Looking for a place with a little more character than the average hotel? Inns across the country have rich and storied pasts that make them worth a stay.

NARAMATA HERITAGE INN & SPA
NARAMATA, B.C.
THEN: John Moore Robinson, a central Canada businessman, headed west for the Klondike gold rush in the late 1800s and stopped in the Okanagan Valley en route. He fell in love with the area and launched its fruit industry. Over the years, the building he constructed in 1908 functioned as a hotel, a private girls' school and the Robinson family home.
NOW: Nestled in wine country, 19 kilometres north of Penticton, the 12-room inn includes a wine bar, dining room and spa.
www.naramatainn.com

SIMPSON'S NUM-TI-JAH LODGE
LAKE LOUISE, ALTA.
THEN: Built in the 1930s by Jimmy Simpson, a British settler and mountain guide, on the shores of Bow Lake, north of Lake Louise in Banff National Park.
NOW: The first log "shack” has grown into a 25-room log and stone lodge. In keeping with Jimmy's rustic roots, all rooms are TV- and telephone-free.
www.num-ti-jah.com

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WAKAMOW HEIGHTS BED & BREAKFAST
MOOSE JAW, SASK.
THEN: Once the home of brickyard owner Wellington White and his wife Olive, a wealthy Moose Jaw couple who often entertained guests, including Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.
NOW: The six-room brick bed and breakfast won the Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan Heritage Architecture Excellence Award in 2004.
www.wakamowheights.com

WEST GATE MANOR
BEECHMOUNT BED AND BREAKFAST
WINNIPEG
THEN: In 1853, Hudson's Bay Company Captain Joseph Hill returned to England, entrusting what he thought was a worthless piece of land along the Assiniboine River to his friend Corporal James Armstrong. Armstrong later sold the 22-hectare property to F. E. Cornish, Winnipeg's first mayor. The land, known as Armstrong's Point, was eventually divided to build palatial homes for some of the area's most influential people.
NOW: Both original mansions on Armstrong's Point, the two bed and breakfasts offer a taste of luxury life in early 1900s Winnipeg.
www.westgatemanor.ca
www.beechmount.ca

CLARAMOUNT INN & SPA
PICTON, ONT.
THEN: Lawyer and county clerk Edward M. Young built the colonial-revival home for his wife Clara in 1904. The property later served as a tourist home, an apartment building and the headquarters of the Prince Edward Cruising Club.
NOW: Located on the shores of Picton Bay, the restored inn features a dining room, 10 luxurious suites and a spa.
www.claramountinn.com

THE WAKEFIELD INN & SPA
WAKEFIELD, QUE.
THEN: Built in 1838 by William Fairbairn, the mill was used by local farmers. At the turn of the century, it was expanded to include a sawmill, woollen mill and general store.
NOW: Converted to an inn and a spa in 2000, the owners built on the mill's heritage, incorporating the silos into some of the 27 rooms.
www.wakefieldmill.com

KINGSBRAE ARMS
ST. ANDREWS, N.B.
THEN: Built by a prominent Nova Scotia businessman in 1897 as a summer "cottage” for his family, the Kingsbrae is set on a hill overlooking St. Andrews. The area has been visited by the Prince of Wales and Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.
NOW: With a long pedigree of awards, this posh inn has been heralded as one of the top hotels in the world. It is the only one in Atlantic Canada that has earned the prestigious Relais & Châteaux rating.
www.kingsbrae.com

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TRAIN STATION INN
TATAMAGOUCHE, N.S.
THEN: Built in 1887 as part of the Intercolonial Railway, the Tatamagouche Station was active until freight service stopped in 1972. Owner James LeFresne bought the station when he was only 18 to prevent its demolition. He opened the Train Station Inn in 1989.
NOW: The historic inn, along with the addition of seven vintage cabooses (ranging from 1911 to 1978), is part of the lure for train lovers.
www.trainstation.ca

FAIRHOLM NATIONAL HISTORIC INN
CHARLOTTETOWN
THEN: Constructed circa 1838 for colonial secretary and mayor of early Charlottetown Thomas Heath Haviland. His son, T. H. Haviland, was one of the Fathers of Confederation.
NOW: Considered a beacon of pre- Confederation colonialism, the sevensuite inn is a National Historic Site and is the only five-star-rated Canadian National Historic Inn.
www.fairholm.pe.ca

BONNE ESPERANCE HOUSE
ST. JOHN'S
THEN: Originally owned by Captain William Henry Whitely, the house is named after the family's favourite island off the coast of Labrador. Captain Whitely is credited with inventing the cod trap in the late 1860s and put it to good use developing the family business, "Whitely Fishery.”
NOW: Located in the heart of the city, the inn consists of four Victorian-style homes built after the Great Fire of 1892, each with access to a picturesque garden.
www.bonneesperancehouse.ca

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