Thoughtful details, such as spa robes in each suite bathroom, warm hospitality like coffee, cookies and other treats at the coffee bar on each floor, and a sense of place, found in the curated local information in The Study, define the experience at the MacPherson House in Fayetteville, N.C.
"As the only boutique bed and breakfast in town, we offer more than just a stay," says Katy and Michael Stevick. "We provide a window into the charm and history of a place that has stood the test of time."
In 2013, the Stevicks discovered Fayetteville when the Army assigned Michael to Fort Bragg and immediately fell in love with "America's hometown."
In 2020 (yes, that year), the couple, enchanted by the charm of the downtown historic district, purchased the historic home in the Historic Haymount District and turned it into an intimate bed and breakfast, featuring six guest rooms in the main house and a private cottage.
In addition to the accommodations, guests can enjoy breakfast with seasonal ingredients, sometimes including herbs from the MacPherson House's garden. They can also partake in elevated enhancements like a charcuterie board and relax with a glass of wine or beverage on the back patio overlooking the flower farm.
"Every detail reflects a commitment to preserving the home's character, ensuring guests experience its warmth and authenticity."
They add that guests can expect a familiar yet memorable stay, "like visiting a favorite relative who always sets the table just right."
Bed and breakfasts possess a unique charm. Each one offers something different in terms of amenities and character, making it the ideal accommodation choice for travelers wanting to immerse themselves in local culture.
The next time you plan a trip, consider staying at one of these bed and breakfasts and inns throughout the South.
With the victrola and other turn-of-the-century pieces in the Wanda Alissa Drawing Room, the phrase "charmingly intimate" immediately comes to mind when describing 2439 Fairfield, A Bed & Breakfast in Shreveport, La.
The Victorian home, built around 1905, is in the Fairfield Historic District. While each of the four suites differs in decor and furnishings, they all offer the same thing: absolute escape and relaxation. Additional bonuses: The property is kid—and pet-friendly, providing an excellent escape for the entire family.
Amenities range from private balconies to whirlpool baths. If need be, there are in-room workstations and even televisions, but they are tucked away, giving the feeling of being "out of sight, out of mind." Of course, mornings begin with an English breakfast.
Loyd Hall Plantation is located in Cheneyville, La., minutes from Alexandria. It's on a 640-acre working farm along Bayou Boeuf's banks.
The property, built in 1820, is listed on the National Historic Register. Like many old homes, it has its share of stories, including ones of ghosts.
As for the accommodations, Loyd Hall Plantation offers two suites in the main house and five cottages. Tastefully decorated, they come in varying sizes and amenities. For instance, the Jenkins Suite has a Parlor room and a claw-foot tub, while The McCullough House, the largest of the cottages, provides two bedrooms and a kitchen. Two of the cottages offer fireplaces. Enjoy breakfast in the main house.
The Degas House, located in the Esplanade Ridge neighborhood of Mid-City New Orleans, was where French Impressionist Master Edgar Degas lived for five months from 1872 to 1873.
Today, the two-story mansion serves as a house museum, a courtyard and a historic bed-and-breakfast. It is Degas' only known home and workspace, and it was opened to the public.
The nine guest rooms and suites, each named for a Musson-Degas family member, blend antique furnishings with contemporary conveniences effortlessly. All include refrigerators, luxury robes, large-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, an iPod docking station and more. The three suites feature private balconies and other upscale touches. Breakfast is served daily.
Property amenities include a walking tour and art classes.
Overnight at the Clark House Inn (ca. 1859), the first home built in Clarksdale, Miss. Tucked away in the Historic District where Tennessee Williams spent his childhood and blocks away from downtown, the property provides a relaxing experience for a weekend or an extended stay.
Some rooms are named after Williams' works. All eight rooms feature a flat-screen television, a desk, seating and other amenities, such as porches or non-operating fireplaces. Wi-Fi is also available. The four rooms upstairs in the main house have a shared lounge area. The parlor, library and dining room are also available. Guests can enjoy a Continental breakfast each morning.
Regarded as the "bed-and-breakfast capital of the South," Natchez, Miss., each property is unique and has its share of special features and stories, like Linden Antebellum Bed and Breakfast. Not all houses can claim that their front doorways inspired Tara's front door in Gone With the Wind."
