"It's All About The Dance!"

What a Monday!

2011-11-07T06:04:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful Monday, albeit a bit chilly, here in our northwest North Carolina mountains! We had a great visit with Adam Growe yesterday at breakfast. He's the star of Canada's Discovery Channel show called CASH CAB. As always, it was some good conversation at Buffalo Tavern's breakfast table!

STAR OF DISCOVERY CHANNEL AT BUFFALO TAVERN!

2011-11-05T05:08:00.000-07:00

Adam Growe, star of Discovery Channel's CASH CAB, is going to be a guest at Buffalo Tavern tonight, Saturday, November 5! Adam will be performing at the Ashe Civic Center and then returning to Buffalo Tavern for the evening. Doc provides complimentary accommodations for the Ashe Arts Council, Habitat for Humanity, etc. when he has availability. It's part of giving back to the community. (Check out Adam's web site, www.adamgrowe.com)

The Bed and Breakfast Store

2011-04-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

The Bed and Breakfast Store online catalog is now published! Check it out at www.thebedandbreakfaststore.com and see for yourself. Doc, the Innkeeper at Buffalo Tavern, decided to produce a catalog that would only feature quality items found at top-notch bed and breakfasts. The catalog has a small number of items now, but will grow larger over time and Doc finds merchandise that is good enough to be in the store! Keep checking back!

The Bed and Breakfast Store . Com

2011-01-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Doc is pleased to announce that very soon his online store will be open! The web site is www.thebedandbreakfaststore.com and will feature only items found at quality bed and breakfasts. It will be unique and one-of-a-kind! Keep checking back. You'll love what we have to offer!

Wonderful Guests!

2010-11-23T09:44:00.001-08:00

I am so honored to be able to welcome and host so many wonderful and intesting guests. All my guests have such great backgrounds and stories. So many of them feel like they are home; I feel like home with them too. How many mornings I sit at breakfast with my guests and have some engaging conversations! Thanks to my guests for making ME feel like home!

We Are Dancing! Spring is coming!!!

2010-03-11T04:57:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when soon....very soon....the weather will break and spring will arrive. Our flowers, our birds, our valleys, and our mountains are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Yesterday, I did hear a number of birds out "playing" in the trees at Buffalo Tavern. Indeed, they know more than we do! Plan on coming to Ashe County, West Jefferson, and Buffalo Tavern soon! Enjoy this most-welcome change. Doc

MYSTERY WEEKEND AT BUFFALO TAVERN

2009-11-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

What a weekend! The mystery is solved, the guests ate well, the sleuthing was spectacular.....it was a full weekend from Friday night with a reception through Sunday's brunch when the murderer was finally revealed! There is another weekend in January (with one room left) and one in March that is sold out. Doc's thinking of adding another weekend in February!

A KNITTING WEEKEND!

2009-11-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, November 6-9, 2009, I had the honor to welcome six (6) professional women to Buffalo Tavern Bed and Breakfast as my guests. They came to Buffalo Tavern for a relaxing weekend of being with friends, grazing with lots of food goodies, and KNITTING! They are all in a knitting club and normally meet once a week. Last weekend they met here and, from all that I could see, had a wonderfully relaxing weekend of friendship and fun. I had a great time getting to know them. I felt as though I had known them for a long while. Thanks for a great weekend Barbara, Ginny, Patty, Peggy, Robin, and Sara!

Become a FACEBOOK FAN

2009-10-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

I am on FACEBOOK now and do have a FAN page! Become a FAN of Buffalo Tavern Bed and Breakfast on Facebook! Keep up with all the events and happenings. Stay in touch with Doc, the Innkeeper. FANS of Buffalo Tavern qualify for a 25% discount off of the second night of a two or more night stay during Fireplace Season, November, 2009 to March, 2010. (Of course, this special FAN discount only applies to standard rack rates and not special events or other standard discounts already applied.)
Doc, Innkeeper

A CIVIL WAR WEEKEND WITH CLINT JOHNSON!

2009-09-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

CALLING ALL CIVIL WAR BUFFS!

Exclusive Dates are November 20-22, 2009
at Buffalo Tavern Bed and Breakfast
in West Jefferson, Ashe County, North Carolina

Doc, the Innkeeper at Buffalo Tavern Bed and Breakfast, is pleased to announce a weekend with Civil War writer and expert Clint Johnson! On Friday night, Saturday morning and evening, and Sunday morning, Clint (a member of the 26th NC Regiment) will be sharing Civil War stories from his book, Civil War Blunders, one of 13 booked he has authored. He will be spending the weekend at Buffalo Tavern in close conversations, one-on-one, with other Civil War buffs, a very select group of folks who love the Civil War and its stories. He'll be telling true stories about battles fought in the nude, near-sighted generals riding into the wrong lines, generals dueling with each other instead of fighting the enemy, and other true stories of Civil War blunders and those who made the blunders! He will give instructions on how to safely fire a Civil War musket - and then let you do it (without the ball, of course).

