Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association

Speckled Hen Inn

The Speckled Hen Inn is located just outside the city of Madison and thus assures easy access to everything that this gem of a city has to offer. Fine restaurants, interesting bookstores, and the famous Dane County Farmer's market are only moments away. Yet, when you are seated in a lounge chair in the garden watching the baby lambs chase each other around the pasture, you would easily believe that you are miles from the lively pace of the city.

The Inn has four uniquely decorated guest rooms. Two of the rooms have fireplaces. Three rooms have whirlpool tubs and king-sized beds. All rooms are appointed in a manner that assures your comfort and relaxation. Hair dryers, silky-soft robes, and fine bath amenities are provided for guest use. All bed and bath linens are 100% cotton micro-fiber to pamper you and the environment. The Heywood Hardy Suite and the Starkweather Creek room have attached outdoor seating areas where you can relax at a cafe table and watch the wildlife and the sheep and llamas in the pasture. The Country Garden Room and The Rising Sun Room have window seats where you can snuggle in and watch the sheep graze or catch up your reading. All rooms also have TV's with DVD players and off switches to encourage conversation. But sometimes, for young parents with children at home, the luxury of watching something on TV without interruption is a priceless experience.

The multi-course breakfasts feature the finest and freshest ingredients skillfully prepared on-site by the owners who also tend the gardens, orchards, and flock of hens who produce a part of your breakfast. You probably will not need to make plans for lunch. Your hosts are happy to share recipes for the breakfast treats you want to share with the folks back home. Breakfast is served daily between the hours of 8:00 and 10:00 or at other times by special arrangement, in the lovely candle-lit dining room. Enjoy the owner's collection of glass stemware and the Dickens Village while you dine.
During the warm weather months, by special arrangement and for a slight additional charge, your breakfast may be delivered to the Gazebo in the center of the Japanese Garden. Your breakfast will be packed in Japanese Bento boxes and you may begin you day in absolute privacy.

The Speckled Hen Inn has spacious indoor areas for guests to enjoy. The Garden Lounge is the primary reception area. Here you will find all sorts of information to help you plan your time in the Madison area. There are maps of the city and the University of Wisconsin Campus, brochures from local and regional attractions, and a great collection of books about the area including restaurant guides, bike maps and books filled with fun facts and intersting history of the area. Information on hiking, birding, golf, and winery tours awaits the guests. There is even a lap-top computer in the room for guests to use. Links to favorite restaurants with their up-to-date menus, local newspapers, and the Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau are on the desktop. You can even check your email, if you must. There is also a little galley kitchen for guests use in the Garden Lounge. There is a refrigerator, microwave, and cook top in the guest kitchen as well as all the dinnerware and glassware you might need. Complimentary soft drinks, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, pretzels and microwave popcorn are always available. Guests are offered a complimentary glass of wine in the early evening and the Inn has a wine list with wines that are available for purchase at other times. The Garden Lounge has a piano for the musically talented and a cozy wood-burning stove for those who just enjoy listening or toasting a marshmallow for s'mores.

Just beyond the Garden Lounge is the Home Theatre. There is a projection TV with a 100" pull-down screen and a Bose sound system. The TV is connected to a satellite system and there is a nice collection of movies for guests to enjoy.

Upstairs, the library provides a quiet place to sit and read or enjoy quiet conversation. The hosts are happy to share their library of cooking and gardening books with their guests and they will also share their list of favorite Madison area bookstores, should you want to add to your own library. In the winter months the birds at the feeders on the balcony outside the library provide hours of entertainment.

Guests also enjoy strolling through the gardens and exploring the 50-acre estate. The Japanese garden features a large pond with a waterfall and hundreds of hosta plants. The cutting garden, surrounded by the classic white picket fence, produces cut-flowers for the Inn and herbs for the kitchen. The veggie garden down by the stable produces veggies and fruits that often find their way to the breakfast table and pumpkins for fall decoration. Watch the baby orchard mature and enjoy the fresh pears, cherries, berries, apples and hopefully peaches. The front yard features a cottage garden that may be enjoyed from the rainbow of rocking chairs on the front porch.

A little further away from the Inn are the wetland, woodlands and meadow that are home to an extensive array of wildlife. There are lots of deer and wild turkey. Raccoons may be seen at night trying to raid the hen-house. The estate is home to many birds including hawks, sandhill cranes, ducks, and songbirds. Two spring fed streams run through the property. The largest is Starkweather Creek that recharges Lake Monona as it flows into the lake at Olbrich Gardens. A grassy meadow is bordered by what was once a field of Christmas trees. The Pines are now over 30 feet tall and provide wonderful habitat for the wild creatures.

The Speckled Hen Inn is a great spot to use as a base when exploring Madison or the surrounding area. It is only 7.5 miles from the Inn to downtown Madison and the bus-stop is just down the hill from the entry. The Dane County Regional Airport is only 5 miles away. Easy access to the Interstate Highway system means that you can be on the ski slopes at Cascade Mountain or Devil's Head in less than an hour. The innkeepers have lived in the Madison area for more than 30 years and can direct you to the dining, recreation, or entertainment venue of your choice. They will be happy to make dinner reservations or reserve tee times at the many local golf courses for you.

So, whether you are a business traveler looking for a home away from home, a couple looking for a romantic retreat, a stressed out soul looking for a respite, or a person just looking for a different lodging experience, check out the Speckled Hen Inn.