Before Thing 1 and Thing 2, Mr. Wonderful (hereafter Mr. W) and I were quite the jet setters. But with two little ones at home, it has been hard to travel. So, imagine my shock when Mr. W surprised me with an out of town overnighter to celebrate my (eighth) 29^th birthday. The question on my mind, of course, where do you go in close proximity to Huntsville, but really get away?

The answer was The Lodge on Gorham’s Bluff. Now here’s the thing, Mr. W and I are not your typical bed and breakfast kind of crowd. We are more likely found in a big city setting taking in the sites, soaking up the sun in the Caribbean, or even hiking or camping. But with a limited timeframe and the desire for some real downtime, Gorham’s Bluff was his choice to rekindle the romance and recharge the soul.

The Bed: Lodging

Just about 20 minutes outside Scottsboro, atop Sand Mountain sits the town of Gorham’s Bluff. Now, I have heard great things about this bed and breakfast before, but have to admit that I didn’t know that there were homes and rental cottages in this quaint “Seaside-like” village. The community sits atop a bluff overlooking the Tennessee River with amazing views and there is a small fishing lake and community pool and playground. The Lodge is a weathered Southern Plantation home with just the right amount of wear and a huge vase of Hershey’s Kisses to greet you as you enter the front door. What could be more perfect than a kiss greeting? The Lodge has 6 suites, including the King, where we spent our time when we weren’t dining, rocking in the rocking chairs on the back deck off our room, relaxing in the Adirondack’s on the back lawn overlooking the Tennessee River, or visiting with other guests. Our suite was large and had a fireplace, which I now really want in my master bedroom if I ever get to build a house! It was gas, so we left it on all night- such ambiance!

The Breakfast: Food

Now, I’m not a foodie like Amy Pope, but I like to eat. And, Gorham’s Bluff certainly didn’t disappoint. With our overnight trip, we received a dinner with the option of a Tomato Bisque Soup or a Baby Spinach Salad. I had the salad with walnuts and strawberries with a warm bacon vinaigrette dressing, and cleared my plate. The entrée choices were Lightly Blackened Grouper or Center Cut Pork Chops. I had the Grouper and the fish was cooked perfectly and served with fingerling potatoes and haricot verts. For dessert was the choice of Mango Sorbet or an Individual Pecan Pie served with a perfect scoop of ice cream on top. I’m not sure how they got that scoop so perfect, but I do know the pie was delicious as was all the food. I didn’t even need a midnight snack out of the available snack pantry that was well stocked with soda’s, sweets, and salty’s.

Breakfast the next morning had choices just as dinner did, but many more. In fact, there are too many to list, with the healthy choices (which I just skimmed) and the real breakfast meals. All breakfasts began with a basket of breads including blueberry muffins. Now, I grew up in the south and I have had a lot of blueberry muffins. Fresh, packaged, from scratch, and out of the box… but I have NEVER had a blueberry muffin quite like these. They were amazing and in my opinion the best blueberry muffins ever with a perfect crispyish (is that a word?) outside, but a soft, melty, sweet , plump blueberry inside. Yum! Mr. W and I shared our breakfast choices and between the two of us had griddlecakes, eggs, bacon, grits and biscuits. It was all fantastic and cooked to perfection. And, the servers were on the ball to get what you wanted even if it wasn’t on the menu.

The Extras

Here are a few extra things to know about Gorham’s Bluff that might help you when you decide to visit

Gorham’s Bluff doesn’t sell alcohol or wine, but they will uncork yours and they have glasses. If you’re going to want some, bring it with you. The Common TV area at Gorham’s Bluff- see the blankets in the bottom right shelf!
If you are there over a Friday night, head to the casual area for “Fridays with Friends” at the Lodge. From 5:30 until 7:00 you will be greeted by the staff, locals, and other guests and treated to complimentary wine and snacks. Everyone was friendly and I recommend it to get you in “bed and breakfast” state of mind.
There are blankets in the TV room. Grab a few and go curl up outside and read a book, watch the sunset, or stargaze.
The amazing meals that they serve in the Lodge dining room… they also will bring to your suite. Or, if you stay in one of the cottages, they will deliver to the cottage. Now that is room service!
There are no TV’s in the suites, like many bed and breakfasts, but there is one downstairs for common use. Mr. W used it to catch up on the news while I slept to a blessed late 7:30! But, if you just can’t do without a little screen time, they do have wi-fi availability in the Lodge.
Want to keep up with Gorham’s Bluff, including events (Huntsville Master Chorale has performed there) and specials? Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, or read their blog.

To Sum it Up

Mr. Wonderful and I had a great trip. Will we go again? Absolutely! We already discussed a trip over Thanksgiving to a cottage with family. Someone else cooking my Turkey and dressing? Now THAT is really my idea of a vacation!