12/23/2025
From NH Front Page
Local bed & breakfasts offer the comforts of home to visitors
By Donna Rhodes
Contributing Writer
REGION — With so many options for vacation accommodations in this day and age, the Lakes Region Bed and Breakfast Association wishes to send out an invitation for visitors and those who have out-of-town guests to consider local bed and breakfast inns, which are all a cozy, personalized and safe place for people to spend time in Central New Hampshire.
Heidi Milbrand has been the owner of Pleasant View Bed and Breakfast in Bristol for 22 years and involved in the hospitality business for more than 25 years. She is currently president of the LRBBA as well as treasurer for the N.H. Bed and Breakfast Association and sits on the Board of Directors for New Hampshire’s Lodging and Restaurant Association. Their mission in 2025 is to make people aware of all the lodgings and amenities they have to offer.
Bed and Breakfast owners are all required to live somewhere on the premises. Most live in a separate part of the inn or have a home of their own right next door, offering privacy for all of their guests.
Another difference between Bed and Breakfast and other privately owned accommodations, Hilbrand explained, is they may often have no state oversight, personal service nor vacation tips from the property owners who may not even live locally. In addition, Bed and Breakfast facilities have licensed kitchens from which to prepare breakfast, and undergo annual health and safety inspections of their inns.
Whether guests are looking for places to shop, nearby attractions, the best beaches, greatest hiking trails, or views that they will remember for years to come, Bed and Breakfast inn keepers also have plenty of recommendations.
“We’re all professionals, available to take care of your needs and help you through your day,” Milbrand said.
Depending on which B&B someone chooses, owners also provide a variety of amenities for their guests. Most offer WiFi and television, dining areas, cosy gathering rooms and perhaps even a wood stove or fireplace. Many also have patios, decks and porches lined with traditional rocking chairs where guests can relax and enjoy their day. And, if you need anything more, the innkeepers are nearby to assist.
Bed and Breakfast owners are community minded as well. Each year they have supported schools, athletic programs and children’s camps. They also contribute to emergency response fundraisers and much more.
“We are a local business, and we support our local people and towns,” said Milbrand.
Members of the Lakes Region Bed and Breakfast Association include Pleasant View B&B in Bristol, just up the road from Newfound Lake; the Colonel Spencer Inn at the entrance to the White Mountains in Campton, along with the nearby Cheney House Bed and Breakfast in Ashland; the historic Nutmeg Inn located in Meredith, as well as the more than 100-year-old Meredith Inn Bed and Breakfast, both just minutes from Lake Winnipesaukee; Sutton House Bed and Breakfast in Center Harbor, also close to Winnipesaukee; the 1883 Victorian Tea Rose Inn in Plymouth with rivers, the White Mountains and nearby shopping; and The Lake House at Ferry Point located across from scenic Lake Winnisquam in Sanbornton, not far from shopping and events in downtown Laconia, Tilton and Franklin.
To view more details on these accommodations and learn what makes each one special, visit the LRBBA Web site at www.bedandbreakfastnh.com. Also be sure to mark a calendar for the annual 2025 Muffin and Scones Tour on the weekend of April 26 & 27. Tours of each of these inns will be available then, along with great treats offered by innkeepers at all locations.
Photo by Donna Rhodes
Pleasant View Bed and Breakfast is one of many such inns throughout Central New Hampshire offering all the comforts of home, along with a great homemade breakfast to all of their guests.
