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LODGINGS
Kern River Inn Bed and Breakfast / 2*
119 KERN RIVER DR, KERNVILLE; 800/986-4382
This six-room lodge built in 1991 near the banks of the Kern River has
as solid a reputation for its food as for its homey, prim architectural
style that easily fools most passersby into thinking that it was constructed
70 years ago. The sweet surroundings begin with roses lining the white
picket fence and a huge, welcoming front porch. Inside rooms are named
for local events and places, such as Movie Street, which refers to the
false storefronts that once lined Old Kernville. Decor isn't overbearing
or stage set-like, however. The Piute Room, for example, has a simple
South- western decor with a wood-burning fireplace, while the Whiskey
Flat room is rustic, with a stone fireplace. The Inn's largest rooms are
Green- horn and Big Blue, both with country oak furniture, king beds,
whirlpool tubs, and bay windows with river and mountain views. (Big Blue's
name doesn't refer to innkeeper Jack Prestwich's former life as a software
engineer for IBM; it was the name of the region's largest gold mine.)
Best views of the river can be enjoyed from the Whitewater and Whiskey
Flat rooms. Because this inn was built specifically as a B&B, rooms
and baths are large, private, and modern. Guests are usually in their
places promptly each morning at the big table in the dining room awaiting
the arrival of Carita Prestwich's wonderful baked apple pancakes—gravity-
defying creations that puff like hot-air balloons and curl up on their
edges—served right out of the oven, laden with fresh strawberries
in season. $; AE, DC, MC, V; checks OK; kernriverinn@lightspeed.net; downtown
across from Riverside Park.
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