The Centennial House is a bed & breakfast which is located in Northfield, Massachusetts. It sits on two and a half acres of land, and the building is 6,500 square feet. The building has 5 rooms available to rent. The Centennial House has been a bed & breakfast since around 1978. It used to be the house of the headmaster of a local boarding school, which was also its namesake. One of the things that the Centennial House Bed & Breakfast is known for is its events. In the past, it has hosted things such as weddings, showers, and memorial services. Between its indoor and outdoor spaces, it can accommodate up to 150 people for an event or activity.
The Centennial House Bed & Breakfast is a B&B located in Northfield, Massachusetts. The building is 6,500 square feet, and it is located on a lot that is about two and a half acres. The property has its own parking spaces, a seating area available in the front, fruit trees, and a garden. The backyard is terraced with three levels. The top terrace has a gazebo and is the space used for many events, such as weddings. A tent can be put up on the top terrace as well to offer more shade. The middle terrace is a flat area with an arbor and is also used in events. For example, seating can be set up in that area when weddings are held. The lower site can also be used for other functions if desired, containing a small assortment of flowerbeds.
The building of The Centennial House Bed & Breakfast itself is of a colonial design. It has 5 rooms available to rent, and if the need arises, it has a 6th room it can open up. Rooms can be rented out as single rooms, or they can be rented out as three two-room suites. All of the rooms come with amenities such as a mini-fridge, coffeemaker, cable television, and Wi-Fi. They also include basic amenities such as shower soaps, shampoo, and conditioner.
The guest rooms are all on the 2nd floor. On the first floor are a few common areas: two living rooms, a great room, and the sunroom. One of the living rooms has a TV and is a place where guests can congregate to watch sports games or participate in other activities. The other one is the quiet parlor, where people can choose to relax if they please. The living rooms also have books about hiking and historical attractions in the area for the information of guests. The great room is used as a dining room in the winter and can seat up to 24 guests. The sunroom is used as the dining room in the summer and seats up to 30 people.
As its name implies, breakfast is served at the Centennial House Bed & Breakfast daily. It generally includes a fruit cup, a homemade baked good, and a hot entrée. Joan, the cook as well as one of the owners, strives to have unusual takes on traditional breakfast items as well. For example, instead of a french toast, she will make a strawberry stuffed french toast or a grand Marnier banana bread french toast. She also makes things like baked eggs wrapped in asparagus and home-fried bacon and sausage. Breakfast is served at 8:00, 8:30, or 9:00, according to what guests choose. Joan is willing and able to accommodate most dietary needs as well, such as gluten-free, diabetic, and vegan.
The innkeepers, Steve and Joan, want guests to feel at home when staying with them. They make efforts to do this from the very start of a patron's stay by going out to greet them. Steve and Joan introduce themselves and help them with their bags. The owners can be found going about the property throughout the day and are available if guests need assistance or just want to talk. The building that they own is historical in nature, and the owners are happy to share some of that history with curious guests.
A guest said in a review, "the innkeepers, Steve and Joan, are very friendly and hospitable. The inn is a historic house with quite a few rooms. We stayed in the suite with a king-size bed and a Jacuzzi. The bed was comfortable, and the Jacuzzi was very relaxing. Breakfast was great, thick blueberry pancakes with locally made maple syrup, plenty of juice, coffee, fruit, and other breakfast items. Easy to take a ride into the countryside."
One of the things that Steve and Joan would say that they are most known for is their food. They call it "the legendary breakfast." In addition, Steve and Joan feel like one of the things their business is known for is themselves, the owners. They have been in the area since they were in college and knew it like the back of their hands. They try to really focus on their guests from the time they check in until the time they check out. Steve had a very strong background in theatre, and Joan has worked with Disney in the past. They try to emphasize the same things as Disney: "service, safety, and show." Many guests have found the innkeepers to be an appealing aspect of their stay.
