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Area Bed And Breakfasts To Host A Holiday Tour

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 1, 2007

BRANDON - A holiday tour of the four area bed and breakfast inns will give locals an opportunity to check out what each has to offer and raise money for the Tampa Bay area YMCA's scholarship fund.

The four inns are scattered throughout eastern Hillsborough County, so they don't compete; they collaborate, said Gail Palmer, owner of Palmer House Bed & Breakfast in Lithia.

People who live near bed and breakfasts rarely take time to visit, which prompted the inns' owners to team up this year to host a holiday tour.

All the owners like to entertain, said Bonnie McSharry, owner of The French Country Inn at Cross Creek in Dover.

"I'm going to have trees in every room," she said. "This way, we get to show off all that decorating."

The tour is scheduled for 2 to 6 p.m. Dec. 9.

The four inns - The French Country Inn, Palmer House, Behind the Fence and Southern Comfort - will be decorated for Christmas.

Guests will be invited to enter a drawing to win free overnight stays at each inn. Proceeds will go to the Tampa Metro YMCA, which operates several YMCAs in the Brandon area and offers scholarships to youngsters whose families cannot afford YMCA programs.

There is no set route. Visitors may start at any of the four bed and breakfasts, McSharry said. Directions will be printed on tickets.

Tickets cost $20 and include entry and light refreshments at each stop on the tour.

Call (813) 651-0934 for tickets or buy them at Bella Gardens, 5664 FishHawk Crossing Blvd., Lithia; The English Rose Florist, 232 Oakfield Drive, Brandon; The French Country Inn, 12950 E. Wheeler Road, Dover; and Southern Comfort, 2409 Ravine Drive W., Ruskin.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Holiday bed and breakfast tour

WHERE: Palmer House Bed & Breakfast, 2221 Hinton Ranch Road., Lithia; French Country Inn at Cross Creek, 12950 E. Wheeler Road., Dover; Southern Comfort Bed and Breakfast, 2409 Ravine Drive W., Ruskin; Behind the Fence Bed & Breakfast, 1400 Voila Drive, Brandon

WHEN: 2-6 p.m. Dec. 9

INFORMATION: (813) 651-0934

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or at yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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