The Stovall House, located in Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia, offers five guest rooms available throughout the year for those looking to visit the area. Each of the rooms has king beds and private bathrooms and is "tastefully furnished" with antiques, according to Erin Fight, one of the owners. Erin comments that the Terra Cotta room, the only accommodation located on the first floor, is popular among patrons, due to its 12.5-foot ceilings, its windows that are original to when it was constructed in 1837, and its pet-friendly option. The Terra Cotta Room is the only pet-friendly accommodation at the inn. Regardless of which room guests choose to stay in, Erin makes breakfast for all of her patrons each morning. She says that she uses ingredients grown on the property when possible and purchases from local farmers if they do not have the ingredients needed on the grounds.
The interior of the Stovall House features five individual rooms available year-round for guest reservation. One room, the Terra Cotta Room, is located on the ground floor, while the other four are situated on the second floor of the home. There is an additional Sleeping Porch on the second floor that can be rented in conjunction with either the Blue Room or the Green Room which can sleep up to four people. The sleeping porch has connecting doors to both of the aforementioned rooms, although while it is in use, the doors can be locked to the room not rented in conjunction with it. Erin, one of the owners, notes that a popular room among the five is the Terra Cotta Room, as it is on the bottom floor and is the only pet-friendly room at the inn. Regardless of which room is chosen by a patron, Erin remarks that there is "personality and individuality" in each of the rooms.
Throughout the home, patrons can utilize any of the multiple common areas of the home. On the first floor of the home is a parlor, which was one of the four rooms originally constructed in 1837. There is seating available for visitors in this room. Besides the parlor, three dining rooms can be found on the first floor, and Erin notes that the most popular of these tends to be the dining porch where views of Lynch Mountain can be seen. The exterior of the home features a wrap-around porch with rockers that can be used throughout the day and into the evenings. A firepit is also located on the grounds, and Erin observes that those staying at the establishment often use it in the evenings "when the weather is nice."
The 27 acres of land that the Stovall House encompasses is also home to a farm. Erin says that they use a "holistic rotational grazing model" for the farm, which includes 220 laying hens; 16 sheep, 8 of which are newborns; heritage meat bird chicken; thanksgiving turkeys, seasonally; 100% grass-fed cows; and two horses. In addition to livestock, a garden area on the grounds grows 16 blueberry bushes, heritage raspberries, heritage blackberries, fruit trees, and "all of the vegetables that a southern garden has," according to Erin. Cut flowers are also grown, and Erin makes fresh flower arrangements for all of the guest rooms and common areas of the home.
During visitors' stay at the Stovall House, Erin—one of the owners—hopes that guests can feel welcomed and that the bed and breakfast is "a nice respite from the things that stress them out." To encourage a peaceful atmosphere, Erin and her husband, Jeff, try to meet patrons' needs, either by leaving them to themselves or by getting to know them. Erin says she and her husband love putting together personalized itineraries for those wanting to visit the area and they enjoy giving recommendations for attractions and eateries. Helen, Georgia is a popular attraction among visitors, according to Erin. Other activities that guests may take interest in are visiting some of the multiple wineries found in the vicinity or going hiking in the Appalachian Mountains near the property. Erin says there are multiple hikes nearby "for all levels" of hikers, and some lead to waterfalls as well. Some restaurants that Jeff and Erin recommend include Harets Haversham, a farm-to-table eatery; Clyde's Table and Tavern; and Bodensee.
Erin believes that the Stovall House is known for the history of the building, as well as the hospitality that she and Jeff strive to show to those staying with them. Former patrons of the establishment have commented in the past on the views of nature from the property, the caliber of events hosted at the inn, and the decor in the home. One guest said, "The house is beautiful, well kept, and very inviting and the exposed elements of old-time construction are cool as well. We sat around the campfire and listened to coyotes in the distance and watched fireflies over the neighboring pastures. The breakfast was fresh local egg frittata with veggies from the garden, local pork sausage, and blueberry cornbread, which was delicious." Although the couple is still working on building a pavilion to host events, visitors have also left reviews complimenting the pair on the weddings which have been hosted at the property as well. Currently, an area in the backyard is used for events, called the "knoll."
For those coming to the property, both for events or lodging, there are policies in place that everyone must act in accordance with. Vaping or smoking is prohibited on the grounds and inside the home. Furthermore, guests are expected to be conscious of the amount of noise they make after the designated quiet time that begins each night at 10:00 p.m. With regard to pets, the Terra Cotta Room is the only pet-friendly accommodation at the inn. Guests should also be aware that there is a weight limit of 45 pounds for animals staying in the room. Additionally, pets are not to be left at the property without their owners.
The original home, now known as the Stovall House, was completed in 1837. As the home was built in the time period pre-dating the Civil War, Erin Fight, an owner of the establishment, explains that it took 10 years to build the home. Moses Hershaw was the first owner of the edifice while he was working as a lawyer in the nearby town of Clarksville. During the mid-1800s, ownership of the building transferred hands two separate times before the Stovall family purchased the home. The family, the namesake of the current bed and breakfast, had 11 children. While they owned the establishment, they added to the original structure to accommodate their family.
The bed and breakfast opened in 1983 and has been operating since that time. Erin Fight and her husband, Jeff Sidwell, purchased the business in December of 2018. The couple initially planned on buying land with the intention of creating a venue space for weddings and similar events. During their search, they saw multiple plots of land across northern Georgia and saw that it was raw land that "would need a lot of work," according to Erin. When they first saw the Stovall House, they were excited about the multiple uses of the land as a bed and breakfast, farm, and potential event space. After the sale of the business closed, they worked for three months to do multiple renovations before reopening.
During the three months that the couple was renovating the house, multiple projects took place. Firstly, they cleared out a variety of antiques and furnishings before redoing the kitchen. Erin says they "left the flooring, and that was about it." All new appliances were added to the kitchen, and the home was redecorated with antiques. Jeff, who formerly worked in construction, also designed and built an exterior public bathroom on the side of the house that can be used during weddings and other similar events. In the future, Erin hopes to build a "natural venue" with a pavilion for weddings.
1526 GA-255
Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia 30571
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Erin Fight and Jeff Sidwell
