We love staying at a bed-and-breakfast inn where we can relax, enjoy a few good meals, see something new and return home from a short getaway feeling renewed and refreshed.
A long drive home can sometimes erase a little of that chill vibe before you have much of a chance to enjoy it, so I was thrilled to find The Mill House, a relaxing bed-and-breakfast inn just a short drive over the Michigan-Ohio border in Grand Rapids, Ohio.
Grand Rapids is an historic canal town about a half-hour drive southwest of Toledo, Ohio, on the southern shore of the Maumee River.
Our habit of taking the back roads and dawdling on our way home from a trip whenever is to thank for the discovery of this small-town inn as we spotted it while trying to follow the old roads along the Maumee River home from a trip to western Ohio last year.
We'd stopped by on a rainy autumn day when we saw a small cemetery and a couple of historic markers beside the road. The article I wrote here at that time focused on the town's history and the story of the Howard family and their friend Tee-na-Beek, who were buried in the roadside cemetery
One of the things that caught my eye at that time was old steam-powered mill built in the late 1800s that now houses The Mill House Bed and Breakfast. I made a mental note to return to The Mill House for a later stay, which we did earlier this summer.
We don't have a lot in the way of canal history here in Michigan because we were north of the main routes west, so Ohio's rich canal history and its important role in this country's westward expansion always fascinates me. The Mill House's location on the main route through town and along a piece of the Miami and Erie Canal proved to be the perfect place to experience a bit of canal history up close and personal.
Staying at The Mill House is a special treat for history buffs. The inn is in a restored flour mill, originally built in 1898 from locally quarried stone and bricks from the local brickyard. The inn takes full advantage of the exposed brick walls and old wooden beams to create a cozy atmosphere for guests.
The Phoenix Mill served local farmers who brought their wheat in horse-drawn wagons and trailer-drawing automobiles for many years, leaving with Stump's Best Flour or feed for their livestock.
Once the mill closed later in the twentieth century, the building served as a tavern for a short time and experienced some unfortunate reworking into an apartment building.
By 1992, the building's role as a working mill was long over and it finally assumed its new role as a bed-and-breakfast inn.
Ron and Kathy Munk became the owners/innkeepers in 2006, further renovating the inn and creating a refuge from the big city that is close enough for us to drop down for an overnight stay or a quick getaway for a day or two.
The inn has four first-floor rooms with private baths and many modern amenities like good, strong Wi-Fi, flat-screen televisions, DVD players and air conditioning.
A small common room has a snack station with hot and cold beverages and baked goods on hand throughout the day. Kathy learned that I'm a big ice tea drinker and even made sure I had a constant supply of my beloved ice tea on hand throughout our two-day stay.
Kathy is also a great cook, providing guests with a full breakfast each morning and adjusting her recipes to produce tasty gluten-free or lactose-free meals for those who have dietary restrictions.
Breakfast is in the common room or, if the weather is nice as it was during our stay, on the riverside patio surrounded by a native perennial garden.
Ron and Kathy learned of our interest in the area's history and quirky sites and readily suggested several sites and things to do that we never have found on our own.
Kathy suggested walking down the towpath trail at sunset behind the inn. It is only a half-mile walk to Thurston State Park along the trail from The Mill House, and it's a great way to watch the sunset over the Maumee River, which the state of Ohio named as a State Scenic River.
Ron and Kathy have a special mission to serve pastors and their spouses by providing a place to relax and recharge at an affordable rate
Look for some more stories in coming weeks about some of the places we explored in the area.
Want to learn more about the Miami and Erie Canal history? Check out the upcoming Miami and Erie Canal (Images of America) by Bill Oeters and Nancy Gulick.
© Dominique King 2014 All rights reserved
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