 |
 |
Great inns evoke a sense of place. Clapboards, shutters, and a blanket of snow do the job for Vermont’s Rabbit Hill Inn.
Photograph by Bob Krist |
| Learn more |
A sense of place: Tricky to define, but like good art, you know it when you see it. Great country inns evoke a sense of place, of belonging to their region—clapboard and shutters in New England, an adobe hacienda in the Arizona desert, a plantation mansion in Mississippi. Add a friendly innkeeper, good value, personal service, and great regional cuisine, and you’ve got a true travel experience.
 |
|
Guests relax by the fire at the Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford, Vermont.
Photograph by Bob Krist |
Such inns are hard to find, so we asked more than two dozen of the country’s leading inn-guidebook specialists to name their top picks. Many have visited literally hundreds of inns, so it takes a lot to impress them. For each region of the country, they selected a handful of winners and a few honorable mentions. Among the chosen: Rabbit Hill Inn, Lower Waterford, Vermont; Abbey Hotel, Bettendorf, Iowa; and Tu Tu Tun Lodge, Gold Beach, Oregon. In all, we uncovered about 50 winners and honorable mentions in the lower 48 states.
B&B Getaways
http://www.bbgetaways.com
Check out this comprehensive state-by-state list of names, phone numbers, and maps for U.S. B&Bs.
Bed & Breakfast Inns Online
http://www.bbonline.com
Link to more than 1,800 B&B homepages and 21 state innkeepers associations’ Web sites.
Bernice Cheslers Bed & Breakfast in New England/Mid-Atlantic States
http://www.obs-us.com/chesler
This site features searchable, unabridged publications on more than 860 selected B&Bs—brought to you by “America’s Bed & Breakfast Ambassador.”
Karen Browns Guides: California: Charming Inns and Itineraries
http://www.karenbrown.com/california
Visit this great resource for California inns and B&Bs.
The Innkeepers Register
http://www.innbook.com
This is the Web site of the Independent Innkeepers’ Association.
InnPlace
http://www.innplace.com
Review the searchable listings of members of the Professional Association of Innkeepers International.
INNroads
http://www.inns.com
Visit this one-stop site for detailed information and inngoers’ comments about more than 1,500 select inns, B&Bs, and small hotels in the U.S. and Canada.
)
)