Fall reasons to fall in love with B&Bs

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A Michigan autumn fires up ALL the senses.

See the leaves change colors.

Feel the cooler breezes.

Hear the crunch of leaves on a wooded path.

But there’s a moment — repeated almost daily at bed and breakfasts all over the two peninsulas — when ALL the senses come together in celebration of a Michigan autumn. It is the moment when an innkeeper says, “I made this for you,” alerting your senses to the sight, taste, smell and touch of something delicious that you’ll savor even more because of the season.

This video celebrates entrees and side dishes served at Michigan B&B and featuring apples, pears, and pumpkin, all darlings of the state’s fall harvest.

Made you feel hungry, didn’t it? Start here to check out the many options for a fall getaway.

Scroll down for a list of the inns and innkeepers whose creations are featured in the video. They include Saravilla B&B’s Rochelle O’Shay, whose assortment of pumpkin, pear and apple muffins is seen atop this page. Along with her duties as a full-time emergency room nurse, Rochelle is the official baker for the Alma bed and breakfast she owns with her husband Kelly. Breakfasts for guests are prepared by Kelly, who has three decades of restaurant experience in mid-Michigan.

Michigan B&Bs rock fall colors starting at the front door

Click on a photo to learn more about that bed and breakfast.

Front porch of Hart House B&B with mums and pumpkins.
The front porch of Hart House B&B in Hart is all decked out to celebrate a Michigan autumn. If you enjoy getting out on Michigan rail-trails, the northern trailhead for the Hart-Montague Trail is only a couple blocks away. Guests gravitate to the inn’s spacious patio, with its gas fire table and glorious hot tub.
Front entrance of Knob Hill B&B in Flint.
Front entrance of Knob Hill B&B in Flint. This elegant B&B in the one-time home of an auto industry exec attracts guests from all over for a myriad of interesting reasons. Recently, for example: a couple attending a dog jumping competition; an Illinois couple visiting their daughter; four golfers sampling one of the 40 golf courses within 20 miles; and a romantic Flint couple staying for the third time within a couple months just because.
Mums and pumpkins on the front porch of Ludington House B&B.
Front porch of Ludington House B&B. Bundle up and walk to a Lake Michigan beach and then to a restaurant or brewery. This town is loaded with Michigan history. You watched the above video, right? It featured three dishes prepared by innkeeper Bob Alderink.
Fireplace in the foyer of Nordic Pineapple B&B is decorated for fall
Fall decor around the fireplace in the foyer of Nordic Pineapple B&B in St. Johns really pops against the rich blue walls. Innkeepers Greg and Kjersten Offenbecker painted the walls during Michigan’s pandemic-related shut-down. An outdoor fireplace on the inn’s spacious grounds is a favorite place to relax after dinner.
Innkeeper’s hand holds a vase of early fall flowers from the inn’s garden.
A vase of flowers from the garden is placed in a guest room at Goldberry Woods in Union Pier. Guests’ breakfasts feature many products that Innkeepers Julie and Eric Haberichter grow or produce on their micro-farm. If you enjoy kayaking, launch on the Galien River right there and paddle to Lake Michigan.

How did B&B innkeeper Jan Smith do this?

Pumpkin bread loaf at Maple Cove B&B captures a favorite taste of a Michigan autumn.
This loaf of sweet bread baked by innkeeper Jan Smith at Maple Cove B&B in Leonard has a surprise inside.
A cross-section of a loaf of sweet bread reveals pumpkin-colored cake in the shape of a pumpkin.
Did you guess how innkeeper Jan Smith of Maple Cove B&B achieved this? She first prepared and baked a loaf of pumpkin bread, let it cool, and then cut out pumpkin shapes using a cookie cutter. She stacked the pumpkin shapes and positioned them in a lengthwise row in the bottom of a prepared loaf pan, poured pound cake batter over it, and baked.

All the B&Bs and innkeepers featured in the video

The Michigan Bed and Breakfast Association counts many fine and innovative cooks and bakers among our members. Here are the members participating in this visual feast celebrating the tastes of a Michigan autumn. In order of their appearance. Click the inns’ names for more information about what the B&B offers.

If you can get away to experience the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of a Michigan autumn, by all means #staysmallstaysafe at a clean, comfortable, quality-assured bed and breakfast.