Central Illinois Bed and Breakfast the Market Street Inn

Visit the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield

The Dana-Thomas House is a short drive from our Taylorville Illinois inn. Devotees of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural style travel all around the country to visit his buildings, and we are fortunate to have such a stellar example of his work so close to home.

The Dana-Thomas House is a renovation of an existing home. The Lawrence family, of Springfield Illinois, hired Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902 to renovate their home and create a showcase as well. By the time the work was complete two years later, the original Italianate style Victorian was entirely engulfed by the new structure. From the outset, it was recognized as “a symbol of artistic and architectural excellence” and today it is still considered “the finest example of the creativity and uniqueness characteristic of the Prairie School of Architecture” (quotes from Governor James R. Thompson, 1983).

The Dana-Thomas House is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, from 9am to 4pm. Fill your tummy with a delicious home-made breakfast at our Springfield area inn, and then head out for a fascinating tour.

Throw your heart into the game, even if you are just watching.

Baseball season is underway. Fans gather around televisions, listen to radios, and fill stadiums in pursuit of this great American past time. The porch of our bed and breakfast in Taylorville Il is the perfectly spot to enjoy a pitcher of lemonade, a bowl of nuts, and the lulling voice of the announcer giving the play-by-play. Outdated, some might say, in this age of television. We have t.v., too, but sometimes it is worth revisiting old pleasures.

The front porch or the parlor chair in front of the television might just be as close as one can get to a major league baseball game here in Taylorville Illinois, but the spirit of the game is alive and well in the area nonetheless. Just a few miles up the road from our Central Illinois bed and breakfast is the B-R-S Baseball Museum. If you are a baseball fan, this museum is a lovely way to pass an hour or two while you are staying with us.

The Nokomis area of Central Illinois has produced many excellent baseball players; three of them not only made it to the big league, they made it the Hall of Fame: “Sunny” Jim Bottomley, Charles “Red” Ruffing and Ray Schalk. This museum is dedicated to them. Whether you are visiting the Springfield Illinois area for business or pleasure, if you have a spare hour, check out the B-R-S Museum.

Enjoy a glass of wine on Market Street

Summer can be hot, and it is lovely to drink a cooling glass of chilled white wine when you are hot. Right down the street from our bed and breakfast near Springfield Illinois is the Market Street Wine Co., where there will be wine tasting on Saturday, August 1 from 2 – 4 pm. Owners Tim and Robbie Hamel are friendly and knowledgable hosts. We hope you’ll stop by and visit with them while staying at our Central Illinois bed and breakfast.

See Great Livestock at the Christian County Fair

This week, guests at our Central Illinois Bed and Breakfast will be able to attend the Christian County Agricultural Fair, hosted at the fairgrounds from July 7 – 15. The Fair is a meeting place for people from all walks of life, especially folks who live and work miles from any city. For them, this is an opportunity to learn about new products and techniques, and to swap tales with people in the same line of work. For city-dwellers, this event provides a rare glimpse into American agricultural/rural life. How often do folks from Chicago or St. Louis get to watch bull riding and tractor pull competitions? This is a great opportunity to learn about where our food comes from. What makes a prize-winning pig prize-winning? What characteristics do people look for in their beef cattle and dairy cows? The livestock shows are fascinating when you consider these questions.

Our Taylorville Illinois Bed and Breakfast is the perfect place to stay while you attend or participate in the Christian County Agricultural Fair; we are located just twelve blocks away from the fairgrounds. Fill up on a tasty homemade breakfast before heading out for the day, and share your experiences during our social hour over complimentary wine, beer and cheese after you return. We look forward to seeing you at our Victorian Bed and Breakfast in Central Illinois.

Looking forward to Taylorville's Garden Walk

Taylorville’s thirteenth annual Garden Walk is June 21, from 8 am to 4 pm. This year’s theme is  “Legends and Lace,” and it will take place rain or shine. The price of admission entitles guests to a free plant, a garden hat, complimentary tea at Hickory Estates all day, and entry into flower arranging contests.

Highlights this year are: “Lilies of the Field”, a double wide garden filled with 600 varieties of lilies; a high-profile vegetable garden on a high-traffic corner; a container garden at an apartment building; river rock lined garden beds filled with a wide variety of perennials; and more than one garden with a water feature. A “red Angus burger farmhouse lunch” will be served from 10 – 1 at the Christian County Farm Bureau, so bring your appetite.

We are really looking forward to the garden walk at our Central Illinois bed and breakfast. It is always fun to see what members of our community are up to in their gardens. There is always at least one garden that is unknown to us, hidden away somewhere and full of delights; and we always enjoy hearing about what guests of our Illinois bed and breakfast have discovered during the Garden Walk.

