Mentone Rainy Day activities at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B

Mentone Rainy Day activities at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B

Slow down and renew your spirit. Rainy days are a great excuse for finding the time to truly relax by enjoying a good book, watching a movie or having a great conversation. Mountain Laurel has a healthy book library and DVD library to peruse as well as cd players to enjoy. The Gathering Place or the porches at Mountain Laurel provide the perfect spot for relaxing and enjoying good company, hot chocolate or a fruit drink.

Gear up with good rain gear and enjoy all the great hikes and views in the area such as DeKalb County Public Lake, Little River Canyon and DeSoto State Park. All the waterfalls in the area will be enjoying the extra water so go discover their power.

Soak in the wonderful sounds of the rain through an open window as you nap or in a rocker on the porch outside your room after enjoying an award winning breakfast at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B.

Take a tour of Sequoyah Caverns, St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, Sallie Howard’s chapel or the Depot Museum in Fort Payne. Read up on the history of Mentone and then go discover it. The weather forecast is always 60 degrees, no rain and cool at the Caverns.

Go shopping. Discover unique shops in Mentone’s Log cabin village. Visit White Elephant Galleries, Crow’s Nest antiques, Little River Hardware, the Hummingbird Store and the Gourdie Shop in Mentone. Experience local artists working in their studios and galleries such as Orbix Hot Glass in Lickskillet or Miracle Pottery in Valley Head.

Treasures abound. Perfect opportunity to find one of the 258 geocaches in the area and not to be discovered in your journeys. See www.geocaching.com to get started and to discover where you can bury your own cache to add to the website.

Feed your hungry soul and take in the wonderful cooking found at the restaurants in the Mentone area such as Windwood Farms, Wildflower Café, Caldwell’s restaurant, Hardware Café, Shorty’s Café and the Mentone Market. Many have local artists work for sale. Don’t worry about who has the best food as you will enjoy each one for different reasons.

Mentone on Lookout Mountain Alabama is open in sun, rain, sleet or snow so come enjoy today.
For more information, see www.mentone.net or www.discoverlookoutmountain.com

Fall foliage in Alabama at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B

Here are some pictures from the porches of the guest house at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B in Mentone, AL. The pond is found on Shady Grove Dude Ranch as you drive back to the bed and breakfast. The best colors should be the week of October26th as Lookout Mountain Alabama has had good rain, cold snaps and sunshine lately. Come discover why Lookout Mountain Parkway is a must see in the fall. Little River is full from all of the recent rainfalls and gives a beautiful setting for all of the fall colors. Dekalb County public lake is outstanding to see. Wonderful hikes and waterfalls can be found at DeSoto State Park and Little River Canyon.

Collinsville, Alabama Quilt Walk near Mentone

This weekend beginning on Friday, September 25 2009, the town of Collinsville, Alabama will open its doors to show off beautiful, handmade quilts. As the name suggests, this is a walking tour. It will take 1 1/2 to 2 hours to complete the tour. The tour hours are from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.


There is transportation available to parts of the tour and rest
areas along the walk. The quilts are displayed in the old homes and churches in Collinsville , AL. Be careful as you might find yourself so enthralled with the houses that you forget to look at the quilts!

In September of 2002 The Sew 'N Sews, a local sewing group, hosted
the first Collinsville's Quilt Walk in the foothills of Lookout Mountain. It was an overwhelming success due to the support of the community, the local merchants and many, many volunteers.

The purpose of the Quilt Walk is threefold:
*To display the beautifel quilts that have been made by the people of Collinsville, surrounding towns and our mothers or grandmothers. To draw attention to an old, beautiful and very American art form.
*To share the history of some of the beautiful old homes and churches in our Northeast Alabama community. javascript:void(0)
*To raise money for a much needed new library.

