Katy Trail B&B, Rocheport
November 2021
Craving a girl’s getaway, my sister and I road-tripped to Rocheport where a boxcar turned bed and breakfast awaited us.
Located next to the Katy Trail, the location couldn’t have been more convenient for biking, gallery hopping and sipping local wine by an outdoor fire. The authentic boxcar is part of the Katy Trail B&B that also includes two houses on a spacious property.
Owners Susan McClintock and husband Shade are longtime residents of Rocheport. Fun fact: years ago, Shade lived in the A-frame overlooking the river that now hosts visitors at Les Bourgeois Vineyards. Recently retired from teaching and sales in fine wine and spirits, respectively, they bought the bed and breakfast from the town’s former mayor just as COVID hit.
Susan added new bedding, landscaping and a porch to the boxcar. The cozy interior still has the original, refinished wood floor. An antique door pulls down from the wall for an ingenious dining bar in the compact kitchen. The boxcar can sleep seven in three queen beds—two in open lofts on each end and one on the main floor—plus a sleeper sofa. Under one loft, a small modern bathroom has a shower/tub combo.
“It’s tiny living at its finest in 350 square feet,” says Susan. “Many people come with their grandchildren, and we even have several of The Boxcar Children books that kids can read while they’re here.”
On the property, guests can use the tire swing, fire pit with wood and starter, gas grill, porches and patios for gathering, lawn chairs and picnic tables. A large shed stores bikes for overnight guests.
Two additional rental options include the 1890s yellow house with a community family room, full kitchen and washer/dryer for bikers. With a bedroom/bath upstairs and two bedrooms downstairs with shared bath, Susan only rents the downstairs to one party due to COVID. Next door, the cedar house sleeps up to nine and works well for families, biking parties and girlfriend weekends.
“We accept one-night reservations, which helps our bikers who want to stay a single night while on the trail,” explains Susan.
A serve-yourself, continental breakfast offers guests flexibility in the morning. Everyone has kitchen privileges in the yellow house where fresh eggs, yogurt, fruit, cereal and granola bars are available. After breakfast, we rented bikes just down the street at Meriwether Café & Bike Shop and hit the trail.
Built on the railroad bed of the defunct Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, the Katy Trail stetches 240 miles across the state between Clinton and Machens and is the longest trails-to-rails project in the country.
Visit KatyTrailBB.com for more information.