Downtown Dining in Lynchburg

We are very fortunate to live just blocks from the historic downtown area of Lynchburg. There is much to see and do and if you love architecture this is the place to explore. Having great food and being able to enjoy it in one of our historic buildings is what locals and especially our guests look forward to as they explore the many great eating places downtown has to offer.

We created the map below for our guests but hope the many locals that read our blog will use to explore the different cuisines that our downtown eateries have to offer. My goal in January is to write a review on each of the restaurants that are featured on this map. Many people start the new year with a resolution to eat less and exercise more, but if I'm going to make my goal of reviewing all of these restaurants then I need to really exercise a lot since I won't be eating less.

If you have a favorite restaurant that is not listed on the map (and is not a chain restaurant) and is easily accessible to the Downtown area, then let me know so I can try it out and perhaps put it on our map.

At the bottom of the map, click " View Dining in Lynchburg-Downtown and surrounding area in a larger map" to get a full screen view of the map or click above.

Happy New Year to all.

Kathy and Mike, Innkeepers
The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast



View Dining in Lynchburg-Downtown and surrounding area in a larger map

Ice Sculptures

It rained last week and then it turned cold. Not surprising, this is December. Yesterday morning I grabbed my camera and walked the three blocks to the trails at Black Water Creek to see what ice sculptures mother nature created the night before.

Guests of The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast often hike the trails of Black Water Creek. The hike is easy and most of the trails are paved or marked making this a great place to jog or ride a bike. It doesn't make any difference what time of year it is, there is always something to see.

If you are hiking and get off the path, as I did to take these photos, make sure you wear the proper footwear. I stepped in some water and my sneakers got wet and before too much longer my toes were as cold as the ice sculptures I was admiring.

Today it is raining and cold (but above freezing) and this would be a great opportunity to get some great shots, but after yesterday's adventure of frozen toes, I'm going to stay inn and read the Sunday paper. This afternoon we will be touring homes in Diamond Hill that are decorated for the holidays, then off to a party at the Old City Cemetery. There is just too much to do and see around Lynchburg. Enjoy the last couple of shots.

Christmas at Point of Honor

Yesterday admission fees to Point of Honor were waived to enable the public to get a rare glimpse of Christmas in the early 1800’s. Each year the dedicated staff at Point of Honor spends countless hours decorating the home of Dr. George Cabell, Patrick Henry’s personal physician, for the holidays. Yesterday over 500 people toured the house. The public is not allowed to photograph the interior (a common policy for museums) which is why you won’t see postings of multiple interior photos on this blog posting so you will just have to go there in person to see the holiday decorations. There are some great (non-holiday) photos and lots of history on Point of Honor’s website.

As you drive up to Point of Honor you won’t see metal or plastic reindeer or Santa’s sled lit up with lights, exterior lights will not outline the building, nor will you see a Christmas tree decorating the home. These holiday decorations are modern day displays of the Christmas season. What you will see is garland (the real stuff, straight off a pine tree) wrapped around the front door. Upon entering the home you will see more Christmas greenery and candles around the interior doors in the entry foyer and greenery on the banister going to the rooms upstairs. Keep in mind that in 1815 times were simpler and we couldn’t run to Walmart to purchase all that mass produced stuff from China that we use to decorate our homes today so Dr. Cabell, his family and staff used materials that were native to the area that they gathered from the grounds around his home.

One of the main focal points is the dining room. The table is set with period china and flatware and a typical holiday feast which includes fried apple pies, bread pudding, carrots, beets, oysters, chestnut stuffing, roast venison, pan fried rock fish, hoe cakes and sugar embellishments. With special permission I was able to take this photo (above right). Meals at the Cabell’s home were prepared in the kitchen out back using a fireplace as the stove/oven (right).

The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast is located just two blocks from Point of Honor and our guests just love taking the tour of this magnificent home. As part of the Lynchburg Museum System you can purchase a ticket to tour the home or a combination ticket to tour the home and the museum in the old courthouse at the top of the steps of Monument Terrace on Court Street. We highly recommend both tours to our guests as well as locals interested in learning more about our wonderful city’s past. One special note about the old courthouse, the bell on the clock in the bell tower started ringing again this past Saturday at the opening of the Christmas Parade down the street of downtown Lynchburg. The old clockworks are scheduled to be on display in the museum sometime next year.

Farwell to the D Street Bridge

Built about 100 years ago, the D Street Bridge linked Rivermont Ave. to the historic Daniels Hill neighborhood. It was built when the major mode of transportation was the horse and buggy and the occasional automobile. The graceful arches tower about 150 feet above the ground and used to cast its shadow on a neighborhood of homes that have been gone for decades. Today the bridge is flanked by an army of bright yellow construction equipment. Like a military exercise, there is equipment to the north and south. A large piece sits at the bridge entrance and at the other end; the construction trailer sits where an army of workers plot the bridges destruction.


About 18 months ago during a routine inspection major cracks were discovered and it was determined not to be safe and it was closed. From a selfish point I hated to see it closed as this was the easiest and quickest way for visitors to The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast to reach us. Simply turn off of Rivermont onto the D Street Bridge and you will arrive at our home on the corner of D and Cabell. Now visitors have to that a longer and less scenic route to reach us.


Saying goodbye is never easy, but like the mythical phoenix, from the ashes of the old bridge, a new one will emerge and open mid December 2010. We are already planning a bridge opening party tentatively scheduled for December 17, 2010.


Over the next 12 ½ months we will keep you posted (with photos) on the progress of the destruction of the old bridge and the construction of the new one.

