Cooperative Living July 2014 - 35

Her inspiration? The Blackfriars
Playhouse, of course.
" I love to go to the theater, " she
says. Despite her origins in Bath,
England, however, Swenson is very
much American, having moved to San
Francisco at age 18. But her roots are
definitely in hospitality. Her parents
owned a 21-room hotel in Bath,
and Swenson has, over the course of
her life, run five bed-and-breakfast
inns. 
British Innkeeper Juliette
Swenson (above) built Anne
Hathaway's Cottage Bed and
Breakfast (upper right), a
Tudor-style thatched-roof inn,
in 2008. To the right and left
are views of the interior room
and Juliet's room, respectively.
IF YOU GO...
The best way to explore Staunton is on foot. Pick up a self-guided
historic walking tour brochure at the Staunton Visitors Center
(35 South New Street, 800-342-7982, www.visitstaunton.com).
Staunton's biggest draw is its historic buildings, which number in the
hundreds. The city has six historic districts, all on the register of
National Historic Places. The Wharf includes the train depot as
well as a variety of old warehouse buildings and the 1901 Augusta
County Courthouse.
Newtown is Staunton's oldest residential neighborhood and is
home to Stuart Hall, Trinity Church, and the Stonewall Jackson,
Staunton's first public school. Beverly makes up Staunton's main
drag through downtown and is home to one of the city's most identifiable
landmarks, the Marquis Building, a Romanesque Revival structure
with a turreted corner entrance.
Gospel Hill, at the corner of Beverly and Coalter Streets, is
home to nearly 20 structures spanning the entire 19th century,
including the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library &
Museum (20 North Coalter Street, 540-885-0897,
www.woodrowwilson.org) and the stately Greek Revival Virginia
School for the Deaf and Blind. Adjoining the campus of Mary
Baldwin College is the Stuart Addition, a hilly neighborhood
with Victorian row houses and the Italianate former Staunton
Military Academy. The Villages of Staunton district makes up
the grounds of the former Western State Hospital and is being redeveloped
into a new residential neighborhood.
One block off Beverly is the American Shakespeare
Center and the Blackfriars Playhouse (10 S. Market Street,
540-851-1733, www.americanshakespearecenter.com), where
audiences can experience Shakespeare plays as they were originally
presented with all the lights on throughout the theater, sparse sets,
and actors playing several roles and even switching genders.
July 2014/www.co-opliving.com
Beyond the downtown
area is Gypsy
Hill Park (600
Churchville Avenue),
which was established
in 1889. This lovely hilly
park is home to a muchbeloved
duck pond, biking
and walking trails,
swimming pool, tennis courts, a train for kids to ride, and a bandstand
that hosts regular free concerts.
Along the I-81 corridor is the Frontier Culture Museum
(129 Richmond Road, 540-332-7850, www.frontiermuseum.org).
In addition to its re-creations of European and American farm life,
this outdoor museum also hosts special events throughout the year,
including an annual Oktoberfest and Holiday Lantern Tours.
Staunton is home to a number of locally owned restaurants,
many of them sourcing from area producers. Two favorites, however,
are the newly opened Ava Restaurant and Wine Bar (103
West Beverly Street, 540-886-2851, avarestaurantwinebar.com),
which has the best hummus I've ever tasted, and Aioli (29 N.
Augusta Street, 540-885-1414, www.aiolistaunton.com) with its
Mediterranean-inspired tapas menu. For overnight digs, there are
a number of bed and breakfasts in town. If you're going for a
Shakespeare-themed getaway, be sure to stay at Anne
Hathaway's Cottage Bed and
Breakfast (950 West Beverly
Street, 540-885-8885, www.annehathaways-cottage.com).
For
a more formal retreat, try The
Stonewall Jackson Hotel (24
S. Market Street, 540-885-4848,
www.stonewalljacksonhotel.com). 
33
http://www.visitstaunton.com http://www.frontiermuseum.org http://www.avarestaurantwinebar.com http://www.woodrowwilson.org http://www.aiolistaunton.com http://www.anne http://www.hathaways-cottage.com http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com http://www.stonewalljacksonhotel.com
Cooperative Living July 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living July 2014
