My parents took us to The Homestead. They went to The Greenbrier on their own, in the spring. Two grand American resorts, 45 minutes apart, each convinced it’s the better one. They’re both right.
The Homestead sits in Hot Springs, Virginia. The Greenbrier sits in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. They are 45 minutes apart on US-60 through the Allegheny Mountains — two of the oldest and most celebrated resort hotels in America, operating on the same general premise since before the country was fully formed, and generating a comparison debate that DC and mid-Atlantic families have been having for generations. My parents took us to The Homestead for Christmas, and went to The Greenbrier on their own in the springtime. Both have a place in our family’s story, because both are right. For different people.
The Homestead vs The Greenbrier: Which One Is Right for You?
The honest comparison from a family that has strong opinions about both.
You Want Intimate History
483 rooms, the historic Jefferson Pools a few minutes away in Warm Springs, falconry, and the oldest first tee in continuous use in the US. More personal. More Virginia. The mineral springs experience at its most historic.
Check Homestead RatesYou Want Grand Scale Golf
710 rooms, five golf courses including the only resort course to host both the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup, a casino, the Cold War bunker tour, Dorothy Draper’s bold interiors. Grander, bigger, more of a golf destination.
Book at Greenbrier.comThe Greenbrier Wins
Five courses vs two. The Greenbrier Course is the only resort course in the world to host both the Ryder Cup (1979) and the Solheim Cup (1994). The Old White TPC hosted the PGA Tour’s Greenbrier Classic from 2010 to 2019, and later LIV Golf. The Greenbrier Golf Academy is one of the finest instruction programs in the country. If golf is the primary reason — Greenbrier.
Book at Greenbrier.comThe Homestead Wins
Thomas Jefferson soaked in these mineral springs in 1818. 22 presidents have stayed. The Cascades golf course dates to 1923. The Jefferson Pools still operate. The Homestead is older in feel, more rooted in American history before the Civil War.
Check Homestead RatesThe Side by Side
| Category | The Homestead | The Greenbrier |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1766 | 1778 |
| Location | Hot Springs, Virginia | White Sulphur Springs, WV |
| Rooms | 483 | 710 + 96 estate houses |
| Acreage | 2,000 acres | 11,000 acres |
| Golf courses | 2 (Old Course + Cascades) | 5 (incl. Old White TPC) |
| Casino | No | Yes |
| Historic mineral baths | Yes — Jefferson Pools | Yes — sulphur springs spa |
| The famous detail | Jefferson Pools (Warm Springs) | Secret Cold War bunker |
| Interior design | Traditional Georgian Colonial | Bold Dorothy Draper florals |
| Feel | Intimate, historic, personal | Grand, sprawling, resort city |
| From DC | ~220 miles, 3.5 hours | ~250 miles, 4 hours |
| Distance apart | ~45 minutes on US-60 | |
| Book at | Hotels.com ✓ | Greenbrier.com only |
The Case for The Homestead
The Homestead is the more intimate of the two — 483 rooms in the Georgian Colonial main building, the mineral springs that have drawn visitors since 1766, and the specific feeling of a place that takes its own traditions seriously without needing to be the biggest thing in the room.
Thomas Jefferson soaked in the mineral springs in 1818 at the Jefferson Pools in nearby Warm Springs, which still operate today. Twenty-two presidents have stayed. The Cascades golf course, designed by William Flynn in 1923, is consistently ranked among the best mountain golf courses in the United States. The falconry program, the fly fishing, the formal dining room with its dress code — The Homestead does not compromise its character for contemporary taste. That’s either exactly what you want or it isn’t.
The Homestead under Omni has maintained the property’s traditions while investing significantly in the physical plant. Rooms run $400–700+ per night in season. The Sunday brunch buffet is a multi-generational tradition. The spa is built around the original mineral springs. It is the right choice for guests who want the most historically rooted experience — the sense of continuity with something genuinely old.
The Case for The Greenbrier
The Greenbrier is the grander of the two in every measurable way — more rooms, more acreage, more golf courses, more restaurants, a casino, and a secret Cold War bunker that is one of the more genuinely surprising things available to do at an American resort.
Dorothy Draper’s 1948 interiors are the defining visual statement — bold floral wallpaper, vivid color, an aesthetic that is unmistakably The Greenbrier and has never been confused with anything else. The golf is the primary draw for many guests: five courses, including the Greenbrier Course, whose Jack Nicklaus redesign hosted the 1979 Ryder Cup and the 1994 Solheim Cup, and the Old White TPC, the 1914 original that hosted the PGA Tour’s Greenbrier Classic and later LIV Golf. The bunker tour takes you through the classified congressional facility that operated beneath the resort from 1959 to 1992.
Golfer’s tip: The Greenbrier Course lost holes in the 2016 flood and currently plays as a 10-hole layout that can be looped as 9 or 18. If you want to play the Ryder Cup course specifically, ask about its current layout when you book your tee time.
The Greenbrier books exclusively through greenbrier.com — it is not listed on Hotels.com, VRBO, or other major booking platforms. Spring and early fall are the best seasons. The resort fee and valet parking add to the cost; budget accordingly.
Planning a holiday trip? Both resorts go all in for the holidays, in very different ways. See Christmas at The Homestead vs The Greenbrier.
Can You Do Both?
Yes — and this is one of the better ideas available to anyone driving through the Allegheny Mountains. The two resorts are 45 minutes apart on US-60. A weekend that includes one night at The Homestead and one at The Greenbrier covers both sides of the debate definitively.
The drive between them through the Allegheny highlands is beautiful in its own right. From DC, the routing would be: drive to Hot Springs for The Homestead, spend a night or two, then continue west on US-60 to White Sulphur Springs for The Greenbrier, then home via I-64 East. A complete Allegheny mountain loop that resolves the family debate once and for all.
Book The Homestead or The Greenbrier
The Homestead books on Hotels.com. The Greenbrier books exclusively at greenbrier.com. Both are worth the drive — and 45 minutes apart if you want to do both.
The Homestead vs The Greenbrier: Common Questions
Which is older, The Homestead or The Greenbrier?
The Homestead. It dates to 1766, ten years before the Declaration of Independence. The Greenbrier dates to 1778.
Which is closer to Washington, DC?
The Homestead, at about 220 miles and roughly three and a half hours. The Greenbrier is about 250 miles, around four hours.
Which is better for golf?
The Greenbrier, with five courses including the only resort course to host both the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup. The Homestead has two: the Cascades, a 1923 William Flynn design ranked among the best mountain courses in the country, and the Old Course, home to the oldest first tee in continuous use in the US.
How far apart are The Homestead and The Greenbrier?
About 45 minutes by car on US-60, close enough to split one weekend between both.
Which resort has a casino?
Only The Greenbrier. The Homestead has no casino.
Where do you book each resort?
The Homestead books on Hotels.com and other platforms. The Greenbrier books only through greenbrier.com.
Quick Reference: The Homestead vs The Greenbrier
| Choose | If You Want |
|---|---|
| The Homestead | Historic mineral baths, intimate scale, falconry, the Jefferson connection, Virginia character |
| The Greenbrier | Championship golf, grand scale, casino, the bunker tour, Dorothy Draper interiors |
| Both | The complete Allegheny experience — 45 minutes apart, one weekend, both resorts |
My parents took us to The Homestead, and slipped away to The Greenbrier in the spring. Decades later, the honest answer is that both are right — and the best resolution is to go to both, 45 minutes apart, on the same weekend. The mountains don’t care which one you prefer. They’re equally beautiful from both resorts.