As we survey recent events around the globe we’re forced to concede, perhaps ruefully, that it is small world. And sometimes we wish the world was a bit bigger: that distances were greater, and that bucolic peace could still be gained, and our everyday business rendered irrelevant with a 30-minute drive in any direction. (No, Laguna Beach doesn’t count.) To address these anxieties we bring you two suggestions, one a resort, the other a B&B. Both promise a sort of small-town ease that can only be found in the quieter corners of one’s home continent. Rest assured that such places still exist; they aren’t just day trips. But you want them to last longer than a day, right?
The Inn at Brandywine Falls, Sagamore Hills Township, Ohio
How different can small town, pastoral life look in two parts of the same country? Very different (ours is a big country). If Palmetto Bluffs is quintessentially Southern, then the Inn at Brandywine Falls, a mere 640 miles to the north, represents the Midwest impeccably: a farmhouse, trim and modest, surrounded by neat, green fields, whitewashed fencing, and clusters of cottonwood, ash, and elm trees. The interiors are quaint and romantic: four-poster beds with handmade quilts, antique dressers with gleaming, hand-rubbed wood, and lots of light. All six rooms are lovely, but we’re particularly fond of “The Granary,” “The Garret” and “The Loft” (rates begin at $239, $169 and $239, respectively). The Inn overlooks its namesake, the 67-foot Brandywine Waterfall, and is located within the 33,000-acre Cuyahoga Valley National Park, so there’s a good deal to explore. But it’s also a classic B&B with a warm, congenial kitchen, a cozy, well-stocked, and a serene porch. Visit http://www.innatbrandywinefalls.com/ for more information, or call 888-306-3381 (longtime innkeepers Katie and George Hoy make all reservations by phone).
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