Aska Lodge Bed & Breakfast, Blue Ridge, Georgia:

The perfect Blue Ridge respite for wandering educators just got a little better. Because they love teachers and professors, the Aska Lodge Bed & Breakfast will offer all WanderingEducators.com readers an exclusive 20% discount for a stay of 4 or more nights; and a 10% discount for a stay of 1-3 nights through 6/30/10.

This unique new B&B, set in the North Georgia Blue Ridge mountains just 1.5 hours north of Atlanta offers luxury accommodations featuring four bedrooms, each with private bath, premium sheets and towels, and plush robes. Its hillside location just two miles from town is the perfect spot to get away and enjoy the mountain scenery and incredible bird watching, including hummingbirds, indigo buntings, goldfinches and cowbirds. Area activities include white water rafting, tubing, fishing, golf, the Blue Ridge Scenic railway, horseback riding, and many unique antique, craft and gift shops. Within an hour's drive there are wineries, panning for gold and a unique kangaroo conservation center.

Recently, Wandering Educators B&B Editor, Marti Mayne, sat down with Aska Lodge B&B innkeeper/co-owner Mary Jo Stamper to learn more about the Aska Lodge. 

MM: Tell us why you’re interested in offering an exclusive offer for Wandering Educators.com readers...

Aska Lodge B&B: Being the daughter of a high school biology teacher, we have a soft spot in our hearts for the incredible job that all educators do, and can appreciate just how far their salary goes in today's economy.  That's why it was so important to us to offer a discount to a group of people who truly deserve it.  We still have lots of teachers in our family, including a sister, niece, and our nephew's wife, and we know just how much they can use a break, especially while traveling.

MM:  What made you decide to become innkeepers?

Aska Lodge B&B: We love to experience new places, and especially enjoyed staying at B&B's for many years.  We knew right away that it was something we'd like to do some day. However, that some day took longer than we thought.  Raising a family, going to school, and various other responsibilities forced our B&B dream to stay on hold until May 2007, when my husband retired after 30 years in law enforcement.  Even with a depressed real estate market, we sold our home in Florida in just two weeks, and quickly went into action to find the right place to open our own B&B.  While on vacation in Blue Ridge, we stumbled across the house that is now Aska Lodge B&B, and all of a sudden our dream began to take shape. 

MM: How did it feel to change careers, move to a new place and dive into innkeeping?

Aska Lodge B&B: It certainly was a scary, exciting time but we had so much to do, we didn't have the time or energy to look back...there were walls to paint, wood to stain, and a million things to buy.  When we were almost ready, we invited our friends and family to come over a 45 day period so we could practice on them, with strict instructions NOT to help us and to be as honest as possible with suggestions and criticisms...OUCH!  These comments, as painful as some of them were, were incredibly helpful, and we were so thrilled to open in May 2008...nervous yet ever hopeful that we'd have at least one guest soon. 

A wonderful couple from Warner Robins, Georgia soon arrived, and we were finally official innkeepers.  After seven months, I can make two definite observations...innkeeping is a lot more work than we thought, but also it's a lot more fun than we could have imagined!  We have had guests from 20 states and 5 countries, and they have all been the nicest people ever, with the most interesting backgrounds and stories to tell.  Yes, dreams do come true!

For more information on Aska Lodge Bed and Breakfast, visit AskaLodge.net or call 706-632-0178.  You can also email questions to askme [at] AskaLodge.net.  Be sure to mention the WanderingEducators.com discount when booking your stay. 

Marti Mayne is the B&B Editor for Wandering Educators