Blue Stone Inn History

The Blue Stone Inn was built in the 1920’s and has been in the Olschofka family since 1949. Katharine and Ernest Olschofka, great grandparents of the current chef, settled in New York City after immigrating from Germany in 1919. They both worked in the hotel business in New York, then moved in 1949 with their son Karl to the rural community of Lacey Spring in the Shenandoah Valley to operate the Blue Stone Inn.

Situated on US route 11, which was then the main north-south highway through the Valley, the small “mom-and-pop” type restaurant and cabin-style motel catered to locals and tourists alike.

Karl ran the business as his parents grew older, and in 1976 his son Mike took over as owner and operator. While the motel eventually fell victim to changing times and Interstate 81, the restaurant continues to draw both local patrons and tourists visiting our beautiful valley. The restaurant has seen many changes over the years, and is now considered by many customers to be one of the best restaurants in the Valley. Mike passed in 2018, but his wife Janet and son Tom, generation #4, continue the family business..

Janet, Tom and Mike Olschofka

Karl Olschofka and his father Ernest in 1949