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Feature Story : Garden Gate Get-A-Way
Welcoming gate always open at bed & breakfast Comfortable and creative packages dazzle new and repeat Garden Gate Get-A-Way guests By Joanne Lehman Step through the garden gate into a slower paced life. Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast is the perfect home away from home. Owned and operated by Carol and Herb Steffey, this bed and breakfast offers serenity both indoors in its well-appointed, comfortable rooms and outdoors on the lawn, patios and flower-lined walkways. Guests will enjoy a nightly campfire, weather permitting, a continental breakfast and many amenities found in 5-star lodging facilities. All guests stay on the lower level of this private home, where most of the year they can enjoy the birds and butterflies who are also at home here among sumptuous perennial gardens. The five guest rooms each have a private bath and outside entrance, as well as access to the breakfast and common rooms. In 2007, Garden Gate Get-A-Way B&B was named one of the top 10 B&Bs in the USA by www.bedandbreakfast.com. Carol Steffey said guests had the opportunity to rate their stay in several categories. Most guests gave her the highest marks in all categories, which contributed to the overall high score. The Steffey family bought Garden Gate Get-A-Way B&B from Roger Steiner, who dismantled a one-room schoolhouse and used the elements to add character to a home addition. The bell tower from the school rests on the south peak of the roof and foundation stones create retaining walls and flower beds. Roger and his wife, LaVerta used salvage lumber, oak flooring, tongue and groove ceiling, wainscoting and a chalkboard in their family living quarters. LaVerta coordinated color schemes in each room and incorporated her love of flowers and birdhouses throughout, along with many antique furnishings. The theme was complete when Roger gave his wife an old garden gate as a special Christmas gift. The first guests stayed in June 1996. In September 2002, the Steffeys became the second owners of Garden Gate Get-A-Way B&B. Born and raised in Michigan, they moved to Ohio with their 12-year-old son, Jeff and Carol’s mother, Beverly. The Steffeys added their own personal touches, replaced some furniture and added a continental breakfast and evening snack. All guest rooms, from standard to Jacuzzi, feature luxury linens. “Simple things make a difference,” Carol stated. “We order the better soaps and shampoos in a wildflower scent and supply our guests with generous-sized bath towels and high thread count sheets.” At Garden Gate, there are always home-baked items for breakfast. “Whenever I can, I try to offer local foods to our guests. Chocolates on the pillow come from Holmes County’s Coblentz Chocolate factory. We also have locally-made cereals, jams and jellies, and cheeses. If you treat people the way you want to be treated, people are thrilled,” she said. This B&B has many repeat guests and “regulars,” who consider Garden Gate Get-A-Way B&B their home away from home. In fact, last year, one family from Gahanna, Ohio, came back 12 times, bringing friends and relatives for many stays. Carol Steffey’s creative ideas continually bring new opportunities for people who return. For instance, each month she makes unique packages available to give guests special options for experiencing local culture. She has several driving tours that offer exact routes to lovely back-road scenery, stops at Amish businesses, and an optional meal in an Amish home. One package offers a 12-hour progressive meal with courses served in different Amish homes and a stop at the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center. She usually offers a couple of Weekend Murder Mystery packages during the year. Guests enjoy a themed dinner, extras like wine and chocolate, and the fun of getting to know their fellow guest “characters” while they solve a crime. A great believer in the power of pampering, Carol likes to set the stage for wine tours, Mother’s Day gifts and Valentine packages. Several new guests discovered Garden Gate when one of her Valentine’s Day packages was featured in Midwest Living Magazine. Carol works with a local spa to provide guests with a variety of services for individuals, couples or a group. These can be provided in certain guest rooms or in another room on site. Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast is located at 6041 TR 310, Millersburg, at the corner of TR 353. For more information, phone 330-674-7608, e-mail info@garden-gate.com or visit www.garden-gate.com. |
Address: 6041 Township Road 310 Millersburg, OH 44654 330-674-7608 Visit Us: Call for reservations Email Us: info@garden-gate.com Visit Our Website: www.garden-gate.com
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