THE INN
The stately, inviting front rooms of Southern Sighs welcome you to stay, play and visit a while. Both feature hardwood floors, hand crafted French and Afghan Orientals and fireplaces with gas logs that add sparkle to a winter’s night.
Formal Parlor
This is the Inn’s formal public room. The art and furnishings are eclectic, and the walls inspired by the rich interiors of the traditional French Villas Innkeeper Mary Lynn visited in her early treks to Europe. Formal, yes, but also relaxing, inviting and soothing to the core. The room’s comfortable seating inspires conversation and an old world sense of congeniality. Enjoy a quiet moment with your special someone beneath the stately, gilded mirror or get to know your new friends.
The Vintner Room
It’s time for fun. Here, you can watch a game on the bar TV, enjoy a slice of cake, relax with a glass of wine before dinner, engage in a lively game of Fussball, or simply kick back, relax, and take in the banter. Named after Mary Lynn’s great-grandfather, Adolph Russow, who was the Vintner at the Monticello Wine Company. The Winery began in 1873 and lasted until prohibition in 1916 and won awards at the Vienna exhibition in 1873 for their Virginia Claret. The Vintner’s Room combines French and American interiors with an inviting sense of play.
The Delft Room
We consider the Delft Room to be the true heart of the home. This is where your hot breakfast is served! In the Delft Dining Room, you will start the day with a cup of fresh hot coffee and plated breakfast in a room as cheerful as a bright spring morning. Enjoy it all in a setting that features antique Delft tiles on the fireplace, an English chandelier, the German Rosewood Hutch, antique sideboards, and the long white dining table where you are bound to make new friends. Take a peek at The Little Store in the corner of the Delft room and pick up something to take home!
The Kitchen
Our kitchen renovation began with the addition of an elevated deck off the back of the house, we paved the way for a new back entranceway and scullery. Three leaded glass casement windows from Caravati’s in Ashland, VA are the jewels of the scullery! Construction Junction offered great finds such as stained glass from an old Ukrainian church in Pittsburgh. The Heart Pine tongue in groove flooring dates to an 1842 home in Virginia. Capitalizing on a black walnut tree in our yard that toppled over in a windstorm, we had the wood milled and made cabinet tops for the kitchen island and the cabinets in the scullery. We kept it local and definitely “Made in America!”
Second Floor Art Gallery
At the Inn, you can reach the upstairs suites through The Gallery. This welcoming, second-floor parlor is a showcase for maritime, historical, local, and European art. Sit awhile on the inviting couch, plan your day, read a book, visit with friends, or enjoy a few moments of quiet reflection at the end of the day.
Located in the heart of America’s early colonial history, Southern Sighs Inn is on historic Route 17. Also known as the Tidewater Trail, Rt. 17 was one of the first recorded byways in Colonial Americas and a major route of commerce and war. Route 17 was first documented on the famous map of the Chesapeake Bay created by Captain John Smith in 1612.
The Inn is located in Middlesex County, which played a critical role in both the American Revolution and the War Between the States. Here, and within an easy drive of Southern Sighs, are the historic sites and landmarks that gave birth to our nation and the bloody battles, 100 years later, where brother fought brother during the Civil War.
This part of Virginia was the birthplace of founding fathers and civil war icons, as well as leaders in government, agriculture, literature, and science. George Washington’s boyhood home is located in nearby historic Stafford County. Robert E. Lee’s birthplace, Stratford Hall, is just over an hour away. Novelist William Styron attended Christchurch School just five miles away. The home of Major Walter Reed -- the US military physician whose team identified the cause of yellow fever – is down the road in historic Gloucester County. It’s important to mention that Virginia has given the country eight presidents and three are from this area, including George Washington.
From Revolutionary war heroes to Medal of Honor winners, our area has historically been and is today, closely aligned with our military and the brave men and women who continue to guard our shores. Jamestown, the first permanent English-speaking settlement in America, is nearby, along with historic Yorktown, where George Washington defeated the British in 1781 during the Siege of Yorktown. That battle effectively ended the War for Independence. Colonial Williamsburg, which was the capital of the Virginia Colony and Commonwealth of Virginia from 1699 to 1780, is nearby.
In Matthews, Virginia, the last British colonial governor was driven off US soil. Meanwhile, Historic Gloucester and Saluda courthouses - which are both still in use - harken back to a time when the early Colonial government stood at the heart of every new and burgeoning town.
This area is also home to America’s historic early plantations. Several are located along Route 5, which roughly parallels the banks of the James River. The Berkley Plantation, for example - home to the first Thanksgiving in America and the Colony’s first official whiskey distillery – is just one of several historic properties along the James River that bear witness to the importance of agriculture from Colonial times to today.
In nearby Urbanna, the French agreed to support the American Revolution, as documented in a treaty signed in the Lansdowne House. Today, Urbana is home of the world-famous Urbana Oyster Festival. Now in its 63rd year, this annual fall event attracts thousands to the shores of the Rappahannock River.
Since 1913…Our History & Unique Surroundings
Meet the Innkeepers
“My husband, Bill, and I were driving on a hot July day in the summer of 2016 to go on vacation in North Carolina. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a "For Sale" sign and I was instantly smitten with my destiny. I asked my husband to turn around and drive up to the house. It is a very calming feeling to sit on the front porch and simply look around. We decided to call the realtor on the sign and she came over within 25 minutes to show us the interior of the home. As we crossed the threshold into the entrance hall, I think I knew that we were home. I felt a great sense of destiny and purpose which seemed to take control and guide us forward.
Ironically, thirty years earlier, I used to drive by this house sometimes with my father as we traveled from Baltimore to Hampton, Virginia. In the early '80's I was working in Baltimore and my father worked as a contractor for Martin Marietta in the Baltimore area. My father shared a condo with me in Baltimore and traveled home on weekends to my mother and sister in Hampton. Whenever I made the weekend trip with him, we passed by this house and each of us commented not only on the beauty of the home, but also on the welcoming impression that it made. The home reminded my father of happy boyhood times spent at his sister's home in Sanford, North Carolina. I, too, remembered visiting my aunt and uncle in Sanford, and remember the beauty of their home and it's welcoming atmosphere. In addition, I always wanted a bed and breakfast.
In October of 2016, we purchased the home and began many necessary code-required renovations, upgrades and aesthetically inspired enhancements. On November 17th in 2018, we had the blessing of the home and a dinner celebration for forty people. We look forward to welcoming you at Southern Sighs Bed & Breakfast.”
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Mary Lynn Landgraf grew up in Hampton, VA and at nine years of age made a vow to herself to sail out of Norfolk, VA at age 18 and study in Europe. She wanted to see the world and she did. She worked in international sales and enjoyed cultural immersions and smiling faces in every country. After years in international textile sales and serving the U.S. government, Mary Lynn spends time promoting U.S. made technical textiles and regional, state and U.S culture.
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William A. Budd (Bill) was born in New Jersey and has become a Southerner by choice. Bill worked in marketing and sales in the titanium industry for ATI for 30 plus years during the exciting decades of the '80's, '90's and early 2000's. Bill is engaged in landscaping and working on projects in his new “Man Cave”. Two of his most exciting purchases at Southern Sighs have been his John Deere tractor and his Fussball table located in the bar.