Sitting on seven acres, the antebellum home (ca. 1785) exudes Southern hospitality from its expansive, columned porch to the breezeway with rocking chairs and ceiling fans.
The property has six rooms in the three wings. Each room has a private bathroom, flat-screen television and an iPhone clock radio. Some rooms feature locally made furniture, while others have family heirlooms. The property also has a cottage with a full kitchen and two dining areas. Meeting space is also available at Linden.
And for the final selling point, it's only five minutes from downtown.
After a full Southern breakfast, complete with biscuits (a Natchez staple), enjoy a guided tour of the residence.
Named for the Choctaw word meaning "happy home," Anchuca Historic Mansion and Inn is located in Vicksburg, Miss.'s oldest neighborhood, Old Town. It represents the town's first columned house and antebellum residence to open as a tour home.
And like all historic homes, it has an interesting back story. Not only did it sustain damage from the Siege, but Jefferson Davis also spoke to friends and neighbors from the property's front balcony while visiting his older brother, the third owner of the home, which was said to have been one of the last public addresses.
Intrigued? Well, there's more, and tours of Anchuca are given daily.
As for the bed and breakfast, the property offers 10 rooms with either queen or king beds, private bathrooms and other touches, such as K-cup coffee makers, minibars and Roku Smart TVs. Some are pet-friendly, some can connect to adjoining rooms and for an additional charge, some can include a twin rollaway bed.
Explore the nearly one-acre grounds with its swimming pool, courtyard and grand verandah.
A southern-style breakfast is served daily at Restaurant Anchuca (open to the public for dinner - Mon., Wed., Thurs. -Sat., and brunch on Sun.), and guests can even "sweeten" their stay with Macarons by AK, crafted by the property's owner, Anna Kate Andrews.
Travelers know that location is key when choosing accommodations, and Germantown Inn in Nashville, Tenn., is in the ideal spot. Situated in a walkable neighborhood, accessible to coffee shops and restaurants, a few blocks from the state capitol and relatively close to downtown, the property lets you enjoy the excitement and relax in serenity with a visit to the parlor area or courtyard.
The boutique inn consists of two buildings. The larger one, built in the mid-1800s, once served as a shoe cobbler's home and houses six rooms named after presidents. While historic and has many original features, it has been updated with modern touches. The smaller building, built in 2018, has four rooms named after women in history. Room amenities include free Wi-Fi, plush bathrobes and Frette linen.
For meals, enjoy a continental breakfast, an early evening appetizer of complimentary beer or wine served with a charcuterie board and more.
Come home to ATH|BNB, The Rushmore, located near the University of Georgia campus and steps away from numerous restaurants in Athens' Five Points. As you enter the "casually elegant" property, you immediately feel the quiet and calm—just like when you come home.
ATH|BNB, The Rushmore's 14 custom-furnished suites include all the comforts needed for an overnight or weekend outing, like high-speed Wi-Fi, 43-inch Smart TVs and refrigerators. Start the day with breakfast and enjoy wine, beer (local purveyor Creative Comforts), and water in the Club Room, available throughout the day.
Experience a slice of old Florida at Turtle Beach Inn in Indian Pass, Fla.
Located in the Panhandle, the property exudes laid-back charm. Its porches and sundecks beckon you to exhale and relax as you take in the sweeping views of the Gulf of Mexico.
And the views don't end there.
Stay in one of the rooms in the main house and enjoy views of the Gulf. Additional touches include private entrances, ceiling fans and more.
Begin your day with breakfast on the screened porch and a leisurely afternoon on the beach. Guests have access to lounge chairs and umbrellas.
Turtle Beach Inn offers cottages for families, complete with screened porches and fully equipped kitchens.
Morgan and Wells Bed and Breakfast in Shelby, N.C., has quite the backstory. Wanting to preserve the interior and exterior of the 1901 Craftsman Bungalow, the entire structure was moved from its former location to the corner of Morgan and Wells Streets, thus giving the bed-and-breakfast its name.
The cozy property, with heart pine floors and 12-foot-high ceilings, features five stylish guest rooms and suites that combine the old and the new. For instance, the James Edward Room retains its original masonry fireplace and offers a private wraparound veranda. Each room includes private bathrooms, flat-screen televisions, Wi-Fi and more.