Tickets are $10.00 per person and are available at the Quilt Walk.
Tickets will be sold starting 10 minutes before the Quilt Walk begins. Collinsville is a 20 minute drive south of Mentone, Alabama. For more information and directions, see www.collinsvillequiltwalk.com

New Harmonies:Celebrating American Roots Music Exhibit in Fort Payne

Main Street is bringing a traveling Smithsonian Exhibition-- New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music to Fort Payne from August 29^th to September 19^th, , 2009. It explores the roots of American music by telling the story of its people and culture through the melodies that define it. The exhibition provides a fascinating, inspiring and toe-tapping listen to the American story of multi-cultural exchange. DeKalb County Alabama has always been proud of its musical heritage and traditions. From Sacred Harp to the Southern Gospel music of Vestal Goodman, from old time fiddling and the Hillbilly sound of the Louvin Brothers to the Country Rock of the award winning group of "Alabama", the music of Northeast Alabama rings around the world. The "Our Song" local portion of the Smithsonian "New Harmonies" Exhibition will help tell the story of DeKalb County Music, not only in terms of the "stars" but also the "unsung heroes" that have helped pass these traditions down from one generation to another. Traveling with the Smithsonian exhibit is a colorful, artistic portrayal of the important musical traditions of Alabama, which was commissioned by the Alabama Humanities Foundation and produced by Fred Fussell, scholar, and Ted Whisenhunt, artist. The exhibit will be held in Hunt Hall (adjacent to the Fort Payne Opera House) daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is Free. Call 256-845-2741 or 256-845-3957 for more information

Come stay at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B and enjoy this exhibit as well as all of the natural beauty of Lookout Mountain and Mentone.

DeSoto State Park featured in video from Outdoor Alabama

I was watching a comedian today on youtube and found this video of DeSoto State Park that I thought I would share with you all. It has some great pics and info about our area. As you know, Mountain Laurel Inn Bed and Breakfast is a ten minute walk to DeSoto Falls that is depicted in the video. When the river is full, you can hear its roar from the porches at the B&B while enjoying your coffee or a good book. DeSoto State Park is 4 miles down the road from Mountain Laurel Inn so it is an easy drive to go for a hike or to go for dinner. Mentone is fortunate to have such a wonderful state park in the area and a spectacular Natural Perserve with Little River Canyon. Fall foliage is just around the corner so come enjoy nature's beauty along Lookout Mountain Parkway.

Mentone summers are close to heaven on Lookout Mountain!

There's nothing better than cool mountain air and the night sounds of tree frogs and cicados. Sarah went for a bike ride down the mountain to Valley Head and back up the mountain so I decided to sneak on the computer and tell you why I love Mentone in the summer. Of course, I get lots of attention with all the families and couples coming through and staying at the B&B for vacation or for summer camp. But I also love my nightly walk out the B&B road past the pond. Lately, Sarah has allowed me to go without my leash and I can just run fast through the pasture. They finally mowed the airstrip so the hay doesn't overwhelm me. It is freedom to have that rush of wind go through my fur as I race through the meadows. We almost always see a fawn or two and we speak to the horses as we past their pasture. Sometimes, to irritate me, Sarah pets the horses because she knows it makes me so jealous. The Queen Anne's Lace and Black Eyed Susans are beautiful along the pasture and I love a little dip in the pond to cool off. We are usually getting back to Mountain Laurel Inn just as the night falls and the wonderful night sounds begin. We can usually pick some blackberries too. Last night we even had some rain fall to help us sleep. I am so glad to be a country maiden. Life in the city would be too much for me. Here are some pics and videos to help you experience my life. The Cicado traveled down the mountain and back up with Sarah on the rearview mirror just loving the windblown look :)

World's Longest Yard Sale comes through Mentone

On Thursday, August 6th, the 22nd Corridor 127 yard sale will begin in Gadsden, travel up Lookout Mountain Parkway through Mentone, head to Chattanooga and end up in Ohio. This 450 mile yard sale is an experience. Everyone comes out and sells their so-called treasures along the route. This sale has been featured on HGTV and in an article by Peter Greenburg http://www.aarpmagazine.org/travel/worlds_longest_yard_sale.html. This is not a sale for the faint hearted, as it is a long journey during a hot time of the year so bring your water, your sunscreen and your patience. Greenburg has some great suggestions on how to enjoy this adventure. More information, such as maps and lodging, about the specifics of the yard sale can be found at www.127sale.com or www.tourdekalb.com.
Come enjoy the yard sale and take in the beauty of Lookout Mountain.