Bear Meadows Lodge Wellsboro PA

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My husband and I recently celebrated our 14 year wedding anniversary and wanted to do our first ever weekend getaway without the kids and dogs (typically we camp). We had talked about getting a hotel but I really wanted to try either a boutique hotel or a bed and breakfast. My husband was a little less into the idea than me but after a little research we thought it would be a fun little adventure. We looked all over NY and couldn’t find anything that wasn’t either already booked or a crazy amount of money. That brought us into PA and that is when I found Bear Meadows Lodge. 

Obviously as a reviewer the first thing I looked for were reviews of this place and every one of them was so complimentary, at first I thought this had to be too good to be true. To add to that my husband and I are fans of midcentury modern architecture and really all things modern in design so to go to a rustic cabin was a stretch for us but something about this place made it seem like it was were we needed to be, without hesitation my husband booked “The Wilds” room, we asked my parents to take the kids and the dogs and they were crazy enough to say yes (thanks mom and dad) and we were all set. 

I honestly did not know what to expect. I had never been to Wellsboro before (at least that I can remember, I might have been there as a kid) and my husband being the planner that he is researched it like crazy. I really wanted to wing our trip because as a mom of two I was kind of sick of planning things and trying to fit a million things in a day and we both really needed some relaxation; and relaxation is exactly what we got. 

We drove through Wellsboro which is a beautiful town and got to Pearl street very easily. Just 2 short miles out of town we found Bear Meadows Lodge on our right (actually I drove by it a little but we still found it). We were in awe as soon as we pulled in the nicely paved driveway. There was beautiful landscaping and the cabin seemed to be beckoning us to come in and sit a spell. 🙂 


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Panoramic Of The Front Deck From Our Room


We received “check-in” instructions via email before our arrival. They basically said something like, “come up onto the porch and go to the door straight ahead and you will see your key and you’re all checked in.” and it was true. Right on the door was an envelope with our names on it and a jute bag (my new knitting bag) with all kinds of information about the area inside. But before we were even able to open the door we were greeted by a little furry house guest named Meadows. We were informed later that Meadows showed up one day and never left. She came right up to us and lied down and put her belly in the air begging for someone to pet her, by the way in case you were wondering, Meadows is a cat. 🙂 



We walked in the room and it was even better than we had expected. We had seen photos on the website and photos people had posted on Facebook but it really didn’t prepare us for seeing it in person. There was music playing on the television, there were a couple of lights on so that we could see if we had arrived after dark. There was a chalkboard welcome sign with our names on it and a single red rose right next to it, these items were placed on the gas burning fireplace that I so desperately wanted despite the fact that it was over 80 degrees out. 

There is quite possibly the most comfortable rocker recliner when you first walk in and you are greeted by a metal framed queen size bed that is very comfortable. There are night stands on either side and across the room was the largest small fridge I’ve ever seen. There is another leather chair next to that with the softest blanket known to man placed on the back. A small wooden drop front secretary desk with matching chair completes that side of the room. We had our own air conditioning unit in our room which made my husband happy because he is always hot. As you turn the corner of the space there were his and hers bathrobes hanging and there are some TV trays hidden in this corner as well in case you want to eat in the room. Along the last wall is a big wooden dresser/TV console with a flat screen TV on a swivel mount just above it. On this piece of furniture and the secretary desk there are flickering candles “burning” when you walk in. As a designer the decor in this room is perfect, it was themed but not in an overly dramatic way, the colors worked beautifully with the log walls and the whole place was like being wrapped in that insanely soft blanket on the back of the leather chair. 

As if the room wasn’t enough the bathroom was just as nice. The sink had a craftsman style vanity with a black granite top, wrought iron accessories and a corner shower. There were handmade soaps for us to use that smelled amazing and one was even shaped like a bear. The owners even supplied a first aid kit if needed which meant my overpacking went to waste. Also in case you are wondering there is a hair dryer under the sink as well. 

All the touches of home are thought of in this space but mixed in with things you would expect from a nice hotel; plush towels, robes, chocolates next to the bed. This is considered a bed and breakfast but it is an unconventional one in the fact that everyone has their own separate entrance and your breakfast is in your room when you arrive. In the basket on the fireplace and there were the most moist muffins/ cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had. There were also granola and breakfast bars as well as a giant orange and an apple. Under this were coffee, tea and hot chocolate assortments for the keurig. In the fridge were yogurts, cheese sticks, snapples, gatorade, and waters as well as small coffee creamers. Seriously they thought of everything. 


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Amazing Sunset

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Excuse Our Dinner Mess, Panoramic Of Back Deck


On the wall next to the small desk there is a door and I do believe it is a magical door because it leads to the private deck and not only to a private deck but also your own private two person hot tub. There are two wooden rocking chairs out there as well as a table with an umbrella. Our first night we arrived we quickly went down and got a pizza from town and got back so we could watch the sunset. It was remarkable. I grew up in the country so I am use to private land but I was not prepared for the view we got from this deck. Make it a point to be back in time to witness it, you won’t regret it. If you’re worried about dinner either wait or the book on the desk has suggestions of places that will deliver. 

