Anyone who has been inside The Greenbrier will tell you it is unlike any other resort in America.
The Greenbrier, located in West Virginia’s beautiful Allegheny Mountains, has a long and fascinating history, including a unique relationship with Washington, D.C. This sprawling luxury retreat, beloved by generations of United States presidents, is located just outside White Sulphur Springs, where nature has beckoned high-society families and dignitaries since 1778.
More than 200 years later, The Greenbrier remains as iconic as ever. In fact, it is the only West Virginia resort to make our 2025 South’s Best Resorts list.
This luxury resort is so much more than golf, dress codes, and Dorothy Draper’s vibrant colors and bold patterns—which are plentiful. The Greenbrier also provides a unique glimpse into a little-known period in American history.
The Greenbrier has hosted 28 US presidents over the years, beginning with Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore, who stayed there so frequently that it became known as the summer White House. Since then, it has hosted more than a dozen presidents, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower, and George W. Bush.
The Greenbrier has done more for the country than simply house its heads of state. During WWII, the United States Army converted it into a 2,000-bed hospital known as Ashford General Hospital, which treated over 24,000 soldiers from 1942 to 1946 before being converted back into a hotel.
Perhaps most notably, during the Cold War era of the 1950s, the United States government built a secret fallout shelter and relocation facility for Congress beneath The Greenbrier. The bunker remained in a “constant state of readiness” until 1992, when it was decommissioned and declassified. It is now open for public tours.
Today The Greenbrier, now officially designated as a National Historic Landmark, has 710 rooms, six Estate Homes, and 64 Greenbrier Cottages.
It also has several restaurants and shops, a 40,000-square-foot spa, award-winning golf courses, fishing, swimming, and other activities. Make sure to visit the Presidents’ Cottage Museum to learn more about this legendary location’s presidential history.
