March & April Notes

Once again, we're left wondering how it is that weeks just fly by. To catch up a bit: March was fantastic! It started very slowly. Then just after we offered our Third Annual St Patty's Discount, things picked up and kept us very busy. Thank you to all of our "Irish" friends who stayed in March.

I think it's been said before but...April is my favorite month with all the flowers blooming, and grass and trees turning green. The aroma of the hyacinths is heavenly. The month is nearly over and the flowers are blooming everywhere. Our Cherry tree is all decked out in white petals, along with neighborhood Redbuds, Crabs and Dogwoods are just beginning to show blossoms. We have high hopes for the summer harvest of cherries, as we had not one single cherry mature last year. We'll look forward to baking them inside our signature muffins again this year!

As usual, there is a project (or 3) in the works. Our pond liner has come to the age of decay. These days, the material used for free-form ponds is much better than just 8 years ago. Unfortunately, we didn't have that material available when we built it in 2000, and have a leak or two in the liner. The sun and weather wreak havoc on such things. The rocks have been removed to expose the liner and the temporary pond is ready to hold the fish until the new liner is installed. We're hoping for the weather to cooperate so that the job can be done as soon as possible. Making the pond a bit bigger is on the to do list as well, and it is far too muddy now to dig. Certainly, the fish will appreciate their larger pond. An adjustment to the waterfall is in order as well. It should be even better when completed. We're also working on more landscaping changes/repairs. We have bushes to remove and things to plant. It will be rewarding next spring to see the result.

April occupancy has been very good. We'd like to thank all of our April guests for being a part of that success. To those whom we have not yet met, and former guests as well -- Don't miss out on some discounted rates for Last Minute reservations. Our Spring Special is soon to come to an end. Make your reservations for April dates and check to see what your discount may be. Only FIVE days left (4/25). Just click below.

It's Spring!! Click for special

Happy Spring!
Judy & Norm

The Love Month

First, I apologize for not posting in January. After returning from a wonderful family visit over Christmas, I have been completely immersed in winter projects inside, and simply forgot to update the blog. Now into our ninth year in business, we can surely say we've had better January occupancy. Weather was brutal, as it warmed and froze, snowed, rained and hailed on us here in Missouri. Not to mention, that surrounding states were battered with cold, ice and enormous amounts of the white flaky stuff. To those who braved the weather and found us in January, Thank You for choosing us. Now that we've survived January, we've moved into February and Valentine's Day is once again a thing of the past. However...

Not that we don't practice Love all year long, but February is "Love" month, and we extend that into mid March. To celebrate Love month here at Reagan's Queen Anne, as always our weekday rates are discounted, and until March 15, 2008, our weekend rates are generously discounted as well. Plus, to celebrate "Love" month, we offer a discount on top of a discount. So for all you romantics out there (yes, you who forgot Valentine's day too and need to get out of the dog house!), make a reservation to treat that special someone in your life. Our discounted room rates are the lowest of the year right now, when taking advantage of our double discount. The savings in room rates provides the incentive for you to add that "Sweetheart Special" as an extra nice gift to your loved one. Not to worry, if you use our Last Minute Special and book the day before or day of your stay...we'll waive the 3 day notice for Sweetheart Specials. Click the following and book your stay. We hope to meet you soon!!
Click Here for Last Minute Specials !!

The Last month of 2007...

Yes, the last month of 2007 is a reality. We thought it would never get here...just kidding. As stated in our blog entry for November, this year has sped by quickly enough to give us whiplash! We've hosted several wonderful guests this month and are thankful that our weather held out. The departing guests Sunday (12/9), wondered if they'd be sliding down our hills on their way out of town, as we we're hit with ice overnight. Thankfully, they all made it home safely. Hopefully the warmer weather we're expecting this week will materialze. Just a bit of sunshine would help a lot.

As promised, we're including the info about The Shepherd's Tale. This performance is something that every person who loves the story of Christ needs to see. Hannibal's own-Richard Garey, portrays the shepherd Esrom in full shepherd attire, on the stage in the Planter's Barn Theatre. Esrom will draw you into his world and have the audience feeling as if they are walking along with him in the Judean hills. Click the following link to gain more information about the show. http://heritagestage.com/shepherd.html Be sure to read the reviews. This truly is a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of Christ. It is the Christmas story as never told before. So plan your trip to Hannibal before Christmas to see this wonderful performance.

