Mayberry Meets Manhattan: Northern Neck

When I pull up to the Hope and Glory Inn in Irvington, what I notice first are the quaint aphorisms that dot the grounds like so many metal tulips: “Remember to Breathe,” advises one. “You Live and Learn” starts another, adding, “At Any Rate, You Live.” The lifestyle tips might seem cloying in another setting, but not here; after all, the Hope and Glory used to be a former schoolhouse—the Chesapeake Academy, built in 1890s. (The school is still in town, but now in a more modern building.) With its shabby-chic décor—painted furniture and wide-plank floors, comfortable upholstered couches, birdcages, Sinatra on the sound system—the Hope and Glory, with its butter-yellow façade, epitomizes romantic country charm.