Need a Getaway? Cozy up @ Emerald Necklace Inn

Need a Getaway?
Cozy up @ Emerald Necklace Inn

For nature lovers and historians in the Greater Cleveland area, nothing can be more romantic than a weekend at the Emerald Necklace Bed & Breakfast Inn and Tea Parlor. The Inn, with its green shingles and awning, perches above the Rocky River Reservation and a path behind the Inn leads into the ancestral forest beauty of the Cleveland Metroparks. The site is the former home of the Gilles family’s general store.

It’s winter. But that doesn’t stop a real nature lover. During a recent trip from North Olmsted to Lakewood along Valley Parkway, I saw trees coated with snow like white chocolate on pretzel rods, and folks were jogging and cycling despite the icy all-purpose trails. The forest is pristine, the silence is profound, and the Earth is at rest. Being in the Metroparks is almost as spiritual as the love two people share.

The Emerald Necklace Inn sits a ways back from Lorain Avenue in a nook on the Fairview Park side of the bridge from Cleveland to Fairview Park, and from the outside, it looks like a storefront. It was, in fact, a storefront. The Gilles Family ran a general store in the building that was built close to 150 years ago.

The decking on the valley side of the building hints that there’s more to the Emerald Necklace Inn than a general store. The inviting entranceway feels more homey than commercial, and inside the Tea Shoppe one could be in a former parlor except for the tea and teapots on display. To the left of the front door is a Victorian parlor where tea is served in a corniced room of white table clothed tables.

Innkeeper Gloria Cipri Kemer assures a fabulous tea tasting experience in a Victorian location. High tea includes a pot of tea, a cup of soup, scone and bread plate with lemon curd, Devonshire cream, and preserves, an assortment of tea sandwiches, quiche with fruit, and the Chef’s dessert for $19.95. In addition to the high Emerald Afternoon Tea, the Inn offers Mary Gillis Afternoon Tea and Lillia’s Children’s Tea. The tea parlor can be reserved for special events, including a Princess Party that includes spa service, an etiquette booklet, and a tiara. At the monthly tea tastings, held on the third Thu of every month from 6-8 PM, guests taste a variety of teas with tea sandwiches, dessert and the history behind the teas.

The Inn is well-known for its teas, but its three guest rooms—the Gilles, Parkview, and Emeraldview Suites—are outfitted with fireplaces and luxurious tubs, and two of the three rooms have spacious decks overlooking the Park. Guests can enjoy the bakery served in the Tea Room and enjoy personal spa services. Costs range from $99/night on the weekdays to $149 for honeymoon treatment and include bountiful breakfasts. Pets are allowed in the Emeraldview Suite. The Gilles business is remembered fondly by the innkeeper, who gives guests wash bars on arrival and commemorates anniversaries and honeymoons with keepsake washboards.

Emerald Necklace Inn, open all year round, is located at 18840 Lorain Road in Fairview Park. Make reservations by calling 440-333-9100 any time you’re looking for a break. Information about packages and special tea events is found at http://EmeraldNecklaceInn.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Claudia Taller, whose book Ohio’s Lake Erie Wineries will be published by Arcadia next spring. Her passion for words has led to creation of the Lakeside Word Lover’s Retreats, an outgrowth of her work with Skyline Writers. Her favorite foods are red wine, salmon, ice cream, and chocolate. She loves to read, write, tour wineries, ride her bike, ease into yoga, and cook gourmet meals for friends. Find her at http://www.ClaudiaTallerMusings.blogspot.com or at http://www.OhioLakeErieWineries.blogspot.com.


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