Last August we took our family vacation at the Omni Homestead here in Virginia and we had such a wonderful time that we decided this August it would be fun to try another Omni location. We had been wanting to take the girls to Hershey Park for a while now. Lola is quite the thrill seeker and Hershey Park had quite a few roller coasters that she was tall enough for (including an upside down and backwards one!) so when we discovered that there was an Omni location in Pennsylvania we decided to combine the two and kind of do a two part family trip where we spent a few days over in the Bedford Springs area and then at the end of the week traveled to the Hershey/Lancaster area.

We arrived at the Omni Bedford Springs last Monday around dinner time. It was a beautiful drive up through the mountains and by lots of horse farms and when we pulled in the resort did not disappoint. I love old architecture and this place is beautiful. It’s an extremely long exterior which makes it rather difficult to photograph although they definitely have some better photos on their website.

The pool is particularly fascinating. When it debuted in 1905 it was one of the first indoor pools in the United States and musicians would serenade swimmers from the opera box. The spring-fed pool has now been fully restored and the subway tile around the pool and the pillars is the original tile from over a century ago! It was tricky for me to take any photos of the pool because I figured most people wouldn’t want their picture taken while they were swimming so I was only able to get one shot that only had little glimpses of my family and no one else. But here is a much better shot from their website:

I took a tour on Tuesday morning and found the history to be completely fascinating and I enjoyed it so much. A design firm from Richmond did all of the interiors when they reopened and the did an absolutely impeccable job. Every little detail was perfection from the light fixture, to the colors and all the architectural details.

The main entry into this hall with the gallery walls was my favorite part. I loved looking at all the old photos and reading the captions. There was even a copy of the transcript from the from the first ever transatlantic telegram that was sent from Queen Victoria to President Buchanan who was staying here at the Omni where he received it!

There were beautiful leather ottomans all throughout the hotel and fires burning in the fireplaces throughout the main lobby which was such a welcoming touch.

Lillie loved the little vanity area in the bathroom where she set up her nail polish – ha!

One of the things we enjoyed doing the most was hiking. We went on multiple hikes both Tuesday and Wednesday. The girls enjoyed it so much more than we thought they would.

We had so much fun exploring and swimming each day but I think our favorite part was making s’mores each night by the big firepit. We had such a wonderful relaxing time and look forward to visiting another Omni in the future. We’ve now visited Bedford Springs, the Shoreham and the Homestead and all of them have been absolutely amazing!