Baer House Inn. Photo by Donna L. Hull
A visit to Vicksburg, Mississippi, will introduce you to the history and charm of the old South. But to truly experience it, you need to stay in one of the city’s historical homes. With 7 guest rooms, Baer House Inn Bed and Breakfast fits the bill. In 1870, Leona and Lazarus Baer built the Eastlake Victorian style home to be the grandest mansion in Vicksburg. And If walls could talk, the halls would reverberate with stories from Mississippi’s grand past.
But you don’t have to stay awake, listening for ghost’s stories to learn about life at Baer House Inn. Owner, Doug Cousineau, will fill you in over complimentary wine and snacks when guests gather in the library for social hour, after a day of Vicksburg touring. The tales continue the next morning as Doug serves his breakfast specialty, Italian Creme Brulee French Toast.
Scarlett Room. Photo by Donna L. Hull
When my husband and I drove the Natchez Trace, we stopped in Vicksburg to explore the town as well as partake in Southern foods. The romantic Scarlett Room ($125 per night) at Baer House Inn became our headquarters. Yes, it was painted red. We appreciated the king size bed, placed near a decorative fireplace and the very large bathroom with separate shower and tub. I enjoyed browsing the antiques in the upstairs hall, before descending the hand-carved staircase to the first floor to check out the grand ballroom that once had 5 chandeliers and 3 fireplaces.
From Baer House Inn, we walked the streets of Vicksburg, exploring antebellum homes, like the McRaven Tour Home, before continuing downhill past the Courthouse Museum to the businesses and shops that sit on a bluff overlooking the river. To visit Vicksburg’s Civil War history, take the quick drive to 1,800-acre National Military Park where 17,000 Union troops are buried from the siege of Vicksburg.
Rates at Baer House Inn Bed and Breakfast include a full breakfast plus an evening social hour featuring wine and snacks.
Baer House Inn
1117 Grove Street
Vicksburg, MS 39180
601-883-1525 (local)
866-510-1525 (toll-free
Review by Donna L. Hull, My Itchy Travel Feet. All photos by Donna L. Hull
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14 Responses
I love old homes with history and especially ghost stories. Lovely pictures.
PS – I’d love the recipe for Italian Creme Brulee French Toast. Sounds delish!
Ah, Vicksburg. I haven’t been since staying with my first cousin once removed when I was a child. Yes, we Southerners keep track of that sort of relationship. The National Military Park made quite an impression on me knowing my great -nth granddaddy died in a Union POW camp in Indianapolis.
As serindipity would have it, I just posted a recipe for Mississippi Southern biscuits this morning!
That Creme Brulee French toast sounds amazing! Is the recipe available?
I have absolutely, positively not spent enough time in the South. This post makes me want to go back even more!
I think Vicksburg is one of the most gorgeous towns I’ve ever been in, but found the almost-isolated Natchez Trace to be creepy. Maybe because of all the Chickasaw mounds along the road — and I’m one-quarter Chickasaw.
I’ll ask Doug if he’ll share the Italian Creme Brulee French Toats recipe. It is delicious.
Ruth, we must not have passed the portion of the Natchez Trace with Chicasaw mounds along the road. The portion we drove (Columbus, MS to Jackson, MS) was wooded, bucolic and peaceful.
What a great way to step into history! I’ve always wanted to explore the South. I don’t think we’ll be able to go anytime soon, but yes, if you could post that recipe at least I could have a taste of the South.
This is a terrific site. There is so much info here. I’m sending the link to my husband. He’s always looking for unique finds for our trips. I’m so glad I found this.
Sounds like a charming place with so much ambiance, I might have to visit some time!
Gorgeous photos, looks like a nice place.
If any of you would like to visit the Baer House Inn in Vicksburg, mention Donna’s name and you’ll get a 15% discount off any room rate. I will pass on the “Italian Toast” recipe to Donna, and she is going to post so you can try it. It IS delicious and is now in several publications. Of course for the full effect, you will need to visit us for a chance to sit under the Big Pecan trees that add the flavor of the South. Happy Travels!
Doug has kindly shared his delicious “Italian Toast” recipe with me. You can read it here:
http://myitchytravelfeet.com/2009/09/08/creme-brulee-italian-toast-baer-house-inn-vicksburg-mississippi/
Thanks, Doug!
Looks like a gorgeous bed and breakfast!! Maybe it should be a Darn Good Digs? Donna, if you’re feeling inspired, and you think it would be a good match for our site, maybe it would make a great nomination!
I went to Vicksburg for the Tapestry – The Pilgrimage to Vicksburg. The Baer House was the only one I got to tour due to time constraints. Unfair, I know. But Doug was great, told us a LOT about the civil war that we didn’t know, explained the timeline of the original owner of the Baer House, and gave us a tour of the home. Because of lodging problems on my trip, Doug offered a discount so I wouldn’t leave Vicksburg mad. Awesome. Also, the front room with the bay window is the best room in the house. The others are nice, but that room feels like you are staying in a civil war house. Next trip, I stay there.