The Port City Victorian Inn Bed & Breakfast is located in the city of Muskegon, MI. It is right next to Muskegon Lake and roughly 3 miles from Lake Michigan. The downtown is not far from the property either, as well as a number of different attractions. The inn has 5 separate rooms available to book and a full country breakfast homemade every day. The innkeepers strive to create a culture of friendship to help make their guests feel more at home. Barbara and Fred are the first owners of the business and have been in operation since 1991. Through their time running the bed & breakfast, they have made many renovations to help modernize the place.
The Port City Victorian Inn Bed & Breakfast was established in the year 1991 and is located in Muskegon, MI. The building has 5 different rooms available to be booked by guests. It has many different common areas as well. The front room contains a coffee table as well as information on the history of the establishment. A dining room can also be found on the first floor, which is where guests can come and have a homemade breakfast each morning. Additionally, the facility includes a fireplace room, which contains a piano that visitors are allowed to use. There are multiple sitting rooms throughout the premises. Seating is also available on the front porch so that guests can spend increased time outdoors. In addition, the property also has a pergola that offers more outdoor seating.
Each room of The Port City Victorian Inn is different from one another, offering a variety of experiences for visitors. One of the rooms available is the Captain's Room, the largest room at the inn with a maximum occupancy of 4. The Captain's Room comes with its own jacuzzi tub and private balcony. Another room is The Queen Anne, which is the owner's favorite due to the provided window facing Muskegon Lake. Every room comes with basic amenities, which include things such as cable television, in-room air conditioning, and a personal bathroom. 3 of the 5 bedrooms also have their own fireplaces.
The property is located in a neighborhood that is next to Muskegon Lake. A garden, consisting primarily of flowers, can be found around the building. This garden is maintained by the owners. A bicycle trail runs to and along the beach of Muskegon Lake. The Port City Victorian Inn Bed & Breakfast own bicycles that are available to rent for guests. There is a park next door which offers a place that visitors can picnic or walk.
The Port City Victorian Inn Bed & Breakfast strives for a certain culture. A guest called it a "great place to stay! Barb and Fred are wonderful hosts. The knowledge they have of the home is amazing. Sit and talk to them about it over breakfast and find out some details that only they know." Barbara, one of the owners, has said that she tries to "make guests immediately feel at home" and that she tries to make friends with her guests as well. Every day, Barbara prepares a homemade breakfast that visitors can enjoy together. It is a family-style breakfast and often includes items such as meat, fruit, pancakes, or potatoes. The owners are willing to accommodate people who need to leave earlier by preparing a smaller breakfast served individually. The inn has a no smoking policy as well in order to try and create an environment that makes guests feel more comfortable. Sometimes groups gather on the pergola to drink and chat. Guests have said that they enjoy the owners as friends and the time they spend talking with them.
There are many attractions in the area surrounding the inn. Sailing is available, as the property is right on Muskegon Lake and is roughly 3 miles from Lake Michigan. Consequently, fishing is another activity that brings people to the area. Ferries are available for rides across the lakes. Visitors can tour two historic ships, the USS Silverside and LST. There is a lighthouse that visitors can go inside and walk to the top. An art museum is also close by, as well as the historic district of town. Dining venues can be found in the Hearthstone Restaurant, The Lakehouse, and Hobo's Tavern.
The demographic that can often be found at The Port City Victorian Inn Bed & Breakfast is couples. This may be in part due to the fact that most of the rooms have a 2 person maximum occupancy. However, families can visit as well.
At 144 years old, the historic building that houses The Port City Victorian Inn Bed & Breakfast was built by Alexander Rogers Sr. in 1877. Alexander Rogers Sr. was an immigrant from Scotland. Upon moving to Muskegon, he started an iron manufactory. His iron manufactory became the business that most of the many lumber mills in the area, who needed products such as branding irons, relied on. After the Chicago Fire of 1871, there was a subsequent increase in business since Muskegon became the primary supplier of lumber.
Alexander Rogers Sr.'s house has only been a Bed & Breakfast for the last 30 years. Until the property was bought by Barbara and Fred, it was only used as personal housing. Barbara and Fred were the first to see its potential to become a Bed & Breakfast.
The owners of The Port City Victorian Inn Bed & Breakfast weren't originally looking to start the business. Their intention was simply to find a place to live. Upon their first viewing of the building, they hadn't considered buying it. It wasn't until they viewed a different house, saw all of the problems associated with it, and returned to view the first house that they decided that they liked it. At this time, Barbara also had the idea to run it as a bed and breakfast.
Due to its age, it was necessary that the building underwent numerous renovations. In the past, it was simply an old house, a barn, and an outhouse. Consequently, the property had to be redone, and in the process, it has been modernized as well. The current owners did renovations such as putting in bathrooms, putting on a new roof, redoing the siding and front porch, adding a pergola, and replacing the windows.
1259 Lakeshore Drive
Michigan, United States 49441
Bed and Breakfast
Barbara & Fred
