}ULASERJET€)}.mt 10 .hm 3 .h1Grayson Enterprises Ltd. lst NA Serial Rts. .h2December 12, 1989 Copyright 1989 .h3Page #. 1,416 words BED AND BREAKFASTING IN THE FOX RIVER VALLEY Written by June Grayson .LS2       Who said you can't go home again? That writer obviously   never visited the Fox River Valley. Seven family homes and two   small inns offer winter vacations that will warm your heart   without whittling your wallet. You won't even need to help with   the dishes.   ΜΜ! ### Romantic nature lovers like BARBARA B'S BED AND BREAKFAST   near Barrington. Les and Barbara Ayres will show you to your   private suite in their hillside ranch. Barbara changes the   linens and accessories, many of which she has made herself, to   match the seasons and holidays.   π03  Š Eat a hearty breakfast on a tray in your room or by the   crackling fire in the den. Join the family in the breakfast room   with its antique copper collection and home grown herbs.  The view from your picture window overlooks a wildlife   conservation area teeming year around with plants, birds, and   animals. You can follow tracks in the winter snow. A deer, or   even a red fox, may brush against your window. In spring, enjoy   the fragrance of thousands of apple blossoms and bulbs. The herb   garden flourishes all summer. In fall, flaming wild sumac   brightens up the marsh.   ΜΜ! ###   „„  Five years ago Rich and Barbara Helm spent a glorious week  end at a Galena, Illinois, bed and breakfast. Monday morning   they saw a for sale sign on a rundown Queen Anne Victorian house   two blocks off Woodstock's city square. By Monday evening, they   owned the house, naming it the BUNDLING BOARD INN.  They had to replace all interior partitions and utilities   except the original solid oak staircase. Fortunately, both Rich   and Barbara are professional woodworkers so they could share the   drudgery.  Custom antique molding from a New England mansion now ac  cents the parlor. A stained glass artist (also their dentist)   made new transom windows of frosted and beveled glass in Victori  an designs.   π0-  Š In Colonial America, strangers shared the same bed with only   a "bundling board" between them. You won't have to share a bed   but you may share the help-yourself Continental breakfast with   international guest artists performing at the famous Woodstock   Opera House.  "Being a bed and breakfast host is fun," Rich says. "We   were lonely after our eight children left home. Now we always   have wonderful people around us."  ### The STRATFORD INN in Sycamore, Illinois, may be the only B&B   to encase an old mansion. In 1925 Mary Whittemore, spinster   owner of the mansion, sold her home with the restriction that she   would be allowed to remain in it for life.  Developers built a three story hotel around the house. Now,   several remodelings later, what remains of the mansion and its   ornate woodwork has been converted into four luxurious suites,   the most popular one with a loft bedroom and a Jacuzzi bath.  Thirty-nine additional rooms, lobby, and conference rooms   blend the elegance of an English Manor home with 20th century   amenities. During the week, a restaurant and lounge are open in   the building. On weekends, you can eat a continental breakfast   in the lobby.  If you want to attend special events at DeKalb's Northern   Illinois University or bike the 26 mile Great Northern Bicycle   π0- ŠTrail, this inn's for you. It's not too soon to reserve your   room for Sycamore's August Corn Festival and Steam Power Show or the October Pumpkin Festival. ### Howard and Donna Petersen own the COUNTRY CHARM INN south  east of Sycamore. A farm girl, Donna has always been a nurturer   to her 14 younger siblings, her own children and AFS students.  "We treat our guests just like family," they say. At times,   they have even given up their bedroom to accommodate additional   guests.  „„  City families like to come here. No wonder! This sturdy   farm home boasts a new family room with sunken seating in front   of the huge fireplace, an oversize TV screen, and a commercial   popcorn popper. Brightly painted barns shelter the animals:   lambs, goats, dogs, turkeys, kittens, and even a performing   horse. Donna will serve any special medical diet you need. Other  wise, you will feast on her special egg and cheese souffle served   with applesauce muffins.  ###  The CHARLESTON GUEST HOUSE in St. Charles is home for Judy   and Bill Schultz and their two children. Guests can choose to   stay in the Victorian Room, Country Room, or Grandma's Room on   the second floor of this lovingly remodeled Queen Anne Victorian.   