Ten Great Places to Sleep With a Ghost

/PRNewswire/ -- Ghostly spirits make themselves as comfortable in America's B&Bs as living guests do, and not just in the dead of night. In a recent BedandBreakfast.com survey, innkeepers revealed that nearly 20% (about 3600) inns in the U.S. are haunted. Similarly, a current BedandBreakfast.com consumer survey showed that 20% of travelers seek a haunted inn for Halloween, so those who seek experiences with the world beyond can rest assured that they'll have a good chance of sleeping with a ghost. For a complete list of Halloween packages and over 100 great places to sleep with a ghost, visit http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/ and click Sleep with a Ghost. In alpha order by state, here is a sampling of B&B ghost stories:

Gate House Inn, Jackson, CA: A "Garden Ghost" appeared soon after overgrowth around the mansion was cleared away for new gardens. Although no paranormal activity has been reported inside, the surrounding land has a ghostly presence.

Kehoe House B&B, Savannah, GA: This B&B is reputed to be haunted by the ghosts of twin Kehoe children who may have died while playing in one of the house's fireplaces (now blocked up). Many sightings of the ghosts and the night-time sounds of children laughing and playing are detailed on the inn's website.

Old Bridge Inn, Jeffersonville, IN: Guests have seen floating objects, canes picked up and twirled around, tea cups floating across the room and candles being raised up then down on their own. A small dog named Buttons has also been seen.

Deerfield Inn, Deerfield, MA: Flashing lights, knocks on doors when no one is there, moving books, and tables moved into the middle of the room are regular occurrences, especially in rooms 48, 43 and 41. The ghost is believed to be the original owner of the house, Cora Carlisle, still hanging around as the inn celebrates 125 years of history.

Coach Stop Inn, Bar Harbor, ME: This former tavern is home to Abbe, a spirited little girl who loves music. Strange noises, flickering lights and fleeting reflections may either be Abbe singing or additional spirits.

Bingham Hall B&B, New Ulm, MN: A man named Jake has been seen by innkeepers standing in the doorway, never going in or out. Additionally, guests feel a presence of someone watching, say the doors open by themselves, and hear noises.

Ghost Rails Inn, Alberton, MT: The railroading days live on in the form of a phantom brakeman, still awaiting his call upstairs in the old hotel, according to the tales of those who've seen him.

Carambola Inn B&B, Fuquay-Varina, NC: Both the distinctive scent of perfume plus a report of a friendly woman seen hovering about five inches off the ground indicate that former residents still linger on.

Mary-Penn B&B, Gettysburg, PA: A paranormal group recorded horse noises and voices in their basement, and from time to time guests claim to experience friendly spirits.

By The Side Of The Road Bed and Breakfast, Harrisonburg, VA: When the innkeeper went to turn off the basement light, an unseen presence grabbed her hand. Footsteps are mysteriously heard in hallways, and doors open and close on their own.

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Hay House Presents Macon Gardens, Mansions & Moonlight May 1-3, 2009

/PRNewswire / -- Hay House will host Macon Gardens, Mansions & Moonlight Friday-Sunday, May 1-3, 2009. Central Georgia's premier home and garden event includes tours of private gardens and historic homes, a free garden market on the Hay House grounds, and free seminars by nationally recognized guest speakers Felder Rushing and Todd Goulding. Macon Gardens, Mansions & Moonlight has received numerous designations as a "Top Twenty Event" by the Southeast Tourism Society.

The venerable Secret Gardens Tour (Friday-Sunday) is now in its 16th year and will feature eight (8) gardens in the historic InTown neighborhood, including College Street, Orange Street, Magnolia Streets and Park Place. The romantic Moonlight Tour (Friday and Saturday evenings only) will features homes and gardens on Rogers and Clayton Avenues in historic Vineville neighborhood. The 8th annual Historic Homes Tour (Saturday and Sunday) will highlight four (4) homes, all designed by architect W. Elliott Dunwody, Jr., whose career spanned more than half a century and produced hundreds of projects in Macon

Guests may purchase a combination ticket for all three home and garden tours, or tickets are available for each tour individually. Every ticket purchase includes a complimentary tour of Hay House during the event weekend. Tickets are on sale now at all ACE Hardware Stores in Macon, Gray, Perry and Warner Robins, as well as Hay House, Creter's, Society Gardener, and Johnson's Garden Center in Macon. During the event, tickets can also be purchased at the Federated Garden Clubs of Macon at 730 College Street. An order form can also be downloaded from the website www.HayHouse.org, printed and faxed to 478-745-4277, or mailed to Hay House, 934 Georgia Avenue, Macon GA 31201. Special advance ticket prices are available for the Combination Tour and the Secret Garden Tour before April 30. All ticket holders should stop by Hay House or the Federated Garden Clubs to pick up a program book with maps and directions before starting their tour.