Steve and Joan are also striving to create a closer community within their town. Their goal is to bring businesses into the surrounding area to help make a walkable village in Northfield where anyone can shop, grab food, and enjoy the town without ever having to get into a car. Joan and Steve formed the tourism association in 2009, which acts as a "mini chamber of commerce" in their words. The tourism association helps bring more people and business to the area through festivals and events in town, such as the Great River Challenge Triathlon or the Special Day in Northfield. A new bridge is being built to span the river, which is accessible to bikers and hikers and is projected to bring 100,000 people a year to the town.
Regarding events, The Centennial House Bed & Breakfast offers a variety. These include things such as weddings, memorial services, anniversaries, or basically anything else that would fit inside the tent in the backyard. The house and grounds can host a number of up to 150 people. If a smaller event is desired, such as wedding/baby showers, the inside of the house can host an event of up to 30 people.
A large variety of things to do can be found in the area. There is a golf course a mile from the house and another one which is 6 miles away. Within just a short drive of the property lies 25 miles of groomed hiking trails. These trailheads are placed all throughout the woods. The town lies on both sides of the Connecticut River, which is the 4th biggest river in the United States. As such, fishing, boating, and kayaking are common activities that guests can do. The B&B is within 12-20 miles of 4 different college towns. On the weekends there's a large number of concerts, plays, and other similar events.
There are also a few important attractions in the area directly surrounding the property. There is the Art Gallery right across the street, of which Joan is on the board. There is an auction house, two small convenience stores, and an ice cream parlor. In addition, the Franklin County Bikeway goes right by the door of the B&B.
Dining in the area is also an important attraction. Four miles away lies The Guild Tavern, an owner-operator restaurant, meaning that the person who owns it is also the restaurant's chef. It has a small limited menu of farm-to-table items and serves whatever is fresh that day. Nine miles north is the Rustic Table, which is a family-owned business that serves American food. Though primarily serving alcoholic beverages, the Cameron's Winery also serves some light food with their drinks, such as charcuterie plates.
The Centennial House Bed & Breakfast was built in 1811 in Northfield, Massachusetts. After the pilgrims landed in Plymouth Rock, they sent out five parties to find places to settle. Northfield was one of the five settlements built after the founding of Plymouth Rock.
The Centennial House Bed & Breakfast was the headmaster's house of a local boarding school. This school was called the Centennial House and was founded in 1878. In its time, the school was thriving. The B&B didn't receive its current name until 1978 when it was named The Centennial House Bed & Breakfast in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the boarding school.
Around the time of its rebranding, it was sold to one of the school's alumna. She owned the property for roughly 17 years and was the first to turn it into a guesthouse. After that, she sold it to a young couple. The couple only had the bed & breakfast for a short time before selling it to the current owners, Steve and Joan. Steve and Joan bought the inn in 2003 and have now owned The Centennial House for about 17 years.
During their time with the property, Steve and Joan have made numerous renovations. These renovations include things such as putting on a new metal roof, installing electricity, and redoing the plumbing and heating. The kitchen has been upgraded so that it now makes use of stainless steel appliances. Steve and Joan have removed the old wallpaper and painted the house twice.
The current innkeepers have a history in the lodging industry. At ages 20 and 21, Steve and Joan were house parents at the University of Massachusetts for 320 students above them. Houseparents are resident directors who do programming and basic support and used to be a state-funded professional position. They did that for four years until they moved on. They went to Hampshire College, where they were houseparents again for another three years. They had 12 resident assistants reporting to them at Hampshire.
Steve and Joan knew that they wanted to get into the hospitality industry. Initially, they considered opening "The Walking Stick Inn," but they decided against it since they didn't want an inn with a name that would be stuck at the very end of the phonebook. Instead, they founded The Carriage Town Bed & Breakfast in a town that was famous for its carriages. Eventually, they bought The Centennial House Bed & Breakfast and moved up to Northfield, which is where they are today.
94 Main Street
Northfield, Massachusetts 1360
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Joan & Steve
