Wawona Hotel facts for kids
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Wawona Hotel and Thomas Hill Studio
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Wawona Hotel in 2005
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| Location | On CA 41 in Yosemite National Park, Wawona, California |
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| Area | 16.5 acres (6.7 ha) |
| Built | 1876 |
| Architect | Washburn Brothers |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000223 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 1, 1975 |
| Designated NHL | May 28, 1987 |
The Wawona Hotel is an old and famous hotel. It is found in the southern part of Yosemite National Park in California. This hotel is so special that it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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A Look Back: Wawona Hotel's History
The Wawona Hotel is one of California's oldest mountain resort hotels. It shows off a classic Victorian era design. This hotel was built in 1876. Its purpose was to welcome tourists visiting the nearby Mariposa Grove. This grove is famous for its huge Giant Sequoia trees.
Over the years, more and more people visited. So, the hotel added more rooms and buildings until 1916. They also created more trails in the forest. These paths followed the south fork of the Merced River.
The Wawona Hotel is located about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the park's south entrance. It sits between the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees and the Yosemite Valley. It is one of the few historic hotels still standing inside Yosemite National Park.
What Makes the Hotel Special?
Most of the hotel's 104 guestrooms open onto wide verandas. These porches wrap around the first and second floors. From them, you can see beautiful gardens and natural landscapes. The hotel has six unique buildings. They were built between 1876 and 1916.
The rooms are decorated with old furniture and items from the past. There are no telephones or televisions in the guestrooms. This helps guests enjoy the quiet nature. Outside, you can take peaceful nature walks or scenic drives. When it snows, you can go cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, or snowshoeing nearby.
Golfing at Wawona
Across from the hotel is a nine-hole golf course. It is 3,035 yards (2,775 m) long and is a par 35 course. This is Yosemite Park's only golf course. It is also one of the few found in any U.S. National Park. The course is open every day from spring to fall, if the weather is good. This golf course has been open since 1918. It is the oldest one in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The Hotel's Name Change
On March 1, 2016, the Wawona Hotel was renamed Big Trees Lodge. This happened because of a legal disagreement. The US Government owns the hotel. A new company, Aramark, took over running it. The old company, Delaware North, said they owned the hotel's name.
But don't worry! The hotel got its historic name back. On July 15, 2019, the disagreement was settled. The hotel is now proudly called the Wawona Hotel again.
Thomas Hill's Art Studio
Thomas Hill (1829–1908) was a famous landscape painter. He was part of the Hudson River School of art. He stayed at the Wawona Hotel later in his life. He used the hotel's pavilion as his painting studio. There, he created many artworks of the area. This studio is also listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places.
