• What to know if you go

Salisbury, N.C. — A traditional, imposing Victorian house is sometimes oppressive, chock-full of massive furnishings, dark woodwork and heavily draped windows blocking the light.

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A cantilevered staircase, refinished woodwork and a brass newel post light are among the details that guests such as Scott and Susann Riefner of Concord, N.C., can appreciate at the B&B.
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Rowan Oak House dates to 1901, when Milton Brown built it for his wife, Fannie. The wallpaper she selected on their European honeymoon still adorns the B&BÕs dining room.
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The dining room table at Rowan Oak House Bed and Breakfast provides a perfect spot for morning gathering, complete with the owners' Lenox china, passed down through the family.
SCOTT FOUST/Special (ENLARGE)
Another imposing house in town was owned by Dr. Josephus W. Hall, chief surgeon at the Confederate prison in Salisbury. This is one of seven cannons that guarded the prison.
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Rowan Oak House Bed and Breakfast in historic Salisbury is ornate, stately and true to the period, but the impression it leaves is a happy, sunny home where guests indulge in the friendly hospitality of its owners, Barbara and Les Coombs.

The house, built in 1901, is in Salisbury's West Square Historic District. It provides an easy walk to restaurants, historic sites and the downtown area. And the grounds offer six fountains and a screened gazebo in the gardens.

But guests find more to like than just the location.

"Tops would be the hospitality," said Scott Riefner, who visited recently from Concord, N.C., with his wife, Susann, traveling on their Harley-Davidson. "Second would be the location — within walking distance to downtown and the shops."

Guests Nancy and James Wood were visiting from Greensboro, N.C., after a friend suggested historic Salisbury for a weekend getaway.

They enjoyed exploring the town, whose history dates to before the American Revolution. During the Civil War, it was spared from burning in 1865 by Union Gen. George Stoneman, although the Confederate prison there was destroyed. Historic homes and Salisbury's 1854 courthouse remain. Records dating to the beginnings of Rowan County in 1753 are still available at the public library. They are often used for genealogical research.

"I love this town. There is so much within walking distance," Nancy Wood said, adding that the warmth and hospitality of the innkeepers were important to their stay.

"Our social life walks in the front door," admitted Barbara Coombs. "Every guest has a story. ... I love my guests. You have to enjoy people."

The Coombses bought the 22-room house in late 1994, moving in 30,000 pounds of furnishings and starting a renovation that continues today.

They refurbished original brass hardware and light fixtures and refinished the ornate cantilevered staircase and woodwork. Central air conditioning was installed. Large elegant bathrooms were brought up to date with marble.

"Our bathrooms are big enough to waltz in," Barbara said with pride.

The house features seven fireplaces with ceramic surrounds and high mantels. Barbara has sewn elaborate, cheerful window treatments and wallpapered the 11-foot-tall rooms throughout the house.

Sunlight shines throughout the house, originally built by clothing merchant Milton Slater Brown for his bride-to-be, Fannie Wortham, of Richmond.

And while the current owners offer distinctly Southern hospitality and an easygoing comfortable environment for guests, their roots are hundreds of miles away in the Midwest. The Coombses lived most of their lives in Chicago.

Graduates of Northwestern University, Les was a division manager for Mobil Chemical (now Exxon Mobil), and Barbara worked for Harris Bank.

"The idea presented itself to open a bed-and-breakfast, and we just ran with it," she said. Then came the three years of hunting for just the right bed-and-breakfast, the refurbishing and the day-to-day work of running the inn — washing fine crystal and silver, keeping financial records, changing linens, vacuuming, grocery shopping and preparing elaborate breakfasts.

Barbara laughed when she described the reaction of their three children when they learned their parents decided to move south and open a bed-and-breakfast. "My daughter introduces us as 'my parents who ran away from home.' "

Actually, they brought much of their "home" along. Most of the furnishings and accessories in the house had been collected by the Coombses over four decades. Guests dine on a gracious table set with Lenox china from Marshall Field's in Chicago, inherited from Les' mother. Barbara and her family collected the silver. The couple slowly purchased Depression glass and crystal and furniture.

A cabinet also features displays of the house's original owner's books, photos and his shaving mug, as well as a mirror that served as an advertisement for the Brown Clothing Co. Light in the foyer and library still filters through Tiffany stained-glass windows installed for Milton Brown when the house was constructed. A photograph of his bride rests on the bird's-eye maple fireplace mantel in the bridal suite.

And while the town of Salisbury is an attraction, the inn also hosts guests heading to Lowe's Motor Speedway, just 25 miles away, for NASCAR races. (The months of May and October are already fully booked.) It's within 30 miles of High Point, North Carolina's home furnishings capital.

Visitors also can take in the nearby 57-acre North Carolina Transportation Museum, with operating trains, a roundhouse, vintage railroad cars and other vehicles ranging from a Conestoga wagon to a hand-built airplane.

