Historic Richmond Inns

As we begin 2012, we’re simultaneously looking forward to greeting brand new Historic Richmond Inns guests and fondly looking back at those special friends who have made our properties their homes-away-from-home. We asked each innkeeper to share a favorite story of a 2011 visit so we can give you an intimate look at what it’s like to join the Historic Richmond Inns extended family.

Pat Daniels and Michael Rohde from the William Miller House B&B shared their 8-year history with a mother-daughter duo who visit Richmond to enjoy the Fan District Association’s Annual Holiday House Tour. The mother lives in Virginia Beach and her daughter has lived in Virginia, Washington DC and New York City. This year, the daughter came all the way from London for the annual weekend retreat.

The best part of their visits, according to Pat and Mike, is listening to their comments about the houses that they visit on the home tour, and their impressions of the décor. After all of these years they are quite expert and vocal about what they see! They used to make the tour a day trip, driving up from Virginia Beach, but now they spend more time with each passing year exploring Richmond. They visit Carytown and dine at the many different neighborhood restaurants. This year, the innkeepers ran into the mom and daughter who were halfway through the tour and on their way out to a neighborhood hot spot for drinks.

Pat and Mike feel lucky that their special guests found the William Miller House B&B. The Historic Richmond Inns offer the perfect balance of privacy, luxury and personalized service, something a large hotel simply can’t provide. This is the year to try out this “Better Way to Stay” and make a reservation at one of the six member properties. We look forward to seeing you soon!

The Historic Richmond Inns

Today, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, shoppers are encouraged to skip the “Big Box” stores and “Shop Small”. Most bed & breakfasts are family- and locally-owned businesses, and the  Historic Richmond Inns are no exception. Small businesses come with big hearts, so show the “RVA” some love. Here are 7 great holiday gift ideas that you can purchase locally on Small Business Saturday:

1. Dine Small: Purchase gift certificates for dining at your favorite local Richmond restaurant.
2. Eat Local: Support local farmers and ensure your loved ones eat healthier by purchasing a subscription for farm shares from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.
3. Share Your Favorite VA Wines:  Patronize one of Richmond’s fine local wine shops and purchase from Virginia’s best wine makers.
4. Everything Old is New Again: Local consignment and antique shops offer an eclectic collection of gift-able items.
5. Celebrate Artisanship:  Have you ever been to an art gallery? Try selecting your gifts from an exhibition by local artists. Attend one of the myriad craft fairs and holiday bazaars and find out how talented Richmond really is.
6. Save on “Black Saturday” in Carytown: The merchants of Carytown are taking the Shop Local movement a step farther at their Black Saturday events. Check their website for a whole list of special savings, and stop in between 12 and 5 PM for a free horse-drawn carriage ride.
7. Stay Local: Of course, you can always give the gift of a reservation at your favorite Historic Richmond Inn! Start planning your 2012 vacations now and ensure that your suite is ready on your favorite weekend.

With so many fabulous gift options there is no reason to look any further than the RVA for your holiday shopping. The only real question is “where will you start?”

The Historic Richmond Inns

There is nothing more refreshing than watermelon on a sunny summer day and on Sunday, August 8, 2011 the 27^th Carytown Watermelon Festival will bring you over 3000 watermelons to choose from! The festival is the largest one-day festival in Richmond, and one of Richmond’s most popular summer events. Over 115,000 attendees and 100 exhibitors are expected.

All of Carytown will transform into a watermelon wonderland with 80 musicians providing free music on multiple stages. Kids will enjoy rides and moon bounces in the largest festival kids area on the east coast, and even pets are welcome with water stations and multiple “pet stops” dedicated to our furry friends.

Shriners will be on hand selling watermelon by the bowl to benefit the Shriners Children’s Hospital.

The Carytown Watermelon Festival is presented by Martin’s and runs from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. There is no admission fee; however you will want to have money on hand to take advantage of the many exhibitors, watermelon sales and beverage sales. Parking can be found at various decks, store lots and at the UR Stadium. Please be sure to observe posted no parking and restricted parking signs as violators will be ticketed. Dress for a warm summer day and prepare for lots and lots of fun!

Historic Richmond Inns

Style Weekly and Resort Rock present: New Year’s Launch Party with Yacht Rock band Three Sheets to the Wind.

Style Weekly is always ahead of the curve for the new trends so, we thought we would take sometime to sit down and talk with the leader of Three Sheets to the Wind Captain Max Power, who will be headlining the festivities at Capital Ale House on New Year’s Eve.

What is Yacht Rock?
Yacht Rock is a newly defined genre of music that consists of AM Gold and soft rock hits from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s.  Three Sheets To The Wind is proud to be America’s #1 Tribute to Yacht Rock and take that honor quite seriously. You might say that we have a passion for smooth music.

How did you get involved with Style Weekly for their New Years Celebration?
One of our long time fans and friend is Jason Roop, editor of Style Weekly. Topper Dandy and I had been toying with the idea of putting on a New Years event and thought that Style would be a good fit for what we were trying to do. I approached Jason with our idea and he hit the ground running! We roped in Tonie Stevens (Style’s marketing director) to join the team and with her help, we started to plan the smoothest new years bash this side of Montego Bay.

Any particular favorites we should expect to hear that night?
On New Years we will be pulling out the big guns. Of course the set list will remain top secret until the show but I can tell you that my personal favorites in recent rehearsals have been Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” and “She’s Gone” by Hall & Oates.

How would the Captain normally be celebrating New Years if he didn’t have this gig?
Recent years have found me at my island retreat on Bimini drinking Hotel Californias, riding the winds of fortune and spending time with my beloved pet parrot Oates. This December 31 will be our triumphant return to the world of New Years extravaganzas!

These guys will surely serenade you sweetly into 2011, so don’t miss out on this amazing party. Make sure to book your tickets for this “cruise” or you might be landlocked and missing out some smooth groves.

For tickets and more information: www.styleweekly.com/nye

See You Soon,
Paula & Martin Ramirez
Historic Mankin Mansion

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

Beat the heat on August 8th by attending the Carytown Watermelon Festival.  See the William Miller House Blog for the complete update.