Boar's Head Resort

Charlottesville, Virginia

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By Roger Cox, Editor

With 26 hard and clay courts, 12 of them indoors, the Boar's Head appears as a very bright blip on any tennis vacationer's radar. That's a huge complex for a resort with only 170 rooms, and the fact that it sits in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains near such historic sites as Thomas Jefferson's mountaintop home Monticello and the handsome University of Virginia that he founded only adds to the allure.
The entire resort, including its expansive Sports Club, is owned by the University of Virginia Foundation. As a result, the club also serves as the home site for the University of Virginia's tennis teams during the indoor season, providing a place for them to train, play matches, and host tournaments. What's more, if you plan your visit for May, as I did the last time, you can catch another major event on the Boar's Head's annual tennis calendar: the Boyd Tinsley $80,000 ITF Women's Pro Championships, which take place outdoors on the clay.

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Boar's Head Sports Club, which has long served local members and the University of Virginia teams magnificently, took a renewed interest in the needs of hotel guests following the arrival of Jon Sarosiek in May 2017. He had shepherded nearby Wintergreen Resort to a Gold Medal ranking in our annual poll, and he came to Boar's Head determined to improve the hotel guests' tennis experience while continuing to grow the local membership. To that end, he has ratcheted up the weekly activity roster, offering two or more drop-in clinics of various sorts—Beginner/Intermediate, Advanced, Cardio, "Drills For Thrills"—every day of the week. He also beefed up the year-round junior camps/clinics (available on a drop-in basis to the children of hotel guests), and starting an adult tennis academy—with customized programs offered most weekends and headed now by his former No. 2 at Wintergreen Dave Hardy.
Sarosiek is a former junior standout in his native Wisconsin. After studying professional tennis management at Methodist University, where he was also the assistant men's coach, he joined the team at Wintergreen, helping to craft and then run its adult tennis academy as well as to coach Special Olympics tennis athletes (one of whom took a Silver Medal at the Greek Olympiad). He sees his time at Wintergreen as preparation for the challenge at Boar's Head.
"My experience lies on the hotel side," he told me. "I wanted to come here to grow that underdeveloped piece of the business. The facilities are a huge draw. Charlottesville is a draw. We have a vibrant group of members, so it's easier to set up social events and exhibitions."

Courts & Fees. There are 14 outdoor (10 clay, 4 hard) and 12 indoor hard courts as well as 4 pickleball courts (2 indoor, 2 outdoor). Court fees: $20/hour outdoors, $18-$30 indoors.

Ratings (105 Reviewers)
Tennis Overall Tennis Staff Instruction	Game Matching Junior Tennis	Cuisine Lodging Spa & Fitness	Dollar Value Other Recreation Setting	Kids' Programs Romance Solo Travelers
Boar's Head Tennis Academy Ratings ( 54 Reviewers)
Tennis Overall	Tennis Staff	Instruction	Junior Tennis	Dollar Value

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Ratings (105 Reviewers)
Tennis Overall Instruction Lodging Spa & Fitness Dollar Value Kids' Programs Solo Travelers	Tennis Staff Game Matching Junior Tennis Cuisine Other Recreation Setting Romance
Boar's Head Tennis Academy Ratings ( 54 Reviewers)
Tennis Overall Instruction Dollar Value	Tennis Staff Junior Tennis

Other Recreation

Golf Courses. Architect Lindsay Ervin of Annapolis, MD redesigned the resort's championship Birdwood Golf Course in 1974 after the University of Virginia purchased it. Its 18 holes cut through verdant hills that were originally part of a 1739 "upland wilderness" land patent. In 2005, the course was completely redesigned by Pete Dye and Associates, and Davis Love II will undertake another renovation beginning in the fall of 2018. Par 72, 6,865 yards.

Spa & Fitness Center. Housed in its own building overlooking the lake, the Boar's Head Spa has a modest six treatment rooms yet offers over 30 services, from traditional and Thai massage to sea mud wraps and hydrotherapy soaks. It has a hot tub as well as a dry sauna and is adjacent to one of the resort's swimming pools. And in pleasant weather you can relax outdoors on a slate patio with lake views. The tennis courts are part of the Sports Club, a sprawling complex comprising a Junior Olympic swimming pool and two other pools, a state-of-the-art fitness center with a Cardio theater and Cybex weight-training, a climbing wall, squash and racquetball courts, some 55 weekly classes (among them Pilates and water aerobics), kids' programs, and child care.

Lodging

The 170 rooms occupy four four-story buildings in stone and cafe-au-lait-colored clapboard with gables on their shingle or metal roofs. The decor runs to four-poster beds and brass lamps, typical of a country estate, but with modern amenities like high-speed Internet access. Some have fireplaces and balconies. Views tend to be of the lake or verdant countryside.

Restaurants

There are four food outlets at the Boar's Head, chief among them the recently renovated Mill Room in the restored 1834 grist mill. It focuses on fresh, local ingredients and has a lounge and outdoor seating. In addition, you have the choice Racquets Restaurant and the outdoor Firefly Cabana and Grill, both located at the Sports Club, as well as Birdwood Grill in the golf clubhouse.

See Also

For comparison's sake, also check out:

• Four Seasons Resort and Club, Texas
• The American Club, Wisconsin
• Wintergreen Resort, Virginia

Rates and Reservations

Boar's Head Resort

Rooms range from standard in the inn to those with lake views or fireplaces and finally to full suites. See their web site for current rates.

Boar's Head Resort
200 Ednam Dr.
P.O. Box 5307
Charlottesville, VA 22905

Boar's Head Tennis Academy

Boar's Head Tennis Academy
Charlottesville, VA

Travel Essentials

Season. Year-round.

Travel Instructions. The nearest airport is Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Airport (CHO), which is 10 miles from the resort.

General Tourist Information. Among the local attractions are Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, James Monroe's Ash Lawn-Highland, and the Historic Michie Tavern, where you can have lunch. For more information about these and other local sites, visit the Charlottesville/Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau website or contact them at P.O. Box 178, Charlottesville, VA 22902. Phone: 804-977-1783.