Waterfront Kent Manor Inn
Stevensville
The Waterfront Kent Manor Inn sits on 230 acres only 15 miles east of Annapolis, just across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. However, the manor also has a one-mile driveway, so “once they come in those gates, they get the feeling they’re in paradise,” said Christine Phillips, director of group sales and marketing for the inn. “It seems to be very secluded, but it’s super easy to get to.”
The original 1820 section is still the leftmost part of the inn today, but the current center portion of the house was built around 1860. New owners bought the inn last year and are investing heavily to refresh, repair, restore and “bring the property back to its former glory,” she said.
The Coakley Williams Hotel Management Company took over management in March and is bringing in a new general manager and executive chef.
Two meeting rooms in the historic manor house, one with 350 square feet and the other with 530 square feet, have fireplaces and original architectural details. Guests enjoy water views from the octagonal 2,600-square-foot Garden House that can seat 150 for meals.
The Preserve, an 8,000-square-foot stand-alone venue, is under construction to add a catering kitchen and bathrooms, a project that should be complete this fall. The inn also has an outdoor waterfront deck that seats 60.
While the inn has only 24 guest rooms, Phillips often partners with nearby hotels for lodging. At the manor, planners and attendees can play horseshoes, cornhole and volleyball; go kayaking; and gather around the outdoor fireplace.
Great Room at Historic Savage Mill
Savage
The Savage Mill operated as a textile mill between 1822 and 1947 and eventually became a sort of company town with a community hall and town homes for workers, its own power plant and even its own Methodist church.
Though the mill no longer makes fabrics, the Historic Savage Mill complex has been resurrected as a hub for all things handmade: Art galleries and artist studios, clothing boutiques and jewelry shops, a chocolatier, a bakery and a tavern are all housed in the mill’s former cotton, carding and weaving buildings.
The Great Room at Historic Savage Mill is a 5,000-square-foot space in the Old Weave Building. The room has 14-foot-tall windows, many of them with original wavy glass, and high ceilings with exposed pipes and beams. A large adjoining deck overlooks the Little Patuxent River and the nation’s sole surviving Bollman Truss Bridge.
People like the space “because it’s so different; it’s not your typical conference room,” said Angie Wise, manager of the Great Room at Historic Savage Mill.
The Historic Savage Mill Manor is also available for event rentals. The Victorian home was built in 1844 as the superintendent’s residence. Groups can use the large ballroom as well as the first floor, which can accommodate up to 110 guests.
Attendees can explore the mill during breaks, take a self-guided walking tour or arrange for ghost walks.
