Experience Inauguration Day Vicariously at a Bed and Breakfast Inn

iLoveInns.com Celebrates the White House in America

By: Shirley Anitra Swagerty

Inauguration Day is just around the corner and the fabulous bed and breakfast  inns in Washington, D.C. are…sold out. Not to worry. It’s not too late to celebrate President Obama’s big day at a bed and breakfast inn listed at www.iloveinns.com. Many of the original 13 colonies still have beautiful residences that are now open to the public as bed and breakfast inns. Like the White House, these late 18th century treasures show the Roman and Greek-inspired Palladian influence and have elegant furnishings to match. Watching the televised event among white columns, gilded chairs, rich mahogany, satin settees and bald eagles beats standing in the street for a far-off glimpse of the festivities.

Charleston Inspiration
Start by visiting the city that inspired the White House. The court house and several plantations within Charleston, South Carolina have ties to White House architect James Hoban. One columned historical landmark, The Governor’s House Inn, is the former home of Governor Edward Rutledge, the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence. With the addition of canopy beds and marble bathtubs the mansion is now an elegant bed and breakfast serving dignitaries from Main Street, USA. The home’s richly colored walls and upholstery evoke the Red Room and the Vermeil Room in the White House.

R&R in the Roosevelt Room
Even the president takes time out for a bed and breakfast. Devonfield Country Inn Bed and Breakfast in Lee, Massachusetts has shared at least one tenant with the White House. Rumor has it that in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s chauffeur drove him across Devonfield’s front lawn for a visit with Queen Wilhelmina of Holland. Be sure to stay in the Roosevelt Room. Unlike the windowless Roosevelt room in the White House, Devonfield’s room has a panoramic view and a wood-burning fireplace for fireside chats. 

Presidential Acccommodations
A Williamsburg White House in colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, celebrates presidents through the ages. Luxurious and spacious, this bed and breakfast is fit for the first family. Each presidential suite is fitted with period furnishings and memorabilia inspired by the greats, from Washington to Roosevelt. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride down the same street where George Washington led his troops to victory in Yorktown and be back in time to witness history in the making–many of the rooms come with televisions for watching the inauguration.

Weddings at Washington Plantation
On June 2, 1886, President Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom descended the staircase into the Blue Room as the first and only president and first lady to be married in the White House. While the White House may never be available to the public as a wedding venue, Washington Plantation in Georgia provides a similarly elegant setting. Greeted by four columns resembling those of the first front porch, couples can exchange their vows outdoors in seven acres of landscaped gardens or opt for an intimate reception inside the house. For the honeymoon, The Planter’s Room has a 72” whirlpool bath built for two (or for one President Taft).
 
Plan your campaign early to attend the 2012 inauguration. Visit www.iLoveInns.com and browse through the 19,000 bed and breakfasts 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.

Saint Augustine Bed and Breakfast, New Orleans Bed and Breakfast