Select Registry - Inn Scene • Spring/Summer 2023 • Once Upon an Inn

For over 200 years The Grafton Inn has welcomed travelers, making it one of the longest-operating inns in the country—and its stories read like a United States history textbook. Money earned in the California Gold Rush funded its restoration; the Great Depression nearly ended the business; and figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rudyard Kipling, Teddy Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson have all been guests. Just as it did back in 1801, the inn “remains the anchor for the town today,” says innkeeper Angela Comstock. Experience the inn’s 42 guest rooms, two on-site restaurants, and the same hospitality that’s kept the lights on for two centuries. More on page 70.

During the 1960s, Gainesville, Florida was known as the Berkeley of the Southeast, and right in the middle of its Hippie Hill neighborhood stood Laurel Oak Inn, formerly known as the Lassiter House. This 1885-era home was built by Wilburn Lassiter and his second wife, Fanny, but by the ‘60s, the mansion had been turned into apartments more suitable for starving artists like a young Tom Petty, who reportedly lived there in 1969. Since undergoing significant restoration throughout the 1990s, Laurel Oak Inn has, and continues to, welcome music buffs, history fans, and Sunshine State visitors to experience its luxurious and storied past. More on page 39.

Sit long enough on the front porch of The Inn & Spa at Intercourse Village and you might be confused about what century you’re in as horses and buggies roll down Main Street. Welcome to Intercourse Village, the heart of Pennsylvania’s Dutch and Amish country, where modernity meets tradition. As you walk inside the 1909-era home, history follows. The inn’s original chestnut woodwork, found in its windowsills and moldings, is a rare feature due to a blight that destroyed many of the local chestnut trees. Guests also love the pocket doors, working push-button light switches, and early 20th-century decor. “Our memorable part of the world will enchant you with its quaint shops, beautiful scenery, and rich history,” promises owner Carl Kosko. More on page 64.

The tranquil harbor and stunning natural landscapes of Bar Harbor, Maine are the only clues to exactly what was going through Alpheus Hardy’s head in 1885 when he named Ullikana Cottage on the Harbor. Hardy, a china trader from Boston, never told anyone who—or what—Ullikana was, and the mystery remains to this day. Over the years, guests have come to create their own unique versions of what the name means to them. The original cottage has lovingly restored rooms, each with its own distinctive character—it feels like a modern retreat. In the decades since its naming, Ullikana has become synonymous with seclusion and luxury. Today, it is a tasteful basecamp to explore Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. More on page 46.

Shining in a neighborhood full of historic homes, this Second Empire-style mansion is a steadfast fixture of the Wethersfield Historic District. Intricate cast-iron patterns, a mansard roof, beckoning balustrades, and an impressive three-tier entry are all original details built by Silas W. Robbins, a successful politician and businessman. However, in 1996, a devastating fire destroyed the inn’s interior. Only after a painstaking restoration, the opulent Silas W Robbins House returned to its original grandeur, complete with intricate woodwork, marble fireplaces, and elegant furnishings—and made its debut in the 2018 Hallmark film, “Honeysuckle Lane.” For guests today, luxurious accommodations and a glimpse into the past await. More on page 37.

If the walls at The Hotel Saugatuck could talk, they would sound like a gangster film. When the 19th-century building reopened as a hotel in 1922, owner—and vaudeville banjo player–Tom Carey invited his fellow Chicago musicians to play, dance, and wait out prohibition. Gangsters from Al Capone’s crew often frequented the hotel, and local legend says shots were fired in honor of one gangster’s sweetheart. If the drama doesn’t impress you, the fine finishings of this historic building surely will, including supple wood floors dating back to the 1920s and original windowed vestibules that are “the perfect place to sit and take in the views of the gardens and Lake Kalamazoo,” says general manager Brittany Hollingshead. More on page 50.

Select Registry - Inn Scene - Spring/Summer 2023

Once Upon an Inn

One For The History (Guest) Books

Issue List

Spring/Summer 2023

Fall/Winter 2022