Historic Home Tour Marshall Michigan

The historic Marshall Home Tour is traditionally held each year on the weekend after Labor Day. The tour is the oldest historic home tour in the Great Lakes area. This year, eight private homes, a church, a business, and up to six museums are scheduled to be open for the two days of the tour. There will also be roving musicians, demonstrating craftspeople, a juried craft show, ethnic foods, antiques for sale, and a Civil War Ball with elaborate costumes during the weekend festivities.

Flemming house Marshall Michigan

The most famous midwest home tour is being held for the 47th time the weekend of September 11-12 in historic Marshall, Michigan.  Marshall is a small city in South Central Michigan with a population of about 7,500 people.  Marshall is best known for its cross-section of 19th century and early 20th Century architecture. It has been called a "virtual textbook of 19th-Century American architecture" by the keeper of the National Register of Historic Places.  It is home to the one of the nation's largest National Historic Landmark Districts with over 850 buildings included in the Landmark.

National House Inn Marshall Michigan

With limited lodging in the area, an equally impressive historic home in Jonesville Michigan is also a bed and breakfast. The Munro House is located about 30 miles South East of Marshall at highways 12 and 99. The Munro House is the oldest house in Hillsdale County, dating to 1834. It is also the oldest home in Southern Michigan that was originally built as a private residence. The Greek Revival style house was used as a Station on the Underground Railroad and still has a secret room big enough for 20 people to stand in, along with the remains of what was once a 200 foot underground tunnel.

Munro House B&B Jonesville Michigan

A tour of historic homes in Michigan requires a trip that includes Marshall and Jonesville.


Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Marcella's Live 50's Show in Jonesville

Our gang walked to Marcella's in Jonesville for ice cream on Friday night.  The Munro House B&B is located just 2 blocks away.  To our delight, they had organized some local talent to put on a half hour 50's show while we enjoyed their hand-scooped ice cream.

The folks at Marcella's have been providing entertainment for quite a while now. It is a quality performance by local multi-generational talent. I was impressed by the song selection, the harmonies, the step routines, and the audience participation that is incorporated into this free show. 

This ensemble performs three sets on most Friday and Saturday nights at 7, 8 and 9 o'clock. It's a very enjoyable way to relax after dinner, go out out for ice cream, or to introduce the kids to live entertainment. The show is "free", but many shows are "sold out" as there is a limited amount of seating available.  A meal or refreshment is expected from all patrons, and you are encouraged to leave a gratuity in the tip jar for the performers.  It is always best to call ahead and reserve seating for the show of your choice.  (517) 849-2697.

Marcella's in downtown Jonesville is now a full service restaurant, with live entertainment on select weekends. In addition to panini, Marcella's now offers deli style sandwiches, burgers, and Italian pasta dishes 7 days a week.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Baptism Celebration in Jonesville

A miracle baby was the occasion for a celebration at the Munro House in Jonesville.  The baby was baptized at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Hillsdale and a christening party was hosted at this Michigan bed and breakfast. 

A selection of hors d'oeuvres were selected for the open house party, and 25 friends and family welcomed the new addition in the comfort of the oldest house in Hillsdale County.

 
The Munro House is a Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast that hosts private parties in addition to providing the most comfortable lodging in the area.  Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and Christmas parties are offered in a private, elegant setting.
 

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Veteran's Day Free Bed and Breakfast Offer

To honor veterans from any era and current active duty military personnel, Bed and Breakfasts across America are giving free rooms for vets on the day preceeding Veteran's Day. This is being done to allow veterans to go back to their hometown or to be a guest at a local Veteran's Day gathering.

Veteran's Day is traditionally celebrated at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This year it is on Thursday, November 11, 2010.  With morning memorial gatherings across America, it is important that veterans are in town on time for the salute. That is why participating B&Bs are offering free rooms to veterans on the preceeding day--Wednesday, November 10, 2010.

With 3 months to go, there are already over 200 B&Bs onboard in 35 states.  These participating inns are allowing some, or all of their rooms to vets on a first come first served basis for Wednesday, November 10. Veterans are asked to contact the inns directly to reserve a room and to present military ID upon arrival.  Mike Venturini, innkeeper at Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville, Michigan, currently has 4 rooms available to vets.  He says that he "will be thrilled to have a breakfast table filled with vets on Veteran's Day morning and will enjoy hearing the stories about their experiences in the military."

Kathleen Panek, owner of the Gillum House in Shinnston, WV, came up with this idea and began recruiting innkeepers on a B&B forum and directed them to her B&Bs For Vets website.  She says "We just wanted to say 'thank you' to the courageous men and women from our armed forces. These are some trying times for anyone serving or who has served, and a good night's rest is our way to say, thank you."

Additional inns are expected to participate as the word spreads. These bed and breakfast innkeepers can sign up online.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Murder Mysteries in Michigan

We have hosted hundreds of Murder Mystery Dinners in Michigan. Since we purchased the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville back in 1999, we discovered that many people want to participate in a Murder Mystery, but few people want to host the party. So we developed a style and a menu that people from around the midwest have enjoyed.

