The Winchester Inn in downtown Ashland recently received a present for its 40th anniversary: It was named the Best Bed and Breakfast in the 2024 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards for its location, hospitality and gourmet breakfast.
The Inn's handsome Victorian era and newer buildings at 35 South Second Street are elevated above Main Street's independent shops and are a few blocks from Oregon Shakespeare Festival stages and a shady stroll along Ashland Creek and into Lithia Park. The garden-filled corner property is also a short scenic drive to Ashland's rural wineries and tasting rooms overlooking vineyards with views of Cascade and Siskiyou mountains.
The Oregonian reports The Winchester Inn's longtime owners, the Gibbs family, restored the original 1886 mansion and added two restaurants offering fine cuisine, cocktails and a wine list showcasing Rogue Valley-grown pinot noir and chardonnay grapes.
USA Today 10Best editors wrote: "Step back in time when you stay in one of the 21 well-appointed guest rooms and suites located in the main house, Heritage House, Carriage House, or one of the two cottages. Guests of Winchester Inn can enjoy a two-course breakfast each morning, and, come dinner time, enjoy a meal at the on-site Alchemy Restaurant."
The Alchemy Restaurant and Bar in the mansion's window-wrapped sunroom has a wall of glass shelves stocked with liquor bottles and a rolling library ladder to reach them. Alchemy has been the recipient of Wine Spectator awards since 2006 and has received the lifestyle magazine's award of excellence every year since 2015.
The Winchester Inn was the only Southern Oregon business that received a 2024 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Vineyards in the Willamette Valley took spots No. 1, 3 and 4 on the list of the Top 10 wine tasting rooms.