Make your reservations now, as space is limited. We have over-night openings for 12/20, 21, 22 or 23. This old girl is dolled up for the holidays, and we'd love for you to come enjoy the festive decor. We hope to see you before the end of the year, but if not, be sure to come visit us here in America's Hometown in 2008! Blessings to you and yours. Happy Holidays! Judy & Norm

Seems as if November passed us by...

November 2007...it seems was the fastest month of our lives. Certainly the massive amounts of exterior work we did this year were a factor in time passing quickly here, but we are so glad that our big construction projects and much of our painting is finished. We still have the west and north walls and porch ceiling to paint, but overall we're happy with what we accomplished. Since our painter was missing in action, we did all of our work ourselves this year. We both recognize that we're happy we didn't choose to be painters as a profession, but we'd certainly do a neater job and be more reliable than and ours has been.

On several occasions, we found ourselves saying that we wondered where the year had gone. Then November flew by with warp speed. My how time flies when you're having fun! This has been a wonderful year once again, and we thank our guests for being a part of that. To all whom have stayed with us, and to all who will come in the future, we appreciate you!! Two-thousand seven is close to becoming our best year since we began innkeeping. And...in November, we are thankful for all those who have made it possible. With good numbers in gift certificate sales, our year will be our best since our inception. We're hoping for a great December!! Next month's blog will offer links to information about our Christmas Show in Hannibal. The Shepherd's Tale is a "Must See"!! We have openings on December 19, 20, 21 & 22 only. Give us a call or book online. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Hannibal in October

The photo was taken in 2005 in Riverside Cemetery. Colors rival and exceed this in October. Since October is our busiest month of the year, why not make your reservation now? As promised in an earlier blog, it's soon time for our rates to go up just a bit, to help us offset the 40% increase in our energy expenses over the past 3 years. We have not raised prices for over 4 years, but we knew it would come eventually. If you know you'll be coming in October of next year, make your reservation now and mention that you saw this post. We will book you at 2007 prices! Don't delay. After prices change in April, it will be too late to get the discount.

We'll await your email or call!! Click the following link and Email to: stay@reagansqueenanne.com, or call us toll free: (888)221-1251.

A September to Remember!

September follows suit with August in being our best September in eight years. THANK YOU to all September guests who helped make it possible!! Our hard work and superb occupancy earned us a mini-vacation, and we welcomed the opportunity to take a couple days off in late September. Since Judy is a NASCAR fan, Norm decided that a great birthday gift would be to take her to Kansas Speedway to enjoy the race. We stayed at a wonderful B&B in Leavenworth for 2 nights and attended the race on Sunday. Being in the first row just past the finish line was a superb place to watch, feel and smell the NASCAR experience.

Though our A/C took a nose dive in August, it's all functioning at 100% once again. It's a good thing, considering the extraordinary weather October has offered! Finally, this morning the temps dropped a bit, and it is a beautiful autumn day. We're looking forward to the color of the leaves evolving very soon. Some color is showing now, but by the time our Fall Folklife Festival is in full swing, there should be plenty of vibrant colors to enjoy. Since we have very limited vacancy for weekends in October, don't delay in booking your weekday getaway while you can still enjoy the colorful trees before the leaves drop. If you want to lock in this year's prices for weekends next October (2008), we can certainly book you now for the "Leaf Peeper" season next year. Remember that our Fall Folk Life Festival is the 17th & 18th of October next year.

You can still come to enjoy the festival this year 10/20 & 21, but premier lodging is impossible to find at this late date. Come to Hannibal October 20th or 21st, stop by to make your reservation, and we'll gladly give you a tour of the main level of our Victorian Queen. You truly do deserve to book an October weekday (with year round discounted pricing), drive to Hannibal and enjoy the colorful foliage, tour our quaint town, relax in our Victorian Queen, enjoy a restful slumber, and a delicious breakfast served by Judy and Norm. Maybe your entree du jour will be Judy's well received Apple French Toast with Cider syrup, or our signature Crustless Quiche, or maybe a guest favorite "Queen's French Toast Marmalade".