Indulge during the stay with a spa treatment.
Breakfast is served each morning, and snacks and beverages are available in the afternoon.
The Duke Mansion is a historic 20-room boutique inn and meeting place in the Myers Park neighborhood of Charlotte, N. C.
While the inn opened its doors in 1998, the property has an interesting timeline.
The home, built in 1915, is considered one of the finest examples of Colonial Revival architecture. In 1919, the home's new owner, James B. "Buck" Duke, founder of The American Tobacco Company and Duke Power Company, increased the size to 32,000 square feet (its current size today) and expanded the grounds to 14 acres (it's now 4.5 acres.)
Over the years, the "Grand Dame of Myers Parks" has changed owners and purpose. Although it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, the home was converted into condominiums, and plans were made to expand.
However, that didn't happen. In the late '80s, The Duke Mansion was again saved and restored. The Lynnwood Foundation was created to protect and preserve the home, and the house was sold. The Foundation also oversees The Lee Institute, which focuses on building collaborative community leadership.
Explore the gardens and the grounds, relax on the screened-in porches, or drive into Charlotte. Guest rooms include everything needed to unwind with queen- or king-size beds, yet feel connected with free Wi-Fi access. Breakfast is served on the main floor.
There isn't a better place for the first Bourbon-themed bed-and-breakfast than in the "bourbon capital of the world," Bardstown, Ky.
Bourbon Manor Bed and Breakfast consists of a Federal Home (circa 1810) and a Greek Revival Antebellum Mansion (circa 1820). Because of the manor's storied history, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Kentucky Landmark.
Ten elegant yet comfortable rooms adorned with antiques and art are between the two homes. The mansion, complete with an eye-drawing cantilevered spiral staircase, has seven rooms on its first and second floors, while the federal home has three. All rooms include free high-speed Wi-Fi, private bathrooms, gas-log fireplaces and other specialized touches that ensure a relaxing stay after a packed day of exploring the Bourbon Trail.
Enjoy a stroll in the gardens, unwind in the Grand Parlor or sitting halls, or indulge in a treatment at the day spa.
Mornings at Bourbon Manor Bed and Breakfast begin with a full country gourmet breakfast, and a beverage and snack station is available throughout the day for a quick pick-me-up.
School is cool, especially when it has become a bed and breakfast. Hope and Glory Inn in Irvington, Va., began as a schoolhouse in the late 1800s to 1908. Without getting into too much of the property's history, it opened as its current self in the mid-1990s.
Hope and Glory Inn offers 13 rooms and cottages combined. The historic schoolhouse has seven rooms, and the six cottages (one is pet-friendly) are in the gardens. All the accommodations include gracious amenities and the always-needed and welcomed enhanced internet connection throughout the property. A gourmet picnic-style box breakfast is delivered to the rooms and cottages every morning.
The property's on-site offerings place Hope and Glory Inn in a separate category. Only here can you happily visit Detention and let your creativity flow. There is also the Espresso Bar in the lobby that serves coffee and more. If it's warm enough, soak or swim in the salt pool. However, the Instagram-worthy Garden Bath is where you need to spend time, whether relaxing or reflecting.
Kentucky isn't the only destination with a bourbon-themed bed and breakfast. Ironclad Inn, a former private residence, ca. 1793, in Fredericksburg, Va.'s historic downtown neighborhood, is all about the three B's: bed, breakfast and bourbon.
"We wanted a place that would be an interconnected part of our family-owned distillery and tasting room in Newport News," says co-founder and creative director Kara King.
Inspired by the personalized hospitality of a private family home, the Kings envisioned the bedrooms and shared spaces designed for finding a home away from home, and the Bourbon Tasting Room to be the hub of the Inn, where lively stories could be swapped over a delicious tipple or two.
"We want to extend Ironclad Distillery Co.'s dedication to quality, connection, and hospitality into the experience of living, traveling and coming home to a glass of fine bourbon."
The property offers nine residential rooms, each with a bourbon bar cart. The main bedrooms are in the 18th century and provide traditional beds, original fireplaces and seating areas. Additional bedrooms are in the area of the home that was added in the 1930s.
A Southern breakfast is served daily, and coffee, tea, and water are available all day. The Bourbon Tasting Room offers tastings, cocktails and a daily light snack menu until 8 pm.