Inn On The River

The Inn On The River is a bed and breakfast that can be found along the Paluxy River in Glen Rose, Texas. The inn can be located near the middle of town, right next to some noteworthy sites, like The Dinosaur Tracks, which is recognized by the state of Texas as a historical marker. The property's story dates back to the early 1900s. The Inn On The River derives its name from the fact that it offers visitors a front-row seat to the river. It is also close to a number of places of interest with different activities that guests can take part in.

About

The Inn On The River consists of a single building that has two floors. Split between the floors are a total of 21 rooms available for guests. three of these rooms are suites, while the rest are more like hotel rooms. Each room is uniquely furnished with antique decorations and comes with free Wi-Fi, individual heaters, and air conditioners, housekeeping, tea and coffee services, tubes for the river (upon request), and a complimentary breakfast.

On the bottom floor, the inn has a main dining room where they will serve anyone who is staying in one of their rooms a complimentary breakfast in the morning. One signature dish that the owner mentioned that has been served before is eggnog cranberry French toast casserole. Other meals in the past include frittatas, roasted potatoes, bacon, and sausage. Everything is made from scratch, and the owner says they are able to cater to the specific dietary needs of their guests, whether that's making a vegan or vegetarian meal or ensuring that there are no issues with any of the guest's food allergies.

The property also owns a tavern, which is named Snyder's Tavern, that is open to anyone looking for a spot to have dinner. The inn also has the ability to host businesses that are seeking to hold corporate events. Another part of the property is the large backyard that is open for visitors to enjoy a wide variety of activities such as lawn games, relaxing in the lounging area, fire pits, and getting an eyeful of the Paluxy River. Speaking of which, The Inn On The River also offers tubes to guests who want to spend time in the river. The inn also has kayaks available for rent if guests so desire.

Branching out a bit further from The Inn On The River, guests can find many different attractions and restaurants in the area. Several notable places of potential interest include The Dinosaur Valley State Park, Barnard's Mill and Art Museum, and Big Rocks Park. Big Rocks Park and The Dinosaur Valley State Park are more open for families to run around and fill in their free time how they will, while the Barnard's Mill and Art Museum offers a tour of the history of the City of Glen Rose. For those who are traveling further into the state of Texas, Glen Rose is within a few hours' drive to some of the larger cities like Austin, Fortworth, and Dallas.

Culture

The city of Glen Rose is best known for its preservation of the local history over the many years since it was established. That is something the current owner, Pam Streeter, says she has been trying to carry out with The Inn On The River as well. She says that the goal of the inn is to create a comfortable place of stay that allows guests to disconnect from the world and relax. In fact, one guest said, "The Inn has that quaint, comfortable, country feel to it."

Based on previous guest patterns, the demographic of visitors to The Inn On The River is mainly comprised of couples, but the inn has seen many families come in for trips as well. The busiest times of the year for booking tends to be between the months of June, July, and August, with October being an honorable mention due to the local seasonal event that takes place in the fall known as The Promise, which is a musical play about the life of Jesus Christ.

Pam also says that they aren't done restoring the property and that within the next few years, there are plans to fully restore the property to how it was when it was first established. In the surrounding area, one can find many different museums and sites that contain a wide array of indigenous artifacts that date back beyond any written history. There are several parks that are dedicated to archeology and the study of old dinosaur bones and fossils. There are some records that tell of local Native American tribes that used to live in the area that used particular parts of the surroundings. One such thing they used was the nearly 400-year-old oak trees that can be found on The Inn On The River's property. With the Paluxy River in their backyard, the inn encourages exploration of the area by offering tubes and kayaks for guests to take to the river, as well as several recommendations to some of the local restaurants, such as The Story Book Café, Blackies, and Sexton Mill.

History

The building that makes up The Inn On The River was built over one hundred years ago, in 1919. Initially, it was a sanitarium that was created by a man—who went by the name of Dr. George P Snyder—and his wife, Margaret Meaders, to offer his patients fresh foods, treatments, and even mineral baths. The sanitarium, which was called Snyder's Sanitarium, soon became a property that could house sixty guests. They built a large dining area and kitchen closer to the banks of the river, where they even planted a grove of fruitful banana trees as well. Dr. Snyder is credited with being the one to save Glen Rose from the effects of The Great Depression due to his deposits to the Glen Rose Bank.

When he died in 1942, his family and associates continued to run the sanitarium as he had, yet under the direction of his brother-in-law, Dr. Meaders. From that time on to the early '70s, it continued aiding visitors with its drug-free medical practices. It was around that time that the building was beginning to be used as a boarding house for construction workers that were working on a nuclear plant, which is now known as the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant.

In 1981, a couple named Steven and Peggy Allman purchased the property and turned it into an inn. Unfortunately, a guest's cigarette lit the building on fire, burning it to the ground within two hours. Over the next few years, it was rebuilt with the same design as the original sanitarium, but with the new idea of creating a hotel instead. It has been run by different owners over the last 30 years until it was finally picked up by the current owner of The Inn On The River, Pam Streeter, who had been an employee in customer service since she was 18. Pam decided to buy The Inn On The River because she enjoyed what she did, but also wanted to be her own boss, so she found that opportunity with this property in June of 2019.