The Villages Daily Sun

BUSHNELL — Rustic country living, trail rides on horseback through the Withlacoochee State Forest and lazy afternoons spent in rocking chairs on a shady veranda are just a few of the reasons people come from far and wide to visit Cypress House Bed and Breakfast in Bushnell.

The two-story farmhouse and barn are shaded by several large live oak trees and surrounded by pastureland where ranch horses spend their time.

Jan Fessler, owner of the bed and breakfast, is a third-generation innkeeper who, along with her husband Walt and mother Thelma Schaum, opened Cypress House Bed and Breakfast in 1990.

And Jan has enjoyed being an innkeeper since day one.

“I love the people I get to meet as part of the business,” she said.

Since the bed and breakfast opened, Walt and Thelma have passed away, but Jan has continued to run the business.

“I guess part of the success of Cypress House could be because I’m a third-generation innkeeper,” Fessler said. “My maternal grandmother owned a hotel in Kentucky from 1885 to 1915. After that she ran several rooming houses, so my mother grew up in the business. Even though she was 87 when we opened, she enjoyed greeting the guests and helping with the business.”

Fessler’s ranch manager, Amy Griffing, says part of the inn’s success can be chalked up to Jan’s habit of making people feel like family.

“She tells them to come in, make themselves comfortable and feel at home. And she tries to accommodate them as best as possible.”

The Fesslers hadn’t planned on opening a business when they planned their new cypress home six miles outside Bushnell.

“When I took the plans to work and showed the blueprints to my fellow teachers at Floral City Elementary, they wanted to know what we were going to do with such a huge house,” Fessler said. “Without thinking, I said, ‘Open a bed and breakfast.’”

Fessler isn’t one to rush into a business venture — so she did her homework. She went to the library and read several books on what makes a successful bed and breakfast. After deliberating for a while, she decided she could.

“I spoke with the builder and made some minor changes to accommodate the bed and breakfast,” Fessler said. “Then, after about four months, I mentioned the bed and breakfast to my husband. Fortunately, he thought it was a good idea.”

Even after Cypress House opened, Fessler continued to teach for another three years as Walt and Thelma took care of day-to-day operations.

“We were really only busy on the weekends at that time,” she said. “So it worked out well.”

One of the draws to Cypress House is its rustic charm. The sprawling two-story log home is surrounded by old live oak trees and lots of flowering shrubs and plants. It’s also — and this may account for the largest share of its appeal — located about six and a half miles from the nearest store.

Until recently, the road in to the property was lime rock, giving many visitors a (pleasant) feeling of isolation.

“I have neighbors now,” Fessler said. “I didn’t have any when we opened, but you still can’t see the other homes. So you feel like you are really in the country.”

Some who amble into Cypress House enjoy the simplicity of sitting on the porch and enjoying the peace and quiet, she said.

Others come for the horses.

A separate business, Cypress House Ranch Inc., has 20 horses that live on or near the bed and breakfast’s property, providing trail rides or riding lessons to guests and the public.

“I have one couple from Orlando that come here about once a month,” Fessler said. “She loves the horses. He enjoys sitting on the porch and reading and visiting with the other guests.”

The horses became an integral part of the business in 1994. The owners were sending guests out for trail rides at other locations — until Jan figured she could do it better herself.

“One day I went riding with my daughter where I had been recommending our guests go,” Fessler said. “It was nice, but … I could do a better job.”

So, she built a barn, purchased several horses, added two additional guest rooms and installed a swimming pool.

“When I began the trail rides, I didn’t have neighbors, and I had access to several acres of property to use for the rides,” Fessler said. “We rode around the property and along the road for several years. Then people started building in the area and traffic increased. It became easier to trailer the horses for rides in the Withlacoochee State Forest.”

The rural setting and horses draw people from all over the world to Cypress House, Fessler said.

At least three or four times a month she has guests visit from other countries, including France, Germany and England.

On Wednesday, Mette and Brian Eeg from Denmark were visiting Cypress House with their two children, Kristene and Mikkel, as part of their tour of Florida.

“We read about the Cypress House on the Internet,” Mette Eeg explained. “We started our trip in Orlando, and visited the Keys, Naples, and places in North Florida. But my daughter Kristene and I love horses and love to ride, so Cypress House appealed to us. It’s very lovely here.”

Fessler seldom makes changes to Cypress House.

She added the horses and the swimming pool but has changed little of the house and surroundings.

“People become comfortable with the known,” she said. “They look forward to coming back to what they remember. I had several people comment when they paved our road.”

One change for the better she made in the past year was hiring Griffing as ranch manager.

“Some people are born loving horses,” Fessler said. “And Amy is one of these people. As a kid, she worked in stables just to be around horses. Her professionalism and connection with the horses makes the guests much more comfortable.”

Griffing likes working for Cypress House Ranch because Fessler personalizes each ride for the guest.

“Whether it’s one guest or a group, we’ll design a ride just for them,” Griffing said. “And we’ll let the guests do as much or as little as they like in the care of the horses.

“If it’s feeding time, they can feed. If they want to saddle and groom their animal they can,” she said. “They get a more personal look at the horses than most ranches where they just do line rides.”

Fessler believes it’s the complete package that has kept Cypress House open for so long — the country setting and cozy home, the horses and the rates that she says are some of the lowest in the state.

“I try to keep the rates affordable so families can visit and see rural Florida and experience the horses,” Fessler said. “I have always loved horses, but could never have them until we moved from Fort Lauderdale to Sumter County. I want to share that experience with others.”

For additional information, including directions, rates and specials, check the Cypress House Web site (www.chbandb.com) or call 568-0909.

The bed and breakfast is located at 5175 CR 631C, Bushnell.

Patricia Steele is a reporter with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 7992, or patricia.steele@thevillagesmedia.com.