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BALTIMORE (Feb. 10) – Savor old-world charm and modern comforts at a Maryland bed and breakfast (B&B), says the Maryland Office of Tourism, and enjoy a uniquely “local” experience.
“B&Bs appeal to a wide range of travelers,” says Margot Amelia, executive director of the tourism office. “A 2011 industry survey revealed that leisure travelers who stayed at B&Bs and inns during the previous year liked the unique, authentic experiences that these accommodations offer. And, about two-thirds of those surveyed liked the private, less crowded, quiet atmosphere of a small inn or B&B.”
Getting a better sense of local culture and staying at a place with unique décor and interesting architecture also resonate well with travelers in the survey, Amelia points out. She notes that travelers who stay at a B&B in Annapolis, for instance, are apt to “feel the historical lure of this colonial seaport where the U.S. Naval Academy is steps away from more 18th-century buildings still in use than any other place in the country.” Another example is Southern Maryland, where B&Bs afford opportunities to stay in a lush peninsular region bounded by the Patuxent and Potomac rivers that is home to the Religious Freedom National Scenic Byway, the start of the Star-Spangled Banner Trail (the route the British used in their invasion of Maryland during the War of 1812) and the Patuxent Wine Trail (a collection of six wineries).
B&Bs and inns often suggest the feeling of the Victorian or other historical eras through their architectural look, period antiques and afternoon tea. Yet, in many instances, they provide their guests with an array of modern touches.
“Some B&Bs offer exquisite, yet comfortable rooms with exceptional amenities: king beds with high-end linens, private baths with spa tubs, jetted showers, working fireplaces, free Wi-Fi and a wonderful breakfast at no extra cost,” says Danielle Hanscom, president of the Maryland Bed and Breakfast Association and co-owner of Brampton Bed and Breakfast Inn, an updated 1860 plantation house on 35 acres just outside Chestertown. Speaking of B&B proprietors, Amelia says travelers appreciate the personalized service and attentiveness that proprietors offer. “B&Bs and inns are the epitome of small-business enterprises – and small businesses are the backbone of Maryland’s tourism industry. Moreover, when travelers stay at a B&B, they get inside information about what to do or where to go in the area from local tourism experts – the innkeepers.”
Here is a sampling of B&Bs and inns – reflecting a range of amenities – with historical roots across Maryland's five regions:
Western Maryland
Inn Boonsboro (Washington County) – This upscale B&B – with room names that evoke romantic couples of literary fiction – occupies the site of The Eagle, a hotel built in the 1790s. It was one of two stone buildings in a town that became known for the first monument to honor George Washington – a rugged stone tower erected in 1827 four miles outside of town. The hotel changed hands multiple times, eventually becoming The Boone Hotel in the late 1930s. Author Nora Roberts acquired the property this decade as a vacant building with the intent of transforming it into a B&B. After total re-building, Inn Boonsboro opened in 2009 – with some of the masonry from The Eagle still intact.
The Deer Park Inn, Deer Park (Garrett County) – Built in 1889 as Pennington Cottage – the 17-room summer home of Baltimore architect Josiah Pennington – this property stands on the grounds where the once-prominent Deer Park Hotel stood. The dining room offers seasonal fare and uses produce from nearby Amish farms. French chef Pascal Fontaine, formerly executive chef of the Westin Hotel in Washington, D.C., is co-owner of the inn. Furnishings include Victorian antiques from the original cottage.
Capital Region
Pleasant Springs Farm, Boyds (Montgomery County) – A 1768 log cabin offers accommodations on a secluded 30-acre property with gardens, woodlands and pastures. Sheep graze nearby. A shepherd makes handspun-yarn products with dyes from the garden, along with goat cheese, soap, candles and hot pepper jelly. Proprietors are launching a buy-local food program with neighboring farms this year. English High Tea is available.
The Inn at Buckeystown (Frederick County) – Located near the Monocacy River and the historic town of Frederick, the inn occupies an 1897 mansion in an area steeped with pre-American Revolution history and the influence of the Civil War. It’s a four-star national award winner for food, ambiance and hospitality. Serendipity, the inn’s tea room, serves 30 varieties of teas. Five of the guest rooms have private baths.
Central Maryland
Admiral Fell Inn, Baltimore – Located in historic Fell’s Point, a lively waterfront community, the inn consists of seven adjoining buildings – some date back to the late 1700s. It has served as a ship chandlery, theater, boarding house for sailors, and later, a seaman’s YMCA. Edgar Allan Poe reportedly had his last drink at a saloon a few doors away. After total renovation in the mid-1980s and expansion in 1996, the inn transformed into an 80-room facility that is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Hotels of America program. http://www.historichotels.org/hotels-resorts/admiral-fell-inn/
Antrim 1844 Country House Hotel, Taneytown (Carroll County) – Once a thriving plantation, this 24-acre property includes a restored mansion with nine guestrooms and other buildings that house another 31 rooms. Each has a fireplace. Antrim was built in 1844 and is in the National Register of Historic Places. It’s located by the Catoctin Mountains, between Westminster and Gettysburg in a region infused with Civil War history. Rooms are named for famous figures of the Civil War and other historical eras. Smokehouse Restaurant offers a unique six-course meal every night. The wine cellar, which has 22,000 bottles, also offers food service.