Macon Gardens, Mansions & Moonlight also includes a free Garden Market held on the historic Hay House grounds. Specialty home and garden vendors will set up on the Hay House lawn to sell flowering plants, herbs, exotic flowers, garden art, planters, home decor and other accessories.

Felder Rushing, who is featured in the March 26 issue of the New York Times (www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/garden/26slow.html?emc=eta1), will speak at Hay House on Saturday, May 2 at 11 am and Sunday, May 3 at 2 pm. Rushing, a contributing editor for Horticulture Magazine, has written and photographed for Garden Design, Fine Gardening, National Geographic, Better Homes and Gardens, American Homestyle, Country Living Gardener, National Gardening, Old House Journal, Organic Gardening, Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record, and many more.

Todd Goulding, "Your Garden Guy," will speak at Hay House on Friday, May 1 at 2 pm and Saturday, May 2 at 2 pm. Todd Goulding is President of Goulding Design Group, LLC a residential landscape design, consulting, and installation company with offices in Macon, Atlanta, and Birmingham. Goulding Design Group LLC was formed in 1993. Todd is a contributing writer for Macon Magazine and columnist for The Telegraph.

All Seminars by Felder Rushing and Todd Goulding are free and open to the public.

The event is sponsored by The Georgia Department of Tourism, Fickling and Company, Riverside Ford Lincoln Mercury, ACE Hardware, State Farm-Pat Patterson Agent, Chris R. Sheridan & Co., Butler Automotive Group, Cox Communications, The Telegraph, 13WMAZ, and Macon Magazine.

For more tour times and more information about Macon Gardens, Mansions & Moonlight, please call 478-742-8155 or visit www.HayHouse.org.

Hay House is a National Historic Landmark and a property of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. Hay House was featured on the 2007 "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, and has also been featured on the A&E Channel program "America's Castles."

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Callaway Gardens® Announces 2008 Summer Workshops And Hikes

Get creative at one of Callaway Gardens® workshops or hikes. Callaway Gardens’ summer educational programming includes activities such as digital photography, gardening, painting and more:

2008 Art and Garden Summer Workshops

Trough Gardening
Saturday, June 14, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
If you have always thought troughs were only for watering horses in the field, think again. Louise and Warren Aldrich have been building troughs and gardening in them for several years with great success. Herbs, cacti, ferns and bonsai all work well in troughs both indoors and outdoors. Join the Aldrichs in this hands-on art and gardening adventure to make your own trough garden to take home.
Instructors: Louise and Warren Aldrich
Fee: $40

Kids Workshop: Make an Italian Herb Garden Trough!
Saturday, June 14, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Learn how to make your own trough garden filled with herbs you need to make a tasty pizza! We’ll discover the herbs that we use in our everyday meals and send you home with all the ingredients to make your own pizza herb trough, minus the dough, of course!
Ages 7 to 18 years. Parents or adults are welcome, but activity is only for kids.
Instructors: Callaway Gardens’ Education Department
Fee: $20

Savage Plants – How to Grow Carnivorous Plants
Saturday, June 14, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Ever pick up a Venus flytrap at the checkout counter of a hardware store and wonder how to grow it? We’ll explore the wonders of carnivorous plants – sundews, Venus flytraps and pitcher plants - and learn the techniques for growing them in containers.
Meet at the Backyard Wildlife Habitat behind the Discovery Center.
Free with Gardens admission

Azalea Trails Watercolor Landscapes
Saturday and Sunday, June 21-22, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both days
Join artist Ralph Taylor as he shares the secrets of using more pigment and color in your paintings. In this two-day workshop, you will focus on completing one masterpiece using the “wet on wet” and “dry brush” method. Bring watercolors, brushes, tape, and Arches 300 lb. watercolor paper. We will be working in the classroom replicating images from photographs of Callaway Gardens’ renowned azalea trails. Recommended for advanced students.
Minimum: 6, Maximum: 16
Instructor: Ralph Taylor, Phenix City, AL http://www.ralphtaylorstudio.com
Fee: $150

