Recess Inn B&B

09/01/2026

Hunters, it's time to start thinking about your fall bookings! Whether you're hunting on private land or are looking to use one of our area's many public conservation areas, we're here to bring you all the comforts of home during your quiet retreat to the woods. Did you know we offer multi-night discounts off our best available rates?

- 2 Night Stay: 15% Discount
- 3 or 4 Night Stay: 20% Discount
- 5 Night Stay: 25% Discount
- 6 to 10 Night Stay: 30% Discount
- 11 – 14 Night Stay: 35% Discount

We'll also take good care of you with convenient breakfast options and can provide catering options for dinner when you get back to the Inn!

Plus, our Music Room now features a California King bed AND a twin trundle bed, adding another multi-bed room option. Questions? Reach out to us at (660) 500-1313.

Book here >>> https://secure.thinkreservations.com/therecessinn/reservations

08/31/2026

After a wonderful open house during the Ethel Harvest Jubilee, we want to thank everyone that stopped by to tour, craft, or just chat and share memories! Coming together as a community to celebrate our roots is what it’s all about. Ethel Harvest Jubilee - 2026

08/29/2026

Come see us at the Recess Inn this afternoon!

08/28/2026

From Samantha:

There really is no place like home. This morning I watched my son ride his bike down the sidewalk in Ethel, pushed him on the swing while he was mesmerized by trains, heard him laugh with glee when he realized roosters really do say "cock-a-doodle-doo", and taught him how to gently pet a kitten. These are important things to experience and know. We sure are glad to be here for the Jubilee!

And tomorrow's the day! Hip-hip hooray! In honor of the Ethel Harvest Jubilee - 2026, enjoy this video of the Jubilee parade in 1970, recorded by Jim Hill. 😍 The parade starts at 5pm.

Also, we'd love to share the Inn - our special place - with you tomorrow. Our Recess Inn Mini Open House is from 2 - 4pm! You truly need to see what Hanna Souther Aifd has done with the place over the last month.

You can expect:

-Crafts for the young and young at heart at 2 & 3pm in the dining room with Melissa Hogenson.
- Guided history tours with Hanna, starting from the entry hall, at 2:30 and 3:30.
- Ethel merchandise and gifts from local makers, bargain pottery from Clay Images, used books, old fashioned drinks and snacks, popsicles, etc., outside under the tent.
- Lots of area history to peruse in the Library. Plus, June Spencer's photos will be out and ready to go home with those pictured and loved ones! Kyleigh Campbell has also shared a jewel with us - Juletta Ratliff's basketball memorabilia. Come learn more about one of Ethel's most masterful athletes. She still ranks in several Missouri state records!
- Lawn Games

Ah, Ethel. There's no place like it. See you tomorrow?

Ethel Jubilee 1970

08/27/2026

Are you planning to come by the Inn to peruse our Ethel memorabilia and community history items on Saturday? Our Warren "Jack" Lee Community Histories Library just got more interesting, as we've received a beautiful addition for our Documenting the Past for the Future project.

Terry Simmons has spent several years documenting his memories for his children, which, through further alignment with us, has resulted in the preparation of "RFD #3, Ethel, Missouri: Reflections on the Life and Times in White Township, Macon County, Missouri, 1943 - 1963" OR "Informal: A Compilation of Some Random Thoughts and Memories from the Days of My Yute"*. 188 pages of Americana.

Terry jumped on board with our story-gathering project with enthusiasm, and the expanded opportunity to share his recollections with our visitors at the Recess Inn and our community is a true gift to us and future generations.

As Terry's Forward states, "Part I of this trip down memory lane is dedicated primarily to our neighborhood and all the interesting characters (See Cast of Most Colorful Characters, page 186) who lived there during the 1940's to the early 1960's..... Part II will be dedicated primarily to the customs, traditions, activities, and events associated with growing up in rural Missouri during this time period. Keep in mind that this presentation is but a brief glimpse into a very short period of time, and into a very small geographical area. But, with all things considered, I think this is a pretty accurate portrayal of rural America during the 1940's and 1950's..." Terry's writing is vivid, colorful, and truthful. It is... amazing.

Come by the Inn during our Recess Inn Mini Open House this Saturday from 2 - 4pm to read some of Terry's stories, or give us a call to schedule a time to come and sit in our library and read (660) 500-1313. We'll also be digitizing his narrative for our website, soon!

Our history is our future. Thank you, Terry Simmons for this incredible gift.

If you'd like to share a bit of your story, we'd love to hear it! Learn more about how you can participate here: https://www.therecessinn.com/storytelling



Photo: People School 1949-1950
In front of teacher: Clayton Johnson, Belita Sappington, Russell Ratliff.
Front right: Terry Simmons, Phyllis Bodenhammer, Howard Sappington.
Middle right: Jimmy Ratliff (behind Phyllis), Geraldine Ratliff (behind Howard), Clarion Johnson.
Back: Teacher Leola Bergman, Eugene Williams, David Teeter, George Simmons, Oveta Bodenhammer

*"My Cousin Vinny" reference

08/26/2026

For the young and young at heart! Stop by our mini open house Saturday to make something beautiful. We will be creating material scrap angels and painting kindness rocks, one to keep and one to add around our free little library located in the front yard!

08/25/2026

Come see us during the Recess Inn Mini Open House as part of the Ethel Harvest Jubilee! The Recess Inn will be open Saturday from 2–4 p.m., after lunch at the cook shack and before the parade at 5.

We’ll have lawn games, a kids’ scavenger hunt, Ethel trivia, old-fashioned soda and treats, local merchandise, a Clay Images bargain pottery table, used books, and a few yard-sale finds.

Melissa and Hanna will lead children’s crafts in the dining room: fabric-scrap angels at 2 p.m. and rock painting at 3 p.m. Kids can paint an extra rock for a new Kindness Rock Garden around our Little Free Library.

Short history tours will begin at 2:30 and 3:30, or just take your time looking through our old yearbooks, school memorabilia, and Ethel history. Whether you’ve visited many times or have always wondered what’s inside the old schoolhouse, we’d love to welcome you!

08/21/2026

We love to make each guests stay memorable, especially if you’re celebrating something! I have heard from several local couples they spent their honeymoon at the inn. We’d love for you to comment!

I am interested in how many honeymooners the inn has hosted over the years, and hopefully many more to come.

08/20/2026

***Historic photos available to go to new (old) homes!)***

Preserving the history of our community and sharing it with others is part of our mission at the Recess Inn. Thanks to Grady Carman, this summer we were able to digitize the remaining photos taken by June Spencer, graciously shared with us by Roger and Jane Spencer. Most are of folks in New Cambria - mostly family portraits, school events, and Fall Festival documentation. Of course, Ethel and New Cambria have been connected in many ways, for many years, as the schools shared facilities beginning in 1968 and consolidated in New Cambria in 1980, when the Ethel School closed its doors. There are some people and places from other area locations, too.

*Who do you recognize? Please help us identify everyone in the comments!*

The hard copies of these photos and many, many, many more will be out during our Recess Inn Mini Open House from 2 - 4pm, on Saturday, August 29, during the Ethel Harvest Jubilee - 2026. Now that they are digitized, those featured and their family and friends are welcome to take them home.

If you have photos you would like us to digitize for our community records, please reach out! We'd also love to hear and document your stories of growing up and living here if you'd like to share.