B&Bs for Lion Tamers, Scholars, Conservationists

In the tradition of artists’ lofts built into abandoned factories, a new kind of bed and breakfast inn has found a home on www.iloveinns.com.  Originally built for prisoners, conservationists, speedboat racers and lion tamers these unusual living spaces have been renovated to allow guests to live and play under the same roof. Without a mansion on a tree-lined street to call their own these brave inns have dared to say, where there’s a bed and a home-cooked breakfast, there’s a way.

Around the World in 24 Hours

Not all exotic getaways require a passport.  Perfect for the home adventurer, these inns take guests on safari from the comfort of their own rooms.

Vision Quest Ranch is a sanctuary for both man and beast.  Who needs fine china when your breakfast basket is swinging from the trunk of an elephant?  Built on 51 acres of land in Monterey County, California, this safari-themed bed and breakfast hosts guests in African tent style bungalows.  The property is also home to Wild Things, A.R., Inc., a training facility for animal actors including elephants, bears, and even lions.  Though safely contained, guests can join the animal trainers for classes or nature walks.  The rooms contain the creature comforts of bathrooms and kitchens but guests should be prepared to greet the “pachyderm patrol” of elephant waiters bearing breakfast.

The Anniversary Inns have locations in Boise, ID; Logan, UT and two in Salt Lake City, UT, and each themed suite is as elaborately decorated as an amusement park.  In the Biker Roadhouse room guests can fill up on soda and hotdogs from working vending machines while playing pinball and pool right in the room.  For romance, handsome princes can cross the drawbridge to awaken their own Sleeping Beauty in Sleeping Beauty’s Castle while impetuous youths can deny their fathers and refuse their names beneath Juliet’s Balcony.  The challenge here may be finding the bed.  In the Swiss Family room the bed is set in the treetops, while the Lighthouse room hides a round bed curled into the tower of a miniature lighthouse.  It’s an indoor adventure complete with a plasma TV and a jetted tub. 

 Institutionalize Yourself

A vacation should be an escape from the ordinary.  These beautiful public buildings have escaped their practical uses and opened their doors to indulgence.

What better way to enjoy the East Coast than with an afternoon of shopping, dining and punishment in the stocks?  Built in 1772,  Jailhouse Inn in Newport is a crisply decorated, federalist-style building that used to hold prisoners.  Today the inn has let down its guard, replacing bread and water with a European style continental breakfast and trading its iron bars for fluffy, white pillows on rich, mahogany beds.  Check-in is voluntary and “prison guards” are happy to help the “inmates” escape with a bicycle ride, a walk along the beach, or a sunset harbor cruise in beautiful downtown Newport.

School’s out for summer at the School House Inn in Rocheport, MO.  This public school house built in 1914 was closed in 1972 and later repurposed as a bed and breakfast.  The ten guest rooms in the main house honor educational icons such as Dick and Jane and the Teacher’s Pet, while the two guest rooms in the adjacent School House Dormitory are spacious enough to hold the rest of the class.  Located next to Katy Trail State Park, guests are encouraged to ride their bikes home from school with an Early Riser Cyclist Special that allows early check-in and breakfast options for cyclists. There’s also a bike shed outside with a repair bench and compressed air for easy repairs.

Commune with Nature

Enjoying nature shouldn’t require a pound of insect repellent and a flashlight.  Luxurious and nature-friendly, these inns are a walk in the park.

Eve’s Garden Organic Bed & Breakfast and Ecology Resource Center combines the curves of classical architecture in ancient Rome with the energy efficiency of the adobe building system of the American Southwest. The secret is Papercrete: a lightweight, insulating concrete made of Portland cement and recycled paper fiber.  With brightly colored décor set against the backdrop of the high mountain desert of Marathon, Texas, a night at this inn is as festive as sleeping in a giant piñata.  Crack open a room for two with a private bath, a mini fridge and a full breakfast.  For special occasions ask co-founder Kate Thayer about her beautiful organic flower arrangements.

The Lake George Boathouse Bed and Breakfast in Bolton Landing, NY offers stunning views of Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains. Built in 1914 by a speed boat racer, this elegant waterfront mansion extends over the lake with steps leading straight to the water.  Each of the 7 rooms and suites has a private bathroom with a whirlpool tub, air conditioning, TV, refrigerator, microwave, and a coffee pot and most include a four post King-size bed to make each room more like home.  Guests can take a private tour aboard “Miss Boathouse,” a custom-made mahogany 33' Hacker Craft Sport motorboat that seats 12 to 14 people.

Still undecided? Log onto www.iloveinns.com and browse through the 19,000 B&Bs and country inns that specialize in other events and locations that may interest you. Many of the properties listed above are also in the best-selling bed and breakfast guidebook Bed & Breakfasts and Country Inns with a Buy-One-Night-Get-One-Night-Free Certificate. ILoveInns also offers Bed and Breakfast Gift Certificates, a perfect solution to help celebrate any occasion.

About American Historic Inns and iLoveInns.com
American Historic Inns, Inc. (www.iloveinns.com), founded in 1981, is the leading publisher of bed & breakfast guidebooks, with more than 2.5 million bed & breakfast guidebooks sold, and runs iLoveInns.com, a top bed & breakfast and country inns directory.