PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. (May 6, 2009) - Jenna Licurgo comes from Southern Maryland hospitality royalty, of sorts. She is the great-grandchild of Peter and Rosella Trotter, the owners of the first bed & breakfast in Waldorf, Trotter's Hotel, which was once nestled along the railroad tracks and offered Southern Maryland travelers a welcomed respite.
Carrying on in an age-old industry, Licurgo has created a gentle haven of country peace and relaxation in Huntingtown with Open Gates Farm. Tucked on a three-acre property that was once part of a 65-acre tobacco farm, Licurgo's bed & breakfast has a unique way of blending the modern conveniences of wireless Internet access, spa services, a DVD player, refrigerator and coffee maker with the old-time country feel of a private back porch overlooking tobacco barns and flower gardens, a full country breakfast and two friendly goats named Oliver and Ernest T. to greet you. "When you visit here," says Licurgo, "you're a million miles away."
Opened in 2007, the bed & breakfast occupies part of a post World War II-era farmhouse with a private bath and private entrance. Guests can choose to enjoy the solitude and come and go as they please or they can dine and visit with Licurgo and her husband, receive tours of the grounds or get to know the friendly and inquisitive barnyard animals.
Licurgo believes that running a bed & breakfast is exactly what she was meant to do. "We've always taken in people," she says. "When my children were younger we took in missionaries, an elderly couple whose car broke down, teenage friends of our children, a marine and once, a young wife having marital trouble. I just love taking in people and spoiling them - and that's what running a bed & breakfast is all about."
Visitors come to Open Gates Farm for all reasons and from many locales including Washington, DC, Virginia, New York and the Carolinas. Some come for vacation or birthday celebrations and others come for honeymoons or anniversaries to enjoy a very private, but extremely pampered stay in the private suite.
"Whether my guests need to rest, to relax or just get some TLC, I work hard to ensure that they all take home a memory to be treasured for a lifetime," says Licurgo.
For more information on Open Gates Farm, visit online at www.opengatesfarm.com or call Jenna Licurgo at 301-812-0209.