Miami Parents Enroll at B&B

John and Malinda Anderson loved visiting bed and breakfasts, so for two years they hunted for an old home they could open as a B&B.

They had nearly given up when they found Maplevale Farm, a historic farmhouse just outside Oxford.

They opened the establishment six years ago, and this year, they are celebrating the former home's 150th birthday, giving commemorative mugs to its guests.

"It was just perfect for us," Malinda, 65, says.

John, 71, revels in the home's history, recounting for guests the Martindell family's history - which includes a feud between brothers Jesse and Richard that forced them to talk through their sister Louisa.

John also points out the historical artifacts in the stone pillars on the home's front porch, including Miami Indian arrowheads and tomahawks and a candlestick, melted and deformed after causing a fire that nearly leveled the house in the 1920s.

The three spacious bedrooms, named after family members have with televisions and other modern amenities as well as little touches - a journal in each for guests to leave a note.

But history isn't the only draw to the charming brick home, located on two acres of park-like grounds. Its proximity to Miami University brings many to the B&B experience for the first time.

"We just always enjoyed staying at B&Bs. Once we met (the Andersons), we felt like old friends, so we just kept coming back," says Donna Swanstrom, of Crete, Ill., a Chicago suburb. "They're just the warmest, friendliest people ever."

Swanstrom and her husband Paul stayed at Maplevale three or four times while their daughter attended Miami.

Not all guests share that connection.

"We get people who just want to get away, people who come and do nothing all day long but sit and relax and never leave the place," Malinda says.

The busiest weekends, however, are tied to Miami events - move-in, family visits and graduation.

Gayle and Dick Burdick of Anderson Township stayed three or four times a year while visiting their daughter at school.

"If you're going up for a weekend, you want to be with your child as much as you can. We felt like it was a lot more fun to be a part of the campus life, and staying there made it possible," says Gayle.

And Dick looked forward to the Sunday morning breakfasts.

"They never forgot what you told them from visit to visit," Dick says. "John's a great listener, and he always knew your story and would bring it up when he found people with common interests."