The You're Invited Inn is like a warm visit with family you love (except with better food). Easter (the hostess) is delightful in every way and she is an excellent cook to boot.

Not only did they make our stay warm and welcome, but they had great recommendations for places around town. We hated to leave their home and the warmth they provided.

If you are looking for a B&B with historical significance, this isn't the place for you. But, if you are looking for luxurious surroundings, excellent food, great location and amazing hospitality- this is your place. The value is spot-on.

The basic requirements of a bed and breakfast is to give you somewhere to sleep and some food in the morning. You're Invited Inn was so much more, and so fantastic, that it's the perfect spot to stay when you're touring the Bourbon Trail.

Easter and Alvin are fantastic hosts, and their house sits not far from the highway. Their directions are easy to follow, and GPS easily finds the address which is even more important when your flight's delayed and you don't get to the area until after midnight.

They left us a note on the door, made sure we could get in, and the room was beautiful and even included some homemade brownies as a "sorry for the airlines being lame!" goodnight snack. The bed, at least in the red room we stayed in, was a king size and included a couch, supple carpet and a bathroom with a soaking tub.

But we weren't interested, just interested in sleeping, which we did forthwith.

Breakfast, similarly, was as fantastic as you'd expect it to be. It's the first three-course breakfast I'd ever had, and included an appetizer (coffee cake), a main course (potatoes, eggs and bacon and/or sausage) as well as a dessert. More coffee than you can shake a stick at, and flexible timing so if you want breakfast a little earlier or later, Easter would work with you to make that happen.

For Bourbon Fest, and a lot of other prime leaf-viewing weekends, people make reservations a long time in advance, so get your request in early. It's one of the best spots to stay.

Some of my favorite B&B’s have been in ordinary homes, without the elegance of Victorian architecture or an address in a hip neighborhood. When it comes to spending several consecutive days in one location, I want to be comfortable, eat well, and enjoy warm conversation with the folks who welcome me into their home. I found just the place in the aptly-named “You’re Invited Inn.”

Easter and Alvin’s home is tucked away from town in a quiet neighborhood, and the understated two-story ranch belies its spacious interior. (Note to self: when I go house-shopping, I want this floor plan!) Easter met us at the door, and immediately I realized we had happened upon one of those B&B’s where you feel like a long lost relative or old friend instead of a paying customer.

We stayed upstairs in the Yellow Room, a spacious bedroom complete with a balcony , dressing area and sitting area with loveseat and TV. It drives me nuts when I spend several days at a B&B, and have nowhere to unpack – resulting in constant disarray from living out of my suitcase. The walk-in closet/dressing area provided a neatly concealed place to stow our bags, hang up clothes, and store our footwear and other belongings. (There are two sizable dressers in the bedroom itself.)

The dressing room also hid a small refrigerator, microwave, coffee cups, wine glasses and snacks, and two throw blankets which were handy for taking off the chill when we curled up to watch late-night TV.

Despite the option of having breakfast in our room, we opted to be sociable and eat at the dining room table. We were given our choice of breakfast times – a really nice change from B&B’s that insist on forced breakfast at early hours when we’re trying to relax.

Oh, did I mention the really, really comfortable bed?? We luxuriated in crisp sheets, a weighty comforter and ample pillows. (Note: these are foam pillows, but soft nonetheless.)
Some of my other reviews include rants about towels. No ranting here! The bath towels were plush, plentiful and refreshed each day. The bathroom, like the entire house, was scrupulously clean.

Now, back to breakfast: the fare was hot, and the portions were generous. We were treated to homemade compote each day as a pre-breakfast appetizer (strawberries, pineapple or apples). Entrees included delicious egg strada, biscuits & sausage gravy, feather-light scrambled eggs with chives, perfectly-spiced potatoes – you get the picture. Just when we thought we couldn’t eat another bite, the breakfast “dessert” arrived: mocha “cake,” a cherry-topped chocolate pancake, and pecan-filled sticky buns. Notice a theme? My only complaint is that I now have to work harder to fit into my clothes, as these breakfasts will necessitate extra time on the treadmill for at least a month.

Throughout breakfast, our hosts struck a nice balance of conversing with us without hovering. Alvin regaled us with a great sense of humor and jokes that we’ll retell often. Had we eaten in our room, we would have missed out on very pleasant conversation.

And then there are some moments you have at a B&B which just sum up the character of your hosts. In our last half hour there, I received a frustrating call related to caregiving for elderly parents. It was a harsh reality check to end a wonderful week’s vacation. Easter seemed to have a window into me, and knew exactly what to say to lend support. Not in an unsolicited, over-bearing way – but as someone who had been there and had just the right touch when I needed it.

The Inn warranted an excellent review even without this moment – but Easter reminded me that B&B’s are for people who like people. If you want your B&B experience to be more than just a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, then this is the place for you.

What an awesome Bed and Breakfast. This was our first time at a bed and breakfast and upon arrival we were feeling a littel funny about staying at one. Seemed like we were invading someone's home. However, that feeling went away as soon as we walked in and met Easter. She was very welcoming and showed us our room as well as the rest of the house. The house is beautiful and very tastefully decorated. Our room was fantastic!!! We had a tray of brownies waiting for us when we checked in and they were awesome. We got back from the dinner train and slept like babies. In the morning we received a 3 course breakfast that was out of this world!!!!! Upon leaving, we met Alvin and talked with him and Easter for some time. They are great people and it was a pleasure staying with them. I would HIGHLY reccommend this Bed and Breakfast to anyone staying in the Bardstown area!!!!