Photo by Susan Ammons
Patio of Austin's restaurant at the Inn at Warner Hall in Gloucester, Va.
The Inn at Warner Hall, the riverside estate about two hours and 40 minutes south of Alexandria, has opened a second public dining venue: Tavern 1642, named for the year Augustine Warner I first settled the land.
The tavern leans into the room it occupies. Guests can settle onto leather couches arranged around a wood-burning fireplace, or move outside to a terrace that catches the sunset over the Severn River.
The menu reads as updated tavern fare built on local ingredients: oysters from the Rappahannock River Company, a Bay crab dip made with Boursin, Crystal hot sauce and an Old Bay–Ritz crust, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon vinaigrette and Whitley's peanuts, and a signature Warner Hall smashburger with caramelized onions and special sauce.
Photo by Susan Ammons
Inn at Warner Hall Tavern 1642 in Gloucester, Va.
The bar is the other centerpiece — a hand-carved wooden counter stocked with local bottled beers, craft cocktails and American whiskeys, including a private barrel selection of Eagle Rare 10-year bourbon bottled for the inn.
The whiskey focus is a nod to the property's lineage: the tavern displays the handwriting of two Warner descendants, Meriwether Lewis and George Washington, who in his later years ran one of the young nation's largest distilleries at Mount Vernon. Among the framed pieces are a 1799 letter touching on Washington's distilling, a 1776 Continental Army commissary list and a signed receipt for spirits.
Tavern 1642 opened May 21 and is open to the public Thursday through Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. Seating is walk-in only.
Alexandria Living Magazine photo
A seating area to the left of the entry to the Inn at Warner Hall in Gloucester, Va.
The tavern joins Austin's, the inn's new fine-dining restaurant, which opened April 23. Austin's serves seasonal American cuisine drawn from Virginia's Tidewater region, with dinner Thursday through Sunday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and reservations available through the inn's website and OpenTable.
The restaurant takes its name from Augustine Warner I, the estate's founder, who was known to those close to him as "Austin." Both venues are part of a recent restoration that also added 11 guest rooms, a terrace, and a mile-long walking trail.
Alexandria Living Magazine photo
The Inn at Warner Hall in Gloucester, Va.
The estate carries one of the more remarkable pedigrees in Virginia. According to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Warner Hall was established in 1642 and was home to Augustine Warner I — George Washington's great-great-grandfather — along with later generations of the Warner and Lewis families; Washington's own diary records visits to the property. The family tree also connects to Meriwether Lewis and, more distantly, Robert E. Lee.
Alexandria Living Magazine photo
Looking at the driveway from the Inn at Warner Hall entry.
Washington's diary records a 1772 visit to Warner Hall, where he dined and lodged with his Lewis relations. Washington's diary entry for March 22, 1772 reads: "Went over to Colo. Warner Lewis's in Gloucester. Dined & Lodged there." Warner Lewis was the master of Warner Hall at the time — the Lewis family held the property until 1834. The original colonial mansion burned around 1845, and the Colonial Revival house standing today was built about 1900 on the original foundations.
The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its location near Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown makes it a quieter base for visitors during this year's America 250 commemoration.
The inn features 11 lovely rooms and suites and offers hiking, biking, kayaking and canoeing and is within driving distance of area attractions. If you're looking for a quiet, relaxing retreat — this is the spot.
