Author: ArtsyChowRoamer

Travel in Your own Backyard

WHITE BIRCH INN; THE BEST STAYCATION

Road trippin’ with my two favorite allies
fully loaded we got snacks and supplies
It’s time to leave this town it’s time to steal away
let’s go get lost anywhere in the USA

Band – Red Hot Chili Peppers

Clearly this pandemic still has many of us with itchy travel feet pausing to muse on whether to go at all and if so where.  Road trips have won hands down with many people choosing to explore their own states creating a new normal in the realm of staycations.

Having decided it was time to venture out ourselves we looked over the Georgia map and decided on Clayton for a night away from home, some good food and an artsy community with galleries and shops.

I’m a little ashamed to say that we have lived in Atlanta for a pretty long time and have never visited this community even though it is only slightly less than a two-hour trip away.

We researched places to stay and settled on the White Birch Inn which was right on Main Street in a great location. This post will center on this super little breakfast included property with plenty of outdoor space options to keep you feeling safer and less crowded.

THE DRIVE

We opted to take the back roads instead of the shortest route to take advantage of the beautiful weather and to make some stops for photo ops along the way. Bradley’s Farms was up first where we bought a pumpkin and some fried pies. The place was decorated for Halloween and they were offering hayrides for the kids as well.

CHECK IN

After a stop to buy fresh produce, we arrived at the inn a little earlier than expected.  Jenna, the General Manager, was friendly and swift with helping us get checked in and taking a tour all while wearing masks for safety purposes.

The lobby was cozy and beautifully designed with a fireplace, a window seat, comfy chairs and pillows. The furniture was a good design mix of all upholstered and character pieces with a mountain and tree theme.

All were put together with thoughtful details and accessories including an interesting approach to lighting that utilized birch tree limbs to create a fairy like forest atmosphere-which would be carried throughout the property in door details, chandelier designs and stair rails.

It was warm, so there was no fire, but I could tell this is where I would want to hang out and read on a cold evening.  They are happy to fix you up with a nice cocktail from the lobby bar that seated around 16 or so if needed.

THE TOUR

The walk to our room upstairs took us past the pretty blue and yellow dining room which had a great outdoor patio that was so charming we decided instantly to have breakfast there the next morning.  This offers guests a way to escape the other diners if they didn’t want to dine indoors.

We went through a small lounge area for the wine and cheese gatherings from 4-5.  It also had a small coffee/tea bar for guests, a drop box for breakfast cards and pick up station for evening chocolates.  All designed to keep as few employees in your room as possible-that’s a good thing.   

A lovely screened in porch was right down the hall from our assigned room which allowed us to park and bring our luggage in on the same level. The room overlooked the patio and had a great view of Screamer Mountain.

We loved the size of the room; big enough but still cozy feeling.  The bed had wonderful linens with big down comforters and pillows.  A red leather chair in the corner and an oversized dresser and closet were more than enough space for a stay of a week.

The bathroom was gracious with a copper sink, good amenities and nice architectural detailing in the shower floor with river rock stone.  The closet provided two cotton robes, a hair dryer, luggage rack, iron/board and safe for your valuables.

While there were lamps on both end tables someone still thought about the need for lower wattage closer lights for reading and attached them to the wall on both sides. A nice large flat screen TV was perched in the corner.

THE PARK AND SHOPS

After settling in, we walked down the hall in the opposite direction to go out another door to a beautiful private park.  It sported nice quiet spots with benches and chairs as well as a swing and a small pergola that would be best used as a bandstand.  Nice landscaping offered protection from street traffic noise.

One of the nice things about the property is the layout devised to allow guests access from all sides to do walkabouts up and down Main Street.  Many of the best restaurants are located on this street such as Fortify, Fortify Pi and Universal Joint.

There were nice shops to stroll for finding gifts and home goods such as Madison’s on Main, Dogwoods Home and The Barn. Art galleries like Main Street, Crawford and Butler’s were showing folk, primitive and nature paintings, photography and sculpture.

WINE AND CHEESE PLEASE

At 4:30 we drifted out to the lounge where cheese trays were individually wrapped for each room.  Two fabulous wines were offered; a white and a red.  We picked ours up and headed out to the screened porch to enjoy crackers, grapes and three different cheeses.  The swing is the best spot here unless you want to people watch on the streets.

We got dressed and walked over to Fortify for dinner and had a fabulous meal which you can read the review on. A pleasant walk around town after an early dinner and a porch swing afterwards felt like an evening with Andy Griffith in Mayberry.

A visit back to the lounge produced a plate of chocolates for each room and a cup of hot tea to sip while reading until we nodded off to sleep. The property has a small number of rooms so it was quiet and seemed like we had the place to ourselves for the most part.

WHAT TO PICK FOR BREAKFAST

Breakfast choices were on cards in your room to be filled out by each guest and dropped in a bowl in the lounge.  Employees pick them up each evening for the next breakfast. There was a good variety of things to choose from.

We chose fresh fruit in a parfait with yogurt and granola.  The three different berries gave it a dessert quality that was delicious.  We had eggs with sausage, bacon and English Muffins. Coffee cake and Mimosas topped it off with our own pots of Earl Gray Tea.

The outside porch was the right spot for this meal with birch trees, nice plants and morning sun. There were small tables for two, comfortable chairs just to sit and tables with benches and cushions for bigger parties. A high fence offered privacy and quiet from the street.

Our lady who served us was super friendly as all the staff were and she took very good care of us. She brought the box of teas for us to choose and brought a plate of jellies and jams for us too. Everything was delicious. Had we stayed another night the waffles were calling our name.

CONCLUSION

I think you can see why this staycation was a great one. The staff were very considerate of us and patient with all of my photography attempts. Jenna makes a mean Bloody Mary at the bar too. You can tell they want you to have the best visit so you will return and they show they care about your safety as well.

I can’t say enough about this fabulous little property owned by an architect and his interior designer wife.  They have thought about every detail to make it comfortable for you.  It’s a gem-book now and enjoy your visit in the coming glorious days of fall.

If you enjoyed what you read you might also like other posts from Explore the World. Hey, don’t be a stranger. Let me hear from you now and again. Until next time…

Cheers!

ArtsyChowRoamer

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TO MY READERS: This post originally appeared in a shortened form in my column, The Curious Corner, for Smoke Signals Newspaper.