Nemacolin, Pennsylvania
“Real Life Magic” has been the longtime motto of southwestern Pennsylvania’s luxury sporting estate. Well, the 2,200-acre Nemacolin just got more magical. A half-billion-dollar renovation and expansion has catapulted the already over-the-top Nemacolin onto a short list of the world’s most expansive luxury resorts. Just about everything is new or renovated or better than ever. This includes the full-blown casino, an upgraded and expanded Woodlands Spa and Holistic Healing Center, extensive chef’s gardens and greenhouses, and a recently added family-friendly waterpark-style pool complex with outdoor ropes courses, ziplines and indoor bowling, ax throwing and a sports bar.
The billionaire lover of cigars and golf, Joseph Hardy III transformed Nemacolin from a hunting lodge into a luxury accommodation in the 1980s. It now comprises three hotels—The Chateau, Falling Rock and the Grand Lodge—as well as separate homes for rent.
Even before the upgrades, Falling Rock was one of only two Forbes Five-Star hotels in Pennsylvania. Expectations are that both the Chateau and the Lodge will now be elevated to that status. The Lodge reduced its 90-rooms to a lavish 56 suites. In the Chateau, all 124 rooms were completely redone, with giant marble bathrooms and a new club floor. Each opened new dining and drinking venues, and all three hotels now feature full butler service. Lautrec, a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner with the state’s largest cellar, moved to posh new digs in the Chateau.
Nemacolin has off-road driving, a dedicated fly fishing and sporting clays facility and even its own ski resort. Of its two Pete Dye-designed golf courses, Mystic Rock used to host a PGA Tour event. These may be the only courses in the country where you hear lions roar from the fairways as Nemacolin also has an open-air rescue animal sanctuary. Part of the $500 million upgrade is one of the nation’s most technologically advanced golf academies.
One thing returning visitors will recognize is the Hardy Room, Nemacolin’s cigar lounge. Hardy was rarely photographed without a cigar in hand and his namesake smoking den spans three rooms, including retail shop, cocktail bar and living room-style area. Even when the bar and shop are closed, the sitting area remains open for smoking guests 24/7.
