Friday, October 12, 2018

Bloomsbury Inn, Camden South Carolina

I may have mentioned this here before, but my wife and I will often have a little debate about where to stay when we travel.  I want to stay somewhere with some serious history to it.  She wants to stay somewhere that is just fabulous.  Well, we found a B&B on this trip that really made us both happy.

AND, to be honest, we had already found a good deal on a standard hotel room in the area.  But, after we read up on Bloomsbury Inn, we knew we wanted to splurge a bit and enjoy a couple of nights here.


We noticed that the Inn has over 350 reviews on tripadvisor, and ALL of them are 5 stars!  Think about that.  My wife saw the photos online and simply loved the look of the place.

I saw that Civil War diarist Mary Boykin Chesnut had actually lived at the home at one time.  That was enough to get me to want to stay here!  I always love reading an author's work at their former home.  It's a rare and magic opportunity!

Our room was so nice and comfortable.  This is a great home that is nearing its second century mark but it is in amazing, well kept shape.  It is old and charming, and all areas of the home are spotless.

There is a very nice main living room that is perfect for the evening socials that owners Katherine and Bruce Brown host.  Each evening you can sip tea and talk to other guests and the Brown's about where they are from, or what they are doing in the Camden area.  It is a very nice time.

We also enjoyed spending time on their very roomy porch in the evenings.  There are plenty of chairs for just hanging out and reading.

We had unforgettable breakfasts while we were here.  They really do an amazing job each day at 9am.

All guests are seated at a nice large table, and the great foods start to come out.  Bruce and Katherine are justifiably proud of what they do here, and they told us all about the items as they brought them out.  A local coffee roaster (Little River Roasting Co. in Spartanburg) actually makes a special blend for the B&B that they serve each morning.

The meals were great- I am still thinking about a strawberry soup that was served before the big meal one morning.

I really enjoyed the "everyone at a table for breakfast" experience here too.  Like us, we found that the others who visited Bloomsbury enjoy travelling and history.  It was nice chatting at breakfast before our day started.

Each morning after breakfast, Bruce gives a talk on the history of the home.  It is very interesting, and I was eager to hear all about Mary Chesnuts time at the home.  Bruce also talked briefly about his great grandfather who fought in the Civil War, and actually died in Kentucky at Perryville!

This was definitely a B&B that we didn't want to leave.  Its a great old house, and the Brown's really take things to the next level as they take such good care of Bloomsbury and its guests.  These are sweet people.

Let me also add that Camden is simply a great bed and breakfast town.  Its not known for it's nightlife, but there are pleasant restaurants in town.  There is great history, and just a nice, relaxed vibe.  This is a great town to spend a couple of days at Bloomsbury, and then slowly explore their historic parks, and main street area leisurely.










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