Sweet Magnolia Inn
850-925-7670
Denise: 850-694-2468
Andy: 850-570-3333
803 Port Leon Dr.
Saint Marks Fl. 32355
We Have Reopened Opened After Hurricane Michael!
The Sweet Magnolia Inn is reopened and newly refurbished! The weather is beautiful this time of year so come on down and enjoy a day on the river or cycling the newly expanded St. Marks bike trail.
Delicacies to Enhance Your Stay
While staying with us here are some options to enhance your stay. Simply place your order upon making your reservation and we will have some scrumptious treats ready as requested.
Delicacies to Enhance Your Stay
While staying with us here are some options to enhance your stay. Simply place your order upon making your reservation and we will have some scrumptious treats ready as requested.
View the Inn and St. Marks on our new YouTube channel
We have just created our new YouTube channel so we can share the beauty of St. Marks and the forgotten coast along with our joyous Sunday jazz sessions and fine dining. We have just started so you should see additional videos in the near future.
Click below to get a tour of St. Marks and the Sweet Magnolia. Please visit all our YouTube offerings featuring beautiful music performed by local artist often playing at the Sweet Magnolia Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons.
Click below to get a tour of St. Marks and the Sweet Magnolia. Please visit all our YouTube offerings featuring beautiful music performed by local artist often playing at the Sweet Magnolia Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons.
Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor has our 5 star ranked bed and breakfast ranked #12 of 68 Panhandle Bed and Breakfasts. Denise, Lisa, Margaret, and Andy and all the others that have helped out at the Sweet Magnolia want to thank our wonderful guests for the great times, and many more!
History Of The Inn House
The original structure housed a General Store. The owner and his wife lived in the back of the house, let rooms out on the second floor and ran the general store in the front of the building facing the main road that comes into St. Marks. It is not clear what happened to the original builders and owners of the Inn house.
The building is marked as one of the strongest buildings in the whole area and was (and still is) used as a shelter during very strong storms and floods. The walls of the Inn house are made from solid lime rock and cement layered with coquina shells, and the steel in the walls is actually some of the original railroad tracks themselves that went from St. Marks to Tallahassee, now known as the “Historic St. Marks Railroad Bike Trail”.
Then a World War came along with PT boats and sailors, and the building became a brothel where sailors were brought every weekend. The PT boats would be located at Port Leon up the St. Marks River where Pt 109 was said to have visited and docked for a while (site is still there).
When the war ended and the brothel was run out of town, the building was used as a church, a City Hall, and, it is rumored that the building was used to unload bottles of whiskey back in the prohibition days. Eventually, it became a hotel called “The Shangra-La” (hence the name of Room 5), housing another brothel upstairs and a pool hall/bar downstairs. It is said that at times there was violence at this hotel and it eventually burnt out in the early ‘80’s leaving only the four original walls (see the photo in the dining room above the garden windows).
The building was rehabbed by Ken Campbell starting in late 1994 and opened for business in 1996 as St. Marks only Bed and Breakfast Inn. In the early part of the Inn’s time, there was a five star gourmet restaurant downstairs. People would come from miles around and wait in line to partake of the gourmet cuisine served at the Inn.
A lot of the trees and vegetation were taken by trucks from the property of Mr. Campbell’s father and brought to the Inn for landscaping, since most of the property was bare, swampy and muddy. Mr. Campbell also built the fishpond garden/boardwalk area behind the Inn. The ponds are in the shape of the state of Florida, trailing off downhill as the Florida Keys do in south Florida and are filled with goldfish, koi and carp.
The wood floors in the upstairs hallway and guest rooms were recycled from the Havana School auditorium. In addition, the front porch brick and, the brick in the fishpond garden behind the Inn were also recycled from the Havana School’s original walls (the school no longer exists).
The building is marked as one of the strongest buildings in the whole area and was (and still is) used as a shelter during very strong storms and floods. The walls of the Inn house are made from solid lime rock and cement layered with coquina shells, and the steel in the walls is actually some of the original railroad tracks themselves that went from St. Marks to Tallahassee, now known as the “Historic St. Marks Railroad Bike Trail”.
Then a World War came along with PT boats and sailors, and the building became a brothel where sailors were brought every weekend. The PT boats would be located at Port Leon up the St. Marks River where Pt 109 was said to have visited and docked for a while (site is still there).
