With gas prices soaring as the summer travel season approaches, BedandBreakfast.com rolls out its Tanks a Lot promotion.

Participating B&Bs are offering incentives to get folks in their cars and on the road — everything from cash on their pillows to gas cards to discounted stays.

Scott Warnke/Special (ENLARGE)
Gayle and David Darugh own the Beechwood Inn in Clayton, which passed muster to become a Select Registry member.
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Here's a look at some of the participating B&Bs in the South. For a complete list, go to http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/ppf/cts/s/specials.aspx?cts=s?cts=s; click on Free Gas Promotion in the pull-down menu. Mention the promotion when booking.

• Traveler's Rest, Montezuma: The 10-15-20 offer: Stay two nights with candlelight in-room dinner for two and get a $10 gas card, $15 voucher for a future stay and $20 room discount; stay one night and take advantage of a similar 5-10-15 package. Good through June 30. 478-472-0085, http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/ga/travelers-rest-details.html.

• Five Continents Bed and Breakfast, New Orleans: Stay three days June through August and take $20 off your bill when you show your gas receipt for $20. 1-800-997-4652, http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/la/five-continents-bedand-breakfast.html.

• Arlington Heights Bed and Breakfast, Natchez, Miss.: Through Oct. 21, $25 will be deducted from your first night's stay. Additional fuel comes in the form of a bottle of locally made muscadine wine given to each guest. 601-446-7244, http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/mississippi/arlington-heights-bedand-breakfast.html.

• Lamplight Inn, Henderson, N.C.: All rates are discounted 25 percent until May 1; stay three or more nights and get a $25 credit to put toward gasoline. 1-877-222-0100, http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/north-carolina/lamplightinn.html.

• Inn at Melrose, Hilton Head Island, S.C.: Arrive by boat at this historic antebellum inn and you'll receive a $25 resort credit for use at Daufuskie Island Resort. Ferry transportation from Hilton Head Island, full breakfast and overnight accommodation start at $199 double through Aug. 15; kids under 17 stay free. 1-800-648-6778, http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/southcarolina/the-inn-at-melrose.html.

• Kilburnie, the Inn at Craig Farm, Lancaster, S.C.: Stay two midweek nights through Sept. 1 and receive 25 cents per mile toward gas costs, up to 100 miles. 803-416-8420, http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/south-carolina/kilburnie-theinn-at-craig-farm.html.

• Ocoee Mist Farm, Benton, Tenn.: Book two nights May through August and receive $25 off your room rate. 1-888-541-9583, http://www.bedand breakfast.com/tennessee/ocoee-mist-farm.html.

• New Hope Bed and Breakfast, Bristol, Tenn.: Through June 30, bring a receipt for a tank of gas and the amount spent will be deducted from a two-night stay when booking at regular rates. 1-888-989-3343, http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/tennessee/new-hope-bed-andbreakfast.html.

• Iron Mountain Inn Bed and Breakfast and Creekside Chalet, Butler, Tenn.: To encourage gas conservation, guests will dine at the inn on one night of a two-night stay. This offer is valid any night through May and on midweek stays June through September. Mention Tanks a Lot when booking to get the $404 rate including tax. 1-888-781-2399, http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/tennessee/iron-mountain-innbb-and-creekside-chalet.html.

• Huckleberry Inn, Sevierville, Tenn.: Stay three midweek nights through June 30 and get a $25 gas card when you mention BedandBreakfast.com at booking time. 1-800-704-3278, http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/tennessee/huckleberry-inn.html.

Historic digs

The 19-room John Rutledge House Inn in Charleston, S.C., celebrates National Preservation Month with a special package available May 1-31.

The two-night package at the National Historic Landmark property and member of Historic Hotels of America includes tickets to the historic Nathaniel Russell House and the National Trust's Drayton Hall.

John Rutledge, one of the 55 signers of the U.S. Constitution, built the home in 1763. According to the inn's Web site, the restored home is one of only 15 homes belonging to those signers to survive — and the only one to accommodate overnight guests.

The cost is $545-$775 per couple, including breakfast, afternoon tea and hors d'oeuvres, and evening wine and sherry service. Children under 12 are an additional $20 per night; additional adults, $60 per night.

Information: 843-723-7999, http://www.johnrutledgehouseinn.com.

For more packages nationwide, visit the National Trust Web site at www.historichotels.org.

The inn crowd

The Beechwood Inn in Clayton — known for its wine and food events — has been tapped for membership in Select Registry, Distinguished Inns of North America.

Select Registry does a quality assurance inspection for its 400 member inns. Inspectors arrive unidentified, spend the night and evaluate the inn on a detailed point system. Inns are inspected on a periodic schedule.

"We scrubbed and polished long before our surprise inspection," said Beechwood owner Gayle Darugh, "and we promise to keep the inn spotless and safe for guests in the years to come."

The Select Registry inspector said in her report of the Beechwood Inn: "Gayle and David Darugh have a natural talent for innkeeping and understand the subtleties that differentiate between good and excellence. . . . Their warm and congenial hospitality, accentuated by their impressive culinary talents, makes a stay at the inn a most pleasurable experience."

The Beechwood Inn joins Glen Ella Springs of Clarkesville, the Skelton House of Hartwell, the Chanticleer Inn of Lookout Mountain and the Shellmont Inn of Atlanta as the only Select Registry inns in North Georgia.

Upcoming events include a Chilean wine dinner and the Memorial Day Weekend Gourmet Wine Picnic on May 28-30, featuring selections from Georgia wineries and a buffet of seasonal picnic specialties.

Information: 1-866-782-2485, http://www.beechwoodinn.ws.com.

A taste of Europe

For Old World charm on the Florida Panhandle, check out the Pensione in Rosemary Beach. The eight-room European-style bed-and-breakfast is a short stroll from the Gulf of Mexico.

In designing the Pensione, internationally recognized architects Luis and Jorge Trelles drew inspiration from Italian craftsmanship and the Florida seaside.

Among the Pensione's features: carnelian red stucco on the exterior, mahogany doors that lead to a crème interior, 6-foot windows that fill the B&B with natural light, and Venetian plaster sand-white ceilings. Rooms are decorated in contemporary European style with furnishings made by local artisans.

Onano on the Pensione's ground floor specializes in northern Italian cuisine, incorporating fresh local seafood, beef and foods from the Tuscany region. The Summer Kitchen offers lighter fare, including sandwiches and salads.

The Rosemary Beach Racquet Club is nearby, and there is an exercise path within the township and a 14-mile paved trail along Scenic 30-A for walking, biking and roller-blading. Amenities also include four pools, tennis courts and the Butterfly Garden, filled with native plants that attract several species of butterflies. Golf courses and shopping are nearby.

Daily rates, $168-$188; weekly, $1,008-$1,128.

Information: 850-231-1790, http://www.thepensione.com.

You go, girl

The Girls' Getaway Package at Emerald Pointe Resort at Lake Lanier Islands is available through June 15.

The package for two includes accommodations, one-hour massages and breakfast, starting at $281 per night. Upgrades that include accommodations at the LakeHouses on Lanier are available for four to six girlfriends.

Information: 770-945-8787, http://www.lakelanierislands.com.