A Day in the Life at a Southern Kentucky Bed & Breakfast: InnKeepers Edition

In March 2025, we moved to south central Kentucky and purchased the Barren Breeze Bed & Breakfast and Event Venue. This is a new venture for each of us and the daily work is very unlike our previous careers.  Located in Lucas, a short drive from Glasgow in Barren County, the “Breeze” sits on 13 acres of rural open rolling land.  For those that are familiar with the lake, we are only a mile away from the Narrows Marina at Barren River Lake.  The inn is grand and has the capacity to sleep 26 guests. The venue, also on the property, is the perfect location for weddings, showers and reunions.  

With that description in mind, it is easy to understand that we have lots here to keep us busy.  Our friends and relatives who haven’t had a chance to visit and experience the inn yet often ask “so what do you guys actually do on a daily basis?”   

We are early risers and likely up before most. This is our time to relax with each other and enjoy a few cups of fresh brewed coffee.  Yeah sure we check our email and peruse the news and social media accounts, but it is also the time we also explore new recipes and bounce ideas back and forth on what changes we can make to offer guests the best bed and breakfast experience. 

Living right here at the inn is convenient. No more long commutes in our life! But importantly, living here makes the house feel loved and it helps impart the “feels just like home” aurora we want the guests to feel when they stay. As we pour that second cup of coffee, we begin to run down the schedule for the day.  Honestly, we went through it the evening prior, but it’s good to just talk it through with each other again in case we need to make any adjustments.  

Sourdough Bread just out of the oven for toast

Who is cooking breakfast this morning for the guests that are currently here?  Well, sometimes it depends on how many guests are here.  If it's a large group then we will work together on breakfast service.  Depending upon what we have decided to cook will often determine who is cooking.  We each have certain breakfast dishes that we love to cook, while the other role is to

support. The support role often handles starting the morning coffee, setting the table, preparing the fruit and pastry board. Whichever of us is cooking the main breakfast course focuses on preparing items for that dish and determining the timing for when it will be plated and served.   

We begin to hear stirring in the rooms and soon the guests begin to appear in the kitchen. Time to get the game faces on!  This is the best part of the day for us. Guests tell us how great they slept and how comfortable their rooms are.  As they enjoy their coffee and fruit board, we engage in conversation about what they have planned for the day. Some are excited for the excursions they have planned, such as Mammoth Cave National Park , boating or fishing on Barren River Lake, hiking, or maybe even a bourbon distillery tour. Some are sad that their stay is over and they are heading home and have to go back to work. We have many guests stay here at the inn that are travelling because of work. Attending area meetings or conferences for several days.  A bed & breakfast is a great choice to stay if you are travelling for work.  It is your home away from home. 

Breakfast being delivered to the front porch

Once the main breakfast course is served, we give the guests some quiet time to enjoy. Nobody leaves hungry and often we get requests for the recipes of what we have served. As the guests retreat to their rooms to prepare to leave we clear the dining room table and clean the kitchen.  We bid the guests farewell as they depart.  Most every guest says they can’t wait to come back to Barren Breeze….and many do come back.  

Innkeepers are busy.  On with the day!

Time to spin around the house and check on the flowers. All of the potted plants and flowers on the porches need to be watered every morning.  The flowers planted along the walkways and yard edges need a quick eye to make sure all is well and that the butterflies and bees are enjoying them. 

We recently had an inground pool installed and I have upgraded to title to include Pool Attendant.  This requires a bit of time in the morning to unlock the gate, check the water, clean out skimmer, open up the umbrellas and make sure there are towels for the guests.  

Those guests that left for home this morning, we need to clean their rooms and get them ready for new guests coming in at 3:00 PM. Change out bedding, clean, put out fresh towels, vacuum, mop and get everything just perfect by restocking shower steamers, clean robes and toiletries. These room flips will also require laundry to be started.  In fact, there is always laundry going and we are grateful for the dual washer and dryers most days. 

If you’re tracking time, it’s probably around 12 noon or so. 

Do you remember from the beginning paragraph how big the property is? Fill that water bottle up, it’s time to mow for the next three hours!  After the lawn is done there is enough time to set up the tables and chairs for the upcoming wedding. Top those tables with fresh white linens.

We like to have a homemade baked treat on the counter for new guests when they arrive.  It’s time to get that in the oven quickly and set a timer.  Around this time of day we’ll take a 15 minute break and discuss groceries and maintenance needs that we have to place an order for.  We’ll need general groceries supplies, breakfast supplies and we also have a wedding to cater this weekend so we need to finalize our order for that. We mostly get our groceries and supplies from Glasgow or Bowling Green and pick them up the following day.  We are thankful for fresh and local businesses like Philip's Family Butcher Shop , Kenny's Cheese and Peters Creek Produce who provide us with the finest Kentucky ingredients.

The day is winding down and the new guests will be here in a half hour.  Time to put our dinner in the oven and do a quick final check walk around the house to make sure everything is in place.  Change out a lightbulb, sweep the front porch and place a vase of fresh cut flowers on the counter next to those fresh maple oatmeal creme pies. 

They just pulled in!  New guests have just arrived.  We try to look as fresh as we can pull off after a long day on the go.  We greet them at the door and give them a tour of the house and show them to their room. Lucas sunsets are the best and we make sure to show the front porch to the guests so they can sit out there and take time to enjoy one. Meeting and talking with new guests is one of the best parts of this job. We learn about each other and inevitably get to share our story on how we became Innkeepers at the Barren Breeze Bed & Breakfast.  

Time to retreat back to our living quarters and while we have dinner we discuss the next days agenda.   This day in the life of an innkeeper is full of errands and to-dos, baking and back-aching

Bourbon Tasting at Makers Mark Distillery

work.  On the days where there are no guests or deadlines, we make time to explore so we can make recommendations to our guests.  Someone has to sample Bourbon, explore caves, hike and listen to live music! Often we settle on lounging by our pool, a fiercely competitive game of cribbage on the back deck or day trip to Nashville or Louisville to explore new restaurants.    

Dan after an especially long day

It’s not glamorous, but it's the job we've dreamed of!