Growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and enacted, it is understandable I became a bit of a history geek. At an early age, I felt the thrill of walking in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other assorted Founding Fathers. Consequently, when Mr. Excitement and I were invited to plan a two day visit to neighboring Bucks County, Pennsylvania, I decided history would be the theme of our exploration. However, one cannot live by history alone. We also needed to find a nice place to stay in Bucks County.
Galvanized America Inn and Art Gallery
After completing our visits to the three historic venues composing the “Mercer Mile” in Doylestown, we were ready to rest our “museum feet” at the Galvanized America Inn in nearby Pipersville, Bucks County. The Inn is approximately a 15 minute drive north of Doylestown through rural Bucks County countryside.
(We were hosted at the Galvanized America Inn by the owners/innkeepers, Ed and Sherri Bennett, for review purposes. However, no promise of a positive review was made nor requested. The opinions here are my own—with maybe two cents by Mr. Excitement.)
The Galvanized America Inn was a welcoming place to return after dinner at the nearby Piper Tavern.
The Inn is set off the road behind a 19th century barn that will one day host a gallery to display Ed’s art and that of other artists. Sherri and Ed purchased the 6 acre property in 2017, including a 1754 farmhouse. They spent a year repurposing the old house into a cozy 4 room bed and breakfast inn, retaining as many original features as possible. Thus, our stay at the Galvanized America Inn was the perfect compliment to my history themed visit to Bucks County. I don’t know if George Washington actually slept there, but he could have.
So, what about the name, Galvanized America? Sherri explained the Inn was named for a piece of art Ed presented to a friend right after the 9/11 terrorist attack. As they were trying to think of a name for the painting, they heard a news commentator say the attack had “galvanized America”. That became the name of the painting, and 17 years later, of the Galvanized America Inn.
The living room of the Galvanized America Inn features one of Ed Bennett’s razor blade artworks.
One reason I favor small bed and breakfast inns on our travels is that most owners or managers are locals, happy to enthusiastically share their knowledge of the area. This was certainly the case with Sherri and Ed. At the Galvanized America Inn, guests are greeted with wine from a local vineyard and an afternoon snack. Although I pre-planned a history theme for our two day Bucks County experience, while we drank and ate, Ed told us about many other Bucks County possibilities, including the Bucks County Wine Trail, the Ale Trail, and a Distillery Tour.
Mr. Excitement enjoying our afternoon Bucks County wine and snack in the Galvanized America Inn dining room.
For those preferring a lower proof Bucks County experience, Ed explained there are many options for enjoying the outdoors, with hiking and biking on land, and water sports on lakes and the Delaware River. Based on his recommendation, we added a visit to Ringing Rocks County Park to our itinerary for the following day. For those who also enjoy retail therapy, Ed told us about the Bucks County towns with interesting streets for one of a kind small store shopping.
We were treated to the top (3rd floor) Suite Victory (get it?). The Suite has a bedroom with a too comfortable king size bed, a central sitting room with a small refrigerator and dry bar, and a large bathroom with period features, including a claw footed soaking tub, and copper sink. There is also a glass enclosed shower with a rain shower head. We enjoyed plenty of hot water and good water pressure, not always a given for the top floor of old houses. Having sometimes stayed in places during our travels that provided only threadbare towels, Galvanized America’s plush towels and bathrobes were a welcome upgrade.
The sitting room in the third floor Suite Victory. The table top is one of Ed Bennett’s razor blade creations.
The claw foot soaking tub in the large Suite Victory bathroom.
In addition to windows, our bedroom had skylights on the sloped ceiling, giving us a bird’s eye view of the surrounding countryside, complete with fall foliage. Had we made our visit during warmer weather, we could have enjoyed the good-sized swimming pool and chillaxed in Adirondack chairs around the wood fire pit.
The swimming pool and fire pit (right) in the secluded yard of the Galvanized America Inn, part of the 6 acre property.
In addition to Suite Victory, the Galvanized America Inn has 3 other rooms on the second floor, 2 of which can be joined as a suite. Ed and Sherri will provide special rates to groups who book all the rooms, making the Inn a good choice for friends or relatives traveling together or celebrating a special event, such as a wedding. The Inn’s bedrooms are not accessible for people who cannot climb stairs.
The cozy communal living room of the Galvanized America Inn.
We had wifi access in our third floor room which Mr. Excitement used to access his work email because he’s THAT exciting. I heard no complaints which means he was happy with the speed.
The first time I took Mr. Excitement to a bed and breakfast inn on Cape Cod early in our marriage, he expressed some unhappiness at the lack of a TV in our room. He wasn’t so sure he would be opting for this type of accommodation in the future. I’m happy to report that over 37 years, he has acquired an appreciation for charming bed and breakfast rooms, now preferring them even to large hotels with nice rooms complete with televisions. If you can’t survive without access to a television, there is one in Galvanized America’s comfortable communal first floor living room.
Breakfast and the afternoon wine and snack are served in the Galvanized America Inn inviting dining room.
Ed prepared and served us a breakfast well worth leaving our comfortable bed for. Before our arrival, we were asked about any food limitations. Ed catered to my irrational hatred of bananas. Instead of his signature bananas foster French toast, we enjoyed a fruit course of grilled pear halves with homemade pumpkin bread, followed by light pancakes with apple cider syrup and bacon. Our Galvanized America breakfast held us until dinnertime!
The Galvanized America Inn is an excellent four season choice for those visiting Bucks County, cozy in the winter, with a nice pool for warm summer days.
If you go:
Address:
6470 Durham Road
Pipersville, PA 18947
(About 15 minutes north of Doylestown, PA)
Telephone: (215) 766-7617
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I haven’t been to Bucks County in a long time and I too live so close. Sounds like a nice and inviting B&B for a fall weekend. Maybe I will put it on my staycation calendar for 2019.
I’m a fan of B&Bs, and if there’s a quirky name (like the Galvanized Inn) and a story behind it, even better. Thanks for giving us an option in the Bucks County area.
I love a bed and breakfast and one with such unique charm is even better! Plus, any place that serves homemade pumpkin bread for breakfast is automatically a winner in my book! Sounds delightful!
I’d always stay in B&Bs if I could afford it, especially older, homier ones like The Galvanized America Inn. With only four rooms, it would be like being a houseguest, only without the requirement to make conversation with your hosts all the time!
What a beautiful property. The Galvanized America Inn looks like the perfect destination for a cozy winter getaway.
This is so beautiful and if my blogging goes forward successfully that would be so incredible to be hosted in exchange for a review! I love the history….not to mention apple cider syrup! 🙂
We’ve been planning to visit Bucks County PA and the Galvanized Inn looks like a lovely place to stay. That soaking tub under the skylights is calling to me.