Photograph courtesy Hotel Versailles
If you’re looking to plan a quick trip with your girlfriends, Versailles, Ohio, may not be top of mind, but perhaps it should be. Only a two-hour drive from Cincinnati, the Darke County village is surprisingly “spa day”–worthy.
Stay
Start your getaway at Hotel Versailles, a 30-room boutique hotel in the heart of the village’s business district. The property, located at the corner of Center and Main, has been a spot for lodgers dating back to the late 1800s when businessman Isaac Marker built the Golden Eagle House there around 1865. Two major fires and seven owners later, the hotel’s current iteration opened in 2022. In an area littered with roadside motels and budget-friendly chain hotel options, this is an oasis of sleek design and sophistication.
Snag a double deluxe queen guest room if you’re sharing with friends or the one-bedroom suite if you need some alone time after a long day of exploring. Each room comes with an iPad for access to in-room fitness classes and more than 100 news publications as well as complimentary WiFi and high-grade linens. There’s also a 24-hour fitness center on site if you want to get out of your room for a little exercise without leaving the building.
Photograph courtesy Hotel Versailles
Eat
For a great meal, you don’t have to travel any farther than Hotel Versailles’s lobby. With its chef-driven menu, Silas Creative Kitchen provides a taste of the region with dishes featuring locally sourced ingredients. Named after Versailles’s founder, pioneer Silas Atchison, the restaurant is a farm-to-table wonder. Go for the five-course tasting menu option, which can feed two to four people. Each course uses ingredients from the eatery’s own 85-acre farm, supplemented by fresh seafood shipped in daily and items from other local farms.
After studying under James Beard Award–winning chef and restaurateur Anne Kearney, Silas’s Executive Chef Aaron Allen—the former executive chef at Coppin’s Restaurant and Bar in Covington—returned to his home state with more than a decade of experience working at restaurants across the country. Here, Allen has built a menu with unexpected flavor profiles, such as the wild mushroom and asparagus tart (with applewood smoked cheddar, pancetta, arugula, and smoked goat cheese) and the chargrilled Wagyu picanha (bacon and sweet potato hash, spring vegetables, feta, and chimichurri).
If you’re eager to get out into the fresh air, head down the road to The Winery at Versailles. Mike and Carol Williams founded the winery in 2002, after starting their vintner careers at a small winery in Pennsylvania in the mid-1990s. The couple’s current establishment offers 30 wine varieties and a bistro-style food menu.
Explore
On the National Register of Historic Places since 1985, Bear’s Mill is one of the few water-powered mills currently in operation in Ohio. At four stories tall, the mill processes grain by grounding it into flour using the power of Greenville Creek flowing right near its foundation. Completed in 1849, the structure is made of hand-hewn timber beams, a testament to the long-lasting ingenuity of years past. A couple of steps away from Bear’s Mill is the Mill Gallery, which features hand-made pottery, jewelry, and other art available for purchase.. And don’t miss the giant metal bear sculpture across the creek from the gallery. Created by Maryland-based visual artist Kirk Seese, the 1,000-pound bear features concrete replicas of the millstones used to grind grain at the mill.
Shop
Before you leave Bear’s Mill, be sure to check out the Mill Store. The market features a funky, off-beat mix of crafts, food, and goods from area artisans, like breads from the Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Company in Troy, private label jams and jellies, and treats made with stone ground flours and meals produced by the mill. For something a little more modern, head back to into town and stop by Blue Willow Boutique, where you can grab a light summer outfit for live entertainment at Silas or the winery.
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