Rock City Falls, a 19th-century mill town 7 miles west of Saratoga Springs, seems an unlikely destination for tray-elers. The Kayaderosseras Creek still flows, but the mills and factories are quiet. Aside from a few antiques shops, there doesn’t seem to be much that would draw yisitors to this sleepy village . . . not much, that is, until one spots the Mansion, one of the most elegant and romantic bed-and-breakfasts you’ll en-counter anywhere. The Venetian villa-style residence was built in 1866 as a summer home for George West, a prominent industrialist and inventor of the folding paper bag. No expense was spared in the construction of the 23-room mansion; it has 12-foot etched-glass doors, marble fireplaces with inlaid man-tels, copper and brass lighting fixtures, and Tiffany chandeliers.
It is a credit to proprietor Tom Clark and innkeeper Alan Churchill, who restored the mansion, that this bed-and-breakfast is both sumptuous and friendly. The art books stacked invitinglyin the library are for browsing, perhaps while sipping iced tea or Saratoga water on the side porch on a lazy summer afternoon. Classical music—anything from Bach to Berlioz—wafts through the house. The art, which Tom collects on his travels, invites close inspection. The antique parlor organ is there for playing. All the guest rooms are enticing, but the Four-Poster Room, with its queen-size carved bed, and the Queen Room, with garden views, are particularly handsome.
And there are the flowers. Baskets of fuchsia hang from the porches; roses, peonies, and delphiniums fill the gardens; and bouquets of fragrant Casablanca lilies and foxglove may greet you in the front hall or parlors. Throughout the year floral arrangements brighten every guest room. Alan of the green thumb even grows orchids: In one guest room the mauve of an orchid plant picks up the colors of the bedspread.
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