When were ready for bed I noticed that next to our bed were two journals and a cute little carved wooden pen with a bear on it. I opened the books and realized that it was full of writing from people who had stayed in our room over the years. We started reading them and they are full of helpful tips, where to eat, things to do, trails to hike or ride bikes on, places in the little grand canyon (no we didn’t visit it this trip, we are camping here later this year and I will write about it then) and mostly people wrote about how wonderful the lodge was. I jokingly suggested to my husband that we should start a drinking game that whenever anyone said, “hot tub” or “relaxing” we should drink once and if they mentioned “steakhouse” we should drink twice. Since I very rarely drink I only sipped my drink and still only made it less than 15 pages before I was done. 🙂 



The day after our arrival we went into town. Please keep in mind that despite the fact that we think we saw one other couple at the other end of lodge and a couple of cars we had not seen anyone for sure other than Meadow who sat with us while we had dinner out on the deck. We drove down the hill into town and parked just before the park across from our dream house, a Midcentury modern ranch (if the owner of this house happens to read this we are sorry if you saw us drooling while staring at your house, if you ever decide you want to sell it to a lovely family for less than what I’m sure it’s worth please let me know). There was a relay for life event going on so we walked through the park, we also really wanted to see the fountain which is a representation of the Winkin Blinkin and Nod story. I feel like no matter where we went in town we were presented with beautiful landscaping, every house seemed immaculate. 



We decided to visit the local shops. When you check into the lodge you are given chamber bucks which you can use in certain shoppes and restaurants in town but mostly we just wanted to go and look around. There were some beautiful stores on main street. We visited with a stained glass maker who had stunning pieces.  One of our favorite shoppes was senior’s creations who did wood gifts and engraving. We got a wooden ornament for our Christmas tree as that is our tradition whenever we take a vacation. The owners were welcoming and pleasant and we talked with them for quite a while. Really everyone we met was so nice, even strangers said hello to us as we walked by, that’s something that you sadly don’t experience on a regular basis in other places. One of the most exciting stores for us was Pop’s Culture. As a fan of our local comic book store we knew were going to like this place. There were comic books, games, kids games, etc. We left with a Harry Potter Clue game and a few other things and this is actually where we ended up meeting the owner of Bear Meadows by chance. 🙂 


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The Wellsboro Diner


We left Pop’s and headed over to the Wellsboro Diner. As fans of vintage diners it was sort of a must for us. Their sandwiches are huge and we were stuffed when we left. There is something about being able to see the short order cook while you are waiting for your food that always fascinated me, I’ve loved places like this every since I was a kid. We left there and visited a very unique place called Enchanted Hollow that we found it very difficult not to spend our savings in, there were fairies and dragons and enchanted creatures everywhere. On the way back to our car we stopped into the Arcadia movie theater because my husband loves old movie theaters and as much as I wanted to watch the movie that was playing we knew our daughter would probably disown us because she wanted to see it so we decided to wait.

We went back to our room to hang out and I was so relaxed I actually took a nap. As a mom of two who firmly believes that if my kids are awake I’m awake I can’t remember the last time I took a nap in the middle of the day while healthy. 

After my nap we decided to go back into town for dinner. Thanks to the journals and some of the local shop owners we were given lots of suggestions and we decided to go to Timeless Destination, our waitress was funny and on the ball. The food was fantastic and affordable, make sure you go there hungry, I could only eat half of my dinner and I was stuffed. We decided to walk around town again to try to feel less huge after a great meal and then back up to the lodge. One of the highlights of our downtown walk happened on our way back to the car. There are two pianos on main street that are painted with bright colors and are there for anyone to play. There was a young man playing one while we were walking among all the people playing Pokemon Go and it was lovely. We stood and listed to him for a while, he was quite a talent. 


The Lodge At Night With The Sun Still Setting In The Background


Sadly the next day we had to check out. We took care of our room trying to make it as neat and easy to clean as possible because it felt like this was more of a friend’s home than a place to stay. I left a quick note on the chalkboard and said goodbye to Meadows. This was the first time we definitely saw any other patrons to the lodge and this was also when I met one of the Innkeepers who was by far one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. 

Bear Meadows Lodge is not your typical bed and breakfast, it is not your typical place to stay, it is so much more than that. It is a romantic getaway with your significant other, it place to spend your honeymoon or anniversary, a location to celebrate a special birthday, an abode to get away from it all. We truly felt like someone we knew offered us their cabin in the woods for a weekend for just the two of us to relax and take some much needed time for ourselves and after reading through the journals next to the bed we know we are not the only ones. As I said on the chalkboard message I wrote when we left, this place is magical. 

 

 

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