Oriental Watercolor Workshop
June 28, Session 1: Lilies 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Session 2: Peony 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Oriental Watercolor, also known as Chinese brush painting, with its emphasis on the beauty of simplicity, flowing brush strokes and graceful designs, reflects time-honored principles of Chinese philosophy and culture. Practicing Chinese brush painting helps one quiet the mind and expand creative self-expression and discipline. Work with bamboo brushes, using water color on rice paper, and develop confidence in your painting through demonstrations, individual instruction and practice. These classes are ideal for all ages with or without previous art training.
Instructor: Tehwan Tso, long-time student, now artist, has been teaching Chinese brush painting for the past 20 years.
Fee: $60 plus materials
Minimum: 7; Maximum: 16

Mastering the Butterfly: A Limited Enrollment Workshop in Digital Macrophotography
Friday, July 11, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, July 12, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
OR
Friday, July 25, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, July 26, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
This workshop is designed for the experienced digital photographer with an interest in macro photography and with a camera capable of taking close-up/macro photographs. The workshop focuses on learning the fundamentals of macro photography using the butterfly as our primary subject in the setting of Callaway Gardens’ Day Butterfly Center. The course begins on Friday night in the classroom, followed by an exclusive, closed-to-the-public, early morning photo shoot at the Day Butterfly Center. The instructor will provide individual coaching. Tripods are permitted. Following the photo shoot, enjoy a working lunch for uploading images into the computer, then a favorite-images session for instructor/group critique. The course ends with classroom instruction in advanced post-processing techniques of our butterfly images using PhotoShop PSCS2.
Limit: 20 pre-registered participants (no refunds unless participant’s slot can be filled).
Instructor: Jim Henderson, award-winning “serious amateur” digital photographer of LaGrange, GA http://www.pbase.com/sandman3
Fee: $110; includes lunch and course syllabus.
Bring your digital camera, flash, owner’s manual, plenty of charged batteries, and storage media. Those with laptop computers are asked to bring them on Saturday. Dress casually in layers for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.

Victorian Santa in Summer! Gourd Art Workshop
Saturday, August 2, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Create an Old World, traditional painted Victorian Santa on a gourd. Learn about growing, drying and preparing nature’s pottery and creating your unique design.
All materials included.
Instructor: Billie Strickland
Fee: $50 includes all materials

Creative Botanical Journal
Saturday, August 23, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
In this fun, fast-paced botanical journal workshop, participants will create and take home an original, bound journal of their own design; hand-carved rubber stamps; supplies for image transfer and instructions. Techniques include botanical drawings, paper photo transfers, carving rubber stamps, collage techniques in combination with watercolor and ink, innovative design ideas for recording information about plants. Open to all skill levels.
Instructor: Val Webb, an award-winning illustrator and author of The Illustrated Garden of Mobile, AL.
Fee: $175 includes all materials
Minimum: 10 Maximum: 25

A Fun and Easy Introduction to Digital Photography: How to Take Great Pictures
Saturday, August 23, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
A true basic digital photography workshop – a fun and easy introduction to digital photography! Learn to get the most from your camera’s automatic mode, how to use flash effectively, and master the macro feature – all in a fun and non-technical manner. The workshop includes classroom instruction, outdoor photo shoot, working lunch, and then a discussion about equipment readiness, including useful information about camera batteries, digital media cards, and care for your digital camera. Plenty of time for questions and answers, concluding with an introduction to artistic composition – how to take great photos of any subject.
Instructor: Jim Henderson, award winning “serious amateur” photographer of LaGrange, GA.
Fee: $70; includes lunch and course syllabus.
Bring your digital camera, owner’s manual, plenty of charged batteries, and storage media. Dress casually in layers for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.

Oriental Watercolor (Chinese Brush Painting) Workshop
Saturday, September 27, Session 1: Sunflowers; 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Session 2: Irises 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Oriental Watercolor, also known as Chinese brush painting, with its emphasis on the beauty of simplicity, flowing brush strokes and graceful designs, reflects time-honored principles of Chinese philosophy and culture. Practicing Chinese brush painting helps one quiet the mind and expand creative self-expression and discipline. Work with bamboo brushes, using watercolor on rice paper, and develop confidence in your painting through demonstrations, individual instruction and practice. These classes are ideal for all ages with or without previous art training.
Instructor: Tehwan Tso, long-time student, now artist, has been teaching Chinese brush painting for the past 20 years.
Fee: $60 plus materials
Minimum: 7; Maximum: 16

Take a Hike!
Join us for a hike in The Preserve at Callaway Gardens, an area accessible to visitors only on guided programs. Trails have a natural, uneven surface and require sturdy walking shoes. In case of inclement weather, hikes and walks may be canceled.