Every weekend in November is usually a Murder Mystery Weekend in Jonesville.  People leave all of the detail in our hands as we advertise to fill the table with like-minded guests. The Munro House is one of the few B&Bs in Michigan that do not require a group to book the entire party in order to do a Murder Mystery. We have it open to the public so that couples can come and enjoy the company of other guests at our house while having fun playing the game and enjoying a five course meal.

Although November is Murder Mystery Month in Jonesville, we also offer the event on various dates throughout the year. We try to have at least one during every season. For people that want us to open a new date for a Murder Mystery, all we ask is that 2 couples get it started with at least 6 weeks notice on any available date, and we will fill the table.

Our first course is ususally shrimp cocktail. It is served with wine in our parlor while our hostess explains how the game is played. Characters are assigned based on guest interaction and personality--we want to give the most important parts to the most outgoing people. There is no pressure to bring a costume to get into character. We supply everything.  The game then moves into the dining room for soup, salad, entree, and dessert.  We feed our guests very well while they play the game.

A typical game begins around 6:30 and ends after 9:00.  The goal is not necessarily to figure out who-done-it. The goal is for adults to have a good time playing a game while enjoying a big meal and the company of friends. We judge the success of a party based on how much laughter is coming out of the dining room.  That is why we have chosen games that are light-hearted, not too hard to figure out, and fun to play.  We ususally hear a lot of laughter on Murder Mystery night.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

What's for Breakfast in Michigan?

Owning a Bed and Breakfast in Michigan sounds easy. You provide a bed and you make breakfast--simple. But what to serve for breakfast? There are eggs and sausage and bacon and bread and oatmeal and cereal... right? Then you combine ingredients and follow recipes to create a meal that people will enjoy.

We have found that to most people, a normal breakfast consists of coffee along with toast, or a pop tart, or cereal--that's it, if they have anything at all. So for most people, any hot breakfast is a real treat.

Dr. Atkins had a world famous low carbohydrate diet that was extremely popular several years ago. His diet was high in protein and low in carbs. To this day, many people still enjoy this diet for breakfast.  This creates a problem for many innkeepers, as most of us offer a breakfast loaded with carbs--pancakes, waffles, French toast, etc.

On the morning we prepared a gourmet high protein/high carb breakfast and all 14 guests informed us that they wanted just eggs on their Atkins Diet, was the morning that we decided that we had to have options for breakfast. Never again will I spend 3 hours preparing a breakfast that will be thrown away.

We decided that we would offer eggs every day. We will make them fried, scrambled, or as an omelet.  In addition to that, we will have a choice of either French toast, or waffles, or pancakes, or oatmeal. In addition to that, we will serve coffee, orange juice, bacon, and fresh cut fruit.

We decided to not go the gourmet route and just make a traditional American breakfast using family recipes--all developed by my wife, Lori. After all, for most people, any hot breakfast is a real treat.

Based on the reviews that we get, folks like our simple traditional breakfast style and our secret family recipes.  Because everything is made fresh, we can always make more, so no one leaves the table until they are full.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

NASCAR Fans Stay at Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast

NASCAR race fans have been coming to Southern Michigan for years to enjoy Sprint Cup Series races at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn.  Most of them will be in and out in a day for the big race. Many will be camping near the track. Few will get a good night sleep in a real bed. 

The big issue is that there are not many choices for lodging near Brooklyn, MI. Brooklyn is a town of just 1,200 people. Nearby cities within 30 miles include Jackson, Adrian, Clinton, and Jonesville. Total population of these cities combines to around 60,000.  MIS has hosted over 150,000 fans for a single day of racing in the past. All of these people have food and lodging needs. The food part is relatively easy as more food can be brought in to feed the fans. The lodging part is a bit of an issue.  The best way to lodge the masses has been via campgrounds in and around the track.

Fans who don't mind camping have a plethora of choices. Fans who desire traditional lodging need to seek out hotels, motels, plus bed and breakfasts in Michigan.  The Munro House Bed and Breakfast is located about a half hour west of the track just a block off of US-12 in downtown Jonesville.  Seven lucky couples get a good bed to sleep in and a convenient location to enjoy the NASCAR races in Southern Michigan for the June and August races.  Call early to reserve or book online.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Best Way to Garage Sale

Our guests organized a "Garage Sale Rodeo" on Friday.  They went through the local paper, copied the locations of 18 sales, mapped it, and spent the day searching for treasures. This is an annual event that gets the whole family together from all across the United States. Imagine the surprise when a dozen vehicles pull up at once to wheel and deal at each of the selected locations.

John and Julia joined family members from Arizona, Texas, Missouri, and Michigan as they bargained for the best prices while touring garage sales in nearby Jackson, Michigan. Small items will be packed in carry-on bags for the flight home.  Larger items will either be shipped or hand-delivered at a later date.

We finished our household chores and joined up with the group at about mid-day. We enjoyed the beautiful day and found a few items that were too good to pass up.  It became a very fun day because it was extremely well-organized and spent with some interesting new friends.


Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast