An Enchanted Discovery

A Travel Story by Linda Sawyer

Imagine a time long ago when folks eagerly awaited the first daffodil of the season, when spring lingered and azaleas and dogwoods burst into bloom to proclaim Easter.

In this place, mothers paused to chat with neighbors, fathers hitched a horse to the family wagon and went to work. And children played in backyards, their chatter and giggles filling the air.

In April of 2018 while walking and waiting for James to complete a service call, I ventured into a quaint neighborhood and made an enchanted discovery. I’d happened upon a place so beautiful I’d want to meander a long time, exploring.

Fort Wood Historic District sits on a mountain in Chattanooga near downtown. The older homes are beautiful and well-kept, their yards adorned with flowers. Squirrels scamper about lazily and American flags wave in the yards of many homes.

Canopies of massive trees shade the streets and the stately homes have the name and year of origin etched in stone at the property entrance.

As I topped the long hill leading to this neighborhood, I stopped to rest at the Perkins Victorian Garden. Birds sang their joyous songs, an occasional pedestrian passed and Lookout Mountain stood proud in the background.

Strolling through the neighborhood where azaleas bloomed and a gentle breeze stirred, I realized the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga borders this historic district and also has beautiful grounds with landscaping to please any flower lover or photographer.

As I sauntered up one steep hill and down another, I came to a house where a lady sat on the porch, her entire front yard planted in flowers. She waved at me and I stopped to chat.

On another street a boy about twelve years old lingered near several hens. He told me his family owned them and they provided all the eggs they needed.

Eventually I came upon this home, a three story mansion with 14,000 square feet built in 1889 by Edmond G. Watkins who eventually became mayor of Chattanooga. Its foundation rests on stones moved from a Union Army redoubt, at Fort Wood. A sign read, The Mayor’s Mansion Inn. Delight filled my heart. James and I would be able to book a room in this lovely old home and be a part of the community if only for a night.

In January of 2021 we got around to our first overnight stay. The Mayor’s Mansion Inn has fourteen gables, hand-laid parquet floors and eleven guest rooms. Mayor’s Mansion remained a private home until 1929. Later it served a variety of functions: a funeral home, a fraternity house and offices for various businesses. In 1996, after restoration, it opened as The Mayor’s Mansion Inn, a bed and breakfast.

James and I checked in on a Friday afternoon and followed the innkeeper up the stairway and to our room which overlooked the gardens from a side window, the UT campus in front and Lookout Mountain on the other side. It was love at first sight.

Something I really like about bed and breakfast inns is that each suite is different and the doors are often left open. After we brought in our luggage, we explored every floor. Although every room was beautiful, these two were the most elegant.

Some rooms had fresh delivered flowers with notes attached, others had balloons and candy. The Inn was certainly a romantic getaway.

We grabbed a fresh-baked cookie from the welcome area and settled into our cozy room. Below, the veranda was empty but looked inviting. We could imagine sitting out there on a warm spring day, sipping a tall glass of sweet, iced tea and chatting with other guests. But on this January day the chill kept us inside.

I’ve walked this neighborhood every year since my enchanted discovery and I’ve come to believe we haven’t entirely left behind the times of old. After all, don’t we still look forward to spring bursting into bloom and the renewal of Easter? And occasionally we stop to chat with a neighbor or listen to the sound of children’s voices carried on the wind. We smile as memories of our own childhood flood in. A tall proud oak, its leaves rustling in the breeze or an American flag billowing above can still stir feelings of nostalgia and patriotism in our hearts.

Want to slow down time? Make an enchanted discovery? All it takes is a visit to a historic district near you, a visit to a lake or maybe just stepping into your own backyard. Pause and listen to the birds singing. Search for a flower, even a dandelion or wild flower. Listen to your trees rustle as they sway in the breeze. If you close your eyes and let your imagination go free, you’ll soon make an enchanted discovery of your own, a place where time slows down and happy times from your past come alive.

Linda Sawyer writes novels, short stories, picture essays, travel stories and devotions. She is an avid flower lover and amateur photography. Visit her blog at www.amillionyarns.com for more fun and inspirational stories.