Your The Greenbrier (White Sulphur Springs) CME conference.

White Sulphur Springs after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM local time. For an easy afternoon, walk Main Street in White Sulphur Springs, where the tourism bureau describes colorful awnings, benches and fresh blooms, a Christmas shop at the Depot that sells festive goods year-round, and a shop of handcrafted home goods and art. The bureau also mentions places for wood-fired pizza and tacos, and a board game café with over 400 board games. Check each shop’s hours against your finish before you plan around it.

Travel, accommodation and any tour arrangements are made separately. Your conference is built around your specialty and interests; the town is the setting you choose for it.

The Greenbrier and its bunker

The Greenbrier’s tradition of taking the waters goes back about 240 years. The valley tourism bureau says the resort is open to day visitors, with historic lobbies, galleries and gardens, and that a horse-drawn carriage ride offers mountain views in fall color. The grounds cover about 11,000 acres.

The resort also runs a Cold War bunker tour. The bunker was built as a relocation center for the U.S. Congress, stayed hidden for more than three decades until a reporter exposed it in 1992, and includes a 25-ton blast door. The resort’s activities also include golf, off-road driving, an aerial adventure tower, falconry and a mineral spa, and a 43-acre garden supplies its dining room. Ask the resort whether visits or tours need a reservation before you drive over.

Lewisburg and the rail trails

According to the tourism bureau, Lewisburg is about 15 minutes from White Sulphur Springs. Its downtown has historic buildings and period architecture; the bureau suggests looking for the green and gold markers that indicate historic landmarks, with antique stores, boutiques and watering holes to poke around.

The Greenbrier River Trail and the Meadow River Rail Trail are described as scenic routes that gently meander, and the Greenbrier River Trail has easy access at its southern trailhead near downtown Lewisburg. The bureau’s outdoor page also names a long hike along the Greenbrier River Trail as an option for a longer outing.

Caves, ciders and scenic drives

The tourism bureau’s fall guide lists Lost World Caverns, a limestone cave with a self-guided tour of about 45 minutes, along with a grain-to-glass distillery tour and a cider and mead producer that uses local heirloom apples. The guide also lists side-by-side rides through hills, ruts and mud, and a guided Friday-evening walk past Lewisburg’s old burial grounds. Check each stop’s current hours before you plan around a 2:00 PM finish.

For a drive, the guide describes a Hill Country Tour that heads north on Route 219 past farmland and then east along Anthony Creek through hardwood forest, with optional detours to Blue Bend Recreation Area or Lake Sherwood. It also names Route 92 from White Sulphur Springs as a fall color drive.

Taste of Our Towns and autumn events

The bureau says that Taste of Our Towns is held on the second Saturday in October in downtown Lewisburg, with food tastings, live music and an art and craft show. If you plan a fall visit around it, confirm the current date and expect more activity in town.

When to visit the Greenbrier Valley

The tourism bureau calls the Greenbrier Valley a year-round destination. Spring brings blooms, summer brings festivals and river activities, and winter suits cozy getaways. Fall comes a little later here than in lower areas: the bureau says it begins in late September, with colors typically peaking in mid-October. The bureau’s FAQ mentions cool air in fall. Use the local forecast when you plan outdoor time.

Getting to White Sulphur Springs and your study setting

Greenbrier Valley Airport (LWB) is the arrival point shown in this guide. The tourism bureau says it offers daily commercial flights, sits on U.S. 219 about five miles north of downtown Lewisburg, and is thirteen miles from The Greenbrier. The bureau says SkyWest flies direct to Charlotte and Chicago, with American Airlines providing connections. Amtrak’s Cardinal, which runs between New York City and Chicago, also stops in White Sulphur Springs and in Alderson three times a week, and the bureau says reservations are required because the station has no staff or ticketing.

By road, the bureau lists Interstate 64 exits 169, 175 and 181 for Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs, and gives drive times of about four hours from Washington, D.C., three from Richmond and one and a half from Roanoke. It describes the county as within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the nation’s population. The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.