Sometimes you get lucky by being unlucky. We had planned to stay in Mountain View during the 2024 eclipse, but I waited too long to get a room. Everything was booked, forcing me to broaden my search to Calico Rock. That's when I discovered Calico Riverview Inn. Nothing against Mountain View, but I am so glad I couldn't find a room there.
Calico Rock is the perfect town for a relaxing visit, and Calico Riverview Inn is the perfect place to stay while you visit. It gave us a great springboard from which to visit the rest of the town, and its central location was easy to come back to multiple times a day, if needed.
And the breakfast... OMG, the breakfast. It was such a treat. Every morning of our 4-night stay we were treated to one of the best breakfasts of our lives, and every morning it was something different. We'd usually stay a while after we finished eating, talking with our fellow inn-mates. After the day was over, we'd go to sleep anticipating the next morning's delight.
Tracy, our innkeeper, was an excellent host. She took care of everything, including breakfast, in such a low-key, stressless manner. This is one of those things that's easy to forget about. You might not notice its presence, you would definitely notice its absence. So, thank you, Tracy.
The view from the inn needs to be mentioned. It's storybook beautiful. We knew we were in the right place even before going inside.
We stayed in room 5. It's an oversized room, complete with fridge, coffeemaker, and microwave. On the day of our arrival, there were no other guests, so we took a look at the other rooms that we could've chosen. They were different sizes and configurations, but all were equally delightful. I think we could've been happy in any of them, but I'm glad we chose the larger one.
Room 5 also has its own private porch. It's a huge porch with a beautiful view, but - truth be told - we never used it. We were too busy exploring the town, or visiting with the other guests on the common porches and grounds. I suspect we would've enjoyed it if we were faced with a rainy day and just felt like staying in.
We came to see the eclipse, but we fell in love with Calico Rock. Our visit - with both the town and the inn - was a wonderful experience. We'll definitely be back. read more