Historic Richmond Inns

Paula and Martin Ramirez, proprietors of The Historic Richmond Inn, share special moments year-round as hosts to their bed & breakfast patrons as well as the many lucky guests who arrive to enjoy the luxury wedding resort. Paula’s breakfasts are sumptuous and delectable. We are honored that she agreed to share one of her favorite recipes with our readers. Thank you Paula!

 

Blueberry Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

Cubed sweet bread (approximately 3 cups)

3 cups frozen blueberries

18 farm fresh eggs

2 ½ cups half-n-half

2 tablespoons vanilla

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup sugar

Directions:

Spray bottom of baking sheet casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place cubed break and top with berries. Mix all remaining ingredients together, cover, and place in refrigerator overnight. Next day, bring casserole to room temperature and bake at 350° for 1 hour.

Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve, perhaps with bacon and fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

The six Historic Richmond Inns are recognized as the top bed & breakfast accommodations in Richmond, Virginia. Each is beautifully restored and decorated, and each is celebrated for its superior service and world-class hospitality. Whether your travel is for business or pleasure, a stay at one of the inns is the perfect alternative to the anonymous chain-hotel mentality. Next time you visit Richmond, enjoy gourmet breakfasts, enchanting surroundings, premium amenities and the attention you deserve at an Historic Richmond Inn.

Here is a quick glance at the member inns:

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Grace Manor Inn | 1853 West Grace Street | 804.353.4334

Location: The Historic Fan District

Innkeepers: Dawn and Albert Schick

Built in 1910

Number of Guest Rooms/Suites: 4 Suites

Fun facts: Grace Manor Inn features a saltwater swimming pool, landscaped gardens and patio. 3-course gourmet breakfasts include complimentary Bellinis and Mimosas.

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Historic Mankin Mansion | 4300 Oakley’s Lane | 804.737.7773

Location: Henrico, Minutes from Downtown

Innkeepers: Paula and Martin Ramirez

Built in 1924 (Italianate Georgian Revival)

Number of Guest Rooms/Suites: 2 Suites, 2 Cottages and a Carriage House

Fun facts: Historic Mankin Mansion was established as a unique “luxury wedding resort” and is the ultimate romantic Richmond hideaway, close to modern convenience yet worlds away from the hectic pace of a busy life.

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The Kensington B&B | 2926 Kensington Avenue | 804.258.9901

Location: Historic Museum District

Innkeepers: Bill and Bertie Selvey

Built in 1919

Number of Guest Rooms/Suites: 2 Suites and a Carriage House

Fun facts: The Kensington B&B and its pocket garden have been featured in Historic Garden Week in Virginia and Museum District Mother’s Day House & Garden Tours. One suite features glittering glass tile floors and a seven-headed Swiss shower.

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Maury Place at Monument | 3101 West Franklin Street| 804.353.2717

Location: Historic Museum District and Monument Avenue Historic District

Innkeepers: Mac Pence and Jeff Wells

Built in 1916

Number of Guest Rooms/Suites: 4 Suites

Fun facts: Gourmet breakfasts are served on the finest china, including the Maury Place Presidential China, an historical reproduction of the china of US presidents.

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Museum District B&B | 2811 Grove Avenue | 804.359.2332

Location: Historic Museum and Fan Districts

Innkeeper: Anna Currence

Built in 1924

Number of Guest Rooms/Suites: 2 Suites and a Carriage House

Fun facts: The Judge Rhea Suite features a second-floor sleeping porch with room-darkening shades and is located across the street from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

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William Miller House B&B | 1129 Floyd Avenue | 804.254.2928

Location: Historic Fan District

Innkeepers: Pat Daniels and Mike Rohde

Built in 1869 (Greek Revival)

Number of Guest Rooms/Suites: 2 Luxury Rooms

Fun facts: Innkeeper Mike Rohde’s recipes have been featured in The Bed & Breakfast Association of Virginia’s Cookbook, American Country Inns and Bed & Breakfasts (best recipe!) and in the book Sleep on It.

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Unique among Richmond’s bed and breakfasts is the Historic Mankin Mansion, an inn and a luxury wedding resort rolled into one.

Originally constructed in 1924 by Edwin Thurston Mankin, founder of one of Richmond’s most prominent brick foundries, the property consists of a 7000 square foot home and five dependencies.  Mankin dedicated the home to his son, Irvin, who was killed in World War I and operated the foundry until his own death in the 1940’s. Owners Martin and Paula Ramirez purchased the mansion in 2004 and lovingly restored the once-dilapidated property to its current pristine condition.

The kilns at Mankin, now demolished, once produced the bricks that restored much of Colonial Williamsburg in the 1930s, and which were also used to construct Hudson River mansions, and homes on Chamberlayne and Monument Avenues in Richmond. The Georgian Revival-influenced architecture reflects Mankin’s love of and expertise in brick. A brick wall surrounds an English Garden, and pathways lead to a central Pergola which overlooks the property’s beautifully restored and landscaped grounds.

Martin and Paula live in the west wing of the mansion with their family, and host travelers with true southern-style hospitality. Guests rave about the beauty of the resort and grounds, the comfortable beds, game room with billiards, darts, shuffleboard, foosball and basketball, and of course – the exquisite breakfasts. In true bed and breakfast fashion, every guest is treated as a member of the family.

Accommodations at the Historic Mankin Mansion are anything but standard.  Both the suites and the cottages have private entrances, and most have porches as well. The cottages have kitchen facilities and coffee makers, and all rooms feature TVs with DVD players and VCRs. Each suite and cottage feels like a private retreat, and is appointed with tasteful, elegant décor.

Amenities are ample and include pre-arranged shuttle service from nearby Richmond International Airport, complimentary faxes, local and long-distance calls, and wireless internet access throughout the estate. Service at the mansion rivals the resort’s beauty, and concierge services are readily available.

Whether you are visiting Richmond for business or leisure travel, the Historic Mankin Mansion is your perfect retreat. Visit the inn’swebsite for rates, reservations, booking policies and wedding services, and plan your visit today!

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.