The Blue Heron in Mandeville

Back around the year 2000, one of the first articles I ever wrote for Country Roads was a profile of The Camellia House, a charming bed and breakfast run by Don and Linda Chambless, that has been welcoming guests to its comfortable, leafy redoubt on Covington’s East Rutland Street for decades. Clearly, hospitality runs in the Chamblesses’ blood because on August 1 their daughter, Sarah Chambless Federer, and her husband, Steven Federer, will officially open The Blue Heron, a bed and breakfast of their own, just down the road in historic Old Mandeville.

After buying the century-old home in 2014, the couple embarked on a two-year renovation, taking great care to maintain the home’s character, restoring original doors, windows, and hardwood floors. They are now ready to welcome guests to two suites, each accessed by a private entrance from a large porch overlooking Blue Heron’s gardens. On her newfound role as bed-and-breakfast host, Sarah noted, “As a young child growing up in my parents’ bed and breakfast in downtown Covington—in a home which they also fully renovated—I swore I would never subject my own children to such a fate. But the older I got, the more I grew to appreciate the uniqueness of growing up in a home filled with fascinating strangers from all over the world.” At 510 Girod Street, Blue Heron is within walking distance of all Old Mandeville’s many attractions. blueheronmandevillela.com.