What draws visitors to Strasburg and its small hotel?

Is it the view of Massanutten Mountain towering over the inn's backyard? Or is it the sight of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River skirting its foothills in a series of sparkling horseshoe bends? Maybe it's the town's slow pace.
__ German settlers first knew it as Stony Lick, then Staufferstadt and finally Strasburg, when it was established in 1761. On this frontier, the sturdy pioneers and their descendants survived Indian raids, the Revolution, and the Civil War.

__ Among his papers in the hotel archives is a copy of a nurse's diploma dated 1907, and a number of bills for various "professional services rendered." One bill dated 1901, charged a patient $4.00 for treatment of an unknown ailment.
__ It's no wonder the innkeeper wasn't surprised when one guest confided, "I was born here."

Gary Rutherford, innkeeper/proprietor, delights in recalling these encounters with people whose life stories enrich the archives of his country inn.
__ As he reminisces in the lobby - where informality tempers the baroque theme of Queen Victoria's Gilded Age - he often interrupts himself to receive new arrivals, carry their luggage and escort them to the front desk. "Greet guests immediately, give them a smile," he says, "and a friendly welcome."
__ A hands-on approach to hospitality comes naturally to Gary, who was formerly a director of marketing for a restaurant management company. He and his wife, Carol, with whom he shares innkeeping duties, are both natives of Ottawa, Illinois. Since arriving in Virginia, they have become enthusiastic boosters of the Shenandoah Valley as a respite from the rush of urban living.