April is National Garden Month. Did you know that taking care of plants does something for us?  Studies show that gardening can improve our attitudes towards health and nutrition, give us better focus, and build community spirit. Besides, gardens are beautiful, and who doesn’t like that?  As Walt Whitman wrote: “Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed.”

Here are some inns that provide just that.

South Court Inn Bed and Breakfast in Luray, VA is the perfect romantic garden getaway.  This luxurious Victorian is surrounded by over 2,000 daffodils and specializes in anniversary, elopement, and honeymoon packages.

In Lambertville, NJ, the Chimney Hill Estate Inn is an 1820s farm house with 8-acres of beautiful countryside including not just gardens, but an actual Alpaca Farm!  Let their on-site wedding planner help you plan your perfect country wedding.

Take a trip to Bainbridge Island off the coast of Washington state and visit Holly Lane Gardens. This lodge style inn is on an organic farm with fields of gardens. The gardens are planted to attract birds, butterflies, and bees. Wild birds flock to Holly Lane and visitors may even see an eagle on the property.

So take a trip to a not so secret garden.  Here’s a tip, you can search our site specifically for inns that have gardens by using the advanced search feature and ticking “Gardens (at Inn)” under the amenities tab.

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What we can do:

April 22 was the 41st annual Earth Day, a day to think about the effect we each have on the environment. At BnBFinder we strive to be environmentally conscious every day, not just on Earth Day.  We’ve made a commitment to turn off our computers, monitors, and all unnecessary office equipment when not in use . We’ve said no to plastic bags when shopping.  We use mugs in the office, for coffee and for water, so there are no paper cups being thrown out here.  We recycle whenever possible and being in New York City we are glad that we can walk, bike, or take public transportation to work.  What are you doing to help the planet this Earth Day?

Amazing things that inns do:

The hospitality industry goes through a lot of soap, often throwing away nearly new bars.  Clean the World is a not-for-profit corporation that collects the soap and shampoo products thrown out by the hospitality industry every day.  They sterilize or re-batch the soaps, removing all impurities, and then distribute them to impoverished people, helping to prevent the millions of deaths caused by hygiene related illnesses every day.  At this year’s Mid-Atlantic Innkeepers Trade Show & Conference, 300 pounds of soap were collected from just 19 B&Bs.

For some bed and breakfasts, this isn’t a feasible option, so they offer guests a soap bag and encourage them to take open soap home with them.  If you’ve never thought of it, take home and enjoy your unfinished soap after your next B&B stay.

Some bed and breakfasts offer eco-friendly specials.  The Red Bud Manor in Eureka Springs is offering compact florescent bulbs for guests to take home and trolley passes, to help guests diminish their carbon footprint while on vacation.  The inn will make a donation to the Natural Resources Defense Council for every guest on this package.  They will even give a further discount to guests who arrive on a hybrid vehicle or Vespa.

Some inns are taking steps to be eco-friendly all year long.  At the Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast in Kempton IL, innkeeper Mark Hoffman designs “Permaculture” eco-systems, which are systems that aim to be self-sufficient and mimic nature’s renewal processes.  At Greenhouse, food scraps from the garden are fed to chickens, whose waste is composted; the compost then feeds the garden.  The Bella Ella Bed & Breakfast in Canandaigua, NY uses eco-friendly soaps, energy efficient light fixtures, energy efficient washer and dryer, and solar lights throughout the grounds.  All of their fruits and vegetables are home grown and chemical free.  Does it make an inn more attractive to you, when you know they’re being green?  Post your answer on our Facebook wall.

If we all do what we can, we can make big changes little by little.  For more eco-friendly getaways to help you go green, check out our specials page, or use the advanced search feature to find an eco-friendly bed and breakfast near you.

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Easter traditions are many and varied.  Traditional Easter food also varies from place to place.  Two items that are consistently on the Easter menu are eggs and lamb.  Here are two recipes that will really make your holiday dinner special.  These recipes come to us from Monika Sudakov, professional chef and innkeeper at the Chestnut Street Inn in Sheffield, IL.

