Strawberries

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Innkeeper

With many flowers in bloom, come and visit Oak Grove Plantation for two nights in May and enjoy sumptuous strawberry-centered breakfasts. Try treats like whole wheat strawberry pancakes and chocolate and strawberry stuffed French toast or maybe just strawberries with whipped cream.

Also, you can pick your own strawberries or buy them already picked at Reese’s Farm Fresh in Scottsburg. If you’d like to see more of Halifax County, you can also be treated to a tea at another B&Bs as part of a countywide promotion. The total two-day cost is $218 per couple and a bit less for singles.

There is a lot going on in May in Halifax County. Don’t miss the Heritage and Antique Machinery Festival  plus Noland Village Days in May, and the Virgilina Summerfest also in May. Here is Pickett’s Recipe

Strawberries Pancakes

Pickett's Strawberry Pancakes

Pickett's Strawberry Pancakes

3/4 c all-purpose flour
2 cups buttermilk
3/4c whole wheat flour
1 large egg
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teapoon baking soda
1 cup strawberries
3 tablespoons canola oil

Separately mix the dry and wet ingredients except the strawberries. Combine the dry and wet ingredients, leaving the mixture somewhat lumpy. Stir in the strawberries or add to each pancake while cooking. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake into a nonstick skillet and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Serve  warm. Makes 10 pancakes.

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Preparing for Your Visit

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Innkeeper

Spring is the time for romance, blossoms, baseball…and getting Oak Grove Plantation ready for visitors. Pickett, two teenager workers, a 6-year-old and I traveled from the Washington area to Cluster Springs the last week in March to get things ready for your visit. We open in May, and we’ll continue to serve guests through most of September.

One of our “helpers” was 6-year-old Mauricio Salmeron, whose main job was to entertain our dog, Bonnie. Mauricio repeatedly threw the ball to her and ran with her over the 400 acres, giving both of them needed exercise. The other reason Mauricio came was to take a week of swimming lessons at the local YMCA. He seemed to be laughing and happy all the way through the classes. Milton Moreno, age 17, is his uncle and did a good job of keeping Mauricio in tow. Milton and Victoria Murray, age 15, did good work vacuuming and dusting the nearly 200-year-old house and cleaning bathrooms.

My job was to drive the younger people into town, and I did my share of dusting, groundskeeping and vacuuming, too. But every chance I got, I took my bike out onto the open roads of Halifax County, where traffic is light, hills are modest and scenery is spectacular.

We can’t wait to see you this spring and summer. In May, we’re part of a month-long strawberry festival sponsored by B&Bs throughout Halifax County. Readers of this blog will get a special class in canning preserves in May if they ask us.

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Oak Grove Open for Business

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Innkeeper
Spring Flowers

Spring Flowers at Oak Grove Plantation

May is a great time stay at Oak Grove Plantation bed & breakfast. Pickett has opened the B&B for the season and is enjoying the honeysuckle, daisies, roses, irises and peonies that are in bloom this time of year. She has brought Bonnie (our poodle) with her for walks on the 400 acres of trails on the plantation grounds. A typical walk is a three-mile roundtrip on the spacious land.

May is also strawberry month. Come to Oak Grove for two nights in May and enjoy sumptuous strawberry-themed dishes such as strawberry pancakes and French toast stuffed with strawberries. You can also be treated to an afternoon tea.

Mike is eager to get to South Boston for a ride on the rolling hills and sparsely traveled roads. He expects to spend most of July and August down there.

If you can’t come in May, visit us this summer. There are events every month, including Fourth of July at Scottsburg and Red Hill, the Cantaloupe Festival July 27, auto racing at Virginia International Raceway and three musicals at the Prizery by a professional theater company.

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Dog-Gone Lonely (Guest Blogger)

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Innkeeper

Hi, everybody! My name is Bonnie and I’m a 5-year-old (large) poodle. I love staying with Our dog BonniePickett and Mike at Oak Grove Plantation, but I need another dog to play with to create some excitement. The guests eat lavish meals, while I stay on the back porch scarfing up the same old lamb and rice formula I get every day (ugh!).

They play lots of board games, but the dice and the pieces aren’t very tasty to me. And who cares about all that beautiful china if you can’t lick food off of it.

I need a friend to chase squirrels and birds with. OK, maybe we can’t catch them, but the fun is in the chase, right? I’ve got 400 acres and three miles of trails to run on, but these people are just plain too slow!

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So Much To Do, So Little Time

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Innkeeper

I just saw the Rolling Stones in South Boston for $10! Well, not exactly. I saw Sticky Fingers, a tribute band of guys that looked and sounded like Mick, Keith and crew, complete with British accents. If you didn’t get too close to the stage, you couldn’t tell the difference. The group even let the audience dance onstage. Now the real Stones wouldn’t do that (Remember Altamont?)

The faux Stones concert is just one of many cultural events popping up a town that is doing lots more to bring in entertainment. Across the street the same night was “Dames at Sea,” part of a summer musical series at the Prizery, a converted tobacco packing facility. Appetite for Destruction, a Guns ‘n Roses tribute band, will appeared at at Constitution Square.

In my first week down here last summer from Washington, D.C., I’ve been was as busy as ever, going to a play (“Romona Quimby”) and a Chamber of Commerce after-hours and an art exhibit opening and reception at the Prizery. There’s also frequent auto racing at South Boston Speedway and Virginia International Raceway plus minor league baseball at the Danville Braves facility.