The Coombses take pride in the details of their home and in making it a true getaway.

The four guest rooms are equipped with televisions, but guests aiming to get away from it all don't have to remove the lace cloths that cover them. "Some people don't want to even look at the TV on a breakaway weekend," Les said.

IF YOU GO

Getting there

Salisbury is 280 miles from downtown Atlanta. Take I-85 north, past Charlotte, to exit 76B (Innes Street). Take a right. Drive one mile to Fulton Street, turn left.

About Rowan Oak

• Rowan Oak House Bed and Breakfast, 208 S. Fulton St. 1-800-786-0437; www.rowanoakbb.com. Rooms $120-$165 per night. Corporate rates available during the week.

What to do

• Trolley tours. Hourlong tours run on Saturdays through October. Offered twice a day, they concentrate on the Salisbury Historic District: downtown, the West Square Historic District and the Salisbury Military Prison and Historic National Cemetery. Thousands of Union prisoners were held there. Many are buried in Salisbury. Tours start at the Rowan County Visitor Information Center, 204 E. Innes St., Suite 120. Contact the center for starting times: 1-800-332-2343, www.visitsalisburync.com. The center is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays; 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

• Dr. Josephus W. Hall House. Built in 1820, the house was originally part of Salisbury Academy. It moved into private hands in 1825. In 1859, it was purchased by Dr. Hall, who was the chief surgeon at the Confederate prison in Salisbury. He began extensive renovations to the Federal Period home that included cast-iron trim to reflect his interest in New Orleans-style architecture. The home stayed in the Hall family until 1972, when it was purchased by the Historic Salisbury Foundation. Most of its antique furniture was passed down through the family. One of the seven cannons that guarded the prison walls is on Hall House grounds. 1-4 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. 226 S. Jackson St. www.historicsalisbury.org.

• Salisbury Emporium. Owners Mickey and Betty Black promise to offer "a little bit of everything" in this charming 15,000-square-foot renovated historic warehouse that contains 85 shops. The browsing is top-notch. Dealers sell a variety of fine and primitive antiques, collectibles (many of them military pieces), gifts, books, fine art and pottery in a wide range of prices. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays. 230 E. Kerr St., adjacent to the Historic Salisbury Railroad Depot. 704-642-0039, www.salisburyemporium.com.

• Green Goat Gallery. Pottery, ironwork, jewelry, weaving and other crafts are exhibited and sold at this gallery and pottery and painting studio. Twenty artists are represented at this shop, about two miles down the road in Spencer. The work of the gallery's three owners is featured: Brent Smith, pottery; Cara Reische, paintings; and Jon Palmer, stained glass. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. Also by appointment. 516 S. Salisbury Ave., Spencer. 704-639-0606, www.greengoatgallery.com.

• Antiquarius. A mix of 18th- and 19th-century American and European antiques is available at this shop. Jeffrey Penfil, who specializes in interior architecture, space planning and design, has been a Salisbury shop owner for 14 years and has been in the antiques business for 30 years. One of the finds recently at the shop: a monogrammed lipstick tube from the estate of Ava Gardner. The Cartier piece was selling for $1,295. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. 108 N. Main St. 704-633-8080, antiquariususa.com.

• Bernhardt's Hardware has been on its site on Main Street since 1928. Owner Paul L. Bernhardt, 81, stocks Cheerwine next to the paint section and sells produce and hardware, and he supplies nearby residents and restaurants with tomatoes, watermelon and cantaloupe in season. Shoppers can buy Ice Melt next to lawn seed or choose between hot peanuts and housewares. It's a delightful step into the past. 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. 111-115 N. Main St. 704-633-7500.

Where to eat

• La Cava Restaurant. Diners in the mood for northern Italian cooking and ready to splurge will enjoy this restaurant, opened in 1994 in a church built in 1897. The ambience, service and food are top-notch. The seasonal menu reflects fresh goods at the market. Entrees, $16-$32. The restaurant offers a broad selection of wine and beer. Be aware: A service charge of $6.95 is applied to shared entrees. Dinner served 5:30-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. 329 S. Church St. 704-637-7174. Check for the April opening of Salty Caper, the owner's newest restaurant serving gourmet pizza. 115 S. Lee St., 704-633-1101, www.saltycaper.com (site is under construction).

• Wrenn House Grill & Pub. Offers casual, affordable Southern-style dining on weekdays and Saturdays in a 1839 building that was originally an all-girls academy. It later became a personal residence and then a restaurant in 1998. The menu includes salads, sandwiches, burgers and full meals as well as a full bar. Dinner and drink specials are offered daily. Dinner entrees, $10-$20. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; closed Sundays. 115 S. Jackson St. 704-633-9978, www.thewrennhouse.com.