooms, and antiques. The bed was very comfortable and the full breakfast was great. We will be going back.

This inn is under completely new ownership since December 2013 so any bad reviews need to be disregarded. The new owners are really terrific.
My daughter and I happened upon this inn late one afternoon with no reservation. We were welcomed with open arms and we stayed in a lovely room. The room we stayed in was large, very clean and very comfortable. The food was excellent, breakfast was cooked to order and the owners are very knowledgeable about the area and could recommend places to visit and give us excellent directions. They bought the inn after a period of less than attentive ownership, so there is work to be done, but we had an excellent experience overall. Anyone visiting Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Site will find this an ideal spot to stay overnight.

Hidden historic gem in the Shenandoah Valley. This Inn is 4 miles off 81 but definitely worth the quick scenic drive. George and Becky, the owners, made us feel at home. There are a variety of room sizes all filled with beautiful antiques. We are looking forward to our next stay at the Wayside. s

I went here about two years ago for lunch and it’s a neat place to visit since it’s been around since 1797. We ate at the bar and had their famous peanut soup and some liquor drinks which was a good combination. It’s also a great place to refuel yourself after some antique shopping in Middletown. If you are looking to splurge on a romantic dinner, they have an extensive menu in the antique dining rooms.

We really wanted to enjoy this place — it has a wonderful history and feel and the staff were very friendly. But the food was ordinary, service slow and it felt drafty. Two of our oil laps went out. Our corn pudding looked like it was scraped off the bottom of a pan, and there was no mac and cheese. The sweet potatoes were cloying. Highlights were rack of lamb and chocolate cake — very tasty.

Under the right ownership, this could be an amazing Inn. However, new owners are not always a good thing…
Clearly, the new owners of the Wayside Inn have yet to understand that in small town hospitality and customer service are your two strongest assets.
We recently held a large party in the local area. I suggested to my friends that they stay at the WI because it is historical and near by, and because a small pub is attached to the Inn itself. The Inn has survived years in a less the stellar location, due to local reputation for good food and service. Sadly in recent years the quality of both hit bottom and the Inn was put up for sale.
The two new owners from Northern Virginia seem to be under the impression that people are just dying to drive out of their way to stay at The Wayside Inn; they should know it only take a few bad experiences to spread across Front Royal, Winchester, Stasburg, and Stephens City and zap!.. no business.
My family visited the owners to let them know a fair sized party of drinkers in their mid-30’s would be coming by for post party drinks and would likely be staying until last call. The owners said they would keep the pub open for us, no problem. They also gave all the folks staying 10% off their rooms… fantastic!
Unfortunately, one of the couples we refered to the Inn checked in to find that their queen sized room had been accidentally given to another guest by mistake; they were then down graded to a full (instead of upgrading them to an available King to make amends for their mistake… Kings were still available at 12:30 that night… trust me I checked!) and then charged them the SAME RATE as they were going to be charged for the queen!
Although my parents and few other of the older guest staying at the Inn warned the owners that we were on our way to the pub and would be there all night, the poor bartender still had to beg the owners to keep the pub open until last call (in Virginia that is usually around 1:30am, all drinks off the bar by 2am!!). Just before 2am the owner came out and told us to «Get Out!» …wow! OK, by this point we were already outside on the porch finishing drinks, we had already WAY overtipped the bartender (each person tipped as much as they paid for drinks or more; I know for a fact we left a $ 60 tip on $ 50!!) and we hadn’t caused any problems. Needless to say a few of my friends had some colorful remarks to make as they stormed off to their rooms or near by hotel. Can you blame them? Even the bartender was ticked and took up for us! We took excellent care of him, we behaved nicely, and here this guy comes out and doens’t say…“thanks for your patronage guys, but it’s time to go.”, but immediately starts with…“GET OUT!”…ah, what?
Then the next morning they berated two of our guest for being drunk and mean. Uh, those two guest weren’t even THERE when we were asked to leave.
Oh, and the owner really screwed himself. The bartender booked 10 of my friends for brunch the next morning, but because the owner was so RUDE, only 2 kept their reservations.
I have to say the issue that urks me the most is the unwillingess to fix the room mistake. Instead of offering them free brunch or a lesser rate for the down grade or an upgrade for the same price, they just kept blaming it on the new girl in training. LAME!
My advice: Save your money and wait until these folks go under and new owners buy this little gem! Maybe they’ll know how to treat paying customers!