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.
Southmoreland On The Plaza, Kansas City
August 2021
Delightfully appointed in a coveted location, Southmoreland on the Plaza pampers guests. The upscale 1913 Colonial Revival mansion touts covered porches, sumptuous bedding and breakfasts in the courtyard patio garden or enclosed sunporch.
Shaded by mature oaks, the inn lies a walkable one-and-a-half blocks from Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza. The Plaza’s Spanish-style architecture, embellished with stucco turrets and shimmering fountains, offers upscale shopping and an abundance of restaurants, perfect for evening strolls.
On a Friday night, my husband and I checked into the third-floor Clara and Russell Stover room, named after Kansas City’s celebrated chocolatier. Each of the inn’s 14 rooms, including two in the carriage house, have been themed after prominent citizens. We stopped in at the complimentary wine and beer happy hour and, after dinner at a local restaurant, munched on just-baked cookies while we relaxed by the garden waterfall.
Until the mid-1980s, individual families owned the house before it was beautifully renovated as an upscale bed and breakfast. In 2019, the longstanding owners sold the property to native Kansas Citian Aaron Clemons and his local partners. They completed a half-million-dollar renovation just before Covid hit.
“We tore out wallpaper and repainted in whites and grays but kept the architectural detail and original woodwork,” says Clemons. “We also refreshed the lighting, updated the furniture for a more modern look and replaced the mattresses and bedframes.”
On weekdays, the continental breakfast features from-scratch sweet breads and savory scones, overnight oats, parfaits, green juices, berry smoothies and fruit. Come weekends, breakfast becomes more elaborate and changes with the seasons, adding apple crisps and entrees in the fall. Guests might start with a warm citrus-poached pear in berry sauce or creamy banana bisque before tucking into stuffed French toast or savory shirred eggs intermingled with veggies and cheese.
Guests will find plenty of diversions. The inn has hosted wine and cheese tastings by local shops and cigar-and-whiskey nights around the outdoor fireplace. Author and artist events are under consideration. A six-minute walk along shaded streets leads to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. And for those staying between Thanksgiving and mid-January, the Plaza lights—more than 200,000 adorning every building and turret—have remained a beloved Kansas City tradition for more than 90 years.
Visit Southmoreland.com for more information.
Bear Creak Lodge B&B, Walnut Shade
May 2021
Twenty years ago, Rebecca Tate opened Bear Creek Lodge with one suite and a cabin. Tucked into the Missouri hills between Springfield and Branson, this bed and breakfast now offers three lodge suites and six cabins situated on wooded acreage. There’s also a brewery, winery and wedding venue. Managing it all is daughter, Mandy, and her husband, Ryan, a talented brew master.
This mother-daughter duo’s flair for decorating is evident in the many thoughtful details. From shabby chic to modern farmhouse and western bunkhouse, each suite and cabin has its own personality, deck and private hot tub. Cozy two-bedroom Pinecone cabin, where my husband and I stayed, sports a vintage vibe, full kitchen and blissful covered deck overlooking the forest.
Bear Creek started aging and bottling fruit wines about ten years ago. In 2018, Ryan began brewing small batch craft beer. Two of his six labels are standbys while the rest, such as chocolate raspberry coffee IPA or smokey Bonfire, change frequently. The nightly menu features homemade pizzas and campfire chips—kettle chips topped with blue cheese horseradish white sauce, bacon crumbles and more blue cheese before it slides into the pizza oven. Besides the tasting room, garden seating and expansive deck overlooking the valley, heated and cooled plexiglass wine huts rent at $20 for two hours. Live music entertains Thursday through Sunday.
The pool opens mid-April through late-September. Booking add-ons include horseback riding, the shooting range or zip lining. A wine and spirits package begins in Bear Creek’s tasting room and ends at a local distillery. Wine and fondue can be delivered to the cabin. Across the highway, Busiek State Forest offers hiking, and Branson lies approximately ten miles south.
According to Mandy, she tailors breakfast to an outdoorsy crowd and can serve up to 42 guests. Weekdays, there’s fresh fruit, locally-made pastries, muffins, cinnamon rolls, and cereal. On weekends, she whips up biscuits smothered in from-scratch sausage gravy or her breakfast pizza.
“Many families and couples have stayed with us for years,” says Mandy. “And we’re always adding to the property. Our next project is a 4,000-square-foot dining area with an expanded brewery underneath where people can watch the brewing process.”
Gardening remains one of Rebecca’s passions. When guests started asking to get married on site, she began hosting outdoor weddings and built the original chapel. Today, a larger chapel and lovely grounds accommodate all-inclusive weddings for up to 175 people.
Visit BearCreekBedAndBreakfast.com for more information.
Shakespeare Chateau, St. Joseph
February 2021
Just as it did more than 135 years ago, the Shakespeare Chateau Inn dazzles guests and visitors. Built in 1885, the 9,000-square-foot Victorian mansion immediately became a showplace on Saint Joseph’s “Millionaires’ Row.” Fast forward to 2018, Showtime chose the mansion to film their full-length movie, “Christmas at the Chateau.”
The palatial interior qualifies as a treasure trove with 47 original stained-glass windows; ornate cherry, mahogany, pecan and walnut woodwork; and the front parlor’s restored Zuber wallpaper. Hand-blocked in France, this panoramic wallpaper was created using 210 colors and 1,554 separate wood blocks.
Innkeeper and owner, Isobel McGowan, happened across Hall Street’s grand dames in 2012 while on a business trip from Denver, where she worked as a water resource engineer. Due to neglect, the mansion had drastically deteriorated. Isobel purchased the home and began non-stop restoration, which has led to numerous preservation awards. In 2015, she garnered the Preserve Missouri Award for outstanding historic preservation.
“It’s all about the transformation, and it’s incredibly gratifying to see this place come back to life,” says Isobel. “The mansion is truly unique because it has more original stained-glass windows than any other Gilded Age home in North America.”
The permanent fine art collection, quite unusual for a bed and breakfast, belongs to an independent collector. My husband and I chose the Romeo and Juliet suite, one of four on the second floor. Two additional suites on the third floor have kitchenettes for longer stays. An additional guest amenity room features a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker and washer/dryer. Definitely a plus right now, each suite has its own air-conditioning and furnace system.
“I often have 24 hours or more between guests, and I require masks in the common areas, other than at breakfast,” says Isobel. “We’ve implemented extra daily cleaning and sanitizing, plus hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes and extra masks are always available.”
Breakfast featured a baked egg casserole made with Irish cheddar cheese and broccoli that Isobel called “The Hamlet.” Cranberry scones were accompanied by homemade lemon curd and fresh fruit. We requested a vegetarian breakfast, but she usually serves sausage, ham or bacon.
Private tours can be arranged for $10 per non-overnight guest; enhanced tours include tea and scones. Indoor weddings, rehearsal dinners, receptions and teas have been extremely popular. Prior to Covid, events accommodated up to 60 people.
Visit ShakespeareChateau.com for more information.