Where travelers once held photos of Flat Stanley in unusual places, photographers now shoot photos of a humble red chair. Long considered simply a place to rest after a long day, the lowly wooden chair has been elevated to celebrity status, and is being welcomed at inns and B&Bs throughout America.It’s all part of a multi-year B&B awareness program that focuses on a traveling red porch chair to highlight the comfort, hospitality and friendliness of bed and breakfasts. Since its start in New England in 2012, B&Bs and inns have taken inspiring photos of the Red Chair from beaches to bandstands.
Thanks to a partnership with BedandBreakfast.com, the Red Chair is making its way across the United States, bringing attention to B&Bs and beautiful travel destinations. It traveled along the East Coast and Southern states in 2014, spent 2015 touring the West Coast, in 2016 Red went international by venturing through Canada all the way to Alaska, and 2017 will be the year of the Midwest. Participating B&Bs and inns listed on BedandBreakfast.com host the Red Chair, chronicling its stay with blog posts and photos on www.RedChairTravels.com.
This week thanks to the partnership with WBBA (Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association – WisconsinBandB.com) the chair is making its way to The Northern Kettle Moraine and Hidden Serenity Bed and Breakfast.
It all started in winter 2012 with a single image. Woods Hole Inn innkeeper Beth Colt posted a picture on Facebook of her simple red chair perched on the ice behind her house and watched her page light up with “likes.” The picture was shared on the Facebook page of a nature photographer from California, who was inspired by the image to visit the Woods Hole Inn and took an amazing second photo of the chair on a local beach.
Throughout 2012 and early 2013, the Red Chair developed a personality of its own being photographed by innkeepers in communities from one end of New England to the other. Starting in Cape Cod, the Red Chair journeyed throughout the six New England states on a 9-month tour. “This chair is the little engine that could,” said Colt. “I could never have imagined that it would travel so far, to every corner of America, all on the kindness and hospitality of innkeepers. It’s a barn-raising of sorts; the sharing of a piece of Americana.” Stories from the Red Chair’s travels have been chronicled on blogs at each stop throughout its journey.
Check back on my blog site to find out where the Red Chair has been photographed near Hidden Serenity. Will the Red Chair find adventures and locations that you haven’t experienced yet? Maybe it will inspire you to take a journey yourself to Hidden Serenity Bed and Breakfast and see what and where the Red Chair has gone.
