Presidential inns: Roosevelt slept here and so can you
Checking into a room once occupied by Harry Truman may not have quite the allure of bedding down where a Hollywood celebrity once slept, But with the presidential campaign in full swing, the idea has a timely seasonality.
With that in mind, BedandBreakfast.com has compiled a list of inns that once hosted chief executives.
Not that every innkeeper chooses to play up presidential connections.
"It can be very tricky business," says Jim Stern, innkeeper at the Inn at the Crossroads in Charlottesville, Va., a National Historic Register spot that counts Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt among past guests. "You take the chance of offending half your clients," he says, then, considering a moment adds, " Actually, you take the chance of offending 10% on one side and 10% on the other side. The other 80% probably don't care."
Among the inns:
Weasku Inn, Grants Pass, Ore. — Located on the Rogue River, the rustic 1924 lodging once hosted president Herbert Hoover. Other former A-list guests: Clark Gable, Walt Disney, Carol Lombard, and author Zane Grey.
Hale Springs Inn, Rogersville, Tenn. — Construction was completed in 1825 when Tennessee was a new state, and shortly after, president Andrew Jackson checked in and gave a speech from the balcony. Presidents Andrew Johnson and James Polk also visited, and the inn served as a Union headquarters during the Civil War.
Brewster Inn, Dexter, Maine — Originally built for a governor and senator, the mansion hosted President William Taft and later, Harry Truman during his vice presidency.
Brook Forest Inn, Evergreen, Colo. — This 1909 inn 35 miles from the capital was an early retreat for Denver's elite. Theodore Roosevelt was a guest, as was Titanic survivor "The Unsinkable" Molly Brown, and entertainer Liberace.
Historic Rosemont Manor, Berryville, Va. — Formerly owned by longtime U.S. Sen. Harry F. Byrd, this 200-year-old manor west of Washington, D.C., has rooms named after multiple presidents who slept here, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon. Other notable guests: Charles Lindbergh and Albert Einstein.
Red Crags Bed and Breakfast Inn, Manitou Springs, Colo. — Avid outdoorsman Teddy Roosevelt checked into this inn near Pikes Peak, where he might have been hunting big horn sheep. The inn's Teddy Roosevelt Suite commemorates the visit.
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The Inn at the Crossroads, Charlottesville, Va. — Thomas Jefferson (whose nephew built the inn) and Martin Van Buren had a meeting here in 1823 in a former private dining room that is now the Dabney Carr Room. Teddy Roosevelt stopped by for dinner after a day of birding. And in 1936, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a speech on the inn's front porch.
Lehmann House Bed & Breakfast, St. Louis — The Romanesque Revival 1893 mansion and home of Taft's friend and Solicitor General Frederick W. Lehmann is believed to have welcomed presidents McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt, in addition to Taft.
Larimer Mansion, Irwin, Pa. — The 1800s inn has hosted president William Henry Harrison and vice president Aaron Burr, among other historic notables.