Granite and Lace Bed and Breakfast
66 S. Main St.
Port Deposit, Md.
410-378-5710, http://www.graniteandlace.com
Port deposit really isn’t off the beaten track,” says Judy Leonard, innkeeper of Granite and Lace, as she ushers me into the bed and breakfast’s brilliant green “second parlor” for what turns out to be a lavish spread of cheese and fruit. “There’s just the sense that it’s a getaway.”
Ten minutes from Interstate 95, the town is comprised of nineteenth-century buildings and rocky bluffs overlooking the Susquehanna. It feels worlds away from the outlet mall and the backed up traffic around the toll plaza.
Today, the mid-nineteenth century building, saved from demolition by a local preservation group (of which Leonard is the chair) has been remodeled so extensively that the B&B’s guests would have no idea that a half a dozen years ago it was a neglected apartment building. As Leonard shows me through the first floor, Victorian-style brass ceiling fans whir softly above overstuffed chenille-upholstered settees in the burgundy living room, a contrast to the deep leather sofas in the green parlor.
I gape at an astonishingly ornate reproduction chandelier that dominates even the long oak dining table and marble busts in the sunny dining room where, with a flick of a button, Leonard can lower a screen for small group PowerPoint presentations. “I really enjoy entertaining our individual guests,” says Leonard with a husky laugh as she pours a glass of chardonnay to complement the cheese plate. “It’s like having friends visit and then stay over.”
The Innkeeper Although the B&B is owned by investors Bo Bailey and Harold Harbold, Judy Leonard is the face of Granite and Lace. She’s also the B&B’s chef and interior designer. And she’s a local historian to boot.
With deep roots in the hospitality industry (Leonard traveled all over the world working for Princess Hotels), she came to Port Deposit from McLean, Va., fourteen years ago, when her younger son was enrolled in the local West Nottingham Academy. She planned to move once he graduated but ended up staying in town. If you have questions about Port Deposit, Leonard has an answer.
The Rooms I’ll admit it, when I first heard the name Granite and Lace, echoes of an old Stevie Nicks’ song haunted me. Fortunately, aside from some decidedly understated Battenberg lace placemats and dresser scarves, there is very little that is frilly here. Rather, the B&B’s five bedrooms are a blend of Victorian fancy reconfigured into a thoroughly modern package.
My husband and I are the only guests in the inn tonight, so Leonard allows us to choose our room. I pop my head into each and find deep jewel tones dominating, whether it’s the cranberry bedspread of the small Liberty Room or the garnet-painted Lapidum Room, the most modern of the B&B’s five rooms. The third floor Armstrong and New Connaught rooms pick up the same sunny gold walls as the dining room.
All rooms have Jacuzzi baths, but since I have my choice, I pick the Hytheham Suite, a huge three-room space in the same vibrant green as the parlor. Birds are the botanical theme here. I find them on several lamps, in the fabric of the black upholstered couch that sits opposite the gas fireplace in the sitting area, and in the paneled screen that I wish I could take home with me. The bathroom is nearly as large as the sleeping area and contains not only the Jacuzzi, but a two-person shower. After dinner, we spend a few minutes on our covered porch before retiring to watch one of the suite’s two flat-screen plasma televisions.
One note of warning, however: While train enthusiasts might delight in sleeping approximately fifty feet from functioning railroad tracks, all but the heaviest sleepers should remember ear plugs, especially on Sunday nights when more than a half dozen freight trains pass through town.
Special Touches Aside from sweet touches like pillows wrapped in fabric bows like Christmas packages, each bedroom offers modern bathrooms with Jacuzzi baths, plasma screen televisions, and free Internet access.
What’s for Breakfast Just like the cheese plate that greets guests upon arrival, breakfasts at Granite and Lace are ample and very fine. We enjoyed a variety of fresh fruit, bacon, sausage patties, deliciously not-to-sweet orange pancakes, and a slice of frittata with spinach, feta, and sliced tomato—all on one plate. Judy also presented us with homemade apple strudel accented with almond. If you leave the table hungry, well, it might be time to reconsider your food intake.
Diversions Visit the Paw Paw Heritage Museum for a history of Civil War-era Port Deposit and the Bainbridge Museum to see memorabilia associated with the Naval Training Center. Climb to the top of the steps that mark the site of the old Port Deposit school for a stunning view of the Susquehanna. And be sure to treat yourself to a walk down Main Street to gawk at the violet and lavender stained glass of the Presbyterian church, notice the intricate wrought iron of the historic Gerry House, and listen to the ever-present sound of trickling water that makes its way down the granite cliffs. December 1 marks the town’s Candlelight Tour, a guided tour of Port Deposit’s historic homes, museums, and Civil War sites.
Romance Factor Most B&Bs pride themselves in offering couples a private oasis away from home, and Granite and Lace is no exception. I mean, c’mon, wouldn’t you rather share a shower built for two instead of a bicycle?
What It’s Going to Cost $115-$275 weeknights; $140-$325 weekends.
Mary K. Zajac writes from Baltimore.