π0- ŠJudy serves an extended continental breakfast sometimes featuring   her freshly-baked cheese coffeecake.  The business district, restaurants, and antique stores are   within walking distance. Plan ahead for reservations on the   first weekend of every month when the Kane County Flea Market   (the world's largest?) holds sway a mile away on Randall Road.  Don't fail to notice the 9,000 antique pink bricks that Bill   and Judy hand laid for the new driveway and parking area. The   exterior rose trim of the house and even the spring-blooming   magnolia tree match the driveway.  One couple reserves "Grandma's Room" once a year to fly in   from Connecticut to attend the flea market and browse the antique   stores. ### If you like the genteel ambiance of "old money," you'll love   the OSCAR SWAN COUNTRY INN on Geneva's west side. Hans and Nina   Heymann have converted this Colonial Williamsburg estate into a   luxurious B&B in demand for bridal parties and special events. A   Florida family has reserved the entire building with its seven   guest suites to celebrate their wedding anniversary this coming   summer.  For breakfast, you'll eat a fresh herb omelet served in the   15 foot tall, glass conservatory overlooking the seven acre   garden. Nina will plan, arrange, and cater any party or recep  π0- Štion you may want.   Choosing one of the seven special guest suites may be the   hardest thing you have to do at the Oscar Swan Inn.    ΜΜ! ### Julie Green is the general manager of the WHEATON INN on   Roosevelt Road. Only two years old, the inn already has the   warmth and graciousness of a Williamsburg Colonial home.  Corporations in the high tech corridor astride Highway 88   reserve rooms for their most important foreign visitors. Meeting   rooms and catered meals attract business seminars and service   club luncheons. On weekends, romance reigns when wedding recep  tions and parties fill every hour. Wheaton College, Morton   Arboretum, Cantigny, and Fermi Lab are nearby.  Enjoy a full buffet breakfast every morning in the dining   room. At bedtime, the aroma of freshly-baked chocolate chip   cookies entices guests to socialize in the parlor before retir  ing. Freshly brewed tea and coffee are available on demand 24   hours a day.  Julie has scheduled three murder mystery nights: January 26,   March 23, and April 27th. If you're lucky, some reservations   will still be available when you read this.   ΜΜ! ###    π0-  Š Dawn Dau is your innkeeper at Naperville's HARRISON HOUSE,   owned by Neal and Lynn Harrison. Dawn, a school teacher on   sabbatical, wants you to make the Harrison House your second   home. "This is my home, and I want everyone to be happy here,"   Dawn says.  Amish and Victorian antiques vie for your attention.  Carry your lavish breakfast of blueberry muffins, Denver melts,   spinach omelets and gourmet coffees to any one of the antique   golden oak tables in the dining room and parlor. All Naperville attractions are within walking distance: the   Burlington Northern train station, North Central College Campus,   Naper Settlement, the River Walk, and downtown shops and restau  rants.  Call Dawn and ask her what special "family" party she is   planning now.   ΜΜ! ### Don't let the two-story Colonial facade of DIE BLAUE GANS (The Blue Goose) fool you. Inside you will find yourself in the   Tyrolean Alps. You may even hear the Sound of Music echoing   through the halls.  The Konrad Family Singers - Don, Molly, and their seven   children - have performed throughout the world singing Bavarian   folk songs and old American favorites. Now that the children are   grown and Don has retired, the Konrads have converted their large   π0- Šhome to a guest house.  Steven Lee, local artist and family friend, has decorated   the entire house in Tyrolean style. You'll eat breakfast by   candlelight with the family's finest silver and linens to comple  ment the European recipes Molly whips up each morning.  In mild weather, take your breakfast tray out to the gazebo.   Steven painted the gazebo's ceiling to immortalize special family   events. The pet geese will serenade you from their backyard pen.   Europeans think that geese make the best of pets. "We love having our own bed and breakfast home," says Molly.   "Every time we expect a guest, it is just as though we are plan  ning a special party for a special friend."  #######