When you go to High Hampton Inn, you’re going to hear three distinct sounds: laughter, the clanging dinner bell, and silence. The laughter is from groups of children splashing around in the lake or from golfers coming off the green — their laughter punctuated by witty comments and slaps on the back. The ringing bell announces lunch and dinner and is followed by the crunch of gravel paths as everyone converges on the dining room, half-starved from hikes, swims, and golf games. Then there is the silence.
High Hampton Inn has managed to maintain the traditional appearance of the Inn — most of the North American Chestnut bark (now an extinct chestnut variety) is still intact on the Inn — and the integrity of the resort as well. Guests will not find telephones or televisions in their cabins and cell phone service is hard to find on the mountain. What guests will find are staff members that treat you like family, a peaceful spa, award winning gardens, good food, and the carefree comfort you thought you could only have at an old friend’s home. When you’re here, everything in the outside world seems to cease to exist, which means you’re free to genuinely enjoy the company of your friends and family without distraction.
If you have never visited High Hampton Inn, now is the time to start planning your next vacation. After all, there is something to be said for an establishment which has been perfecting their traditions for nearly a century.
High Hampton Inn Traditions
Feeling a little hungry before bed? No worries. The kitchen serves warm cookies and milk every night at 9:30-10:30pm.
If you catch a whale of a fish, don’t throw it back; the chef will prepare it fresh for your dinner.
Have you ever seen a miniature donkey? High Hampton Inn has two—Fred and Ed.
Pick up apples and carrots at the kitchen and give them a snack, or enjoy a hayride with these two.
Men, don’t forget your suit and tie. Ladies, pack your heels. Dinner at the Inn is always a fancy affair.
A new tradition at the Inn is the invasion of the llamas during the summer. These guys help out during guided hikes in the mountains and even substitute as golf caddies on the green.
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251.405.5040 • fortcondeinn.com
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662.286.3325 • thegeneralsquarters.com
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888.836.1105 • hendersonparkinn.com
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770.834.9149 • 866.447.8688 • Historicbanningmills.com
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Malaga Inn: Mobile, Alabama
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Mentone Springs Hotel: Mentone, Alabama
256.634.4040 • [email protected].
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Monmouth Plantation: Natchez, Mississippi
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800.678.8946 • historichotels.org
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256.635.6381
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text by Cassandra Ramos Lenard
So how did this newly formed firm gain such notoriety? Apocryphal stories abound. Descendants of Charles and Margaret DeBardeleben pass on the family legend that Charles, president of Auburn predecessor Alabama Polytechnic Institute’s Alumni Association, commissioned the firm to design his own sandstone Cotswold cottage in hopes of persuading the college’s board to hire the three architects who had joined forces the year before. Met with success, Warren Knight and Davis became the primary designers of structures built at Auburn from the 1920s through the 1940s.
Involved, like DeBardeleben, in Birmingham’s early industry, Thomas Benners, Sr., and his son Thomas Jr., also asked Warren Knight and Davis to create Tudor Revival homes on the crest of Red Mountain in 1922. The younger Benners and wife Margaret’s home is styled as a traditional English cottage with characteristic steep cross gables, arched doors, and dormer windows. .png)
John Eayres Davis graduated from the first Alabama Polytechnic’s Architecture program in 1911.
1 Blueberries + Strawberries A blueberry bush underplanted with strawberries gives you vertical and trailing growth, says Jon. This combination of berries will bear fruit from spring to early summer, and will also provide a beautiful mix of bright colors perfect for the season.
