The manor house at Glenlaurel-where a bag piper pipes you to dinner
When a trip to Scotland isn’t doable, Glenlaurel in Ohio’s Hocking Hills is a Scottish fix. Fashioned after the manor houses,crofts and cottages of the Scottish Highland, Glenlaurel is a romantic getaway complete with a bagpiper and Robert Burns. In February, there’s a murder mystery to be solved.
Whether you’re an overnight guest or a person who relishes gourmet cuisine and dining entertainment, Glenlaurel’s Murder Mystery Dinner at the Glen is a way to lengthen a Valentine’s Day celebration and shake that dreadful feeling that can come with winter’s cold and grey.
The dinner, to be held on February 25, pairs a Glenlaurel 7-course meal with a murder mystery musical performed by the traveling theatre company-Random Acts. Musical Murder Mysteries are one of the specialties Random Acts performs across the U.S. Laced with humor and improv, lightheartedness is the key here. Not a bad idea for the end of February in Ohio.
Humor-filled Musical Murder Mysteries are a specialty
The Hocking Hills and Glenlaurel are a fitting backdrop for such an endeavor. Glenlaurel is where fog and mist reside in the early morning and the landscape is a series of craggy nooks and wooded trails made for wandering and contemplation.
The manor house, with its warm walnut beams, stuccoed walls and stone fireplace details is where the Scottish theme begins. A bagpiper greets guests if they arrive to dine on a Saturday night. This is also where a Robert Burns poem is read before dinner is served. And what a dinner it is.
The beginnings of a 6 or 7 course meal
Along with the main course that ranges from the rack of lamb (on Saturday nights) to beef, pork, duck, or pheasant depending upon the day, and seafood on Fridays, the culinary creations of the Executive Chef are made fresh daily from local ingredients season permitting.
If heading to Hocking Hills isn’t doable for you the last weekend in February, there are other reasons to make the trip at another time. Glenlaurel is where pampering might have been invented.
The bedroom of one of the cottages
First, there’s the complimentary homemade shortbread that comes with each lodging option. The shortbread flecked with ginger is something I still think about and it’s been awhile since I’ve had some.
Then there’s the wellness center that offers yoga, reflexology and a variety of massage treatments–both at the center or in the privacy of your room or cottage. Each cottage–named after a prominent person in Scottish history, and each croft–a smaller version of the cottages, has a hot tub on a private deck and a garden area where you can hang out in a hammock in warmer weather. The hot tub, though, is for year round pleasure.
Cottages and crofts also have fireplaces for relaxing by and furnishings you wish you owned. If you walk along the trails that wind through the property, you’ll see items like garden benches that guests have given to Glenlaurel to commemorate their excellent stays– stays that are repeated again and again.
A stone fireplace to chase away the winter's chill
For less expensive accommodations in the quiet loveliness that Glenlaurel offers, the manor house and carriage house have four guest rooms and three suites between them. At this time of year, it’s possible to book a one night stay if you come mid-week.
I was fortunate to be a guest of Glenlaurel once upon a time and could not believe my good fortune. The only downside–all that romance was spent by myself. I think hubby and I need to make a weekday jaunt.
By the way, this is an adult only establishment.
*Cost for the Murder Mystery dinner is $79. If you pair the dinner with an overnight stay (two nights minimum) lodging is 15% off. The room rate includes a gourmet breakfast. Rates: $159-$290 weeknights; $189-$349 weekends.
Glenlaurel, A Scottish Country Inn
14940 Mt. Olive Road
Rockbridge, Ohio 43149-9736
Toll Free: 800.809.REST (7378)
Local: 740.385.4070
Email: info@glenlaurel.com
Photos courtesy of Glenlaurel
Related Posts: Escape to Hocking Hills Ohio; Hocking Hills State Park– Logan, Ohio
