Dining Room

Located in  rural Iowa, not too far from Iowa City,  “So Dear to My Heart B& B is a lovely Craftsman style home, built in 1917.  The establishment offers five bedrooms to choose from with three shared bathrooms.  In the relaxing common areas of the property, guests enjoy television, playing the piano, cards and table games, or conversing with the innkeepers or other guests.

Many Iowa visitors love the winter activities scattered across the state. Especially the pockets of the state where rolling hills make for great family fun in the snow. Visitors seeking great snow-boarding and ski activities often head to Montezuma, just 60 miles east of Des Moines, Iowa. Many winter family reunions are enjoyed in this area.

Visiting groups to Montezuma often find it tricky to locate affordable accommodations conducive to a large number of guests, but IBBIA member, English Valley Bed & Breakfast features a variety of amenities with average rates less than those at comparable hotels. Pheasant hunting is also another winter activity the B&B is prepared for. This family farm owns over 2000 acres of farm ground including corn, beans, crp, filter strips, and a wetland. They also lease additional acres to give visiting hunters a great experience. They allow dogs in the rooms in the barn and have a heated bird cleaning room that has a large counter with running water and a freezer for game.

English Valley’s Big Red Barn is perfect for all your large gatherings - especially family reunions. The barn is also great place for class reunions, business meetings, retreats or any type of group. It can seat well over 100 people. The full kitchen can cater all your events for you. For more information go to www.englishvalleybnb.com

While winter activities are always fun, be sure you dressed for comfort and warmth! Layers hold in heat by trapping air pockets between the layers, and it is also advantageous because if you are in a warm room, you can take off a layer to feel more comfortable.

IBBIA innkeepers also recommend wearing mittens and thermal underwear as well.

Be sure to wear a thick winter coat and to remember to cover your face and ears when participating in outside activities. Most people often cover the central part of the body but forget about the peripheral parts such as toes, fingers, ears and the nose. These are the common body parts that are affected by the cold because heat flows out into the air through the extremities if not covered, and this results in significant heat loss — don’t make this mistake.

And, if traveling Iowa roads, always be prepared for bad weather. If you find yourself stuck outside in the middle of a snowstorm, heat is lost rapidly, resulting in hypothermia and frostbite, so travel well-prepared for freezing temperatures.

School will be back in session. Harvest will be in full swing. Do you want to escape your daily routine? No cooking! No cleaning for an entire weekend!! Would you love some uninterrupted scrapbooking/stamping time? Would you love to stamp your Christmas cards with friends in a fun infomal atmosphere?

Crop-tober Fest will meet all your needs. This is uninterrupted time for you to stamp and scrapbook. You bring your own materials and projects. Come enjoy some relaxing, creative time. Stampin’ Up and Creative Memories products will be available to use or purchase.

Prices vary: click on www.englishvalleybnb.com and click the Crop-tober Fest button for more details.

Stacy

The English Valley B & B in Montezuma hosted its first wedding under its new owners (Doug & Stacy Helm) this last weekend. It was an evening wedding north of the Big Red Barn. A beautiful setting for a great young couple. The scenic backdrop of mature trees, flowers and corn & bean fields made for picturesque country wedding. The wedding party had some beautiful and fun wedding pictures.
When the cermony ended, everyone moved upstairs to the barn loft for a nice meal. The wedding party had decorated the barn in white linen which made for an elegant evening. After the meal, the dj played music well into the night. The crowd had a great night as the danced, talked and laughed.

After the music stopped, the late-nighters moved to the barn deck for a few more drinks and to relax and enjoy the night. Sitting on the deck and looking to the stars and moon was a great ending to a fun day.

Some guests stayed the night and the English Valley B & B. They enjoyed a nice breakfast the next morning. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

If you are looking for a unique setting for your Iowa wedding, check us out. We can provide everything your wedding ceremony/reception needs. We have all the facilities, the beautiful scenery, catering, lodging and that special touch to make your wedding extra special. Click on www.englishvalleybnb.com to find out more.

My wife (Stacy) and I are the new owners of the English Valley B & B in Montezuma, Iowa. We are currently putting a new basement underneath the house. This basement will include three new bedrooms with private baths and a commons area for guests. We still we use the the bunk house and the heritage room in the barn. This will increase our capacity to five rooms that could sleep upto 26 people.

We are currently taking reservations for pheasant hunting season. We have many repeat customers but we do have some space for new hunters. Our family farm owns over 2000 acres of farm ground. This includes corn, beans, crp, filter strips, and a wetland. We hope to lease at least 3000 more acres to give our hunters a great experience. We allow dogs in the rooms in the barn. We have a heated bird cleaning room that has a large counter with running water and a freezer for your game.

We also have the Big Red Barn for all your large gatherings. We have an ideal country setting for weddings and/or wedding receptions. Our large lawn surrounded by the English River Valley is a very special setting for that magical day.

The barn is also great place for class reunions, business meetings, retreats or any type of group. It can seat well over 100 people and has an large outside deck with seating for 20.

Our full kitchen can cater all your events for you. We cater large wedding parties or small groups.

We also have a five acre pond that is well-stocked with bass and bluegill.

If you are looking for a getaway to a unique country setting, come see us.

For more information try: www.englishvalleybnb.com

Tourists to Prairie City, Iowa, enjoy the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, which is adjacent to the city, with 5500 acres of land that has been restored to Iowa’s original rolling hills and tall grass prairies. The Refuge includes several miles of surfaced trails, an auto tour and the Prairie Learning Center.

The closest lodging accommodation to the Neal Smith Refuge is Country Connections Bed and Breakfast.