Food, recipes & lodging
Places to stay in the valley
Inns and bed & breakfasts in houses with a past, each one chosen for its history.
Places to eat34 places with a story: old banks, depots, family tables- Places to stay14 inns and bed & breakfasts in old houses
Recipes from the Valley Kitchen36 old recipes, with the pages they were printed on
Where the food came fromOrchards, mills, celery and the stove town
The map opens here.
Places to stay 14 places
Michigan
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Lakeside Inn
John and Nancy Aylsworth bought the site in 1901 and built the inn, probably in the early 1910s. After decades as a resort and an arts center, it reopened as a hotel in 1995 and was added to the National Register in 2009.
A rambling century-old lakeside inn on the bluff.
15251 Lakeshore Rd., Lakeside, MI 49116
Nearby: Region of Three Oaks Museum, 4.4 mi away
Their website › · Directions · ·
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The Morris Estate
The riverside estate first belonged to E. M. Morris, a businessman known for planting trees and for his gifts to the community. Braden and Amber Janowski bought it in 2010 and opened it as a B&B in 2018.
A riverside estate with guest rooms, weddings and events.
1997 Morris Dr., Niles, MI 49120
Nearby: Niles District Library – Local History & Genealogy, 2.2 mi away
Their website › · Directions · ·
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Gordon Beach Inn
Chicago physician Louis Gordon built the inn in 1924 at a time when nearby lake towns turned away Jewish visitors. It is a State Historic Site and one of the last resort hotels of its era along this shore.
A twenty-room 1920s resort inn in the woods near the beach, with a restaurant on site.
16220 Lakeshore Rd., Union Pier, MI 49129
Nearby: Harbor Country Museum of History + Rail (formerly New Buffalo Railroad Museum), 3.3 mi away
Their website › · Directions · ·
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The Inn at Union Pier
In the 1920s the property was the Karonsky Hotel, a kosher resort for Chicago vacationers.
A Harbor Country inn with antique Swedish tile stoves (kakelugns) in many rooms.
9708 Berrien St., Union Pier, MI 49129
Nearby: Harbor Country Museum of History + Rail (formerly New Buffalo Railroad Museum), 4.2 mi away
Their website › · Directions · ·
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Henderson Castle
Frank Henderson, president of the Henderson-Ames Company, had the castle finished in 1895 to a design by C. A. Gombert of Milwaukee, at a cost of $72,000. Chef François Moyet bought it in 2011 and runs it as an inn.
A hilltop stone mansion with 14 guest rooms, a chophouse restaurant, afternoon tea, tours and a vineyard.
100 Monroe St., Kalamazoo, MI 49006
Nearby: Mountain Home Cemetery, next door
Their website › · Directions · ·
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Stuart Avenue Inn
The inn is an 1886 Queen Anne house in Kalamazoo's Stuart Neighborhood Historic District.
A Victorian bed-and-breakfast on a street of grand old houses.
229 Stuart Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Nearby: Kalamazoo College Archives & A.M. Todd Rare Book Room, next door
Their website › · Directions · ·
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The Kalamazoo House
David and Amelia Lilienfeld, of a cigar-making family, built the Victorian house in 1878. It was set for demolition in 1985 for a parking lot until restorers Lou and Annette Conti saved it, and it has been an inn nearly ever since.
An Italianate mansion inn near downtown, named after the city's first hotel.
447 W. South St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Nearby: Bronson Park Historic District, next door
Their website › · Directions · ·
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Carriage House at the Harbor
J. F. Crowley built the house in 1886 as the home of Henry and Ellen Avery.
A harbor-side B&B a short walk from the river and downtown.
118 Woodman Ave., South Haven, MI 49090
Nearby: Michigan Maritime Museum, 0.2 mi away
Their website › · Directions · ·
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Yelton Manor
Its guest house was built on the foundation of the old Dewey Hotel, beside the main manor, which was designed as a large family home.
An adults-only boutique B&B across from the beach.
140 N. Shore Dr., South Haven, MI 49090
Nearby: Michigan Maritime Museum, 0.2 mi away
Their website › · Directions · ·
Indiana
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Hotel Elkhart
The hotel was built in 1923 and restored over more than two years, keeping its plaster lobby ceilings, terrazzo floors and ballroom. It reopened in summer 2021 as part of Hilton's Tapestry Collection.
A 93-room downtown hotel with a corner bar, a rooftop bar and a café.
500 S. Main St., Elkhart, IN 46516
Nearby: Lerner Theatre, next door
Their website › · Directions · ·
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Market St. Manor
This is the Queen Anne home of Frank and Katharine Coppes, built from 1887 to 1893. Frank and his brother John founded the Coppes cabinet company in 1876, and the house has been on the National Register since 1990.
A pink Victorian mansion B&B that also serves afternoon tea.
302 E. Market St., Nappanee, IN 46550
Nearby: Coppes Commons and Coppes History Museum, next door
Their website › · Directions · ·
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Farmstead Inn
Built by the Lambright family across from the auction and flea market in 1997; a conference center was added in 2003.
A 151-room country-style hotel with a three-story atrium, indoor pool and free hot breakfast, steps from the flea market.
370 S. Van Buren St., Shipshewana, IN 46565
Nearby: Menno-Hof, next door
Their website › · Directions · ·
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Arbor Hill Inn
The inn fills a large La Porte house built in 1910 and renovated in 2000; one of its suites is still known as Mrs. Jones’ room.
A country inn with themed rooms and suites on three floors, plus a guest house, that also serves dinners to guests.
263 W. Johnson Rd., La Porte, IN 46350
Nearby: La Porte County Public Library – Indiana Room (Local History & Genealogy), 2.7 mi away
Their website › · Directions · ·
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Oliver Inn Bed & Breakfast
James Oliver, inventor of the Oliver Chilled Plow, had this 1886 Queen Anne mansion built as a wedding gift for his daughter. South Bend's preservation commission rates it an "outstanding" historic structure.
A ten-room Victorian B&B a short walk from downtown on West Washington Street.
630 W. Washington St., South Bend, IN 46601
Nearby: West Washington Historic District, next door
Their website › · Directions · ·
Before you go
- Call or check first. Hours change with the seasons, and small places close for holidays and family days.
- Make a day of it. Pair a meal with the museums nearby, the Broadway walk or a festival.
- Know a place with a story? Tell us, with what you know of its history.
- Own one of these places? You can sponsor or advertise; paid places are always marked, and the listings are never for sale.
Plan your visit: ready-made days out, food, lodging and festivals See my day (0)
Every place here was chosen for its history and checked against its own website, or a city, county or tourism page, in October 2026. No place paid to be listed; any sponsor will always be marked as one. Places marked “check before you go” could not be fully confirmed online.