Gardner House Cafe and Bed & Breakfast — Restaurant in Stayton

My 91 year old Mom and her husband found themselves surrounded by 10 inches of snow in their home in the foothills of the Cascades about 45 minutes east of Stayton Oregon. They are very independently including shopping, meal prep and chopping wood. This time it looked like snow and ice were just going to get worse (it did) and facing power outages they needed to find someplace to wait out the storm. I am not sure how they picked the Gardner House, but they found it and stayed for a week. The food was wonderful and varied and the cafe routinely serves both breakfast and lunch. James and Loni Loftus even made dinner for them when it was too icy for anyone to venture out safely for a meal. I spoke with James a couple of times and he was always helpful and made sure messages were received. Based on Mom's descriptions they couldn't have found better accommodations. Stayton is a lovely town and in better weather The Gardner House would be a great base for exploring Oregon wine country, visiting hot springs such as Breitenbush, taking doing day hikes in Opal Creek or near Detroit Lake and visiting the...

My husband and I stayed at the cottage on a Sunday night, so the cafe was not open. However, we were provided with yummy pastries from the cafe & delicious yogurt for breakfast. Would love to go back sometime to enjoy the cafe & the JPL/NASA museum. Enjoyed the quaint cottage as the bedroom, with the TV and 2 sinks, is in the octagon-shaped part of the house. Beautiful! The kitchen and bathroom were to the left of the front door to the cottage. It had everything we needed (microwave, under-the-counter refrigerator, salt & pepper (no other spices), dishes/glassware/silverware, coffee pot with fresh ground coffee, sweetener & cream provided, blow dryer) and then some that we didn't use (toaster oven, pots, pans, 2-burner stove/oven combo, blender, iron). Bathroom has a full shower/tub combo. It was very clean and tidy.

It is within walking distance of the Jordan Covered Bridge in Pioneer Park and downtown Stayton. The next day we hiked at beautiful Silver Falls State Park, which is only 15 miles northeast.

Thank you James for your hospitality! Next time we hope to...

Great!

James is such a wonderful and conscientious host. His wife makes ginger scones that are SO scrumptious! The one room is quaint and historic in a good, but not high-falutin' way: there were old books on Oregon and the furniture has interesting stories. The room feels quite early-1900s, with lacy window treatments, but it's not without a big-screen TV (but I never turned it on). (And, so you don't have to go hunting for it: the hair dryer is tucked in the hall closet, lol).

The kitchen and bath are each tiny and very throw-back! I never used the complicated stove top (you must open a window first, and so on). (There is a microwave, yay)! The older Mr. Coffee coffee maker was unimpressive at first glance, but with the hosts' freshly-ground coffee, and a cute, ceramic creamer of fresh half-and-half they'd placed in the fridge, my homemade joe was lip-smakin' good. I couldn't stay in long, though, as I had to scurry out and visit those I'd come to see!

Overall, a neat place to stay!...