The South’s signature resorts are more than just places to sleep.
Groups traveling through the region will find a plethora of properties in spectacular settings, from the Ozark Mountains and the Gulf Coast to the rugged forests of West Virginia, that offer a chance to relax, play a round of golf or tennis, explore nature, get a deep tissue massage or float along a lazy river.
Consider a stay at one of these distinctive properties to add a touch of fun and luxury on your group’s next trip through the South.
The Resort at Glade Springs
Daniels, West Virginia
The Resort at Glade Springs is in a gated community in Daniels, West Virginia, only a short drive from the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, one of the state’s most popular attractions.
The 200-room resort features an 18-hole championship golf course, designed by prolific golf course architect George Cobb, that is considered one of the best courses in West Virginia. Two other championship golf courses are nearby and accessible to resort guests.
Groups can book time at the Cobb course and even host a tournament, depending on the size of the group. Spa Orange offers a full range of spa and beauty treatments, including massages, facials, cupping therapy, body wraps and aromatherapy. And during the winter months, guests can take a shuttle to nearby Winterplace Ski Area.
The resort has tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, an eight-lane bowling alley, an arcade, indoor and outdoor pickleball courts and an escape room designed by resort staff. There are four on-site restaurants, including a sports bar and a café.
During the holidays, Glade Springs offers different special events. In October, the resort features a haunted attraction called Fright Night. And in December, the resort celebrates with a Holiday Lights Trail, an immersive walk-through experience that includes a snowball fight area, gourmet hot chocolate and cookies. The resort can also organize excursions to the national park.
Groups can book traditional lodge rooms or multi-bedroom accommodations with full kitchens.
Grand Hotel Golf Resort and Spa
Point Clear, Alabama
Situated on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, the Grand Hotel Golf Resort and Spa is in the scenic coastal community of Point Clear, overlooking Mobile Bay. Groups visiting the resort can play 36 holes of golf on the Dogwood and Azalea courses, which feature rolling fairways and tight greens, lakes, streams and stands of mature trees. The courses were renovated under the direction of the Robert Trent Jones Trail team and offer championship layouts.
The resort is also known for its 20,000-square-foot, full-service spa. During the week, the spa offers day passes that allow guests access to the steam rooms, sauna, whirlpools, relaxation room, indoor pool and fitness center.
Sports enthusiasts will enjoy playing tennis or pickleball on the property or spending the day splashing around in the large outdoor pool, zooming down the waterslide or relaxing in the lazy river. The resort offers pickleball lessons and clinics. Croquet is also a popular pastime at the resort, which began offering the sport in the 1940s. Now, guests can play on two championship Six Wicket Golf Croquet lawns at the Lakewood Club.
The resort has several dining options, from a poolside grill to the Grand Hall, which features a classic breakfast menu and extensive Sunday brunch. Bayside Grill offers cuisine made from ingredients sourced from local farms and the resort’s Estate Garden, while the 1847 bar offers crafted cocktails, wines and local libations. Southern Roots offers farm-to-table fare.
Grandover Resort and Spa
Greensboro, North Carolina
Grandover Resort and Spa is located on 1,500 acres just outside Greensboro. The 244-room resort, which opened in 1999, underwent a major renovation and rebranding starting in 2017. Since then, every part of the resort has received either a full renovation or a major refresh.
Before COVID, the resort specialized in conferences and events, but during the pandemic, it shifted its focus to the leisure market. Now, the staff happily caters to both crowds. It is a major golf destination with two 18-hole golf courses designed by David Graham and Gary Panks. The Golf Academy at Grandover helps guests of all ages improve their golf swing and mental focus, offering personal, group and corporate group instruction, half day clinics and family fun golf instruction.
The resort’s spa offers massages, reflexology, facials, manicures and pedicures, aromatherapy, heat therapy, foot scrubs, waxing and dry brushing.
An art gallery on-site celebrates North Carolina artists and features paintings, mixed media, watercolor, metalworks and photography, along with handcrafted jewelry, woodworking, sculpture and pottery. Groups can also enjoy the indoor and outdoor pools. During the summer months, guests can enjoy weekly water aerobics classes. There is a fitness center and yoga studio, tennis, sand volleyball, and miles of hiking and biking trails. Café Expresso offers arcade games, tabletop shuffleboard and billiards. For a more upscale dining experience, groups can try DiValletta Restaurant.
Margaritaville Resort and Family Entertainment Center
Biloxi, Mississippi
Margaritaville Resort Biloxi overlooks Deer Island and the Mississippi Sound. The property has 373 guest rooms and plenty of dining and entertainment options to keep its guests occupied. The resort’s 55,000-square-foot Escape family entertainment center is the largest in Mississippi, offering more than 250 arcade games, like Super Mario Kart; life-size Pac-Man; Skee Ball and air hockey; a 48-foot volcano rock wall; the Sky Trail Ropes Course, which has 14 sky obstacles to climb; the Sky Rail zip line; and the Sky Tykes ropes course for kids.
Escape also has Maxflight, a full-motion, cockpit-size theme park loaded with 18 simulations, from undersea adventures to a wild aerial dogfight controlled with a joystick. The facility also has six lanes of mini-bowling, where groups can play a traditional game, unique mini-games or customized competitions.
Paradise Pier is the resort’s latest offering, with roller coasters, a Ferris wheel and other amusement park rides, refreshments and wonderful views of the Mississippi Sound and Gulf Coast.
The resort has a rooftop water playground with a 450-foot lazy river, a lounge pool, water slides and giant flip-flops that allow guests to hop across the pool. There is a water ropes course and a swim-up bar. The resort has plenty of dining options, from a coffee shop and snack shack to a pizza parlor, Margaritaville Café and an outlet of Doe’s Eat Place, a James Beard Award-winning restaurant that offers freshly cut steaks.
margaritavilleresortbiloxi.com
Crescent Hotel and Spa
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Nestled in the Ozark Mountains, the historic Crescent Hotel and Spa was built as a luxury retreat for wealthy travelers in 1886. The governor of Arkansas at the time knew the area needed a grand resort hotel to cater to the many travelers headed to Eureka Springs to tap into the area’s reputation as a healing retreat.
The property hasn’t always been a hotel. In fact, it served as a college for women and a cancer clinic for a time before being converted back into a hotel in 1946. The resort was bought in 1997 by a couple determined to preserve the historic structure. The building now features Victorian color schemes, hand-stenciled walls and historical furnishings with all the modern conveniences.
In 2008, four two-bedroom treetop cottages were added to the hotel’s 15-acre mountaintop property. A new glass-enclosed conservatory was added for hosting events, and the New Moon Spa was added to the garden level of the hotel.
Groups staying at the resort can play family games on the back porch, enjoy the spa fitness room, or explore a nature trail and cave on the property. The hotel also offers a Crescent Hotel history tour, ghost tour and self-guided scavenger hunt. The Frisco Sporting Club offers hatchet throwing, yard games and live music.
The hotel has several dining options, including the Crystal Dining Room for breakfast or La Cena or Italian dinner. Skybar Gourmet Pizza also serves wings and calzones with stunning views, and Top of the Crest, the hotel’s rooftop bar, has a selection of drinks and desserts.
