There are 96,000 horses in Virginia—and counting. For anyone wanting to buy or show one of them, the place to do it is the Virginia Horse Center, just north of Lexington. Visitors staying overnight in the area can show their horse sense by picking one of the Shenandoah Valley’s prettiest bed-and-breakfasts, just a trot down the road. It’s Fassifern, owned by Francis Whitsel Smith and named after the Scottish ancestral home of its builder, who erected this three-story, smoky-lavender brick manor house circa 1867.
There’s no particular history connected to Fassifern; it’s just a lovely country place with apond, towering maple trees, and an old spring house that’s been converted into two extra guest rooms. The Colonel’s Quarters, perhaps the best, has wide-plank floors and pasture views. The small Pond Room overlooks the flower-rimmed pond with fountain—and the nearby road. In the main house, three more guest rooms are furnished with Victorian armoires, Oriental rugs, and crystal chandeliers.
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