Hungarian Style Deviled Eggs (Casino Eggs)

Yields 12 appetizer portions

12 eggs

2 Tbl Unsalted Butter

1 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Pinch Freshly Grated Nutmeg

2 tsps Herbes de Provence

¼ Cup Dry Sherry or Dry Vermouth

16 oz Sliced Mushrooms

2 Shallots, Sliced

2-3 Garlic Cloves, Minced

8 Tbls Hellman’s Mayonnaise

4 Tbls Daisy Sour Cream

Juice of ½ lemon

1 Tsp Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard

1 tsp Anchovy Paste

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

Pinch of Hungarian Hot Paprika

Pinch of chopped Italian Parsley

Place eggs in plenty of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook 10 mins. Remove from heat and rinse under cold water. Let cool and peel. Cut eggs in half and pop yolks out into a bowl. Add oil and butter to a medium sauté pan over med high heat until butter is melted and bubbling. Add shallots and sauté for a couple of minutes until they begin to caramelize. Add garlic and sauté for one minute or until fragrant. Add mushrooms and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and herbes de provence. Deglaze the pan with sherry or vermouth and cook on high until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to caramelize. Cool completely. Combine mushrooms with 2 Tbls mayo and 1 Tbl sour cream. Adjust seasoning to taste. Coat the bottom of serving dish with mushroom mixture. Combine egg yolks with 2 Tbls mayo, 1 Tbl mustard, anchovy paste, garlic, salt & pepper. Fill each egg half with yolk filling and place filling side down on the mushrooms. Combine 4 Tbls mayo with 2 Tbl sour cream, 1 Tbl sugar, Lemon Juice, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the eggs, coating completely. Sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley to garnish. Serve well chilled.

Roast Leg of Lamb

6-7 lb boneless leg of lamb

1 head garlic

3 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbl Kosher Salt

2 tsps freshly ground pepper

2 tsps garlic powder

2 tsps Hungarian paprika

2 tsps Herbes de Provence

Clean the garlic cloves, leaving them whole. Using a small paring knife, make incisions all over the leg of lamb and insert one clove of garlic into each incision. Place lamb on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Using your hands, rub oil all over lamb. Season the lamb liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and herbes de provence. Let the lamb marinate in rub for at least 8 hours or over night. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove lamb from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to roasting. Roast for approx. one hour or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast reads 120 degrees. Remove from the oven and cover tightly with foil. Allow to rest for 20 mins before carving. The carry over cooking time will continue cooking the roast to approx. medium rare. Serve with pan juices that have been strained.

For more holiday meal ideas, check out the BnBFinder recipe page.

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One hundred and Fifty years ago today, the first shots of the American Civil War rang out in Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The ensuing four year war will never be forgotten. Many innkeepers and bed and breakfasts feel a strong connection to these events. Some innkeepers had family members fight in the War. Granville Moore, great-uncle to Lynn Moore McCreery, innkeeper at The Irish Inn in Ozark, IL, was killed by a sniper on Kennesaw Mountain. The great-grandfathers of Civil War reeanctors and innkeepers at the Cottage on the Knoll at Cedarcroft Farm in Warrensburg, MO, Bill and Sandra Wayne, both fought in the War; mementos from the great-grandfathers, including Bill’s great-grandfather’s war memoir, are on display at the farm.

To commemorate the Sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of the Civil War, many inns are partnering with local historians, battlefields, and museums to offer packages for the traveling historian in us all.

