April 7, 2003--Here's a nice thought--go out toward Washington, D.C.'s sprawling Dulles Airport (don't even think of taking a plane), and have a good time at a weekend camp. The posh Lansdowne Resort in Northern Virginia's fashionable Loudoun County is having another of its successful Food & Wine Camp Weekends twice monthly this summer, and you can rough it (not!) for just $925 for two people.
The price includes two night's deluxe accommodations for two persons, a Friday evening reception and dinner, a Saturday breakfast winery tour, picnic lunch at the winery, and gourmet chef's dinner on Saturday evening, plus cooking class and recipes.
You check in on Friday evening by 6, and take part in a wine aroma class, followed by a barbecue on the garden terrace. On Saturday, you have until 10 AM to enjoy a "kiosk-style" breakfast at the resort's Riverside Hearth. (That means going around to little stands for your custom-made omelet, for example.) You then tour the Lansdowne Garden to check out the herbs and veggies that you may be eating later, next visit the wine country where you open up your picnic baskets for lunch. Mid-afternoon, the sponsors say, is free time, but at 7 PM, you take in a gourmet dinner. Sunday at 11, you meet with the chef for a hands-on cooking class and (yum) a Champagne tasting.
The Lansdowne is located in historic Leesburg, Virginia, a thoroughly enjoyable town in its own right. The resort is only a 20-minute drive from D.C.'s Capital Beltway and just 15 minutes from Dulles International Airport for the plane you won't need to take.
The dates for this summer's festivities: July 18-20 and July 25-27; August 8-10 and August 22-24; and September 5-7 and 12-14.
For more information, check out www.lansdowneresort.com. Their phone is 800/541-4801 or 703/729-8400. The fax is 703/729-4096. Snail mail: 44050 Woodridge Parkway, Leesburg VA 20176.