One of the first things we decided upon our friends’ moving back to the East Coast was planning a fall trip with them to Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. We are all big-time mountain views kind of people and thought the promise of crisp fall weather and apple orchard visits were too delightful to resist. We found a cozy condo rental at the beautiful Wintergreen Resort (near where we stayed for my bachelorette party!) that had the most breathtaking views that we could enjoy on the balcony or out of the near floor-to-ceiling glass windows. It was the perfect weekend getaway and I’d love to share some of my favorite snaps with you!

The weather could not have been better, even if we seemingly experienced all four seasons in less than 48 hours. The air was crisp in the mornings – ideal for sipping our coffees on our balcony overlooking the valley. The days warmed up to the mid-70s with sunny, clear skies. It was almost to the point of annoyance as we were apple-picking and carrying the babies up the mountain. That didn’t last long though; before we knew it, a storm blew in and dropped the temperature by almost twenty degrees.

I would have been perfectly content if we spent the entire weekend at our rental, or at least on the resort grounds. The foliage was absolutely stunning – the hues of gold, orange, and red glowed among the tree line and through the hills. And can we talk about this view from the living room?! The only bad thing was the wide, comfy armchair faced the wall opposite the mountain view – ha!

Being so close to Route 151, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to play at some of our favorite establishments. We started our outing at 12 Ridges Vineyard for a flight and food, before a glass at Veritas – my favorite winery in all of Virginia. Before making our way back to our rental, we made one last stop at Silverback Distillery for a smoked bourbon cocktail. I had the Cozy Old Fashioned, which was basically fall in a glass!

If you’ve been a long-time reader, you may remember me mentioning the annual trip Jody and I have taken to Carter’s Mountain Apple Orchard. Just east of Charlottesville, it is a must-do on any fall bucket list. We ended our trip with a visit before heading home. Apple picking was a bit more challenging with two littles in tow, but the warm cider donuts and a bag full of Fuji and Granny Smith’s made it all worth it.

By the end of the weekend, it was decided that we wanted to make this an annual weekend trip with our families. We just love this area so much and visiting during the peak foliage season with our best friends and our girls made this one of the best weekends of the entire year.

Thank you for indulging in these sweet memories with me!