Solid oak and an abundance of roses are part of the decor of Bluegrass Country Estates, a bed and breakfast in LaGrange, Kentucky.
Stuffed pancakes, aebleskiver, may be offered in a stay at Bluegrass Country Estates, a bed and breakfast in LaGrange, Kentucky.
One of two horses at Bluegrass Country Estates, a bed and breakfast in LaGrange, Kentucky, basks in the winter sun.
A sitting area in the Steeplechase Suite awaits visitors at Bluegrass Country Estates, a bed and breakfast in LaGrange, Kentucky.
A quiet nook awaits visitors at Bluegrass Country Estates, a bed and breakfast in LaGrange, Kentucky.
As I sit at the table, my fingers entwined around a warm mug, the sun inches up over the horizon. I smile at my luck, because I don’t actually know where I need to look for the sunrise, but it finds me anyway.
My husband and I are seated in the sunroom just off the kitchen of Bluegrass Country Estates, a bed and breakfast in LaGrange, Kentucky, when the rest of an enchanting morning unfolds around us.
As if on cue and without a care, a deer saunters through the nearby trees. Three wren flit from the Japanese maple to the snow-covered rhododendron and back before disappearing around the corner where we can no longer see them but can still hear them rustling among the brittle branches.
We dine on aebleskiver, Danish pancakes, and fresh fruit prepared by our host, Cheryl, and pat ourselves on the back for finding the Kentucky destination and for securing a few nights away from home. Hotels are fine, sure, but a bed and breakfast offers a unique experience.
When we arrive the evening before, in the snow and rain, our host waves us into her spacious three-car garage.
Once we move inside, she leads us on a tour of the home: a glass-enclosed sitting room overlooking the swimming pool and a kitchen with a self-serve snack bar featuring cupcakes, chips and drinks. We cut through the den in the center of the home and descend a set of stairs to the recreation room, the workout room and the home theater.
Our host pauses to point out photos from her childhood which, she beams, includes growing up on the set of “Bonanza,” where her mother worked. She gives us a quick tutorial on how to pop fresh popcorn in her theater popper.
The home is thematically decorated, an immersion in horses: horse paintings, horse statues, horse bedding and accents, a rocking horse, horse figurines, horse-covered mugs. Tastefully arranged on tables, dressers shelves and on the wall. Everywhere one looks. Except for the areas accented with roses and silver julep cups. And even then, there are sometimes all three.
Not surprisingly, the rooms and suites honor the animal, as well, with names such as the Ascot Room, the Filly Room, The Turf Room, The Run for the Roses Room and the Steeplechase Suite.
And Cheryl’s friendly horses, Dakota and Sasha, are housed in a small barn just outside the back door.
From its unforgettable setting among sprawling horse farms, to its host and hospitality, Bluegrass Country Estates is a distinctive Kentucky destination.
(Note: Marjorie Appelman is an English, communications and journalism teacher at Mason County High School and co-founder of the travel blog Tales from the Trip, which is on Instagram and Facebook. She can be reached at marj.appelman@gmail.com.)
