Inn at Eagles' Watch

A luxury bed and breakfast set in one of Virginia's few surviving 17th-century brick dwellings — the original structure dates to roughly 1685 and is listed on both the state and national historic registers. It was carefully rehabilitated in the early 1980s with guidance from Colonial Williamsburg's architectural research team.

The inn sits on a bluff above the Chickahominy River, surrounded by about 5,000 acres of protected gamelands, which means bald eagles, herons and near-total quiet. Common areas include a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows onto the river and a study full of books and artifacts recovered from the property. The innkeeper cooks, and multi-course dinners can be arranged in advance — worth doing, since the nearest restaurants are around 30 minutes away.

Practical notes

• Only a handful of rooms; book well ahead
• Halfway between Richmond and Hampton Roads, about 30 minutes from Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown
• The Virginia Capital Trail runs through Charles City County nearby, popular with cyclists
• No property Wi-Fi historically, though cell coverage is good — check current status when booking