The weekend includes a two-night stay, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, a reception and meet and greet with Clint on Friday evening (conversation begins!), a copy of Clint’s book, Civil War Blunders (signed, of course), and hours of great conversations and demonstrations of Civil War stories and memorabilia. And you never know if he will be a Confederate or a Federal soldier. Or both. Clint wants your stories too! Plus, of course, you can expect the warm hospitality of Buffalo Tavern and Doc, the Innkeeper.

The weekend promises to be very special and is limited to 4 couples. Rates for the weekend are $319 (Governor’s room), $339 (Flapper’s or Madam’s rooms) or $399 (The President’s Suite). The rate is complete for two, plus tax, with check-in beginning at 4 p.m. The Civil War Weekend begins at 8 p.m. on Friday night and ends at 1130 a.m. on Sunday morning with Clint’s book signing. Reservations can only be made by calling Doc at 1-877-615-9678. The weekend is not open for regular online reservations.

Check out Clint’s web site, www.clintjohnsonbooks.com and join us on November 20, 2009 for a great two-night Civil War Weekend at Buffalo Tavern! Call Doc today at 1-877-615-9678 to reserve your room. Great stories of the Civil War await your arrival!

2 MURDER MYSTERY WEEKENDS SOLD OUT ALREADY!

2009-09-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Murdery Mystery Weekend in November and the one in March are already sold out! The Weekend in January is still available as of today. I may add a couple more dates to the schedule. Stay tuned. Let me know if you might like something in November, December, or March. How much fun is this going to be....a Murder Mystery Weekend at the historic and, some say, haunted Buffalo Tavern!

Twitter

2009-08-14T18:38:00.001-07:00

You can follow Doc on Twitter. The name is Buffalo Tavern! Send me a Tweet!

THANKSGIVING AT BUFFALO TAVERN

2009-08-13T19:18:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving at Buffalo Tavern. This year it includes a full Thanksgiving dinner, catered with candlelight and at NO additional charge. Just book three or four nights around the holiday and dinner's included along with a reception on Friday night. Doc's looking to welcome my guests.

MURDERY MYSTERY WEEKENDS AT THE TAVERN!

2009-08-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Buffalo Tavern's own Murder Mystery weekends are coming, starting on Friday,November 13! Three are scheduled. Check out the web site and click on "Specials" here on the first page for the not-so-gory details! How about four couples coming up for the weekend to "solve" the mystery of "who done it?"

See Doc's Other Blog!

2009-02-19T11:18:00.000-08:00

I just posted a story about THE PERFECT DAY IN ASHE COUNTY FOR MY GUESTS on the other blog located on the first page of the web site. Be sure to read it! Doc

A Friend is someone.....

2009-02-11T08:36:00.000-08:00

Friends: I put this on my confirmations for guests who are coming to Buffalo Tavern. I think it's pretty powerful....

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to
you when you have forgotten the words.."

We can be glad for friends!

Doc

Ah, It is Winter at Buffalo Tavern!

2009-01-18T17:43:00.000-08:00

It's cold outside and the snow and the wind just add to the winter here in our beautiful Ashe County. I have three rooms occupied; last night I was full and I suggested this morning that the guests just "hang out" for a while until the road was salted! To a person, they all said..."ah......how terrible!" I had to laugh. Eventually some left to head home and I said my usual, "Thanks for coming to Buffalo Tavern and be careful driving home!"

Come join me, Doc, at Buffalo Tavern and enjoy this winter. My guests are just thrilled to see the snow, to hear the howling wind, and then just cover up in the warm bed.

See you soon.

Doc

It's Near the End of Leaf Season! Fireplace Season Begins!

2008-10-25T13:42:00.001-07:00

The "leaf season", as so many like to call it, is almost over here in Ashe County. As the air turns colder and the climate begins its march towards winter, the leaves dry up and drop off the trees for another season. It's an annual event; aren't we lucky to have the chance to experience it!

Here at Buffalo Tavern we have started a new season, Fireplace Season. That's the time of year when the wind is cold and snow flurries blow down the meadows and over the mountains...all to make Ashe County a beautiful winter destination. We turn up the fireplaces (The ones in my guest rooms are all electric now.) and relax in the warmth of this old historic home that has seen so many seasons in its lifetime. It's a place to gather thoughts and just relax while listening to the windy winter outside.

Come join us at Buffalo Tavern. Come and be a part of our own season, Fireplace Season, where the rates drop but the hospitality doesn't change one bit.

See you soon.

