Fort Lewis Lodge
Bed and Breakfast and Restaurant

Fort Lewis Lodge is a rare combination of unpretentious elegance and exceptional comfort with a variety of lodging choices where every room has a view. Hosts John and Caryl Cowden dreamt of creating an inn to provide the finest accommodations for their guests, yet reflect the natural beauty of the area. In 1986, they made their dream a reality on the richness and sheer beauty of the land that led Colonel Charles Lewis to settle here more than two centuries ago. His vast 3,200-acre mountain farm, once known as Fort Lewis Plantation, has remained relatively unchanged over its two hundred year history.

The Main Lodge and Silo centers on a warm, welcoming gathering room and offers 12 cozily decorated guestrooms with locally hand-crafted shaker styled furniture. The attached glazed-tile silo has been renovated with a spiral staircase leading to three very private bedrooms-in-the-round. There's even a lookout on top for expansive views of rolling meadows and rugged cliffs towering above the river.

Cabins: For the ultimate romantic getaway, guests can choose an historic, hand-hewn log cabin. These one bedroom cabins feature Bob Timberlake-style furnishings, as well as large stone fireplaces, rocking chair porches, plus extra amenities like refrigerators and coffeemakers. All accommodations have access to the relaxing hot tub located on one of the lodge's many spacious decks.

The Riverside House, which is on the Lodge's upper tract, is a secluded location with spacious bedrooms and numerous porches. All this plus the Shenandoah Mountains on the horizon and the river down below...what a way to get away from it all!

Fort Lewis Lodge's estate of mountains and forests, fields and streams offers you countless activities outside the front door. Make a splash in the summer in one of Virginia's most beautiful rivers, the Cowpasture. The lodge's "swimming hole" brings back memories of innocent bygone days. Float downstream in an innertube, or just dangle your feet from the deck and breathe the clean mountain air. For the serious fisherman or weekend angler, the lodge offers miles of clean river teeming with fish. The Cowpasture holds a large population of smallmouth bass, and there are also rock bass just right for kids to catch. Rainbow Trout are stocked in the early spring, making the lodge a fisherman's paradise

A few steps from the lodge is the magnificently restored nineteenth-century Lewis Grist Mill, where a most delightful surprise awaits you: a cuisine that rivals the finest restaurants in the largest cities. "There are no boundaries. "I'm doing what I want to do with influences from all over," says Caryl Cowden of her contemporary American style cooking.

This vibrant mix of fresh tastes and interesting menus is enhanced by numerous side dishes comprised of vegetables just-plucked from the farm's own gardens, fresh breads and sumptuous desserts that have developed a reputation of their own among inn-goers.

Anticipation begins during social hour at Buck's Bar on the porch overlooking the twilight landscape. Guests enjoy ice cold beer and wine while comparing notes on fishing and hiking. John tends marinated beef, chicken, ribs or fresh seafood sizzling on the grills while heavenly aromas waft from the kitchen. Finally, the dinner bell announces the time has come to indulge in culinary delight in the congenial atmosphere of the informal dining rooms's eclectic decor. In the morning, guests gather again to indulge in a full breakfast, proving with every mouth-watering bite to be a successful start to the day.