Nature and Nourishment: How the Tides Inspires a Balanced Life
February 13, 2025
As the sights and scents of spring begin to bloom across the Chesapeake Bay region, the Tides Inn provides the perfect home base for your own season of renewal.
At the Tides Inn, wellness goes beyond the fitness center (though we have one of those, open 24/7). We think about harmonizing mental, physical and nutritional health: What we eat, how we move and how we speak to ourselves impacts our well-being in numerous ways. Malina Williams, our spa and wellness manager, outlines how guests can nourish their minds and bodies while visiting—and after.
Wellness at the Tides Inn is often connected to our beautiful natural surroundings. The serene waters of the Rappahannock River host peaceful cruises where you get up-close with Mother Nature; the Chesapeake Gold experience offers a hands-on exploration of oysters’ role in creating a healthy ecosystem; and energizing, 30-minute Shoreline Sweat sessions take place along the adjacent Shoreline Trail. These immersive outings serve as a reminder that wellness can take many forms—and extends well beyond traditional fitness routines.
Guests are drawn to experiences that foster creativity and discovery. Our Pottery on the Wheel class encourages artistic expression and mindfulness, while the Nature’s Art class invites you to view nature as a palette from which to build a mixed-media collage.
To nourish their bodies, guests enjoy locally sourced meals at Salt & Meadow (some of the ingredients even come from our on-site garden) and hands-on classes, like pasta-making, that encourage healthy leaving and the development of new skills.
Guests can engage their minds and take advantage of fitness offerings such as Morning Yoga, Total Body Sculpt and more.
A stay at the Tides Inn is only one step in a lifelong wellness journey. Malina’s key piece of advice? Everything in moderation. Whether you’re on vacation or at home, balance is key in how you approach everything from your diet to exercise—and even self-expectations.
That’s why, when it comes to setting goals, Malina offers a fresh perspective: Don’t. Focus on celebrating your successes instead. Acknowledging even small victories, embracing setbacks, learning from failure and pushing through moments of doubt can be far more impactful than intense goal structures, which often leave people feeling frustrated and discouraged.
By embracing this mindset, guests can maintain the tranquility and positivity they experienced at the Tides Inn long after their visit.