Day at the Point

Point of Honor, home of Dr. George Cabell who was Patrick Henry’s personal physician, recently celebrated its annual Day at the Point where the historical home is open to the public free of charge.

This year’s event drew hundreds of people to see the home and experience life as it would have been in the early 1800’s. There was a blacksmith and trapper, explaining their life in the early 19^th century. Also on hand were people in period garb, cooking demonstrations, period music and much more.

If you missed this year’s day at the point it will return again next year, but if you are in the area on December 6^th from 12:00-4:00pm you won’t want to miss Christmas at Point of Honor. This is your opportunity to see how the home would have been decorated for Christmas in the early 1800’s. Admission is free.

If you are traveling to the area and will be in Lynchburg on 6 December, The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast is just two blocks from Point of Honor and would be the ideal place to spend the evening before continuing your travels.

Meeting and Event Center Opens

It was a day years in the making, but the Meeting and Event Center in the old Carriage House at the Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast in historic Daniels Hill in downtown Lynchburg finally took place. Mayor Joan Foster and Vice Mayor Bert Dodson assisted innkeepers Kathy and Michael Bedsworth with the ribbon cutting officially opening Lynchburg’s newest event venue on 27 October 2009.

The Meeting and Event Center encompasses the lower level of the carriage house and totals about 1300 square feet. The largest meeting room in the new facility is where the carriages and later automobiles were housed. The old stables were converted into a lobby and smaller conference room or breakout room. The old coal storage area and tack rooms now house the refreshment/beverage center, powder rooms and caterer’s kitchen.

During the construction process, the main focus on the final product was to create a multi-purpose space while keeping the integrity and character of the building. To that extent, the original tongue and grove ceiling in the meeting areas was preserved, antique lighting fixtures were installed and wood salvaged from the stables was used as wainscoting in the smaller conference/breakout room. Electrical outlets are spaced ever three to four and 15 data points were installed in the space. A 55 inch LCD screen allows speakers or trainers to show their presentations in brilliant color.

The main room can be set up theater style, classroom style, banquet style or U shaped depending on the nature of the event. This is the ideal space for local businesses to have meetings training sessions or conduct budget or strategic planning meetings. Likewise the community could use the space for bridal or baby showers, small weddings, birthday or anniversary parties. In the future wine and beer tastings, chocolate tastings and a host of other events will also be held here. Small weddings, elopement ceremonies, recommitment ceremonies and civil unions can also be held in this space.

Real value in a bed and breakfast

Kathy and I just returned from Atlanta where we attended the Professional Association of International Innkeepers (PAII) conference. We stayed at the downtown Hyatt on Peachtree Street. It is a beautiful hotel with a 23 story atrium and all rooms in the hotel open onto the atrium. On our way home we started to compare the costs/value of such a fine hotel to our Bed and Breakfast, The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The first thing we noticed when we arrived at our room was the $6.00 bottle of water. This generic brand of water is filtered water not some exotic water being shipped to the States from a spring in the Alps. At our Bed and Breakfast we provide our guests free bottled water. If you wanted a can of Coke (sorry Pepsi, Coke has a strong hold on the Atlanta area) that would also cost you a $2.75 at a bar or restaurant or a little less at one of the vending machines on each level. Again soda is complementary at our establishment. There was no refrigerator in the room but the hotel would be happy to put one in your room for a one time charge of $25.00. Our guests have access to one of our refrigerators at no charge. When it came time to check email I connected to their server and was greeted with a message offering to sign me up for their service. The least expensive (slowest) service was $12.95 per day with a discount for signing up for more days. Again, using our computer is free as is the wi-fi connection in our facility.

Breakfast in one of their onsite dining establishments could easily run $20.00 per person and more than likely it would be closer to $25.00 per day or $50.00 for the both of us. Our legendary three course breakfast is included in our room rate. A glass of wine in the afternoon was cheerfully provided along with a charge of $7.00 per glass. By now, you guessed it; a glass of wine is complementary at The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast. I almost forgot to mention the cost of parking your car at the Hyatt was $27.00 per day! Of course there were no complementary slippers or bath robes for us to use while staying there and there was no turn-down service or chocolate on our pillow at night. I didn’t check into charges for faxing, copying, scanning, or making long distance calls (we don’t charge for these) but I am confident there is a charge for utilizing those services, something many business people may need to do while staying at the hotel. The Hyatt charges $.75 for local calls and they are complementary at our Bed and Breakfast

The room was comfortable and somewhat clean although Kathy found a 6” hair on the bathroom floor and there was mold or mildew growing under the caulk surrounding the bath tub and under the soap holder in the tub, but my experience is that is somewhat normal in hotels. I do applaud the Hyatt for being green (as we are) and we did take advantage of them not changing our towels and sheets every day so that we could do our part to help the environment.

The conference was fantastic and I took away a lot of great ideas. I can’t say I wouldn’t stay there again, but next time I travel to Atlanta I might look at staying at a bed and breakfast instead. Even if the room rates are the same, one could easily save $75.00 or more per day with the add on charges that many hotels are now charging to make up for lower occupancy rates or perhaps just to increase their bottom line.

As you can see, staying at a Bed and Breakfast is a great value. Even if the room rate is a little higher you get so much more and the cost could end up being a lot less than a hotel. The experience of staying in a bed and breakfast and interacting with the innkeepers gives the guest so much more insight on the area. Many bed and breakfasts are in historical properties, as is ours, and you just don’t get the same ambiance out of a modern hotel room. Next time you travel I would recommend checking out a bed and breakfast and if you are traveling to Lynchburg, Virginia please book your room with us at: www.TheCarriageHouseInnBandB.com.