Fresh Produce at the Taylorville Farmers Market

Farmers Markets are experiencing a resurgence in America as people become more and more aware that locally grown food tastes good. But traditionally, market days provide more than fresh produce; they showcase locally produced crafts ranging from candles to furniture to clothing; they offer food booths and baked goods; and they bring the community together with outdoor music.

Perhaps it is the music that creates such a celebratory air at the market. Shopping to music must feel good, or supermarkets wouldn’t bother piping it through their speakers. But live music feels as fresh as the carrots grown at the local farm. Listening to it feels as good as it feels to eat eggs hatched this morning.

This Saturday, June 6, the Illinois Heartland Brass Band will be at the Taylorville Market on the Square. Saturday, June 20, The Dixie Daredevils, a traditional jazz band from Peoria, will take the stage as part of the Great American Music Series. So plan a couple of Illinois weekend getaways to Taylorville, sashay through the market, and let your feet dance while you shop. It will feel good.

Our Victorian Bed and Breakfast in Taylorville is close to Springfield but feels far removed from the bustle of the city. This June, come stroll through the market, eat fresh food, and listen to good music.

Phatnoiz in Taylorville on May 30

The Taylorville Main Street Association is presenting a number of great activities here in Taylorville, less than 30 miles southeast of Springfield, Illinois. Come check out Barbecue, Blues & Cruise on June 4th & 5th at the Christian County Fairgrounds. Friday evening (no admission charge) from 5 to 10 PM “Talk to the BBQ Pros” and enjoy the Michelle Merker Memorial Concert.  Saturday ($5 admission)  From 10 am until 10:00 pm folks will be engaged in a Kansas City Bar-B-Q cook off, an Iron Chef competition and a Backyard grillers competition. While some folks cook and others taste, still others will be enjoying fantastic blues music from Big Babe Martin and the Chump Change Blues Band and The Manhattan Project.  

Start your day with a trip to the Farmer’s Market on the east side of Taylorville Square and pack a picnic, or enjoy good food from local vendors, and plan to make a day of it.  Also on the Square will be “Art On the Square”, a juried art fair which features beautiful paintings and sculpture and jewelry.

As if cook-offs and blues music aren’t enough, there will also be a Car and Bike Cruise and Show. This is guaranteed to be fun for vehicle aficionados of all ages. Taylorville is a perfect spot for Illinois Weekend Getaways. Come stay with us at our Central Illinois bed and breakfast and enjoy the Taylorville Main Street Association’s BBQ, Blues and Cruise on June 4th & 5th.

The Planets, Springfield Illinois

Here at the Market Street Inn we’re less than 30 miles away from Springfield, Illinois. That convenient location allows our guests to take advantage of the many cultural events that Springfield has to offer, while still enjoying a quiet getaway at Taylorville Illinois hotels.

Saturday, May 2, music and astronomy lovers alike will have a real treat when the Illinois Symphony presents “The Planets”. This is part of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s Masterworks Series, which “offers exquisite playing by professional musicians from Central Illinois and beyond along with world class guest artists.” Also according to the Sympony’s website, “The Planets and percussion take center stage… For the season finale our own David Collier shows us what it takes to play eight timpani. Afterwards the orchestra will propel you into outer-space with a multimedia performance of The Planets, featuring Realtime 3D Interactive Video Animation of our Solar System projected over the orchestra. This is a concert for seasoned music lovers as well as for those who have never attended a symphony concert.”

Consider staying at our bed and breakfast Illinois this weekend and attending the symphony in nearby Springfield. The concert and the NASA footage is guaranteed to rock your world.

Are you looking for a great place to get away from the hustle & bustle of the city for a quiet weekend? Consider our Springfield IL lodging, less than 30 minutes from the capitol building and the Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum.

Moreover, Taylorville has it’s own quaint energy, which makes it a pleasant place to visit year-round! The small-town aura of Taylorville gives the traveler the authentic sense of what it was like 100 years ago in Lincolnland. We have a rich historical heritage we look forward to sharing with you.

The Lilac Room

We have several great rooms to match your romantic desires: For example, our Lilac Room is on the second story of our Springfield IL bed and breakfast. It has a lovely gas-burning stove and a whirlpool tub for two in it’s private bathroom. It’s nightly rate is a bargain at $150 a night! This includes a full breakfast in the morning and our social hour with food and drink in the evenings.

We have a wonderfully inviting wrap-around porch, great for lounging with a drink in the summer, or holding a hot cup of cocoa or tea in the chiller times of year. Bring your favorite outdoor tool: your bike for exploring the Lincoln Prairie Trail, or maybe your clubs to take advantage of our amazing Illinois Golf Vacation packages. Whatever your fancy is, we want to provide you with the best possible lodging experience that will keep you coming back to visit soon!