Weekend Getaway Suggestion: The Inn at Serenbe

Source: SerenbeInn.com

Nestled just thirty minutes from the Atlanta Airport lies a true gem of a place to stay, the Inn at Serenbe. I grew up in Atlanta yet had never heard about it until my mother mentioned it to me recently. Curious about the grounds, gourmet dining, hayrides, bonfires, chickens. the trails and the folk art that fills the property, we made our reservation and met there this past weekend. One sister arrived from Brooklyn, the other from Philadelphia, I arrived from Westchester, NY and my mom came in from the middle of Atlanta. We had not spent time together away for a very long time and were eager to just relax, be together and explore the farm.

We were enchanted by Serenbe. It’s a little haven away from the hustle and bustle. It’s simplicity with subtle elegance.

The history of the farm is intriguing as it really goes to show you how an idea can form and materialize with hard work. In 1991, Steve and Marie Nygren, an Atlanta couple with deep roots in the city’s culinary life, bought 60 acres, with a 1905 farmhouse and rolling terrain, as a weekend home. Mrs. Nygren christened the place “Serenbe”. Five years later, the Nygrens had converted the farmhouse into a bed-and-breakfast, and begun a series of additions and improvements. The barn became a guesthouse, and several tin-roofed cottages were restored into romantic hideaways. There are now 19 guest rooms.

They planted a garden thick with tomatoes and zucchini, and dug a pair of swimming pools, along with a fishing pond. They populated the property with llamas and donkeys and rabbits and goats, and added a croquet lawn, an open-air pavilion for weddings, miles of hiking trails and a labyrinth made of stones cleared from the organic fields.

And voila! A farm is born. With an inn. And a gourmet restaurant. And animals. We were eager to check it out.

We started our adventure on a Saturday afternoon after arriving late from NY’s snowstorm, and enjoyed afternoon high tea in the Main House. It’s a restored 1905 farmhouse which features a common sitting room. We spent the late afternoon taking a stroll through the barnyard and walked through the pasture by rabbits, chickens, horse stables, a playground for children, a tree house and even a labyrinth in the woods. There are 1,000 acres of farmland with rolling meadows and spacious fields on this property. Adults can stay in the guest house (where no children are allowed), with their own child-free pool and cabana, but there is another pool for the entire family, a guest house and farm houses for the family to sleep in, as well as croquet, horseback riding, animal feeding, canoeing and other activities for children.

We stayed in the Guest House, a 3-bedroom, 4-bath house with a a sitting room and kitchen that everyone shares. The rooms are all rural and have a Pottery Barn feeling. They are charming yet simple, with pine floors covered with rag rugs, antique and folk art furnishings, beds covered with pillows, and lace-curtained windows. At night after dinner, we built a fire in the fireplace and played scrabble by the fire.

Dinner in the Farmhouse was a gourmet experience. Made with ingredients handpicked off the farm, we shared an exquisite menu filled with Southern home made delicacies like trout with kale, okra soup and hummingbird cake. My cocktail was a Pumpkin Martini and it was gorgeous. To say that the four of us were content is an understatement. The meal was delicious and indulgent.

Breakfast the next morning included caramelized french toast, orange juice, hard boiled eggs and coffee and tea. After breakfast , we explored more of the grounds and headed to town, which is actually owned by the owners of Serenbe. Nearby they built a model community with shops, galleries, restaurants, folk art and more. Clean and inhabited by artists, it’s an absolute treasure. There’s also a bake shop called the Blue Eyed Daisy and a luxurious spa in town.

Check out my photos and get a glimpse of what Serenbe is like for yourself. It was a great girl’s getaway but would be great for a couple, a family or a group of friends who want to catch up and relax.