Clear Your Calendar, You Can Now Stay at the "Dirty Dancing" Ranch!
“Now I’ve, had the time of my life, No I never felt like this before,
Yes I swear it’s the truth, and I owe it all to you.”
The opening lines to the 1987 Academy Award-winning hit from “Dirty Dancing” still bring back all the feels.
The song, as sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, for many is linked to a special romantic moment in their lives. For others, hearing that opening refrain makes them immediately think of the movie “Dirty Dancing.”
There are so many iconic pieces of that film that are lodged into our consciousness – the music, the leap, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner,” the Swayze, the resort.
Well, you can now make one of those items tangible.
Mountain Lake Lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia is where the iconic movie was shot. (And yes, true fans will know that the resort in the film was named Kellerman’s.)
Mountain Lake Lodge was built in the 1930’s and retains much of its era’s charm. That’s one of the things that attracted producers to it.
Although it was renovated in 2012, you can still spot many locations from the film including the gazebo, the lawn where many activities took place, and even Baby’s cottage.
In fact, for those so inclined, book the Virginia cottage, which is where Jennifer Grey and the late Jerry Orbach stayed in the film.
If you want a more immersive experience, try one of the “Dirty Dancing” themed weekends for your stay.
There are of course movie screenings, trivia contests, dance lessons, dance parties, and many more activities.
Of course, it’s not all cha-chas and rumbas at Mountain Lake. The resort is settled into some spectacular scenery with wonderful activities to get out and commune with nature.
Some might find it fitting that this place, so long associated in many minds as the stage for one woman’s break for independence, has always been rich in women’s history. And music has played a big part in that.
In 1922 an all-female band started playing there and held the dancefloor for over three years.
In 1928, the Mountain Lake Camp for Girls opened, allowing girls a chance to get away for “..swim lessons, diving, boating, horseback riding, cooking and crafts.”
So when you’re ready to have the time of your life and relive those cinematic dreams, pack your bags and head to Virginia. Just remember to pack your dancing shoes.
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