Moriah Gill
You can now live out your Dirty Dancing fantasies in real life at the Mountain Lake Lounge in Pembroke, Virginia! Nestled into the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Mountain Lake Lounge is a sight to see. Fans of the movie know it as the Kellerman’s mountain house in the New York Catskills, the dreamy place where “Baby” (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) fall in love at a retreat where Patrick Swayze works as a dance instructor.
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Where is located?
The movie was filmed on location in North Carolina and Virginia. The exterior of the hotel was shot in Virginia, as was the lawn on the lake near Baby’s cabin. Nearly the rest of the scenes were filmed on Lake Lure in North Carolina. Both locations pay homage to the hit film. The North Carolina, Lake Lure location holds an annual Dirty Dancing Festival.
It’s complete with live music, a Swayze-esq lake lift competition, and a watermelon relay race. The Mountain Lake Lounge in Virginia offers Dirty Dancing themed weekends where you can have the time of your life with themed activities, a gorgeous view, dance lessons, movie film tour, and a dance parties.
Kellerman’s Mountain House
The idea came about when, after many many years, the number of people coming out to see the “real life Kellerman’s Mountain House” just never stopped. At first, the Mountain Lake Lodge was excited but as the property began to age and the lake started to dry up, the property managers were hesitant to show it. They initially considered a way to sever the ties from the movie.
Even then, people still came. On a leap of faith, they took the plunge into a five-year renovation to give the Dirty Dancing fans what they craved and deserved, and now the place thrives. Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association recently awarded the 2,600-acre nature preserve property “Hotel of the Year.”
The Lodge hosts four Dirty Dancing weekends every year. Other activities also include a scavenger hunt, the option for private dance lessons, and games on that sprawling lawn. If this sounds like the perfect getaway to you, be sure to act fast. Here is the site. You can book to stay in Baby’s cabin if you sign up early enough! The last one this year is around the corner, but next years are approaching quick! Happy [dirty] Dancing!