Halifax County  also has many summer festivals, including the Scottsburg Fourth of July Parade, Virginia Cantaloupe Festival  in July, the South Boston Harvest Festival is in September, and the Halifax County Fair takes place the first week of Ocotber. While you are seeing these great events, stay at a local bed & breakfast. Ours is Oak Grove Plantation in Cluster Springs. We would love to host you!

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Zoom Zoom..Virginia International Raceway Nearby

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Innkeeper

Some of the region’s best auto and motorcycle racing can be seen at Virginia International Raceway, just 25 minutes from Oak Grove Plantation Bed & Breakfast. Watch top-ranked racers compete for the prizes, then stay overnight at our inn. If you’re in the family of a racer, you may enjoy coming here for some peace and quiet after busy race days.

Dogs on the PorchHow do you get four black dogs to show up in a picture? Put red white and blue kerchiefs around their necks on the Fourth of July. Bonnie (on the right) wanted company all summer, and she got plenty, with Josie, Anchorman and Tinker to play with for the holiday weekend. Bring your dog with you, too, this summer to Oak
Grove Plantation–Fourth of July or not.

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Halifax County Biking

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Innkeeper

I find it hard to beat the bike riding in Halifax County, Va. I’ve ridden the New River (Va.) Trail, the beach route in Santa Monica, the Golden Gate Bridge, Portland, Ore., all the trails around Washington, D.C., routes in Florida and many others, but I think the roads here are my favorites. Of course, I can just go out my front door and ride because I bike from our bed & breakfast, Oak Grove Plantation in Cluster Springs. You can ride out the front door, too, from the county’s inns.

I love the gentle terrain–a few hills to make it interesting, but not steep enough for a granny gear. Then there is the lack of traffic. Sometimes I see only a couple of cars in a half-hour. And of course the scenery is great, with farm fields, forests, cattle ranches, historic churches and rolling rivers passing by. The people I see are friendly. I’ve never had trouble with a driver, though maybe it’s because I don’t usually wear Spandex. Sometimes I encounter dogs, but generally they just want to play. Sure it’s hot in the summer–I just ride early, usually 20 to 30 miles.

Best bike rides? I enjoy gliding along River Road, which has great views of the Dan River and historic buildings. Mountain Road is great, and it’s not as hilly as it sounds. The loops outside our inn are pretty neat, too–make your choices of five to 35 miles. There’s mountain biking, too, in Staunton River State Park.

So come and stay with us. I’ll even lead a bike ride. Or you can join an inn to inn biking package.

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Phantom Husband

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Innkeeper

I am the phantom husband you may have heard about while visiting Oak Grove Plantation bed & breakfast in Cluster Springs, Va. While my wife, Pickett, is serving guests their breakfast, she may refer to her husband back in Washington, D.C. Most guests have never seen him and may wonder if she is making this up.

Well, here I am, writing my first blog for Oak Grove. In past summers, I have only been at

Mike, the Phantom Husband of Oak Grove Plantation B & B

Mike, the Phantom Husband of Oak Grove Plantation B & B

Oak Grove every other weekend while taking a break from my job in Washington as editor of the Kiplinger California Letter. Well, since I retired, I  plant to spend more time at the B &B. I’m also going to write a blog about the attractions of Southside Virginia and Pickett’s wonderful inn.

I can’t wait to get down there for the terrific bike riding in the area. Traffic is sparse, scenery is beautiful and there aren’t many hills along the side roads in this area. You come across cows in pasture, historic homes and many unexpected sights as you glide leisurely along roads where nobody seems to be in a hurry.

There are plenty of things to do, with even the nightlife improving. We rarely miss a performance at the Prizery, where music, comedy and other entertainment are brought in from bigger cities. For race car fans, there is Virginia International Raceway and nearby South Boston Speedway. Dining is quite good at Bistro 1888 and Molasses Grill.

And of course there is Oak Grove Plantation, with 400 acres for hiking, biking, bird watching and dog walking. The breakfasts are great and the company is pleasant. Of course, I get to stay there for free. (I do have to wash dishes.)

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Welcome

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Innkeeper

We open Oak Grove Plantation B & B for guests from May – September

May is a great time to stay at Oak Grove Plantation Bed & Breakfast. Pickett, my wife and innkeeper, will open the B&B for the season. We know you will enjoy the honeysuckle, daisies, roses, irises and peonies that are in bloom this time of year.

Bonnie (our poodle) is in residence and Pickett takes her for walks on the 400 acres of trails on the plantation grounds. A typical walk is a three-mile roundtrip on the spacious land.

May is also Strawberry Month. Come to Oak Grove for two nights in May and enjoy

Luscious Fresh Strawberry Pancakes

Luscious Fresh Strawberry Pancakes

sumptuous strawberry-themed dishes such as strawberry pancakes and French toast stuffed with strawberries. You can also be treated to an afternoon tea.

Mike is still in the city and is eager to get to South Boston to ride his bike on the rolling hills and sparsely traveled roads. He expects to spend most of July and August down there.

If you can’t come in May, visit us this summer. There are events every month, including Fourth of July at Scottsburg and Red Hill, the Cantaloupe Festival  in July and auto racing at Virginia International Raceway and three musicals at the Prizery by a professional theater company. Just check our Links for lots of local information.

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