GENTRY -- A Siloam Springs couple recently reopened a bed and breakfast in a three-story Victorian-style home, just south of Gentry.
Apple Crest Inn includes five theme rooms and a carriage house suite. The home at 12758 Arkansas Highway 59 was built in 1998.
Terry and Diann Meythaler are its new owners.
"We've always wanted to have a bed and breakfast," Terry said.
Diann said they were involved in foster care for several years. "We do like hospitality," she said.
Terry said he felt that the Lord wanted them to have the inn. They moved into the inn in September. It had been closed for two or three years.
Some of those who have stayed at the inn include fairly newlyweds and couples, Diann said.
Two couples who stayed for Valentines Day were the first customers to stay overnight at the inn since they purchased it.
A woman who stayed there for Mother's Day "felt like a princess," Diann said.
Church staff hosted a retreat there. A group hosted Christmas dinner there. A wedding reception is planned there for July. A bride and bridesmaids have stayed there.
There are not a lot of other options for overnight accommodations in Gentry, Terry said.
Terry is a member of Crisis Response Unit, and Crisis Response International hosted a summit at Camp Siloam. Leaders and trainers stayed at the inn during the summit.
Rates run between $85 and $125 per night. This includes breakfast.
Check in is by 3 p.m., and check out is 11 a.m. They will work with people on this if needed.
Breakfast is served at 8 a.m. However, some guests had asked for a brunch instead of breakfast. The guests had a brunch at 10 a.m. instead of a breakfast.
For breakfast, Diann's cooked French toast, egg omelets, cheesy potatoes and waffles. Terry also said yogurt, fruits and cereals are some other breakfast items that are served.
"Coffee is always available," Diann said.
Baby and wedding showers and meetings can be hosted at the inn. "We can make a lunch," Diann said.
If someone were to rent a room for a month, the person would not have to pay sales tax.
They kept the same phone number as the inn's original owners: 479-736-8201. The inn also has a Facebook page.
"We're working on a website," Diann said.
The inn is open 24 hours, but rooms should be reserved for the night preferably before 9 p.m.
The Meythalers live on the lower floor, below the first floor.
They are planning to expand the covered deck into the back yard and also include a pergola. Diann envisions a wedding taking place on the deck with the bride walking into the ceremony from the inn. A gazebo also is in the back yard.
The home includes a formal dining room, a dining and kitchen area, another dining room and a half bathroom on the first floor. There is also a parlor with a fireplace, chandelier and plenty of seating. Guests are welcome to use the parlor and kitchen area.
A meeting room is also on the first floor. It includes 50 chairs, a podium, a sound system and a vintage pump organ. A full bathroom with a jet tub is adjacent to the meeting room. The first floor has seven doors to the outside.
The inn has four fireplaces. Some are wood burning and some are gas stoves.
A generator is on site for backup power.
Each room has its own bathroom, closet and thermostat. Furniture, beds and fixtures in the inn were purchased or brought in by the Meythalers. The original flooring, wallpaper and larger fixtures such as chandeliers remain intact.
The Safari Room includes a king bed. Items from India decorate the walls. The bathroom includes a jet tub.
The Orchard Room includes a queen bed and a claw-foot tub.
The Blue Room has a queen bed and a ceiling that extends up into the turret of the inn. Its bathroom is nearly the size of the bedroom and includes a rain shower and a jet tub.
The Rose Room has two full beds and a claw-foot tub.
The Camelot Room has a shower and jet tub and a full bed.
Adjacent to the home is a two-story carriage house. The first floor is a four-car garage. An apartment is on the second floor. It has a kitchen, living area, bedroom and bathroom.
Near the carriage house is a garden in which they are growing fruits and vegetables. Diann said they had lived in Wisconsin where they used to grow rhubarb. Now, they are growing it in the garden.
In November, Terry had open heart surgery. He is recovering. Two months after the surgery, he installed a kitchen in the lower floor of the home where they live.
The Meythalers moved to the Siloam Springs area from St. Louis, Mo., in 1994. They lived in Missouri since 1978. Before that, they had farmed in Wisconsin.
Their oldest son, Kevin, attended John Brown University between 1990 and 1996.
Terry said he took a position as a grounds keeper at JBU. He also worked at DaySpring for eight years.
Diann recently retired from Wasson Funeral Home. She worked there for 12 years.
The Meythalers have been married for 44 years. They have six children and 15 grandchildren.
And they have Riley, a Maltese. If guests have pets, they are asked to use a dog boarding business, just north of the inn. A natural foods store is across from the inn. It sells baked goods such as turnovers and cinnamon rolls.
General News on 06/18/2014