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This 70’s ranch-style house had been unoccupied for several years. The renovation consisted of completely demolishing the interior, and three additions to the floor plan caused a complete re-configuration of the roof line. These additions took an outdated structure from mid-20th century drab to a refined home with 21st century amenities. 1, 200 square feet were added to the house in four areas: Garage, Master Suite, Office and Potting Room. Everything in this house was custom designed by the homeowner and builder. The kitchen has been renovated with a butt-join 1×6 ceiling, silver travertine floors, countertops in a rare granite with marble back splashes, and updated with Wolf appliances and Sub-Zero refrigerator. Custom cabinets were created by Cantley and Company. The main level flooring of the house is all reclaimed barn wood, as well as antique beams on the ceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the covered porch. The ceiling of the porch is mushroom board, hemlock reclaimed from Amish mushroom barns. The master bath is all marble with a large walk-in closet..jpg)
This 3, 000 square foot colonial style home was in need of a major face lift. A complete demolition, upgrades of electrical, plumbing and HVAC, and 2, 500 square foot addition of family room, screened porch and garage was the perfect solution for this growing family of six. The kitchen includes custom cabinets, marble countertops with subway tile back splash. The 2, 500 square foot addition includes a two-car garage with an ample sized family room. French doors leading to a screened-in porch creates a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere. Reclaimed wood was used for the flooring in the home. Topped off with new landscaping throughout the entire lot gives this home just the right amount of causal elegance..jpg)
When we are referred a client, we consider it a compliment to a job well done. When the owner of Beth Singletary Interiors, a decorator we have worked with on multiple projects asked us to create a master suite retreat, we considered it the ultimate compliment. These empty nesters had a desire to open up their master bathroom and create a separate dressing room off the bedroom. The owner wanted a seamless flow and look from the bedroom to the dressing room so it would feel like an extension of the room and not a walk in closet. In order to achieve this, a wall was opened up and the study next to the master bedroom was converted into a dressing room with custom cabinetry and antiqued mirrors. The bathroom was gutted, removing all interior walls to create an open footprint allowing for a separate shower and drop in tub with opposing his and her vanities. Travertine and Crema Marfil marble was used throughout, and the weathered oak vanities create a nice contrast to the neutral stone..jpg)
This newlywed couple bought their first home and wanted to make it their own. The first priority was to open up the kitchen into the adjacent dining and family rooms. The entire kitchen was gutted and the openings between the other two rooms were enlarged and new wood flooring was added. New cabinets, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops created an updated feel in the 1970s ranch-style home. They were able to check off the items on their wish list, such as added pantry storage while at the same time eliminating the walls that had separated the spaces. The kitchen even seems more open to the outside areas of the back deck and the screened-in porch.
This family spent 18 years making major additions and improvements. In this improvement, the dining wall was partially removed to create a peninsula space into the kitchen, while creating the new focal point of the cooktop and vent hood. The partial wall removal, new wood-look, porcelain tile floors and new windows set a nice background for the inset cabinets which were stacked to the nine-foot-high ceiling. The copper band on the massive wood hood was commissioned by a local artist and complements the accent tiles in the backsplash. The base cabinets are a rich, cherry wood, while the wall and tall cabinets are painted a soft mushroom color to match the exterior, topped with quartz countertops and crackle-glazed backsplash tile.
The kitchen was not only outdated, but the house was built in the 1980s and had a builder-grade thermafoil cabinet. This is a million-dollar home on Lake Martin and the primary residence for this retired couple. We gutted the kitchen and refinished the hardwood floors with multiple finish coats to protect the floors from living on the lake. The design of the original kitchen was tight and cramped. With the peninsula sticking out from the cooktop area, you were trapped in a small space all by yourself. The new design took the cabinets to the full 10 feet of the ceilings, allowing for much-needed storage. The bar was incorporated into the kitchen area, making it more user-friendly. The island is 108” long and 46” wide with storage under the seating side. This large island is now the heart of the kitchen.
This project takes the standard, suburban daylight basement build-out to new heights with a range of architectural details that make it a very special place for entertaining. Trayed ceilings and columns divide the large space into well proportioned areas for television, billiards, exercise, and bar. The texture and color of the stained concrete floors tie together the formal trim elements with the rustic fireplace which was crafted from materials originally used in a grandparent’s home. The specialty bar is simply a work of art. The project includes a bedroom/study and full bath, achieving the client’s goal for maximizing space while adding a lot of wow factor.
This homeowner wanted to upgrade his fireplace by replacing his typical pre-fabricated gas log insert with a “real” wood burning one. This winning project was crafted with timeless Alabama sandstone, reclaimed Alabama oak, cypress, and other custom elements.
And when the kids want to be near them, but mom and dad need a little breathing room, there’s a craft corner just off the kitchen (right) stocked with crayons, paper, and scissors. “No matter how large your house is, the kids still want to be near you. This way, they can all be near each other and the kids can be occupied while William and Kim cook dinner, ” Shea says.