Historic Inns of Annapolis (Anne Arundel County) – This collection of three boutique hotels – The Maryland Inn (44 rooms), Governor Calvert House (51 rooms) and Robert Johnson House (29 rooms) – date back to the 1700s. Members of Congress stayed at the Maryland Inn (44 rooms) when George Washington came to Annapolis in December 1783 and resigned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. As its name implies, the original structure at the location of the Governor Calvert House was the home of Charles Calvert, Maryland’s governor from 1720 to 1727. Fire destroyed much of the building in 1764. What remained became part of new Georgian-style building at the time. Robert Johnson House (actually three joined houses) overlooks the State House and Government House. In 1772, Annapolis barber Robert Johnson bought the property. His grandson built a house a year later.
Le Cle D’or Guesthouse, Havre de Grace (Harford County) – Henry Harrison Hopkins (cousin of Johns Hopkins) built this Victorian-style property in 1868, the start of America’s Gilded Age. A report for Maryland Historical Trust in 1977 said the house “is the best example in Havre de Grace of the highly electric, even eccentric, styles of architecture that became popular” after the Civil War. Names of two suites – Lafayette and Rochambeau echo the town’s connections with American history from the Revolution onward. Havre de Grace narrowly missed out on being designated the U.S. capital in a 1789 vote by the House of Representatives. http://www.lacledorguesthouse.com/index.html
Southern Maryland
Back Creek B&B, Solomons (Calvert County) – Captain Benjamin Woodburn, who hauled freight over the water, built this property in Avondale (the former name of the Solomons mainland) in the late 1880s. During its first 100 years it was a private residence. Innkeeper Carol Pennock is also an artist who displays and sells her work at the inn. Back Creek caters to business travelers. Boating guests may dock at the inn’s two slip. The island riverwalk is nearby, as are Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center and the Calvert Marine Museum.
Part of Plenty Bed & Breakfast, Port Tobacco (Charles County) – This restored two-story farm house – built around 1850 –was renovated in 1996. It’s furnished with period antiques and reproductions. The innkeepers have owned the property for 25 years and converted it to a bed and breakfast in 2004. They named it Part of Plenty because the property was part of a plantation and the original name on the deed was “Plentee.” Port Tobacco is the location of St. Ignatius Church, founded in 1641 and the oldest continuously serving Catholic parish in the U.S.
Woodlawn, Ridge (St. Mary’s County) – Near Historic St. Mary’s City, this late 18th-century manor house on a 180-acre estate was grand-prize winner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Great American Home Awards upon the completion of its restoration in 1990. Mathias Clarke – an importer, member of the St. Mary’s County militia and county justice – built the two-story Federal-style frame house overlooking Calvert Creek. Woodlawn was originally known as Trinity Manor, a reference to the tract of land here that Lord Baltimore granted to his brother Leonard Calvert in 1634.
Eastern Shore
Elk Forge Bed and Breakfast, Elkton (Cecil County) – Though it opened as a luxury B&B in 2000, the property’s history goes back 200-plus years. It began as the Elk Forge Company prior to the American Revolution. Elk Forge was at the center of an industrial community that included a grain mill, saw mill, textile mills and farms across an area of 1,000 acres. Today, Elk Forge has a spa, tea room and accommodations with whirlpools, fireplaces and private bathrooms.
Kitty Knight House Inn & Restaurant, Georgetown (Kent County) – When the British invaded the Eastern Shore during the War of 1812, they torched communities close to the shoreline to protect their forces. In one instance, as the British approached a hill in Georgetown where two houses stood, Kitty Knight (according to local reports) convinced Admiral George Cockburn not to burn the houses. She told him that an elderly woman resided in one of them. Though Knight didn’t own either house at the time, she wanted to protect her community. She later purchased one of the surviving houses. Today, the property has a deck that overlooks the Sassafras River harbor and a fine-dining restaurant.
Merry Sherwood Plantation, Berlin (Worcester County) – In 1859, a wealthy out-of-towner built this magnificent Italianate-style home (more than 8,500 square feet) upon his engagement to Elizabeth Henry, daughter of distinguished local merchant Zadok P. Henry. The house was a provision of the pending marriage. It was built on property overlooking Trappe Creek, which was part of the bride’s dowry. After successive owners and periodic renovations, Sherwood, as it was originally called, became Dunwandrin (reflected the owners’ world traveling) in the first half of the 20th century, and later Merry Sherwood.
The Tavern House Bed & Breakfast, Vienna (Dorchester County) – Built in the early 1700s in a thriving Eastern Shore port, The Tavern House provided travelers a place to eat, drink and spend the night. It re-emerged in 1985 as a five-bedroom B&B. The current innkeepers had purchased a dilapidated property and spent five years restoring it to what the 18th-century tavern would have looked like, paying attention to such details as the original door latches and the color of the interior paint.
Previous themes
In January, the state's tourism office outlined travel suggestions for each month in 2012. Previous monthly themes have focused on museums with free admission; Chesapeake Bay seafood; national parks in Maryland; local river outfitters; biking in Maryland; quirky and unique destinations; notable women in the state's history; the state's colonial heritage; outdoor adventure; lighthouses; buying local; girls' getaways; prominent gardens; and Chesapeake Bay art. To receive free Maryland travel information - Destination Maryland, Maryland Calendar of Events and a state highway map - by mail, call 800-719-5900. More information is available on the tourism office's web site, VisitMaryland.org.
To receive free Maryland travel information — Destination Maryland, Maryland Calendar of Events and a state highway map — by mail, call 800-719-5900. More information is available on the tourism office's web site, VisitMaryland.org.
About Maryland tourism
The Maryland Office of Tourism is an agency of the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts within the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. Recently reported visitor data shows that the state welcomed more than 32.2 million visitors in 2010. Those visitors spent nearly $13.1 billion on travel-related expenses – generating close to $1.9 billion in state and local taxes and providing 130,000 jobs to Maryland residents.
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