The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast
Join Jennifer Beck as she reviews her stay at the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast!
Check it out here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0LqgRaGTPQ
and here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrAICA25rTk
and here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MiXyx7nwco
Admittedly, staying at a bed and breakfast is meant to be a relaxing getaway. And if that is what you are going for, this is not one of those places. But if having a personal one-of-a-kind experience is more your cup of tea, be sure to add the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast on your travel itinerary.
Nothing about a stay at this macabre destination is typical. The unremarkable building is seated just off the street in Fall River-a rather un-picturesque town known more for its industry and its port. Behind the house is a small parking lot and barnlike structure which currently houses a gift shop. It is also the base for tours and the front desk, of sorts.
Check-in occurs after 5p when the gift shop closes. Be sure to arrive on time to avoid any difficulties. The reception staff will have more time to show you around so long as you don’t try to check in at the same time as one of their tours. Tours occur most evenings and are an extra you can purchase with or without a stay.
The draw for this bed and breakfast is of course, it’s significance as the crime scene from the Borden murders. To that end, owners have left the building and many of the relics inside as authentic as possible. The furniture in the common areas are consistent with the period and updates and modernization has been kept to a minimum.
Fans of older homes will appreciate little quirks like this but visitors who are unaccustomed will need to pay closer attention. The programable key pads have a little trick to them as do some of the lights. Ask the staff before they leave if you don't want to spend a lot of time in the dark or on the porch.
Nor do the staff man the front desk at night. Aside from giving tours, no one stays around after dark so its very private. It also means you are on your own to solve any inconveniences. Most bed and breakfasts operate this way. If you want someone to bring you an extra toothpaste, stay at a Holiday Inn.
In the absence of staff, signs serve as the facility’s main source of information (like a sign in the bathroom instructing you how to shower without setting off the fire alarm-and getting a visit from the town's fire department.) Most of the plugs aren't grounded-so not really usable for many of the electronics people travel with. I was planning to ditch the laptop in favor of notebooks, but I had to charge my cellphone in my car.
One of the interesting features of the B&B is that the furnishings throughout the house, as well as in the individual rooms is arranged much as it would have appeared the fatal day of the incident. Visitors are encouraged to wander through the public areas, sit on some of the furniture, and even do seances, ghost hunt or take selfies with one of the popsicle stick masks they leave out for your use-if you are into that kind of thing.
Nearly everything is ala carte-including the optional breakfast. Between tours, souvenirs, and ghost-hunting equipment rental, there are lots of add-ons you can add to your experience and your bill if you choose. The ghost-hunting tours after dark make the guests a spectacle with tourists peering in windows and bedrooms occupied by paying guests. Never fear, they put out other signs for that too.
Guests are encouraged to ghost hunt and have a good time, but the operators rely on guests to use their own judgement and not be a knuckle head. So it can be a cool experience if you rent the entire home, but not ideal if you are cooped up with a bunch of unsupervised pre-teens. During our stay in Lizzie Borden’s bedroom, we shared the house with a couple young ladies staying in the attic and a handful of kids staying in the parent’s room next door. Their room shared a common wall with ours and they stayed up the entire evening trying to channel spirits on a Ouija board they made from a pizza box and shrieking at the top of their lungs at every noise they heard.
Let me tell you, there were no ghosts. There was no spectral activity of any kind. But there was a number of noises, creaks and groans that every house makes, old or new and those asshats shouted alarmedly at each and every one of them. By the end of the evening, I wasn’t sure who I wanted to smother with a pillow more-the kids or their sadistic parents that left them unattended. But judging by the paper-thin walls, I could certainly see why anybody in that house was predisposed to homicide.
Sleep deprivation aside, the bed and breakfast offers an experience like none other. Not only to journey back in time, but to see such a significant site for yourself.
My takeaway: be prepared and keep your stay short and sweet.
Just leave the kids at home.
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