In Orange, VA, the Mayhurst Inn, an 1859 plantation, once hosted Generals Robert E. Lee and “Stonewall” Jackson. In honor of the sesquicentennial, they have put together packages that include tours of events and landmarks surrounding the Battles of Jack’s Shop and James City with renowned Madison County Historian, Harold Woodward; an 1860s period dinner; a Self-Guided Driving Tour packet with information about other nearby Civil War sites; signed copies of books by local authors featuring Orange County during the war (books include: Frank Walker’s, Remembering: A History of Orange County, Virginia; Virginia Morton’s Marching Through Culpeper; Harold Woodward’s For Home and Honor.)

In Hanover, PA, just 15 miles from the Gettysburg Battlefield, Shining Dawn Bed and Breakfast Retreat Center is located on a street where Union and Confederate Cavalries clashed during the Battle of Hanover (1863). Their Civil War package includes a copy of Tom Huntington’s book, “Pennsylvania Civil War Trails: The Guide to Battle Sites, Monuments, Museums and Towns;” copies of the Battle of Hanover Walking Tour Guide and the Gettysburg Walking Tour Guide; evening viewings of Civil War movies like “Gettysburg,” “Gods and Generals,” and “The Horses of Gettysburg.”

Many other inns were around during the Civil War, and many are conveniently located near major battlefields. Check out our Civil War package page for more commemorative packages and bed and breakfasts near major Civil War events. This page will continue to update over the next four years, as more Sesquicentennial events occur.

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Visit a European city a lot closer to home than Paris.  Less than 100 miles from the US border, Montréal is a fascinating city.  It is the second largest, primarily French speaking city in the world.  Sometimes referred to as Canada’s Cultural Capital, Montreal is a rich mix of French and English traditions.

Montréal was incorporated as a city in 1832, but French settlers were arriving as early as 1605, when Samuel de Champlain set up a fur trading post there.  With some of those 17th century buildings still standing, the Old City in Montréal is a site to see.  Montréal City Hall, Bonsecours Market, several preserved colonial mansions, and the Old Port make up this historic district, as well as a variety of museums and attractions.

Public transportation is the way to go in Montréal, home of the busiest metro system in Canada.  Each of the 68 stations in the Montréal subway system was designed by a different architect, with individual themes and original artwork.  So while avoiding using gas, you’re also touring one of the unique aspects of the city. Take the train to get there and leave your car at home, driving through Montréal is no fun anyway.

While visiting Montréal, stay at the Gingerbread Manor B&B.  Nestled in the heart of town, less than a mile from the old city and walking distance to downtown, the Gingerbread is an 1885 Victorian manor.  Or try B&B Le Cartier, just a 10-20 minute walk from the Latin Quarter and only a minute from the metro (subway), this B&B is in a newly renovated, hundred year old stone house.

For more One Tank vacations and gas savings specials anywhere in North America, check out our specials page.

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What’s the first thing you think of when you think of April?  Fools? Showers? Pecans?  That’s right I said pecans.  April is National Pecan Month and in honor of that, today we offer Pecan Cinnamon Bun Pie.

This recipe from Mission Oak Inn, an award winning country bed and breakfast in Henry, Illinois, is a mouth watering breakfast delight:

Ingredients:

• 17 oz pkg of refrigerated flaky biscuits (8 biscuits worth)
• 3/4 c. plus 2 T butter (about 1 and 3/4 sticks), melted
• 1 c. chopped pecans
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 T ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Coat the bottom of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with 2 tablespoons melted butter; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the pecans, sugar, and cinnamon; mix well. Sprinkle 1/4 of the pecan mixture over the bottom of the pie plate. Place the remaining 3/4 cup melted butter in a small bowl. Separate each biscuit into 3 layers. Dip the biscuit pieces one at a time in the melted butter, coating each piece thoroughly. Layer 8 biscuit pieces in the bottom of the pie plate, completely covering the pecan mixture. Repeat the pecan mixture and biscuit layers 2 more times. Top with the remaining pecan mixture and drizzle with any leftover melted butter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden and cooked through. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter and slice into wedges. Serve warm.

For more out of this world breakfast stunners, check out the BnBFinder recipe page.

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