If anyone has stayed at the Bridgeford House Bed and Breakfast in the last couple of months, you’ll have slept on our brand new sheets from Comphy Co.
These linens look and feel like 600 count cotton, yet they are an eco-friendly micro-fiber that is 100% recyclable. They dry quickly, do not need ironing (very important to this girl!) and are treated for stain release. They are highly recommended for people with sensitive skin as the extra-fine weave protects against dust mite allergens. Poly microfiber is the fabric of choice for athletic teams and outdoor wear companies such as Patagonia, because of its breathability and comfort.
We have two lovely shades on our beds, cream and teagreen, but they are also available in chocolate, silver blue and white. In addition to the sheet sets (which include one fitted sheet with 18″ deep pockets, one flat and two pillowcases), duvet covers, eye pillows and case, quilted blankets and throws are also available to purchase through our inn, to be drop-shipped directly to your home.
So if this sounds good but you’re just not sure – come sleep in one of our beds and you’ll become a believer!
Public transit began in Eureka Springs in 1891 and we still have them today, although they are a little bit modernized now:
Have you been to Eureka Springs and seen the trolleys toodling around town? They run right past our place on the Red Route. If you’ve come to Eureka and gotten frustrated by our traffic on weekends, be sure to get an all-day trolley ticket next time. $5 for all day long, on any of the four routes (get off and on as many times as you want to!) The folks that work at the Eureka Springs Transit Center are some of the nicest and most helpful folks you’ll meet, so don’t be afraid to ask them questions about where your stop is (they will not, however, be tour guides for you – they have the Historic Tram Tours for that!)
Many of you who have stayed with us here at our Arkansas bed and breakfast have fallen in love with our handmade stoneware coffee mugs and, of course, purchased them to take home. Those mugs have been made for us by Deneen Pottery in St. Paul, MN. They are the premier producers of custom handmade logo stoneware and have been in their family-run business since 1972. They carry forward a long tradition of hand-thrown stoneware designs based on shapes and functions hundreds of years in the making. Each piece is carefully crafted, one at a time.
The process of hand making pottery is both time consuming and labor intensive. Over 24 pairs of hands will touch each mug during its production until it is ready to be shipped. While each piece is uniform in size and shape, every one is created by hand, making it unique. A custom hand thrown mug by Deneen Pottery truly makes a statement of American made quality and craftsmanship. Always check the bottom, you’ll find their mark on each piece that they make.
Peter and Mary Deneen studied ceramics and pottery at Luther College (1966-1970) and from master potter Marguerite Wildenhain (1968-1978). Peter earned his MA at the University of Northern Iowa (1971). With more than 30 years of experience, Deneen Pottery has developed through several locations and creative specialties, both retail and wholesale, to emerge as the premier producer of custom logo stoneware.
“Glaze Engraving”TM is an exclusive process in which original studio art is cut directly into the clay and filled with glaze, achieving a distinctive detailed image. The process was developed by Peter Deneen assisted by artist David Christofferson. David is an illustrator, metal smith, and boat builder. His talents in drawing, three dimensional work, and attention to detail are all part of the “Glaze Engraved”TM quality product.
We usually keep two styles on hand here at the inn, the footed style (shown above) and the round belly style (see below). We like to keep a variety of colors and usually will order a new color or two each order, for variety – and just because we fall in love with it!
We are always excited to receive any kind of recognition and recently we learned that our wonderful guests voted us “Best Architecture” out of 8,500 inns in the US and Canada, for our wonderful Queen Anne/Eastlake Victorian home. Built in 1884, we have 4 wonderful stories with lots of decks and porches and scenic views. It would take you all day to examine all the wonderful gingerbread on the outside and our incredibly lovely moldings and baseboards, antique lighting and original windows (some with stained glass and some with original glass, still wavy) on the inside.
We are proud of our building’s heritage and encourage anybody to come by and take a tour, if possible. We like to provide 21st century amenities in an 19th century atmosphere.
Gift certificates make for wonderful (and easy!) presents to give at Christmas time (or birthday, or anniversary, or graduation, or just as a much deserved thank you…) Here at Bridgeford House we are happy to email or snail-mail out a gift certificate customized just for what you need. It’s already early December, so there is still plenty of time but it is going fast! If you like, you can order a gift certificate at night, drinking a hot toddy and sitting around in your pajamas, right here.
Or feel free to give us a call to talk to us directly about what you want, if you’d prefer to customize it a bit, and we’ll take it from there!
All of our certificates are good for 1 year and even if you order now, if it’s for Christmas, we won’t date it until December 25th. They are particularly nice sticking out of the top of a stocking!
Of course, gift certificates can be purchased any time of the year, for any reason, but we especially like to give them out at Christmas time – it’s just such a giving time of the year and so appreciated!
Several years ago the country found out that yes, Virginia, there are ghosts in Eureka Springs, AR. The Sci-Fi channel’s Ghost Hunters show came to visit and filmed two episodes in Eureka that produced some very interesting results, including that of a figure of a man – very unmistakable.
