Friday, May 15, 2009

The Back Door Inn

Let me let you in on a little secret... Tucked away in the middle of the unlikeliest of places lies a hidden gem of a hotel, The Back Door Inn. Located in historic downtown Spur, Texas, this hotel is truly one of a kind. Here are a few of the neat things that you can expect at this unique getaway spot.

1)ATMOSPHERE- The hotel is located in a renovated historic building. It is so much more interesting to stay here instead of at a hotel chain. The hotel's rustic interior makes you feel as though you have been transported back to a different time. There are many antiques scattered throughout this wonderful place. The inn felt like a home in the middle of the wilderness. The decor was truly unique.

2)CLEANLINESS- The owner takes great care to make the hotel clean and inviting. You can tell that the highest standard of cleanliness is followed.

3)A WONDERFUL continental breakfast (and I mean MUCH better than the $$$$ hotel chain where Josh and I stayed a few weekends ago) It seemed like we were staying at a bed and breakfast. The food was amazing! The manager went to great lengths to see that we had MANY dining options. We felt right at home!

4)FUN FUN FUN stuff to do- The hotel had a game room, complete with jukebox, pool table, old fashioned chalk board at kid's eye level, board games, a Foosball table, and old arcade-style games. The jukebox boasted lots of oldies but goodies. I played Chattahoochee by Alan Jackson upon our arrival. The song seemed to go with the mood of the establishment. :)

5)AMAZING PRICE- This place was SO reasonably priced. At $70 a night, we felt we were getting a bargain. The manager made up a couch bed for Major and had a pack-and-play set up for Milla. It felt as though we were staying with family, not at a hotel. Children 12 and under stay for free. Need I say more?

6)This one doesn't really count unless you could time it right... Nobody else was staying in the hotel while we were there, so we had the whole place ALL TO OURSELVES!! It was as though we were staying in a gigantic house all for $70 a night! What a deal!

As we were getting ready to leave, I talked with the manager and expressed our thankfulness concerning her attention to detail and superb hospitality. She told me that they conduct lots of different types of hunts (bobcat, mountain lion, deer, etc.) Apparently, they originally built the inn for hunters, but soon, the hunters' wives started asking to stay there. What a fun, unique little treasure we discovered! I love seeing new and different places. It made me feel like a kid again to go somewhere so unlike any place I had ever been.

If there is ever a reason that we are passing through, you can be sure that we will make a stop at The Back Door Inn.

And now...for your entertainment...Here are a few pictures of the place. Late Monday night, after the kids were in bed, I walked around and explored the hotel. I saw lots of neat antiques, but had to run and get my camera so that I could show Josh the more random side of the hotel. There were some strange things lying around that served to amuse me. Here are a few of the oddities that can be seen at The Back Door Inn.

The first picture is what you would see upon entering the back door. Of course, you enter this hotel through the "back door". There is a super long hallway. Our room was all the way down on the right. I wish I had thought to take pics of our room upon our arrival. By the time I grabbed my camera and went on my little hunting adventure, though, the kids were already fast asleep.



Just to the right is the kitchen. I looked around the beautifully decorated kitchen at the antique dishes and candy machines and noticed something strange lurking in the corner.




Has anyone ever seen the movie The Changling? It is FREAKY! This is what I saw in the corner! It reminded me SO much of that movie. I crept closer in the dark. I could faintly make out the outline of something that looked like an afghan lying inside the pram. Something was nestled inside the afghan. What was the strange thing that was strategically placed inside the blanket? As I crept closer and closer I finally saw something that looked like----What was this---- a LEG?!? Yes, there was something that strangely resembled a woman's leg sitting inside the pram. I ran down to the game room where my sister, Tessa, was sitting in a rocker talking with her fiance on the telephone. I grabbed her and made her come and look. We both died laughing!!! Anyway..This strange decoration is what caused me to go grab my camera and go on a hunt to find other random items. I really wanted to show Josh who missed out on our excursion because had to work. :( THIS is what I saw.



This is what was inside the pram. (It looked much more freaky in the dark, but I had to use the flash to capture the true beauty of the leg.) I think it must've been a Christmas stocking or something, but why it was a decoration inside a baby buggy is beyond me! Weird!



Here are some other funny things to be seen at The Back Door Inn. Upon first glance, this looks like a nice little hutch with decorative figurines inside.




More careful inspection, however, reveals some very STRANGE little collectibles. I had never seen anything quite like this before. I wonder where she got these things?








Here is one of the hallways leading to two of the rooms. They had this old school desk and another antique item. I wasn't quite sure what it was. Does anyone have a guess? I thought it might be some kind of a washing machine or something. The kids loved looking at these old things. It was very interesting!



Above the desk were some stuffed animals. How would you like this guy outside of your hotel room?



I walked inside the game room to get some pics. I took a picture of one side of the game room.



I intended to take a picture of the other side of the game room too, but got distracted by a painting on the wall. I had to take a few pictures of this funny little painting. I totally forgot to get a picture of the other side. I think this painting is more fun anyway.



I did manage to get one picture of Mary Alice sleeping. She was just inside the door of our room. What a presh!



So, If you are ever in the mood to get away for a relaxing weekend with the fam, why not try The Back Door Inn in Spur? I can assure you it will be a weekend that you will never forget! :)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad I was able to come along on this adventure, and I'm positive I will never stay in a place quite as unique as the Back Door Inn. It was fun! Thanks for letting me come along to spend time with you and your presh kids!

Love, Tessa

Anonymous said...

Looks like lots of fun!

Alisha Stewart said...

I really wish we could have gone to give Mama our support. It looks like you guys had a good time.

Tim Timmons said...

So Amber - I finally found your blog! We may need to work with your dad on Internet dots and dashes and where they go in blogspot addresses. :-)

Your pictures are awesome - looks like it would take at least a week for curious eyes to assimilate sights, sounds and history.

Is there a link to your mom's site around the premises?

Love ya girl!