Doc, Innkeeper

FACES OF FREEDOM/ARMED FORCES TRIBUTE

2008-08-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday, August 23, 2008, was Ashe County's Armed Forces Tribute. Vicky Moody, a good friend and colleague here in Ashe County, along with the Rotary Club, organized the event. Vicky, even with multiple other activities and a full time job, still pulled it off for the third year in a row! There were military personnel in attendance from privates to generals, the Marine Corp Band, a big-screen live teleconference with soldiers and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, an airdrop from the 82nd Airborne.....it was quite a day and a day that Ashe County can be proud of.

I donated some of my room nights to help out with accommodating the people who came to speak and be part of the event. It was my way to give something back. On Thursday and Friday my guests were a Colonel and his wife from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. And on Saturday night, I had the pleasure to welcome Rebecca Pepin and her husband, Derek, for the evening.

Rebecca is a news anchor for the NBC affiliate in Bristol, Virginia and....the editor of a touching and powerful book called Faces of Freedom. The book has stories about military men and women who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan--one for each state. Each one of those heroes represents all those others, more than 4000, who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I can only read a few pages at a time as I feel for the lives lost and the families and friends who cannot and will never be the same again.

All the proceeds from the book go to the Fisher House Foundation which donates "comfort homes" built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers where families can stay while their loved one is hospitalized for unexpected illness, disease, or injury. Additionally, the proceeds go to the Wounded Warrier Project which provides "tangible comfort and suport to severely injured service members as they transition back to civilian life." You can find out more about it by going to woundedwarriorproject.org. These are both good causes.

I never know what might happen next here at Buffalo Tavern. I feel good that I could give back.

Doc

GIFT CERTIFICATES ONLINE!

2008-07-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Doc's pleased to announce that Buffalo Tavern Gift Certificates can be ordered directly online now from his web site, http://www.buffalotavern.com/ . They are easy and convenient and can be ordered in amounts from $100 to $1000! Give a Buffalo Tavern get-a-way to a family member or friend; they'll be happy you did!

See you soon!

Doc, Innkeeper

Doc's Opened His Own Store Online!

2008-07-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Check out the Buffalo Tavern Gift Shop on my web site (first page). I am going to feature items that can be found at a quality bed and breakfast, the first being my luxurious TURKISH TOWEL BATHROBES that every guest enjoys. Watch for more items soon! Welcome to Buffalo Tavern's Gift Shop! Doc

GUESTS PAY; FRIENDS DON'T??!!

2008-07-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

For the first few weeks as the innkeeper at Buffalo Tavern, I greeted my guests and took them through the parts of the house that they could visit, including, of course, my “new” Americana Dining Room. I'd tell them about coffee, tea, and morning treats in the living room at 7:45 each morning and show them the small refrigerator with the water and soft drinks that were available for them. We laughed about the iron that is in the closet No one, it seems, comes to a Bed and Breakfast to iron clothes! I had some crackers in a basket in the closet and games, cards, and even umbrellas to borrow for bad weather.

When we went into the dining room, I’d tell them about the pictures and we’d marvel at the old wooden floors that were so beautiful and had been covered up with carpet by the former owner. I told them that when the fireplace was lit in this room it really threw out the heat. We also saw an indentation in the stone around the fireplace on the floor where it had been worn away—we’d like to think by some of those folks in the late 1800s and early 1900s, who would sit there with their feet getting warm each evening and, over time, the stone was ground away. If it was or not, the story sounds plausible!

I had to pinch myself after the first few months to remind me that, after all, this WAS a business and business runs on money taken in. Ah…. I had to collect money??!!

During the first few months, I waited until Sunday after breakfast (for those here for the weekend) to ask my guests,“Did you want to keep this on your charge card?” All the while feeling guilty! Because, you see, after having known my guests for two days, serving them breakfasts and snacks, giving them directions and suggestions for dinner, and touring, cleaning their room, and attending to their needs, I now had “friends.”

It’s hard to ask your “friends” for money. So now, I ask them for their payment before I even show them the room. Let the “friendship” begin!

It's a good strategy! Doc

SNOW DREAMING

2008-05-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

This is a little deversion from my regular blog, I know that. But I wanted to provide you with a copy of a little poem I wrote in 1997 and now include in my "Welcome" book at the Tavern for my guests. The last stanza is pretty important for all of us... Hope you enjoy! Doc, Innkeeper

Snow Dreaming

I’ve spent my life
Watching the snow
As it falls so gently,
To the earth below.

At times the wind
Blows it away;
But I know
It’s here to stay.

Sometimes it falls
So fast and sure.
And other times, it falls,
Light and pure.

I never know just how much
It will be.
I just keep watching
Soon to see.

Oh, I’ve spent my life
Looking to the sky,
Dreaming that life…unlike snow,
Won’t pass me by.

Brian “Doc” Adams
Babcock Lake, N.Y., November 1997

A Leap of Faith.

