M aybe it's the canopy bed topped with an heir- loom quilt or the irre- sistible aroma of muffins and breads fresh from the oven that makes a bed & break- fast inn seem so appealing. But whether it's the antique filled decor or the down-home hospital- ity of the resident innkeepers, this cozy alternative to contemporary accommodations is on the rise in Michigan. The Michigan Lake to Lake Bed & Breakfast Association lists 230 member inns in its directory, which represent more than half of the 400 B&Bs operating in Michigan. Jan Kerr, executive director of the asso- ciation, says "travelers like the dis- tinctive architecture and decor of the inns, and of course, the wonderful breakfasts. Guests also comment on how much they appreciate the hos- pitality of the innkeepers and the in- sight and information their hosts provide about the local area." The inns are as different as the innkeepers who own and operate them. Some Michigan bed & break- fasts are shining examples of Victo- riana. Styles range from an 1835 Greek Revival to updated summer cottages. The sampling below high- lights an inn in each part of the state. with wicker furniture and flowers. Guests sip lemonade and nibble homemade cookies on the porch or side-yard gazebo while watching freighters go by. An enormous stained glass win- dow in the foyer by the staircase at- tests to the stature of the three-story house. The first floor is a public area with large parlor, adjoining library and the dining room where a hearty north country breakfast is served. The four guest rooms on the second floor, all with private baths, are filled with heirlooms and antiques. The third floor ballroom is used occa- sionally as an overflow guest room. This is the fourth summer that Phyllis and Greg Walker have been innkeepers. The former Birmingham residents retired in August 1990 and Water Street Inn Starting at the top of Michigan, started looking for a B&B in the Up- the Upper Peninsula offers The Wa- per Peninsula. When they first found ter Street Inn in the historic section the defunct inn on Water Street, they of Sault Ste. Marie, just a block-and- almost ruled it out because of its poor a-half away from the Soo Lot- ks. 'The condition.•But they did go through setting is serene," says innkeeper with the purchase on May 31, 1991 and turned the neighborhood eye- Phyllis Walker. The 1900s Queen Anne home sore into a gem. Working hard and overlooking the St. Mary's River is fast, they got the house painted, re- graced by stained glass windows, Ital- paired and decorated in time for a ian marble fireplaces, original wood- July 4th opening. Besides having many local sight- work and a wrap-around porch filled 44• SUMMER 1994 • STYLE to some of an's Bed & inns BY MARCIA DANNER seeing attractions, Sault Ste. Marie is an ideal base for day trips to Mack- inac Island and Taquahmenon Falls. It's also the stepping off point for the Circle Lake Superior Tour and the Agawa Canyon Tour train. its perfect proportions and features such as gables, overhangs, bays and a bell-cast roof with square corner tower. Expert carpenters and mas- ter craftsmen were responsible for the home's ornate decor, which in- cludes lathe-turned beaded lattice- The Grand Victorian work on the upper and lower When one thinks of a charming porches. bed & breakfast inn, visions of a Vic- Unfortunately, the bride the torian mansion adorned with gin- house was built for never came to live gerbread come to mind. The Grand there. By the time the magnificent Victorian in Bellaire so closely fits house was completed, the marriage that image that it has been chosen as plans of Henry Richardi had gone the featured inn in the Nabisco awry. Broken-hearted, the groom-to- Brands Bed & Breakfast promotion be sold the house and his business, this summer. the Bellaire Woodenware Co., and In addition to being prominently left the area. Since then the house displayed on millions of Nabisco has passed through only a handful Brand product boxes, the inn also is of owners and opened as a B&B in the cover photograph on the bed & 1989. breakfast directory offered. The inn's Jill and George Watson pur- architectural detail had already chased The Grand Victorian in late earned it the cover position on the 1992. Their own collection of period prestigious book, "Buildings of antiques and cherished objects com- Michigan," by Kathyrn Bishop Eck- plement the original lighting fixtures, ert and a spot in a Dodge Horizon hand-carved woodwork and etched magazine ad. glass windows in the four guest Built by lumber baron Henry rooms and public areas. Richardi in 1895, The Grand Victori- The Watsons welcome guests to an is considered one of the finest ex- the parlor, sitting room and the wick- amples of wooden Queen Anne er-filled wrap-around porch with hot homes in Michigan. It is noted for or iced tea and freshly baked nut bread. A full elegant breakfast is served in the formal dining room. The Grand Victorian is adjacent to Richardi Park, which has tennis and swimming. Guests often walk or ride the inn's bicycle-built-for-two into the village. Shanty Creek/Schuss Mountain is nearby for golf. The Pebble House The entire Lake Michigan coast- line is dotted with bed & breakfast accommodations. Many choices will be found in resort towns such as Charlevoix, Leland, Ludington, Pent- water, Grand Haven, Holland, Saugatuck and South Haven. Lakeside, one of the southern- most harbor towns, has a bed & breakfast inn that celebrates the ear- ly 20th century Arts and Crafts move- ment. The Pebble House, built in 1912, is named for the decorative con- crete block and beach stones cov- ering its facade. Set on a hill overlooking Lake Michigan, it was the main house at a resort of sum- mer cottages. Ed and Jean Lawrence, from Chicago, bought a portion of the abandoned resort property in 1983. They turned the main house into a bed & breakfast inn and converted two other buildings, now called the Coach House and the Blueberry House, into suites. The three build- ings are connected by walkways and pergolas twined with wisteria and grapevines. The house was built in the Crafts- man style, which was part of the Arts and Crafts Movement in America from 1900 to 1916. This decorative style, that was also known as Mission Oak, called for simple lines and a handmade look. The public rooms and several of the seven guest rooms are furnished with mission oak ta- (continued on page 46)