Adventure-Filled Bed and Breakfast Vacations

by: Julie Dietzel-Glair

New Hampshire, Mahoosuc Inn
Make the Mahoosuc Inn home base for all the recreational activities that Milan, New Hampshire, has to offer. Start the day with a hearty New England breakfast. Book a stay between Memorial Day and Columbus Day and reserve a guided horseback trail ride. White-tailed deer, bobcats, bald eagles, rabbits, and even black bears have been spotted along the trails. Guests can bring their own horse for boarding in the stables. Or ride the rapids. Raft New Hampshire offers Class 2 up to Class 5 white water rafting trips, with transportation to and from the inn provided. In winter, book the “Mush-Inn” package with Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel. The longest dog sled ride in the northeast is available year-round. The Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge where guests can kayak or canoe is home to 229 bird species. The Androscoggin River is also only minutes away. Hike part of the Appalachian Trail along the Mahoosuc Range. At the end of the day, relax in the hot tub, curl up in one of the six guest rooms, or simply watch the sunset from the deck. Dinner is available at the inn with a reservation. The inn also has three lofts available for long term rental only.

Maine, Percy Inn
Stay in the middle of the Portland, Maine, West End Historic District and have access to a wealth of activities. Built in 1830, Percy Inn is an urban bed and breakfast located at Longfellow Square. The guest rooms all have private bathrooms, queen beds, and Wi-Fi. Guests can enjoy a continental breakfast each morning and sit on the sunny deck sipping a cool beverage. The inn is in the middle of the Portland Arts District and home to many artistic venues and restaurants. The Portland Museum of Art is only two blocks away. Visitors should be sure to explore Portland Harbor and Casco Bay via the many tour companies available. Travel in a working mailboat run by Casco Bay Lines. See the best of Portland and its lighthouses through Portland Discovery Land and Sea Tours. Learn about the lobster business and perhaps catch one with Lucky Catch Cruises. Maine Sailing Adventures and Portland Schooner Company have two-hour sailing trips on a windjammer. See the magnificent mammals of the sea on a whale watching tour with Odyssey Whale Watch. The inn has been featured on the Today Show, in Yankee Magazine, and Martha Stewart’s Blueprint magazine.

Texas, Villa La Casita
Elegance, romance, and privacy flourish in this Spanish hacienda in Corpus Christi, Texas. Villa La Casita is a private, two-bedroom home with a loft, courtyard, and spacious grounds. Relax the moment the threshold is crossed with welcome refreshments and a complimentary bottle of wine. Sit outside and listen to the soothing sounds of trickling water from the fountain. With a complete kitchen and dining room, guests can stay in or go out for meals. The inn is close to the marina, beaches, and downtown Corpus Christi. The best months for kite boarding are February through mid-September but it is a sport that can be done year-round in the Bay. Launch from McGee Beach or Corpus Christi Beach for the best urban kayaking experience. Get up close and personal with the Corpus Christi Marina and the U.S.S. Lexington Museum or watch shrimp boats haul in their catch. Sail in the Bay for a different view of downtown or take a more adventurous route by going offshore. Take surfing lessons and then hit the waves; the best conditions are found the winter months. Beginning and advanced windsurfers love Corpus Christi with its average wind speeds of 18 miles per hour. Local guides can recommend the best places to fish for black drum, flounder, redfish, sheepshead, and speckled trout.

Texas, Fortuna Bay Bed and Breakfast
At the intersection of five canals and overlooking Fortuna Bay, this bed and breakfast is a Corpus Christi, Texas, hideaway. Originally a condominium complex, the units have been converted into a bed and breakfast with all the comforts of home including a full kitchen, living and dining room, and washer/dryer. Enjoy a continental breakfast in the room and then swim in the pool or fish off the dock. Fishermen have caught trout, reds, and flouder straight from the canals and can fish at night with the help of underwater lights. Guests have a special membership to the Padre Island Country Club to play golf or tennis, dine in the restaurant, or swim in the large pool. Bask in the sun on the white sands of the Gulf of Mexico. The crystal clear waters of the Gulf are only five minutes away. Seventy miles of protected coastline is 15 minutes away at the Padre Island National Seashore where bird watchers can look for more than 380 species of birds. The National Seashore is also a sanctuary for the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. The inn offers complete fishing and hunting packages and can arrange for guides and rooms for guests.

Alaska, Waypoint Inn at Herring Bay
View the ocean and the mountains through the large picture windows of Waypoint Inn at Herring Bay. All of the amenities of home are available in this studio-style inn in Ketchikan, Alaska. The nautical-themed inn has modern furnishings, a full kitchen, washer/dryer, and private entrance. The “Salmon Capitol of the World” offers fishermen many varieties of salmon including coho and sockeye along with halibut, rockfish, and ling cod. Try fly and spin fishing for salmon, trout, and steelhead. Learn basic wilderness survival skills on a three hour tour with Allen Marina Tours. View eagles nests, Ketchikan’s tallest totem pole, and Guard Island Lighthouse via a boat with Lighthouse Totems & Eagles Excursion. Pull up crab pots and feast on Dungeness crabs on the Wilderness Exploration and Crab Feed tour. Kayak in Orcas Cove which is inhabited by humpback whales, porpoises, seals, and, as the name says, orcas. Fly in a seaplane to the Misty Fjords and land in a bear viewing area to watch them dig for clams or fish for salmon. Speed along a zip line and cross aerial bridges connecting spruce, hemlock, and cedar trees in the Alaskan Rainforest.

Check iLoveInns.com to find a bed and breakfast for your next adventurous vacation.