We currently have limited availability on the 26th & 27th, and some Sundays have good availability as well. Just call to check for open rooms on those days. Again, if you want to enjoy the festival next year, make reservations EARLY, or right now if you prefer!! Just follow the link to our website and book online, or give us a call. Hannibal is a wonderful place to come during autumn. A perfect way to enjoy the autumn blessings of nature, is to travel the roadways leading to the land of Mark Twain, and enjoy the magnificence of the autumn color palate. http://www.reagansqueenanne.com/. We'd love to meet you!

Oooooops...JINXED!

August began HOT and became even HOTTER...what a month!! And we must have jinxed ourselves, because our main central a/c unit (for guest rooms) bit the dust during the hottest part of the month. We closed 3 of our rooms for over a week, while we waited for a new air handler. We improvised, and put window units in 2 rooms so we were not completely out of business. Thankfully, guests with window units in their rooms, were cool as cucumbers in spite of our sweltering 2nd floor hallway. Not withstanding hot temps and sauna hot empty rooms, plus a "grandma" vacation of almost a week for Judy late in the month, we broke our record for all previous Augusts. We'd like to offer our August guests a great BIG THANK YOU, for our best August in 8 years.

The hummingbirds are absolutely crazy this time of year. The young ones born here this summer are such fun to watch. We have more than a dozen birds at our feeders this year and they are a constant entertainment for those who venture to the veranda. Our spring bedding annuals have seen better days due to the lengthy heat wave, but our mums and hibiscus are filling in the voids nicely. Some of the late impatiens have survived well, and the mandevilla is beautiful as usual. We've also seen a fair share of rain and our grass is once again green.

We've been saying "where has the year gone" for months, but now it's really hitting us. September has arrived and soon the leaves will be blowing around. We're just hoping that the snow holds off for a looooooooong time!! We never look forward to the departure of the hummers, but they too will soon begin to migrate to their winter abodes. Be sure to check out our Autumn page on our homepage. We post local photos from spots around Hannibal and the autumn leaves are stunning. We'd love to accommodate you this autumn. Leaves begin to show color changes in early October. Since October weekends are nearly full, don't delay in reserving your favorite room. Or if you can come during the week, there are plenty of choices, and we discount weekdays year 'round!

We look forward to greeting you at the door of Reagan's Queen Anne.

Fantastic June!!

First of all, we're thankful for the absolutely perfect weather we've had this summer. It has allowed us to keep our rates the same as they've been for over three years. With rates for energy taking a gigantic Calaveras County Bullfrog leap recently, we're resigned to the fact that it's going to happen eventually so we can keep the boat afloat. We also want to thank all of our wonderful guests who helped to make June our best in eight years.

We have some fantastic news. Hannibal's own, Mark Twain HIMSELF, is running for President in 2008!! Check out his website: www.marktwainforpresident.com. This is the same Mark Twain who entertains our guests on a regular basis during scheduled "Breakfast with Mark Twain Experiences". You may see him soon on CNN news and ABC Family and the Travel Channel!! There is another bit of very exciting news we are itching to share, but we're sworn to secrecy for a bit. We'll let you in on the secret as soon as possible. Let's just say that it will certainly put Hannibal on the map of the USA, when things in the works come to completion.

As mentioned in May, the flowers indeed are blooming and have added to the serenity of the veranda and back yard. Our front and side yard is in stages of redesign. Judy is anxious to see it to completion as soon as possible and works every chance she gets a bit of time off from the inside duties. The mosquitoes are wicked this year!! We're heavily supplied with Citronella candles, so don't worry about enjoying the veranda in the early afternoon and evening. We'll take care of you! With the mini drought, our pretty green grass has been fading, so this is the perfect time to rework the ground for more perennials and ground cover. Now the chore will be to keep them watered and protected from the summer heat, which arrived "on time" today-July Fourth, just in time for the prime activities Hannibal celebrates each year as we host National Tom Sawyer Days.

It truly felt like summer today!! YES! We have three central a/c units to keep this 5200 sq foot mansion cool in the summer. We hope to meet you in the future! Give us a call to schedule your stay.