2008-04-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

After attending the B and B (PAII) conference in Phoenix in March of 2006, I went back to Florida, which was my home for 32 years and where I worked in a career in education, previously as a teacher and now an administrator. After a two-year on and off search with many stops and starts, I found a Bed and Breakfast in North Carolina that I thought I could afford and looked like it had possibilities. Of course it was in an area of North Carolina that, to be honest, I had never heard of. That’s the compromise one takes to fulfill the dream, I suppose. Nevertheless, I bought it one month later with a down payment of $2500, and all of a sudden I was no longer an “aspiring” innkeeper. I was about to become one of them… if everything came together. That was Easter Sunday in April and a close in June. Phew. And the idea about actually owning and operating a B and B as the innkeeper...well…. Buffalo Tavern was soon to be mine!

Now, here’s the kick: I had less than three months from the moment I put the money down to 1) sell my home in Florida, which had been on the market for three months already with no serious buyers, 2) sell my vacation cabin in north Georgia, which had also been on the market for three months, 3) officially retire on June 30 after 30 years from my job, and 4) move to North Carolina, furniture and all! These tasks had to click because they all were contributing factors to my ability to purchase the B and B. I needed every penny I could get, plus some luck, to make the deal actually work AND close before the end of June, 2006.

I did close on June 23 with enough money to pay the 20% additional down payment. The sale of the cabin in Georgia helped and I used equity in my unsold Florida home to make up the difference. I was also able to purchase many of the furnishings using the money that I had “rearranged” over the few weeks I had available.

God must have been with me and wanted me to have this place. And my beautiful daughters, Rachel and Amanda, who were pulling for me throughout this event gave me the strength to keep on reaching.

I took a giant leap of faith that everything would work. It did.

Thanks for reading about this leap of faith! Doc, The Innkeeper

It Hit Me! Bam!

2008-04-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

Just a few months before I opened my Bed and Breakfast I attended the Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII) conference in Phoenix. That was in March of 2006. I went as an “aspiring innkeeper”, knowing only bits and pieces about the Bed and Breakfast business from the other seminars I had attended and inns I had visited. I attended the day-long session for aspiring innkeepers and was impressed with the wealth of information. I also was a little overwhelmed with it all but still anxious to get going! It was a spur of the moment decision that made all the difference. Somehow I knew that if I had been thinking about opening and/or running a Bed and Breakfast, I had better take that leap. Spending the money to travel and stay there and taking the time to attend the conference in Phoenix was part of that leap.

One of PAII’s keynote speakers, Holly Steil, in her address at the conference and among many other great comments and suggestions, said, “It’s all about the dance.” BAM! It hit me like a rock and it stuck! In our service business, it is all about the dance (and the personality of the innkeeper). To me, that’s a pretty important statement and not only did it help develop my mission, but it also is reflected in how I make a reservation, how I greet my guests, how I listen to what they want and expect, how I ensure that they are happy, and how I let them know that they are my most important people at Buffalo Tavern. It’s about how I let my guests lead me in the dance to let me know what’s important to their satisfaction.

I have always believed that one can attend a conference or seminar and be totally satisfied if able to walk away with just one tidbit, one thought, one statement, one phrase, one anything that would make a difference in either their work or business or life. I believed that from those few words or from one significant idea that hit a” hot button,” something great could grow. That happened to me in Phoenix, and it shines quite brightly with my own Bed and Breakfast, Buffalo Tavern, in West Jefferson, North Carolina. I use a phrase of few words each and every day with my work at the inn and my relationship with my guests. Embedded in my mission statement is the essence of those few words: “The mission of Buffalo Tavern is to ensure that all those who arrive as guests leave as friends.” Simple. Direct. Clear. I can’t really tack down how those words came about for sure. I can just say that the statement entered my thoughts and I knew then that it would be the driving force to my daily actions at Buffalo Tavern.

Doc, Innkeeper

Welcome!

2008-04-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

As the Innkeeper, I have to know within moments about my arriving guests. Are they wanting to be left alone? Are they interested in meeting others? Do they want to chat with me because they are fascinated with Innkeeping? Within the first few minutes, I have to make that decision and accommodate their wishes. Hence....."It's All About The Dance!" ...who leads and who follows when my guests arrive.

I have been wanting for quite some time to publish some of my thoughts on Innkeeping (and the Dance) and publish some of the fun and funny things that happen here. Plus I wanted to share about moving to this beautiful state, North Carolina, and gorgeous county, Ashe. It was sure an adjustment after having lived in Florida for almost 32 years. It was a good move.

So, "It's All About The Dance!" has been born!

Welcome to my blog. Welcome to "It's All About The Dance!".

Keep checking back for more interesting stories and fun occurances at my Inn.

Doc, The Innkeeper