About three years ago C.J. Browning took a wrong
turn while driving on Alabama Road in Ruston Louisiana. The turn led her down
to The Lewis House where she fell in love. The Lewis House is on the National
Register of Historic Places and is truly a diamond in the rough. When you are
traveling through Louisiana get to know the northeast corner and make a trip to
Rustin to see C.J. Browning and the Lewis House Bed and Breakfast.
Walking in to The Lewis House Bed and Breakfast the first room my wife and I
entered was the beautiful foyer turned gift shop. C.J. Browning sells all the
accoutrements you would expect in a Victorian home so that you can take home
specials pieces of your stay. In the gift shop at The Lewis House you will find
Duckhouse Heirloom Dolls, Carol Wilson Fine Arts Stationary, Victorian boot
lamps and Godinger Silver brushes, mirrors and accessories.
We were led up to our room to get settled as our
hostess prepared a tea service with sweet tea and cookies in the dining room.
My wife and I stayed in the Majestic Suite at the top of the grand staircase.
This suite at The Lewis House was very dark and romantic with burgundy walls,
dark toile curtains and powerful Queen Anne style furniture in deep tones. The
bathroom was private and attached and very massive. The bathroom was formerly a
porch that the Lewis Family had converted which explains the baths soaring
ceilings, five full windows and elegant claw foot tub. If you are staying here
on your honeymoon or anniversary make sure to ask C.J. to have a milk bath
ready for you so you can let the stress fall away and the romance envelop you.
The night that we stayed at The Lewis House we
were the only guests, as it was a weekday and not the usual hustle and bustle
of the weekend with Tea Parties and Dinner Parties coming through. C.J.
Browning is on the city council a few towns away and has yet to make the move
to Ruston. She explained to us that she would love to live in Ruston, a town
she loves so much, but may not live at the house because there is not a room
that she could bear to loose for herself, "the rooms are all too beautiful
and unique to sacrifice." We were lucky enough to have the run of the
house.
The kitchen is a room that you do not often get
to see when you visit a bed and breakfast but I am thankful for the opportunity
that we were blessed with this night in Ruston at The Lewis House. The kitchen
has all the original metal cabinets from the previous owners as well as the
black and white tile floor. It was so nice for this road weary traveler to be
able to sit in the quiet blue hued dining room and write and yet be able to get
up for a quick walk to the kitchen for a bottle of water, some tea or a quick
micro waved snack.
After a nice quiet night that my wife and I were
able to have at The Lewis House we were awakened from our slumber with smell of
fresh breakfast being cooked up by C.J. Browning at 8:00am in the kitchen I had
become so fond of. For breakfast we had eggs, grits, grapes, sausage and
biscuits. It was lovely to talk with C.J. and find out more about the renovation
process and how all the original fireplaces, cabinets and some chandeliers are
all in place, her love for the town and people of Ruston as well as just to
soak up her southern charm.
The Lewis House Bed and Breakfast in Ruston,
Louisiana is a home full of love. From the Tea Parties and Dinner Parties to
the folks who spend the night C.J. Browning pays close attention to each detail
and makes sure that nothing has been missed. Take some time out and step back
into a simpler time, spend some time with a gracious host and spend some time
with someone you love at The Lewis House Bed and Breakfast in Ruston,
Louisiana.
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