This resulted in a phenomenal rise in the numbers of folks discovering Eureka Springs. Just this morning there was a feature article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. (By the way, the mayor lives right next door to us…) The Crescent Hotel, where the Sci-Fi episode was filmed, is the best known location (and just about a two minute walk from us) but there are others, too.
Some years ago, before the influx of ghost-hunting tourists became so huge, I met up with the new owners of another B&B in town (which is not currently operating) right after they had had an incident in which they even called the police! Apparently one of the owners had seen a reflection in the mirror he was standing in front of, seeing a pair of boots running up the stairs. He didn’t realize at the time that there was no body attached to the boots (until he thought back over it later). The police, of course, did not find any intruders. After the police left, the owners took a digital camera and went all over the house, snapping photos as they went. In my conversation with one of the new owners, he offered to show me the pictures they had taken, most of which included “orbs”. One of those orbs had been blown up 900 times its original size and – yes, I swear it was there – you could clearly see eyes, a nose, a mouth, shoulder straps on shoulders that weren’t there (like an old-fashioned apron) and a bun on the back of the head. Gave me a set of shivers that wouldn’t quit!
When we first moved into our inn, Jeff had an experience with the “boom box” he was playing at the time we were unpacking. Because we moved in on a Wednesday and had reservations for guests two days later, everything went into the basement and brought up and unpacked one box at a time. Each time Jeff came up from the basement, he found his boom box music turned off. He’s getting a little irritated with me, especially about the fourth time it happened…until he learned that I hadn’t touch the dial the whole time. He decided that perhaps ghosts on Spring St. didn’t appreciate the Blues.
We have had other small things reported from a couple of the rooms here at the Bridgeford House, but nothing major (except for an occasional orb or two), so we have particularly lazy ghosts, I think. But our guests do love to go on up to the Crescent Hotel and go on their ghost tours and recently a very interesting picture was caught on one of the guest’s camera:
If you look just to the right of the person taking the photo in the mirror (you can easily see the flash from the camera) and hopefully you can see where my drawn-in arrow is pointing, you can see the faint outline of a small figure – not sure if it’s a boy or a girl but it sure looks like something! (By the way, I visit the Crescent often, but I’m not sleeping there!)
So come see us in Eureka and join the ghost hunt! Boo!
Return visitors to Eureka Springs notice it right away. First-timers do, too. Sitting high on a perch in the heart of the historic district and weighing in at over 500 pounds, it is hard to ignore.
Eureka Springs newest “attraction” is a giant Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall, presumably waiting to fall. Don’t tell that to the Harrimans, though. The couple, who bought and renovated the Queen Deer place near Basin Spring Park, have added the quirky landmark to the house’s exterior.
“Humpty” somehow magnifies the eclectic scene present seemingly everywhere in this getaway town. Passers-by can’t help but stop and stare. Some even talk to the ¼-ton sculpted fairy tale character. “Hey Humpty,” one tourist was heard to say, “It looks like you could use a little exercise.”
“It makes people stop, smile and laugh,” according to city publicist Ken Rundel. “And putting people in a good mood is what this city is all about.”
There is no charge to view the new “attraction.” It is located on Spring Street near its intersection with Main Street.
Come see us and Humpty, too! It’s within easy walking distance from the Bridgeford House B&B.
Some people think Eureka Springs is pretty quiet, but here at the Bridgeford House Bed & Breakfast you have to watch out for the resident wild animals. They can be found in most of the rooms, just waiting to pounce. If you like to live on the wild side, come see us!
Okay, so the goofy people I told you about in a previous blog came to visit us this past weekend, their usual Thanksgiving visit to celebrate their anniversary (which they normally spend mostly with us-how romantic!). We spend a lot of time downtown eating and walking around and just visiting. We also spend a certain amount of the evening time playing Scrabble. I am a novice at Scrabble, however I want it known that I kicked butt this time! I am up against one of the most devious Scrabble players in history, to be known from now until forever as Dan “the Bunnycoat man” Riemer. “Bunnycoat” was his first attempt, last year, to slip under the radar of the Scrabble police. It didn’t work. We did, of course, challenge the use of the word “bunnycoat” and further exploration in all dictionarys handy proved him wrong. The fact that he also tried to play the word while half the letters ran off the board put him down for the count.
This time, I have proof. The new word, “gasquail”, also failed to pass muster. (And the image that produces is mind-boggling!)
So for any of you Scrabble players in St. Louis, watch out for Dan. He would cheat your one-legged grandma. For the Scrabble players here in beautiful Eureka Springs, AR, come play at our house!
These linens look and feel like 600 count cotton, yet they are an eco-friendly micro-fiber that is 100% recyclable. They dry quickly, do not need ironing (very important to this girl!) and are treated for stain release. They are highly recommended for people with sensitive skin as the extra-fine weave protects against dust mite allergens. Poly microfiber is the fabric of choice for athletic teams and outdoor wear companies such as Patagonia, because of its breathability and comfort.