Plumleaf Azalea Hike
Saturday, July 26, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Age limit: 10 years and older
Length 2.5 miles; moderately strenuous
Fee: $5 for members; $6 for nonmembers
Registration required; directions sent with confirmation letter.

Special Gardening Events
Smaller Gardens: Real Solutions: A Horticulture Magazine Symposium with Nan Sinton
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Learn how to design and plant in limited space with a host of experts presenting “Successful Planting in Shade & Sun,” brought to you by Horticulture magazine and Callaway Gardens. Speakers include Helen Dillon “Down to Earth Gardening Working with the Reality of Your Site;” John Elsley “Hostas, Hellebores & Hydrangeas;” C.Colston Burrell “Natural Design for the Shaded Garden;” and Stephanie Cohen “Light Fantastic – Transitioning from Sun to the Edge of Shade.” For details and to register, visit hortprograms.com or request a brochure by calling toll-free at 877-GDN-PROG (877-436-7764).

Enrollment is limited and preregistration is required for all programs. Programs fill quickly, so register soon. Workshop fees include admission to Callaway Gardens. To register call the Education Department at 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292) ext. 5153, 706-663-5153 or email education@callawaygardens.org or check out education event listings at www.callawaygardens.org and click on “Education.”

For overnight accommodations for any of these workshops or hikes, ask for the special workshop rate starting at $109 in the Mountain Creek® Inn at 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292).

Callaway Gardens®, a premier travel and meeting destination in the South, is owned by the non-profit Ida Cason Callaway Foundation™ (ICCF). Within the 13,000 acres of Callaway Gardens is a resort, preserve, residential community, almost 100,000 square feet of meeting space, 931 guest rooms, restaurants, shops, golf, tennis, fishing, shooting club, gardens, butterfly conservatory, horticultural center, chapel, inland beach, nature trails, and additional attractions. For more than 50 years Callaway Gardens has provided “a place of relaxation, inspiration and a better understanding of the living world” for millions of visitors. Callaway Gardens is committed to its mission of environmental education and land stewardship for the benefit of future generations.

Callaway Gardens®, is in Pine Mountain, Ga., 60 minutes southwest of Atlanta and 30 minutes north of Columbus. To experience Mother Nature at its finest, call 1-800-CALLAWAY or visit www.callawaygardens.com.

Garden Roots Run Deep, Spread Wide

NAPSI-Since the first days of the Carolina Colony, fine gardening has been a tradition in this mecca of horticulture.

In fact, the distinctive butterfly gardens at Middleton Place in South Carolina can boast of being the first formal gardens in the English Colonies, forged from marshy woodlands along the banks of the Ashley River around 1740. Next door is eclectic Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, owned by the same family for more than 325 years and a birthplace of ornamentally grown azaleas and camellias.

Nowadays, visitors can take in those historic sites along with leading-edge horticulture and everything in between with just a short drive around the Palmetto State.

Highlights include Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia, where formal and informal plantings join an impressive stand of old rose varieties and a cooling shade garden.

There’s also the 250-acre South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson University, itself a noted institution of horticultural and agricultural research. Notable public gardens also include Kalmia Gardens at Coker College, where a 60-foot drop in elevation provides for a surprising diversity in plants and wildlife. Hopelands Gardens in picturesque Aiken, meanwhile, is a 14-acre former estate where, behind a serpentine brick wall, there is a canopy of ancient oaks, deodara cedars and magnolias.

Two commercial operations also bear mention. Park Seed in Greenwood is one of the nation’s largest and oldest mail-order operations with a nine-acre trial garden. Orchid fans and plant lovers of all kinds also wouldn’t want to miss Carter and Holmes Orchids in Newberry, where 18 greenhouses offer one of the largest lineups of the prized plants in the nation.

Last but not least is 9,000-acre Brookgreen Gardens on the coast near Myrtle Beach. Visitors will find the largest collection of outdoor sculpture in the country amid a Lowcountry setting of lush plantings, live oaks and even a pontoon boat tour of long-abandoned ancient rice fields.

For more information on all this and more, go to www.DiscoverSouthCarolina.com.

A winding path through Hopelands Gardens reveals a variety of beautiful plants, from daffodils and the explosion of azaleas to dogwoods and other flowering shrubs and trees.
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