Hearthside Gatherings: Our Trip and B&B

We left after work Thursday night, and in customary man style, we didn’t stop except for gas & bathroom. We were expected at the Ivy House Bed and Breakfast at 7:30, though, and made it just in time. It was almost dark when we pulled in due to the rainy weather, but we could see that it was a nice place. Innkeeper Linda met us at the door, and was quite friendly. We exchanged pleasantries and then we were offered a tour of the tastefully decorated home and rooms. We talked a while longer, and Linda told us about a tornado that hit back in February, doing damage to a part of the house and uprooting several large trees in the yard. Such strange weather this year! We brought our items into the room and headed out to Pizza King, which was very close and very small—it was actually located in a house. (If you are not familiar with Pizza King, that’s so sad! It’s an Indiana pizza chain that has great pizza.) After dinner, we came back to the room and relaxed before going to bed. Our room was very nice! Each guest room has an antique restored door that has a large piece of slate where a window might have been. On the slate is written “Welcome __________” (the names of the guests staying there that night). It was a nice-sized room, not extremely large but certainly not small. Just the right size to be comfortable. Speaking of comfortable, the bed was very comfy! Either a pillowtop or a memory foam top. The room was tastefully decorated with antique furniture and luxury bedding and window treatments, and there was an Ivy House Bed and Breakfast robe for each of us in the closet. Nice! A good choice, for sure.

The door to our room

The former door to our private bath-restored and illuminated from behind

Our room, from the doorway-so cozy!

The next morning, we went downstairs to breakfast at 9 am and met the other couple that stayed that night. We talked over an amazing breakfast—the first course was sliced apples, strawberries and bananas with a sweet yogurt for dipping, coffee, mango-orange juice, and water. Our main course was stuffed French toast with a strawberry glaze and bacon. The French toast was perfectly cooked-not soggy at all, with a mild sweet cream cheese stuffing and a just-right strawberry glaze, and the bacon was crisp and delicious. A fantastic breakfast! (I wish I had taken photos of the food. You would see what I mean!) We conversed with the other couple for a while longer after breakfast was finished, then we left for Conner Prairie.

The dining room, ready for us to eat breakfast (2nd morning)

Our trip to Conner Prairie was wonderful. The weather, forecast to rain the whole time we were in town, was just cool and cloudy until quite literally the moment we left, and there were few people there, other than four school buses of children. It was perfect. We started at the back where the new Civil War exhibit was located, formerly the 1880s section of the village. It was quite an exhibit, but my husband and I both agree that it didn't fit well into the village. We spent a lot of time going through the exhibit before moving on to the 1836 section, where we enjoyed interacting with the interpreters (interpreters want to be asked questions!) and strolling through the buildings. To avoid the groups of school children that were running amok, we went down the end of the lane to the potter’s shop, where we found a family friend of my husband's working. Since it was a slow day at the potter’s shop, we were able to stay and talk for quite a while before finally moving on. It was nice to see a familiar face. Eventually, we wandered through the section and made our way to the Conner house (the namesake of the entire site), where we took our time and enjoyed the peaceful tour of the house, because by this time the school groups had left. Then we moseyed on to the petting barn, and finally back to the visitor’s entrance and gift shop. We purchased two pieces of pottery, both made by our potter friend, and headed for the Apple Store for apple cider slushies, apple cinnamon donuts, and hot apple cider. I love this time of year! Just as we were leaving the Apple Store, the rain began again and lasted into the night. But, thank the Lord, it held off all day! We were quite tired after a long day of walking, so we stopped at Olive Garden and then went back to the B&B for some r&r. A wonderful relaxing night—just what we needed!

A scene from the new Civil War exhibit. A wax figure stands "playing" the violin, while a "movie" describing the house and story play on a screen in the doorway. Many actors filmed small vignettes like this and they play in various buildings as people walk through.

The Conner House

Saturday morning, we awoke and readied for breakfast again at 9 am. We were the only ones there that night, so we were the only breakfasters on Saturday morning. We had warm cinnamon apples and orange juice for our first course, then a homemade blueberry turnover and ham, cheese and basil egg soufflé for our main course. Incredible! I think this was some of the best food I’ve had at the many b&b that we’ve stayed at over the years (we count seven now, to date). Beautiful home, tasteful rooms, comfortable beds, a house with a unique history, and a gracious innkeeper made this one of my favorite B&Bs to stay at, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a weekend away. You won’t be disappointed!

After checking out, we headed to Noblesville to check out the outdoor mall and the Borders that was closing. We walked around, but were still a bit tired from our day yesterday, so we headed back north to the Heritage festival in Pendleton that we’d heard about from the innkeeper. We drove through, but it was so busy and crowded that we decided to forgo the festival and just make our way home. On the way, we stopped at Pizza King again, this time in Albany, and enjoyed our last Pizza King experience in Indiana for a while. After a stop at Sam’s Club in Lima, Ohio, to enjoy the free samples, we headed back home for a relaxing evening. It was a great time, and felt good to get away, leave the computer and internet behind, and just enjoy spending time with my husband. I'm including more photos for your enjoyment: