We LOVE The Wildflower Inn!
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 07/27/08
We have participated in the Butterflies Tots Forget-me-Nots ("BTF") program during the past two summers and are already booked for June 2009. I guess that in and of itself says how much we love staying at The Wildflower Inn! It is the perfect vacation for our family of four which includes two preschoolers. The owners and staff are all lovely people, and eager to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. They have thought of everything - a wonderful playroom filled with toys, a kid-friendly movie each evening, having "baby/kid items" easily available (e.g. sippy cups, bibsters, bed rails which are already installed in your room when you arrive), etc. The property also has two outdoor playgrounds, a swimming pool with splash area, a hot tub, a barn where the children's activities are held, a petting barn and acres of indescribably beautiful rolling countryside to roam. Also, right on the property is their wonderful Juniper's Restaurant. During the BTF program meals are included each evening at Juniper's (plus you get the fabulous country breakfast that all visitors of the Bed and Breakfast enjoy and with BTF they also serve a great family lunch). Our favorite thing about breakfast at The Wildflower is the granola and yogurt (our kids would choose the teddy bear pancakes as their favorite). Then, I really can't pick my favorite dinner entree. They have many wonderful seafood and beef entrees, with much of the food coming from local farms or nearby natural, grass fed cattle.
The thing we love about the BTF program is really the simplicity - we love that the kids come back after their morning activities with stories of going on adventures, looking for ladybugs or butterflies, drawing with sidewalk chalk, playing dress up, visiting the petting barn, etc. Also, and perhaps most importantly, my husband and I are particular about who we leave our children with, as are most parents. For us, the idea of leaving them in childcare at a large resort while we are off in another part of the property or even city is not something we'd be comfortable with. The Wildflower is much different than this though. With this program, you do get the benefit of being able to get some treasured (and rare!) alone time with your spouse while your children participate in morning activities and again during dinner. However, they are right there on the propery with you (literally in the barn next door to the building where you'd be eating dinner). With the BTF program you do get to choose a couple of morning adult activities (I'd recommend a massage at the Stepping Stone Spa and Wellness Center which is only a short walk down the road), but again with the close, family-like staff you can feel completely comfortable that your children are in safe hands and that you'd be quickly contacted if needed.
One of my favorite memories from this past summer was walking with my husband after dinner carrying a glass of wine in my hand (they also have a great wine and beer selection!), and we decided to stop in the barn for a few minutes to see the animals. We were visiting with the caretaker, and she was taking time to give us some great advice on caring for our aging dog. As we were talking we saw the children traipsing across the lawn (all in dress up clothes I might add) and heading for the barn. Yikes! Our precious alone time was about to get interrupted! The caretaker thought quickly and snuck us out a side door, and we continued our walk undetected. We ended our time standing together watching the sunset from a gazebo on a particularly beautiful part of the property that overlooks the valleys below. Then, we were off to get the kids who had a great time playing with friends and were ready for family movie/play time in the play room.
All in all, I'd say for us The Wildflower Inn and in particular the BTF program is the perfect vacation for our young family. We come home all feeling relaxed, having had a great time and eager to return the next summer!
