Guests Get More at the Bough
Are you looking for a someplace special for your next trip? We can tell you from experience—guests get more than an overnight stay at the Mistletoe Bough Bed & Breakfast.
You can find this enchanting Queen Anne Victorian mansion in Alexander City, Alabama. Nestled between three cities—Birmingham, Montgomery, and Auburn—it is less than an hour from each.
What do guests get here? Read on to find out.
Front entrance to Mistletoe Bough Bed and Breakfast. Guests often use the back porch, closer to the parking area.
Location
497 HIllabee Street
Alexander City, AL 35010
Contact:
Jennifer & Ed Durrett
(256) 329-3717
Check In: 3 PM
Check Out: 11 AM
Social Hour: 4-5 PM
Breakfast: Included
*Specials, packages and gift certificates available. Wedding and Events venue.
Rich wood in the Grand Hall makes one stop and stare at the beauty.
A Grand House, where Comfort and Elegance Meet
History Preserved
To begin with, history has been preserved at Mistletoe Bough. The “most grand house” in Alexander City envisioned by Ruben Herzfeld, original owner, is still a showplace.
Construction began in 1890, taking until 1895 to complete. The mansion sports a wrap-around veranda, 2-story turret, multiple fireplaces, and generous grounds.
The Ladies Parlor is a charming place to unwind.
Spacious Rooms
Elegance and comfort abound in each spacious room. For example, guests enjoy wood paneling plus parquet and wood slat floors. Stained glass windows, large bay and transom windows allow plenty of light into the large, high-ceiling rooms.
Hallways are wide and guest rooms are big allowing for space to move around with ease. Luxurious beds offer comfy sleep, all the while surrounded by elegance.
We stayed in the Master's Suite, feeling wrapped in luxury and comfort.
Bygone Era Lifestyle
Owners and innkeepers, Jennifer and Ed Durrett want to preserve “the feeling of what it might have been like to live in a house like this.”
Ed said, “There is a, at least in my mind when you walk through these doors, there’s a mind shift that needs to occur. This is not urban life that you are accustomed to. Yes, we have modern amenities.”
He continued, “We provide that but what we want them to do is go sit in the living room and just think about what it was in 1895—what the family was doing, what parties were there, and just sort of experience that.”
Even with modern amenities, guests can easily imagine how the original owners lived in a bygone era.
Door at the end of the 2nd floor hallway opens to the front balcony, a pleasant place to relax.
Our southern breakfast included a fresh-from-the-oven lemon blueberry coffee cake served in a light, airy breakfast room. In other words, a perfect start to our morning.
Guests Enjoy More...
In addition to spacious rooms in preserved history, guests enjoy much more, such as:
Food and Beverage
Breakfast is southern style, often using family recipes handed down. We were definitely well fed with delicious food.
Guests enjoy tasty treats each evening. They are set out on the cupboard in the back hall, just outside the kitchen. (Oh….those brownies!)
Want a really special experience? Order the “Romance Package” and dine alone with your sweetheart in the formal dining room.
Homemade treats found here along with family photos of the original owner.
Jennifer puts her heart into cooking. As a result, everything from breakfast to evening treats to special dinners-for-two is a sweet experience.
The Bough also offers a complimentary “social hour” from 4-5 each day. It’s a grand way to interact the innkeepers in addition to other guests. (We were photographing the B&B and missed out but there’s always next time!)
Guests enjoy the mansion's elegance throughout the house, including the formal Dining Room located between the Ladies Parlor and the Breakfast Room.
Rocking chairs, gliders, and benches are scattered across the wide veranda.
More Places to Unwind and Relax
Does an in-room massage sound relaxing? You can schedule one during your stay, choosing from 5 different methods.
Another way to unwind at the Bough is outdoors on the veranda or 2nd floor balcony.
The wide veranda extends across the front and wraps part-way down both sides of the mansion.
There are tables with chairs plus other comfortable seating on the veranda, patio, and around the grounds.
The grounds and gardens were both beautiful and peaceful. You will enjoy exploring the entire property, inside and out.
FYI…we noticed hooks on the columns and asked Ed about their use. In years past, the porch was also used for sleeping—perfect for hot summer nights. (But, don’t worry, the B&B has all ample heating and air that ensure a comfortable night’s sleep.)
The Sweet Pea Room, one of five guest rooms, is spacious enough for two full-size beds.
Southern Hospitality Reigns
The B&B’s location is within walking distance of many Alexander City shops and restaurants. Lake Martin is only 15-minutes away for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy.
We found the towns people to be just as friendly and welcoming as the innkeepers.
The property is large enough for weddings, parties, and events so look them up for a destination special event. You can expect southern hospitality complete with kindness and warmth to be part of your experience.
Morning sunlight sets off a jar filled with bright yellow lemons.
Tea cups beautify the Breakfast Room wall.
Decor from the Gentlemen's Parlor just off the Grand Hall.
More to the Location than Meets the Eye
Even though the Bough is 125+ years old, (it doesn’t smell old in the least!) it is impeccably clean and well cared for. The owners know how to make guests feel special
Their goal? Ed told us, “We want to do things to make this more grand, more spectacular, more memorable than maybe what it is today.”
What more could a guest want in an overnight stay.
The Nanny's Room has its own balcony, accessed by the door adjacent the bed.
Jennifer Durrett
Ed Durrett
About the Owners
Who better to run a bed and breakfast in a southern town than two southerners that love preserving history. Meet Jennifer and Ed Durrett, owners and innkeepers of the Mistletoe Bough Bed & Breakfast.
Their dream of owning a B&B started with the purchase of their 1st historic home in Louisville, Kentucky several years ago. It required a year of renovation but there they realized not only their love of old homes but “being able to preserve them and to keep them going for other people to enjoy.”
This home? Already restored. With the heavy lifting done, now they get to just “focus in on telling the story.”
Ed and Jennifer want guests to feel a personal connection, to wonder about the history, the family and what they endured. They also want people to experience a romantic getaway.
Mistletoe Bough is the perfect place for their dream, and yours, to come true.
**Thank you to Jennifer and Ed for the interview and allowing us to photograph your B&B for our Worthy Detours Travel Blog. Also, thank you for your kindness in providing our overnight stay and delicious breakfast!
Looking for more amazing places to sleep during your travels? Head over to our "Places to Sleep" page for other Worthy Detour stops.
