Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast is a bed and breakfast with four rooms that is located in the eastern part of Atlanta, Georgia, and can be found right next to a rail system that travels all over the city. The property is a Victorian-style hotel that has a number of antiques from the time the building was first erected in the late 1800s. Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast prides itself on the gardens it has on its premises and the services they provide to their guests. The establishment is within walking or biking distance of many different places that both serve food and provide entertainment; and for locations that are too far to walk—like Zoo Atlanta or Atlanta Botanical Gardens—visitors may take a short car ride or may have the option of taking the rail system and skip most of the Atlanta car traffic.
Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast has two buildings. The main building has three rooms on the second floor, while the smaller building behind the main building has one room. Between the four total rooms available to the public, they all differ in color scheme, size, and décor. The most popular room with both the guests and the owner is The Royal Suite.
The Royal Suite is the largest room of them all and comes equipped with a king-sized bed, an electric fireplace with seating, a bath with a separate shower, cable television, and access to the rooftop, which has a fountain of water, a garden, and a chiminea. The Garden Room is a rentable room that is specifically recommended by name by the owner. This room sports a fireplace, private bathroom, queen-sized bed, cable television, has a large number of windows for natural lighting and also has access to the rooftop garden, chiminea, and fountain. Another room that can be rented out is The Cottage Suite. The Cottage Suite has a gas-lit fireplace, a Smart TV with several pre-installed hookups, a fully equipped galley kitchen, a queen-sized bed, and a dining area. The last room of the property is The Aviary, which is the smallest of the four rooms and is decorated with a queen-sized bed, furnished antiques, a fireplace, cable television, and a private bathroom that is across the hall.
Everyone who stays at the Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast has access to the breakfast that is held in the mornings. Breakfast is different each morning; however, it's always a full hot breakfast that serves a variety of things such as Belgian waffles with berries, eggs benedict, quiche, croissants, bacon, and more. The owner explains that they do their best to accommodate any dietary needs of their visitors. Guests can find things to do in the parlor, which is in the main building and has things like games, a pantry with coffee and tea, wine glasses, a microwave, refrigerator, a bar, and self-served drinks. Also, Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast has what they call a "business center," where guests can take their work and have a quiet place to have Zoom™ calls and work meetings. The room comes equipped with a printer as well, for guests' convenience. The property has many places to sit, both inside the commons areas and outside on the porches and decks.
Due to the location of Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast in reference to the city, there are many places outside of the bed and breakfast that are a short distance away. Additionally, there is a rail system that can transport people to different parts of the city if they would rather not walk or go by car. Several restaurants that are recommended by the owner include Barcelona Wine Bar, Kevin's Steakhouse, and BoccaLupo.
Though Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast is found in one of the largest cities in Georgia, there are a few parks that offer a less cluttered area for guests to spend some time on grass and among trees and local wildlife. One feature of being located in the heart of Atlanta is that there are many attractions available for guests to visit, and most of them are within a reasonable distance of the bed and breakfast. If anything is a farther distance by car, the rail system tends to cut the time of travel down by a significant margin. Guests can visit Zoo Atlanta or Georgia Aquarium to see exotic wildlife both on land or sea, The Atlanta Botanical Gardens, which has many different plants and flowers, The College Football Hall of Fame, where visitors can see historical figures and records of the many college athletes in the past, among other noteworthy places of interest.
The owner of Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast explains that the goal of the establishment is to create an environment that is friendly, relaxed, and welcoming, mentioning that they do their best to greet visitors with genuine southern hospitality. Evident by the way they equip and decorate their rooms, they try to make their property comfortable for visitors and "want people to feel at home."
In order to help maintain a relaxing atmosphere, Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast has several policies in place. One policy that is enforced is that they don't allow pets. Children are allowed, but it is expected that they are old enough to behave themselves and not make issues for the other patrons and staff. Another policy that is set in place is that guests are not allowed to smoke inside the buildings, although it should be noted that smoking is permitted as long as it is done outside in a designated area.
The theme of the building is Victorian-style, and it hails back to when the building was first erected in the late 1800s. In fact, the owner says that the surrounding neighborhood has been around for much longer than most of the city. To go along with the old Victorian theme of the building, the outside of the property has been "meticulously landscaped." There are multiple courtyards flushed with winding walkways that carve through a variety of colored flower beds and trimmed shrubbery. Patios and large porches are available for guests who wish to spend more time in the gardens. The owner of Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast takes pride in both the interior and exterior of the property.
The establishment has received a number of reviews. Among those, one review that was written reads, "I loved the beautiful house with all its character & charm. The staff was friendly & helpful. The breakfast was great. The bedroom was spacious & comfortable. The entire neighborhood is beautiful full of houses built in the same era. Walking distance to many restaurants, which is very nice when you have had enough of driving."
Atlanta is one of the largest cities in the state and has been around for many years, meaning that there are a number of historical sites among many of the attractions, like the College Football Hall of Fame. The city of Atlanta tends to be one that is multicultural and very diverse regarding things to do and sites to see. The owner explains that, in her opinion, the city has something that caters to everybody's taste in entertainment because of the wide variety of attractions and activities that are available. Specifically she explains that "there is something for everyone here."
The buildings that make up Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast have been around longer than a majority of the buildings in the area. The main house was built around 129 years ago—back in 1892—and has seen several restorations overtime to maintain the property and preserve the structure and its contents. While the buildings have been around for a long time, they weren't used as a place for visitors to stay until a little over 25 years ago. Close to the year 1993, a woman named Debi Starnes purchased the property and opened it as the Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast to the public. Debi is still the owner of the establishment and has spent many years working on the property. As of about eight years ago, she hired an innkeeper named Kathryn to help her keep things running more smoothly.
Debi mentions that sometime in the 1970s, there were many houses along the same block of road that were in disarray. That's when people started buying the lands and houses and then began restoring them to the Queen Ann Victorian style of buildings that they had once been. Edgewood Avenue, the road that Sugar Magnolia Bed and Breakfast was built on, has a history that goes back to the times when there were only horse-drawn carts and trains for transportation.
804 Edgewood Avenue, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30307
United States
Traditional, Victorian
Debi Starnes
