The following section is from an on-line article on Minnesota Country Bed & Breakfasts. The article appeared on the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune website, and in the newspaper of the same name. This portion of the article covers the Meadows Inn Bed & Breakfast. The on-line article is no longer available.
*****************************************************
At home in the country
Travel: Midwest Country B&Bs
Story by Sarah Tieck, Special to the Star Tribune
October 24, 2004
There's nothing like the rural parts of the Midwest for rest and retreat. In the country, silvery stars are the only night light, ditches are filled with bouquets of goldenrod and purple daisies, and sometimes a sunset starts with a rainbow, then stretches out for miles into a spectrum of oranges and reds -- the same colors found at the heart of a perfectly ripe peach. For several years, I've been visiting bed-and-breakfast inns throughout the Midwest -- for the past four I've been writing about them. In this time I've come to know and love the elegance, the service and the luxuries that define most inns. This year, I left the city in search of country -- its retreat, its beauty and its bed-and-breakfasts. I visited multiple inns; wading through potpourri, lace doilies and small towns until I found some new favorites. At these .... country inns, you'll find informal elegance and a hearty welcome. In these rural vistas, you can sink into a king-size feather bed and fall asleep to a cricket's lullaby, awaken to the scent of sautéed tomatoes and peppers picked fresh from the garden that morning, and sit next to a crackling fire as deer and birds graze just inches away.
Meadows Inn Bed and Breakfast, Rushford, Minn.
Tucked into the tree-covered bluffs of Rushford is the Meadows Inn Bed and Breakfast. Innkeepers Doug and Marie Botcher welcome guests to this European-style home with open arms. The house smells of the still-warm cherry and chocolate chip cookies on the counter. Snacks are available starting at 4:30 p.m. as guests arrive.
The house and its grounds feel a bit like a European estate. The lawn stretches out, offering the perfect place to play croquet, take a walk, or sit and chat on the bench near the goldfish pond. At night, the brick patio buzzes with life -- guests sit in bright red Adirondack chairs by the crackling chiminea, while deer graze nearby.
 Joel Koyama Star Tribune |
Inside the inn, decor is colorful French country. There are five guest rooms, all with private baths and queen-size beds. Each room has a different feel -- Nancy's Salon is ivy green with a patio view, Nicole's Salon is lemon yellow with soft sunlight trickling in, and the Rose Garden, our suite, was rosy pink with a bubbling tub.. |
We awakened in the morning to the scent of breakfast. This meal -- which was served buffet style and featured seasonal flavors -- included chocolate waffles with raspberry sauce, sour cream waffles with pecan praline sauce, Marie's homemade sourdough toast, Applewood smoked bacon, as well as eggs scrambled with fresh sweet corn and served with sautéed peppers, onions and tomatoes. Dessert was tropical sorbet with a sprig of chocolate mint.
As hosts, the Botchers have a very warm style -- they chat with guests over snacks in the evening and sit at the table to share breakfast once everyone is served. When it was time to leave, each guest was given a warm goodbye, and, of course, an invitation to return. (900 Pine Meadows Lane, Rushford, Minn., 1-507-864-2378, www.meadowsinn.com)
Sarah Tieck is a Twin Cities area freelance writer.
*****************************************************
