Crossed Keys Inn
Andover
289 Pequest Road
(973-786-6661, crossedkeys.com)
Number of rooms: 5
Katherine Rodriguez and her husband, Celso, were looking to purchase a unique wedding venue in 1999 when they stumbled across the Crossed Keys Inn in Andover. With verdant meadows, English gardens, and magnificent mountain views, it’s no surprise the pair fell in love with the estate.
“We took it over because it was so beautiful and charming, and we knew that people would love it regardless if they were just coming for a weekend or if they were part of the wedding party,” says Katherine.
Crossed Keys has since become a popular venue for elegant garden weddings, yet the bed and breakfast is also a desirable location for just a weekend away.
Every morning, guests are treated to a country-style breakfast made by Katherine herself that includes homemade pastries, fresh local fruit, and gourmet entrees such as Mediterranean frittata, stuffed baked French toast, or blueberry pancakes.
Guests can snuggle up to the fireplaces in the living room and library; read on the sun porch or the deck overlooking the property; or relax under the shade of the many trees that dot the acreage.
Crossed Keys’ 13 acres boasts European French lilacs, European beech trees, magnolia trees, dogwood trees – even a 60-foot dawn redwood and a 150-year-old white oak tree. “Whoever planted the property 150 years ago had to have been a real arborist,” says Katherine.
A barn “playhouse” on the property is full of history: during its summer theater days, Groucho Marx, Mae West, and Charlie Chaplin kicked back there. Today, the playhouse is home to a pool table, shuffleboard, a piano, and couches.
Andover is known as a major antiquing area, but for those feeling adventurous, Crossed Keys is only half an hour from the Poconos for skiing and hiking, and the Delaware Water Gap for canoeing and rafting. Waterloo Village, a historic village just 15 minutes away, often holds concerts, wine festivals, poetry readings, and more.
Rates range from $135 a night for a room in the main house, to $185 a night for the cottage, March to November. The Inn is typically closed in the winter, and the warm months fill up quickly with weddings, so be sure to reserve early.