When the war ended and the brothel was run out of town, the building was used as a church, a City Hall, and, it is rumored that the building was used to unload bottles of whiskey back in the prohibition days. Eventually, it became a hotel called “The Shangra-La” (hence the name of Room 5), housing another brothel upstairs and a pool hall/bar downstairs. It is said that at times there was violence at this hotel and it eventually burnt out in the early ‘80’s leaving only the four original walls (see the photo in the dining room above the garden windows).
The building was rehabbed by Ken Campbell starting in late 1994 and opened for business in 1996 as St. Marks only Bed and Breakfast Inn. In the early part of the Inn’s time, there was a five star gourmet restaurant downstairs. People would come from miles around and wait in line to partake of the gourmet cuisine served at the Inn.
A lot of the trees and vegetation were taken by trucks from the property of Mr. Campbell’s father and brought to the Inn for landscaping, since most of the property was bare, swampy and muddy. Mr. Campbell also built the fishpond garden/boardwalk area behind the Inn. The ponds are in the shape of the state of Florida, trailing off downhill as the Florida Keys do in south Florida and are filled with goldfish, koi and carp.
The wood floors in the upstairs hallway and guest rooms were recycled from the Havana School auditorium. In addition, the front porch brick and, the brick in the fishpond garden behind the Inn were also recycled from the Havana School’s original walls (the school no longer exists).
The Town of Saint Marks
One of the oldest settlements in North America, the first European to have seen this point was Panfilo de Narvaez in 1528. In 1679 the Spanish started building the first fort in St. Marks, using logs painted with lime to look like stone, but pirates weren’t fooled by the camouflage. They looted and burned the fort a few years later. Forts in St. Marks were later occupied by Spanish, British, Spanish again, then (for five weeks) by a force seeking to establish “the Nation of Muskogee,” and Spanish yet again, before being taken over for the United States by Andrew Jackson in 1818. The fort passed back into Spanish control one more time before U.S. troops occupied it in 1821. In 1861 it was reoccupied by Confederate troops and named Fort Ward, and became a permanent possession of the United States at the end of the Civil War. Now open to the public as Ft. San Marcos de Apalachee Historical State Park, it features a wonderful museum of exhibits and artifacts, and a well-marked walking trail through the ruins.
Located opposite the Fort is Florida’s first designated state trail which follows the abandoned rail bed of the historic Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad. The trail runs 16 miles south from Florida’s capital city, Tallahassee, through the Apalachicola National Forest, ending in St. Marks. Through the early 1900s this historic railroad corridor was used to transport cotton from the plantation belt to the docks at St. Marks for shipment to textile mills in England and New England. Today, as a paved trail, it provides an excellent recreational workout for bicyclists, walkers, and skaters. An adjacent unpaved trail also provides opportunities for horseback riding.
St. Marks celebrates its heritage in October with a Stone Crab Festival and reenactment at the Fort.
Local Activities
Cycling: Tallahassee-St Marks Historic Rail Road State Trail
St Marks sits at the terminus of the historic St marks Railroad which was converted to a a bike trail which was recently renovated and widened. Enjoy over thirty miles of smooth partially shaded trails with ample facilities conveniently located along the way. The Sweet Magnolia has complementary cruisers for guest to tour St. marks or if you want to visit one of the many local sites by bike we have high end bikes fore rent along with suggested tours to view this areas amazing beauty.
Water Sports: The worlds largest spring fed rivers
St Marks is at the confluence of the St Marks and Wakulla rivers. The Wakulla river is fed by Wakulla springs, classified as a first magnitude spring, and is the longest and deepest known submerged freshwater cave system in the world.
There are opportunities for kayaking and canoeing as well as snorkeling in the springs. We can direct you to a variety of resources.
There are opportunities for kayaking and canoeing as well as snorkeling in the springs. We can direct you to a variety of resources.
Wildlife Viewing: Pristine estuaries await you
Wildlife abounds in these parts. Manatees, alligators and dolphins share the rivers while magnificent birds fill the air, ancient cypress line the river banks. Take one of the inns complimentary cruisers or lets us direct you to a guided tour on the river.
Birding: St Marks National Wildlife Reserve in your backyard
Spring and fall bring the birds. Ride a complimentary cruiser bike to the fort or take a short drive to the St Marks National Wildlife Refuge to see a wide variety of migratory and regional birds. We can arrange a guided bike tour or rent one of the inns high performance bikes along with a travel guide and ride through the St Marks National Wildlife Refuge.
Fishing: Simply the best
The big bend is the largest pristine estuary left worldwide. The abundant wetlands and tributaries leave our rivers teaming with fish. At times the water seems to boil with life. We can direct you to an array of ways to hook a big one!