Earth Day can trace its origins to Virginia. And more than 50 years later, the NoVA countryside is still one of the best places to celebrate it. These three eco-friendly inns in and around Northern Virginia consider the environment year-round, not just on April 22.
Airlie
This peaceful, LEED-certified hotel on 300 acres in Warrenton has been committed to sustainability since its opening in 1961. It even has a place in Earth Day history. In 1969, Senator Gaylord Nelson presented the concept of Earth Day at a conference at Airlie. The first national celebration followed here in 1970. Its organic garden, established in 1998, is now a feature of Airlie Berkshire Farm. The sustainable working farm supplies ingredients for the hotel’s restaurant and the greater community, including local food banks. Kitchen scraps are composted, and “everything from grease to lamps” is recycled. 6809 Airlie Rd., Warrenton
Goodstone Inn
Luxury and sustainability go hand-in-hand at Middleburg’s Goodstone Inn. The boutique hotel features an award-winning farm-to-table restaurant and 18 suites and cottages spread over 265 acres. Ingredients are sourced from its on-site working farm. These include eggs for breakfast and honey from its 13 beehives. Guests can learn all about the inn’s regenerative farming practices, from crop rotation to pollinator-friendly plant selection, on a guided tour. And in 2022, the Inn began to eliminate plastic bottles by installing a Vivreau water system across the property. 36205 Snake Hill Rd., Middleburg
Salamander Middleburg
This 168-room luxury resort in Virginia’s horse and wine country was built from the ground up to LEED standards. Of the 340 acres that make up the expansive property, around 200 are permanently protected under a conservation easement. Eighty acres were dedicated to the Potomac Conservancy, which maintains the resort’s network of nature trails. The hotel’s signature restaurant, Harrimans Grill, draws on its 2-acre culinary garden for fresh, seasonal ingredients. Additional ingredients are sourced from local and regional producers — and it’s consistently been on our 50 Best Restaurants list. 500 N. Pendleton St, Middleburg
Feature image of Goodstone Inn by Maddy Williams Photography
